Questioning for Language Acquisition Levels

Subject Area and Grade Span: All Subjects, Grades K-12

What it is:

This is a tool consisting of sentence starters for the various language acquisition levels. It can be used to engage students in oral language and effective discourse.

What it looks like:

For each language acquisition level, characteristics of expected student behavior are identified and teacher prompts are suggested. See the attached matrix, Prompting/Questioning Tips for Language Acquisition Levels, for specifics.

How you know it’s working:

• A teacher will notice an increase in student engagement and participation.
• Students will begin to use the sentence starters in student-to-student discussions and classroom discourse.

Things to consider:

• This tool can be used in all content areas.
• Consider other prompt/question starters applicable to the specific content area.

Download Document:

Download Questioning Tips (application/pdf)

Reference:

Adapted from Hill, J., & Flynn, K. (2006). Classroom instruction that works with English language learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.