Observation Questions for ELL/LEP student(s)

1. What techniques/methods/strategies do you see being used

with the ELL/LEP student(s)? Are they effective? Why or why not?
(Either specifically for the ELL student(s) or in whole class/small
group instruction)
- My class does not really feature any ELL students that have little
understanding of the English language. With some students in the
class that may be slightly EL, the only techniques that I have noticed
are ones that allow the students to complete separate worksheets
when the class is completing a task that these students may find
difficult. The worksheets that my cooperating teacher gives these
students seem to be effective, as the students complete them
appropriately.
2. Do you notice any student behaviors that you would consider
out of the ordinary? Please describe in detail. (This applies to both
the ELL student(s) and other classroom students)
- There is one student in the class that I observe that acts a little
unusual sometimes. This student seems to become very emotional
when he does not feel confident with certain content areas. In one
instance, when the teacher said that we will be learning about a
certain math subject, the student began to cry and explained that he is
not good at math. This student does not seem to have any language
barriers, so I think that this student may have some kind of socioemotional issues that may need to be addressed.
3. What type of interactions do you see between the ELL student(s),
other classroom students, and the teacher(s)? Please describe in
detail.
- Students in this class with minor language barriers seem to be a bit
reluctant to social interactions. Whenever the class transitions to group
work sessions, these students usually need to be paired with another
student because they will not go around and find groups or partners by
themselves. They are also reluctant to approach the teacher for
assistance in most scenarios.
4. Identify resources/materials that are being used with the ELL
student(s). Please describe in detail how the ELL student is
using them. Do they appear to be effective? Explain.
- There do not appear to be any specific resources for ELL students in
this 2nd grade class. I think this is because there are not any students

with severe language barriers in this class. The only resources that
appear to be accessible to the students with a slight language barrier
are simplified or alternative worksheets. These worksheets do seem to
be effective because the students continuously prove to be successful
with them.
5. Does the classroom environment seem to be comfortable for the
ELL student(s)? Please describe the environment and explain how
you made your decision.
- The classroom environment does appear to be confortable for
students with slight language barriers. The ambience in the classroom
is welcoming. Students always show compassion to their classmates.
Typically when any student shows struggle with a task, a student next
to them offers assistance without the teachers direction. I think this
type of environment is established by the classroom teacher in the
beginning of the year with continuous reinforcement throughout the
year.
6. Whats the comfort level of the ELL student(s) in regards to the
English language? What observations help you arrive at your
decision? Refer to the Vocabulary Performance Indicators. At
what level would you place the ELL student? How did you decide on
that level?
- The comfort of the students with slight language barriers seems to be
satisfactory. Since the classroom atmosphere is a welcoming one, I
think that ELL students are given a great opportunity to feel safe and
adept for learning. My observations have shown me that these
students are sometimes quiet, but regular classroom students do not
act any differently towards them for it. For these students, although
they are usually quiet, if questions are directly asked towards them,
they do not refrain from answering. I would say that the ELL students
in this class are just about on grade level.
7. If you feel comfortable enough to ask, ask the cooperating teacher
(or ESL teacher) what type of accommodations/modifications they
have to make for the ELL student(s). Please describe the types
of accommodations/modifications that were discussed. Do they
appear on the checklist? Why/why not do you think they are
present/not present on the checklist?
- Since any ELL students in this class have only a minor language
barrier, the only accommodation present on the checklist for these
students is to shorten assignments/tests. The cooperating teacher only
seems to use this accommodation for tasks that have proven to be

difficult for these students. I think these accommodations are present

because the amount of language on certain tasks may be
overwhelming for these students. With shortened assignments,
perhaps the student will not be as overwhelmed and focus more on the
content.