“Language Experience Approach” Assignment:
Guiding English Language Learners through Speaking and Writing
CIED 3050
Overview of Assignment: You will be planning and implementing an extraordinary tutoring session for an English Language Learner, informed by the Language Experience Approach. Then you’ll be writing an analysis of the experience.
Preparation: First, read and view the many resources about the Language Experience Approach (they are in a folder under Assignments).
Step 1: Arrange a time with an English Language Learner, preferably elementary school aged but could also be an older student or adult, who is learning or has learned English as a second language. This could be someone in your field experience classroom, your family, or your friends’ families.
Step 2: Plan a time to complete a small, one-page project, one-on-one with a student using the Language Experience Approach (LEA), an effective teaching method for ELLs.
The LEA follows these key stages:
1. The student tells a story about their own experiences (a time when they went to the beach, on vacation, something that happened at school or at home…)
2. The teacher writes down what they say, in the exact way they say it
3. The teacher now reviews this writing with the student
4. The student and teacher work together to refine it, publish it, maybe illustrate it depending on the grade level…
Step 3: Copy or photograph the student’s work and include this with your written assignment (Step 4).
Step 4: Write two paragraphs describing how you used the Language Experience Approach with your “student.” (Paragraph = at least 5 sentences, including topic sentence, 3 supporting details, and concluding sentence)
Paragraph 1: Include information on the student’s grade level or age, the topic of their story, the questions you asked, and the answers the student gave. Include the language skills and content areas that you worked on through this one-on-one activity.
Paragraph 2: Discuss how and why the Language Experience approach can be an effective teaching method with ELLs, based on your experience with it.
Step 5: Upload to Blackboard, under Assignments.
