Stages of SLA

Students and their Teachers

THE SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNER AND THE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PROCESS

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

PRE-PRODUCTION

EARLY PRODUCTION

SPEECH EMERGENCE

INTERMEDIATE PRODUCTION

CHARACTER-ISTICS

Silent Period 1-2 Word Responses Lists

3 Word ResponsesShort phrasesComplete sentences

DialogueConnected discourse

TIMELINE L1 Birth-6 months 6 Months – 2 Years

2 - 5 Years 5+ Years

TIMELINE L2 10 Hours to 3 Months of structured ESL Instruction

6 Months – 2 Years

2 - 3 Years 3 – 6 Years

PREPRODUCTION EARLY PRODUCTION SPEECH EMERGENCE SPEECH EMERGENCE

ListeningShy studentStudents respond non-verbally10 hours to 6 months

Continuing listeningStudents respond w/1Students respond non-verbally2.6 months to 1 year

Sight vocab. (older students).

May seem fluent, but needs to expand vocab. and CALP.Engages in dialog.3-4 years.

500 receptive words 1000 receptive words10% of vocab. Is expressive.Continued BICS development.

7000 receptive words.10% of vocab. Is expressive.Continued BICS development.

12,000 receptive words.10% of vocab. Is expressive.CALP development.

90% Teacher TalkTPRModelingActive student involvementWho, What, Where questions.Yes/No answers.Student follows commands.Use of pictures.Use of realia.

50-60% Teacher talkTPR with responsesAnswer Who, What, Where Qs.Role PlayingCompleting SentencesAnswers Qs. w/phrases

40% Teacher talkPoetryPredictingComparingDescribingSocial InteractionHow and Why Qs.LEAProblem SolvingGroup DiscussionLabelingListening

10% teacher talkEssay writing with pre-writing activities.LEAAnalyzing charts and graphs.Problem solving.EvaluatingAnswer How and Why questions.Literary Analysis.

STAGES OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

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Questioning Techniques for the Different Stages of 2L Acquisition.

PREPRODUCTION EARLY PRODUCTION SPEECH EMERGENCE INTERMEDIATE FLUENCY

Point to….Find the….Put the ______ next to the _______ .Give the ____ to ____Who has the ________?Do you have the ____?Is this a _______?Who wants the _____?Who has the _______?

Yes/no Qs: Is Jimmy wearing a sweater?Either/or Qs: Is this a pencil or an eraser?One-word responses Qs: What does the woman have in her hand?General Qs. which encourage lists of words: What do we see on the playground?Two-word responses: Where did he go? To school.

Why?How?Tell me about/talk about….What do you think about?Describe….How would you change this part of the story?

What would you recommend/suggest?How do you think this story will end?What is your opinion (on this matter)?Describe/compare…How are these different/similar?What would happen if…?Which do you prefer?Why?

STUDENT ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO L2 STAGES OF ACQUISITION

LEVELS OF L2 ACAQ.

PRE-PRODUCTION BEGINNING EARLY PRODUCTION

SPEECH EMERGENCE

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

STUDENT

Performs an actPoints to an item in pictureUses gesturersManipulates items to demonstrate understandingImitatesNodsWrites a letter corresponding to a picture.Says yes or noSays names of other students.

Gives yes or no answersGives one-word answers from either-or quest.Gives one-word answers from general Qs.Gives lists of word stringsUses global/general expressions

Uses three-word stringsUses short phrasesUses longer phrasesUses complete sentences Participates in dialoguesEngages in simple storytelling

Engages in extended discourseUses narrative formRetells storiesWrites storiesUses complex statementsStates opinionsReports on eventsGives instructions

Expresses most of what he/she wants to sayFollows lecturesUnderstands differences in L1 – L2 intonationDiscusses idioms

TEACHER ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO L2 STAGES OF ACQUISITION

LEVELSOF L2ACQ.

PRE-PRODUCTION BEGINNING EARLY PRODUCTION

SPEECH EMERGENCE INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED

TEACHER

Seeks to develop listening comprehensionSeeks to build receptive vocabularyProvides opportunities to listenUses visual aidsSpeaks more slowly to facilitate comprehensionEmphasizes and reiterates key wordsUses gesturesActs out scenes whenever possibleDoes not force production

Seeks to build receptive vocab.Seeks to develop active vocab.Structures Qs. that require responses appropriate to early production student.Allows for mistakes in pronunciation, form, grammar, and word usage.

Seeks to develop receptive and active vocab.Seeks to develop higher level thinking skillsSeeks to develop and extend verbal expressionStructures Qs. that require responses appropriate to speech emergence student.Provides situations that will encourage speech production that is longer and more complex

Develops skills in following a lectureSelects higher level thinking skills on which to focusProvides extensive practice

Provides directed lessons on idioms, nuances, etc.Organizes activities that develop native like intonationProvides practice with conventions

VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT IS STRESSED THROUGHOUT ALL LEVELS OF L2 ACQUISITION

NATURAL APPROACH AND and TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO L2 STAGES

Stages PREPRODUCTION BEGINNING, EARLY PRODUCTION

SPEECH EMERGENCE INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED

. Development of vocab. using pictures.

Games requiring nonverbal responses

Physical activities

Following directions, in art, music, crafts, etc

CharadesPicturesRole-playing

Open-ended sentences

Open dialogues

Interviews with guidelines

Recites short poems

Sings songs

Charts, Tables, graphs

Newspaper ads

Group discussion

Skits

Preference ranking

GamesCloze activities with songs, radio, TV.

Filmstrips

Filling out forms

Descriptions of visuals

Paraphrasing

Negotiating meaning

Defending

Oral discussions

Guided discourses

Group panels

Assumptions

Conjecture

Predictions

Increase difficulty include expressions of humor, sarcasm, etc.

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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES: ORAL FLUENCYPRE-PRODUCTION BEGINNING EARLY

PRODUCTIONSPEECH EMERGENCE

INTERMEDIATE FLUENCY

Developed through their L1.Listening comprehension is basic.Activities to teach to recognize the

meaning of words used in communicative contexts

Teach to guess at the meaning of utterances without knowing all of the words or grammar

Provide environm. comfortable and free of criticism or overt correction

Use visual aids

Modify speech

Do not force production

Focus on new vocab. by writing it and have them copy it.

TPR

Supply comprehensible input based on classroom experiences and pictures/realia.

Developed through their L1.Yes/no Qs.Either/or Qs.

Qs. w/one-word answers

General Qs. that encourage lists of words answers

Open sentences w/pauses for student response (M. has a blue shirt, but r. has a ____ shirt)

Give comprehensible instruction and expand students’ responses.

Open dialogues.

Guided interviews

Open-ended sentences

Charts, tables, graphs w/discussion

Developed through their L1.

More cognitively demanding tasks

Preference ranking

Oral games of all sorts

Group discussion

Skits

Radio, TV, ads.

Open dialogues

Short plays

Receptive comprehension is complete in almost every concrete context.

Abstract situations may be difficult (poetry recited, radio broadcasts on complex subjects, etc)

Responses are appropriate, complete and often embellished.

Some grammatical structures continue to be violated.

Language is used at an almost native level.3-6 years phase towards advanced fluency as they study content and language over time.

Focus on communication and meaning

Correction of grammatical mistakes should be kept to a minimum and only addressed when they interfere with meaning.