From Westminster Stages of English Language Acquisition

Stage 1 Listening/Speaking / How to support pupil progress
1.1 Participates as a listener in group activities / At Stage 1 the emphasis should be on including the pupil in the life of the school and on building their confidence by encouraging use of the first language and providing good models of spoken English. Allow for the silent period that is usual for Stage 1 learners
Listening
  • Use an interpreter to provide in-class support for the induction period to enable the pupil to begin accessing lessons
  • Create well-organised and clearly-labelled learning areas to facilitate early independence
  • Introduce names of classroom objects within the context of simple instructions, e.g. Bring me your book please.
  • Use vocabulary consistently e.g. tray/drawer; playtime/break
  • Illustrate unfamiliar vocabulary with clear visuals, video clips, objects and actions
  • Provide pupils with key words to tick during the lesson on hearing the word
  • Stress key words in utterances
  • Ensure understanding of key vocabulary by pre-teaching
  • Help pupils to predict what is being said by interpreting hand gestures and facial expressions
Listening and speaking
  • Plan practical collaborative activities that enable the learner to participate and hear good models of English without being required to speak if they lack confidence
  • Play board and card games that use restricted, repetitive phrases
  • Use group/class repetition of rhythmic language such as songs and rhymes
  • Rephrase pupils’ one-word utterances as a phrase or sentence
  • Model different greeting forms at registration time
Speaking
  • Encourage use of first language with same language speakers
  • Use puppets and story props to encourage speaking in role
  • Frequent repetition of key words and phrases in order to improve pronunciation and fluency

1.2 Relies on visual cues for meaning, by watching others and joining in activities
1.3 Recognises names of some familiar classroom objects
1.4 Plays or works silently or uses first language
1.5 Beginning to respond verbally to everyday greetings
1.6 Responds non-verbally to simple questions/instructions and may be beginning to respond verbally at times
1.7 Repeats words and phrases used by other pupils/adults
1.8 Beginning to use single words or short phrases in English to take part in classroom and playground activities
1.9 Beginning to join words to make phrases
1.10 Names some common objects with concrete and/or visual support
1.11 Expresses needs using gesture/single word/first language
1.12 Follows a simple story supported by visuals and repetition
1.13 Beginning to engage in talk in small peer groups activities such as role play and investigations
1.14 May join in repeating the refrain of a story, poem or song
1.15 Beginning to communicate simple meanings efficiently although these may include non-standard features such as word order and grammatical functions
1.16 May give information on familiar topics, e.g. self, home, favourite
Stage 1 Reading / How to support pupil progress
1.1 Recognises own name in English and/or L1 /
  • Establish as early as possible whether a pupil can read in their first language
  • Assess the early reading behaviour of young EAL learners
  • Match reading material to the age and interest level of the pupil
  • Encourage parents to read and talk about books with their children in their first language
  • Provide older literate EAL learners with a dual language dictionary
  • Timetable synthetic phonics sessions for Stage 1 learners of all ages
  • Use reading material with naturally repetitive structures
  • Listen to illustrated (and sometimes sub-titled) versions of stories
  • Make sure collections of common words are accessible (i.e. reachable and comprehensible)
  • Ensure the IWB is clearly visible and uncluttered
  • Print lists of words in lower case
  • Display photos of class activities accompanied by speech/ thought bubbles and whole sentence captions
  • Use graphic organisers (e.g. graphs and tables) to present curriculum content with reduced language input

