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From https://www.educationdive.com/news/connecting-native-and-second-language-deepens-english-literacy-for-ells/550272/

Connecting native and second language deepens English literacy for ELLs
by Shawna De La Rosa
March 18, 2019

Tan Huynh looks at the big picture when teaching English language learners (ELLs). An ELL himself, Huynh has dissected the art of infusing a second language into the first by teasing out specific strategies. The Philadelphia native then enhances the understanding of language by building context.

An ELL teacher at the private Saigon South International School in Vietnam, Huynh injects meaning into words to bring the topic to life in ways that his students understand. For example, at the secondary level, he will use a writing prompt such as "How did Rosa Parks fight injustice?"

“I give them the topic sentence because students often say, ‘I don’t know what to write about,’” he chuckled.

He then gives them vocabulary words, or a “word bank,” that they can learn and then use to respond to the prompt. In this case, words like injustice, prejudice, illegal, bus and unfair all come into play, along with transitional words including although, when and after.

Taking this bigger approach to ELL brings understanding into focus, which is the main reason behind the second language: to better understand the world.

Read the full article at https://www.educationdive.com/news/connecting-native-and-second-language-deepens-english-literacy-for-ells/550272/