Directions: As you read each chapter of the course book, “Educating English Learners,” you will

complete a Table of Characteristics (TOC) for each chapter. You will add characteristics for each student
for each chapter using the color codes for each chapter below. You will turn in TOCs periodically
throughout the course to be sure you are on the right track. The final TOC with all of the chapters will be
included in the Service Learning/Culture assignment later in the semester.

TABLE OF CHARACTERISTICS
GERO EDITH EDGAR TASIR YOUR
STUDENT

AGE Kindergarten 4th Grade 10th grade 7th grade

MOTIVATION Is striving to Helping others Wants to

please her also learn please her
teacher by english peers and
giving correct seem on par
answers in with everyone
English else

ATTITUDE Shy Shy and Misunderstood, Outspoken,

hesitant disruptive, rebellious
confrontational teenager
Will stare at
the floor when Is a good
she doesn’t student in ELD
know what to class
do

LANGUAGE No English, Practically no Intermediate, Advanced, has

PROFICIENCY but speaks English, and understands been learning
LEVELS well in both spotty Spanish conversational English for
French and due to English but not four years but
Hatian Kreyol unreliable much academic still has some
schooling english trouble
Can move
understanding
easily between
 French and taught
Kreyol concepts.

L1 French and Spanish Spanish Arabic

Haitian Kreyol

Family Dynamics Father is a Parents often Father left 14 Typical

civil engineer, relocating to months ago teenager
avoid turmoil and has not rebelling
Mother is a
and for returned. agains parents,
pediatrician
farmwork. Mother had Father wishes
Grandmother Parents do not family move so to embrace
tells stories speak English she could find traditional
and helps work middle eastern
make customs while
Has four
connections Tasir does not.
siblings
between
French and
Kreyol

Cultural Haiti Poor, crime Rich Puerto Middle

Backgrounds ridden area of Rican culture eastern
mexico practicies

HOW LONG IN A Few weeks One month 8 months Four years

US

L2 abilities None Only a few Moderate, Fluent in

key words, conversation is conversation,
Going through
next to none good, academic still playing
a ‘silent
is not too great catch up in
period’ where Points to
academic
he only nods items Can hold basic
and points conversations Grammatical
Lists items
with fluent errors in
Memorizes English writing
common speakers, which
 Is cooperative phrases, does allows him to Level 5 WIDA
in responding, not make progress Proficiency
but struggles comprehend in learning
their meaning English.
Level 1 WIDA
Proficiency Level 1 WIDA Level 3 WIDA
Proficiency Proficiency

Content Areas Stronger in Has little Enjoys ESOL Likes Home

Kreyol than schooling class, gets Economics
French prior to easily distracted because it is
coming to the elsewhere. visual and
Still learning
United States easy to follow,
broad terms, Is hoping to be
difficulty in
needs engaged in
lectures.
repetition and math, but the
strong visuals pacing of the Geography is
class and the her most
non- difficult class.
accommodating
teacher are not
much help.

The difficulty
comes from the
complexity of
word problems
and not being
able to identify
what the
question wants
Eder to do.

Groupwork Has a friend Very shy Likes to help Very social,

who is also teach others in wants to be in
Has a very
Haitian ESOL class the ‘popular’
difficult time
crowd
conveying
 Classroom is ideas to her Classrooms Is progressing
set up to peers. arranged for steadily when
enable more individual it comes to
groupwork, work, not ideal researching
tables in for an EL topics and
clumps and plotting data
many
manipulatives
in use

Gap Beginner Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Lack of Learning L2 10th grade Tasir’s gap is

background can be very classes are gradually
knowledge to difficult in an taught at a decreasing
understand academic higher level of
concepts in setting when intensity/more
social studies there is academic
class. minimal vocabulary
foundation in
It can be
L1.
difficult to
learn a second
language in a
sterile
academic
context

Support Welcoming Not welcomed Academic Ms. Parker

and supported by Ms. Oliver teachers pay does not
environment little attention, consider Tasir
Suggests more
created by Ms. but taken well an EL
student-
Levin care of in ESOL
teacher Ms. Parker
class.
interaction, believes that
Ms. Oliver ESOL class is
does not have Provide holding Tasir
the skills to vocabulary lists back, and that
properly teach she is just lazy.
Mr. Leibniz
Edith.
begins work on Allow for
Ms. Oliver now redesigning his grammatical
has the drive lesson plans to errors
to teach and break down
Ms. Parker is
encourage concepts into
gaining
Edith, but more digestible
understanding
lacks the pieces.
in ways to
knowledge to
help Tasir. She
apply
assigns her to
techniques
a group of
that won’t
advanced
disrupt the
readers.
flow of the
rest of the
class. Ms.
Oliver will
attend a
workshop
soon.
 Color Code for Table of Characteristics
Chapter Color
INTRODUCTION Black
1 Red
2 Blue
3 Green
4 Purple
5 Orange
6 Turquoise
7&8 Text Color is black but highlight in yellow
9 & 10 Text Color is black but highlight in pink
Conclusion Light Brown (bolded)