1. 1. Preproduction
1.1. Characteristics
1.1.1. Has minimal comprehension
1.1.2. Does not verbalize, mostly Draws, points, and gestures to communicate
1.1.3. Nods "Yes" and "No"
1.1.4. Despite not speaking, students may acquire an understanding of up to 500 words.
1.2. Teaching Strategies
1.2.1. Encourage repeating or mimicking language
1.2.2. Repeat and paraphrase using emphsizing words, and speak slowly.
1.2.3. Teach using songs and poems.
1.2.4. Ask what, who, where, either-or, and yes/no questions.
2. 2. Early Production
2.1. Characteristics
2.1.1. Has limited comprehension
2.1.2. Produces one- or two-word responses.
2.1.3. Uses key words and familiar phrases.
2.1.4. Uses present-tense verbs.
2.2. Teaching Strategies
2.2.1. Ask questions that students can answer with one or two words.
2.2.2. Encourage partner and trio readings or listening centers.
2.2.3. Give sentence stems, questions and labels to use in showing understanding.
2.2.4. Use charts, tables, graphs and other conceptual visuals with word banks.
3. 3. Speech Emergence
3.1. Characteristics
3.1.1. Has good comprehension.
3.1.2. Can produce simple sentences.
3.1.3. Makes grammar and pronunciation errors.
3.1.4. Students can use brief, everyday expressions and have greater receptive than expressive command of English.
3.1.5. Students begin to participate in class discussions.
3.2. Teaching Strategies
3.2.1. Ask "why" and "how" questions that students can answer with short sentences.
3.2.2. Use heavy visual support and gestures to develop English vocabulary
3.2.3. Play vocabulary and flash card matching games.
3.2.4. Ask students to write descriptions, ideas, and concepts.
4. 4. Intermediate
4.1. Characteristics
4.1.1. Has excellent comprehension.
4.1.2. Makes few grammatical errors.
4.1.3. Begin to grasp and use academic English
4.1.4. Students have a fairly good grasp of everyday English.
4.2. Teaching Strategies
4.2.1. Ask "What would happen if …" and "Why do you think …" questions that require elaboration and explanation.
4.2.2. Assign writing tasks with increasing independence in critiquing examples, rewriting, and editing.
4.2.3. Use visual supports, including graphic organizers, and gestures and use prompts to foster elaboration.
4.2.4. Ask students to research and gather data about the language but make sure to provide scaffolding and resources appropriate to language levels.
5. 5. Advanced
5.1. Characteristics
5.1.1. Language is comparable to that of a native speaker and is comfortable and confident using the language.
5.1.2. May still have an accent and use idiomatic expressions incorrectly at times.
5.1.3. Communicates fluently in all contexts and can maneuver successfully in new contexts and when exposed to new academic information.
5.1.4. Able to demonstrate higher order thinking skills in the second language such as offering an opinion or analyzing a problem.
5.2. Teaching Strategies
5.2.1. Ask students to retell the story, including main plot elements but leaving out unnecessary details.
5.2.2. Show “silent” films or books without text and ask students to develop the scripts or texts.
5.2.3. Encourage solo reading with frequent interactive comprehension checks that are in different forms like written, oral, visual, etc…
5.2.4. Assign writing tasks with increasing independence in critiquing examples, rewriting, and editing.