Supporting English Language Learners - Curriculum Services Canada

Segment Eight: Differentiating Instruction for ELLs
(Length: 25:30 minutes)
Synopsis: ELLs do not first learn English and then use English to learn
other things. They must be learning English as they are using English to learn
the curriculum. In this segment, three teachers demonstrate how they provide
these learning opportunities using both integrated and tutorial models.
Key Insights:
• ELLs benefit when approaches and strategies are differentiated in
response to their individual language learning needs.
• Supporting ELLs is less about creating different strategies and more
about making precise choices from an evidence-based repertoire.
• Working together helps teachers plan and implement robust learning
activities.
Starting the Conversation:
1. Watch the segment from 01:15 to 09:43 with a partner. Using Print
Resource 8, have one partner document the content knowledge that
the students gain from the lesson while the other partner documents
knowledge about the English language learned by the students. Share
your observations and discuss the aspects of Serge’s lesson planning that
enabled this joint learning to occur.
Print Resource 8
Learning Content and the English Language
Planning
Content
Knowledge
15