1.2 Shows an interest in books in English and/or L1 and exhibits reading-like behaviour
1.3 Understands that print carries meaning in English and/or L1
1.4 Understands the left/right directionality of books and prints in English
1.5 Beginning to recognise letters of the English alphabet
1.6 Becoming familiar with the order of the English alphabet
1.7 Beginning to match sounds with letter symbols in English
1.8 Beginning to recognise some high frequency words in context
1.9 Joins in with simple shared or guided reading
1.10 Reads some familiar words with visual support
1.11 Beginning to read simple texts in English – this might include own scribed text, class signs and labels
1.12 May decode without full understanding of meaning
1.13 Beginning to develop a range of reading strategies including use of phonics and visual cues
1.14 Follows and understands simple texts with repetitive vocabulary
Stage 1 Writing / How to support pupil progress
1.1 Attempts to convey meaning using pictures, English letter-like forms or some recognisable English letters /
  • Establish as early as possible whether a child can write in their first language
  • Precede all written work with oral rehearsal
  • Use the teaching sequence of modelling → joint construction/supported writing → independent writing
  • Make the writing process explicit with a running commentary
  • Use first language to record class work
  • Provide older literate EAL learners with a dual language dictionary
  • Create a dual language glossary of key words
  • Encourage pupils to demonstrate understanding through different ways of recording (drawings, diagrams etc.)
  • Share-write with adult acting as scribe
  • Pair with a more fluent peer for collaborative writing
  • Use sentence making IT programmes such as Clicker and 2Simple for a paired writing activity
  • Repeated reference to left-right directionality with a small dot to mark starting point
  • Create a range of opportunities for writing, e.g. post-it notes to add to interactive displays, role play areas, lists, labelling etc.
  • Use mini whiteboards to rehearse spelling and draft sentences
  • Give simple patterned sentence starters
  • Write simple captions to photos of class activities
  • Add speech and thought bubbles to story characters and photos of class and school events
  • Order simple illustrated sentences about a familiar topic
  • Use process of sharing ideas, selecting best ideas, ordering best ideas
  • While composing sentences, pause to reread at regular intervals

1.2 Writes own name independently but not necessarily consistently or accurately
1.3 Aware of left/right directionality in English
1.4 Attempts tasks by copy-writing
1.5 May use L1 literacy skills to develop initial literacy skills in English
1.6 Attempting to express meaning through writing independently, showing knowledge of letter strings and/or simple words
1.7 Beginning to use letter-sound correspondence in own writing
1.8 Beginning to construct simple sentences in English with support from peers or adults
1.9 Beginning to use full stops to separate sentences
1.10 Beginning to distinguish between upper and lower case letters
* Pupils literate in their first language and who use the Roman alphabet are likely to be further advanced in their secretarial skills. For these pupils, the development of the content and grammatical structure of their written English will be paramount.
Stage 2 Listening/Speaking / How to support pupil progress
2.1 Follows the gist of curriculum-focused teacher talk with visual support and repetition / Stage 2 learners need the continued support of clear visual and kinaesthetic prompts as above but with greater emphasis on language production by the pupils themselves
Listening
  • Use the past tense naturally in the context of personal/familiar narrative and recount
  • Help pupils to predict content from titles/clips/learning objectives etc.
  • Use a variety of word games to help pupils to distinguish the difference between words that sound similar, e.g. ship/sheep
  • Dictation of simple sentences
Listening and speaking
  • Pair EAL learners with more fluent peers at a similar intellectual level
  • Plan collaborative group investigations in which different group members have differentiated questions to answer/investigate
  • Play word games in which certain features of language must be included, e.g. adding adjectives to a sentence
  • Plan opportunities for pupils to use the language structures being modelled
  • Plan for drama and role play to develop understanding of events, settings and characters
  • Use sequencing activities to order and explain
  • Display illustrated subject-specific vocabulary in context
Speaking
  • Think, pair, share
  • Precede all written work with oral rehearsal of required language structures and frequent checks on understanding
  • Provide oral sentence starters and speaking frames to introduce and reinforce specific language structures
  • Encourage full sentence answers, including explanations and reasons for opinions/conclusions
  • Frequent repetition of key words and phrases in order to improve pronunciation and fluency

2.2 Follows a simple sequence of instructions in a familiar context
2.3 Engages in social talk with growing confidence
2.4 Beginning to contribute to talk in group/whole class situation
2.5 Beginning to expand phrases to formulate statements or questions about familiar topics or within a familiar context
2.6 Beginning to express ideas and feelings
2.7 Recounts a simple sequence of events
2.8 Mainly uses the present tense with omission of some words and an absence of word endings such as plurals
2.9 Follows the gist of a more complex story with visual support
2.10 Retells and discusses a simple story/narrative
2.11 Beginning to use simple adjectives and adverbs
2.12 Beginning to use subject-specific vocabulary
2.13 Uses mainly connected utterances about familiar topics, especially in informal situations
2.14 Beginning to use plurals and pronouns (e.g. he/she; her/him)
2.15 Beginning to use simple past tense in narrative/reporting events
Stage 2 Reading / How to support pupil progress
2.1 Uses the English alphabet to find words ordered alphabetically. /
  • Continue synthetic phonics sessions as appropriate
  • Introduce new texts in the pupil’s first language
  • Create shared and individual structured reading texts based on the pupil’s own experiences or familiar stories
  • Use texts with high quality illustrations that are representative of a range of children’s cultural backgrounds, experiences and interests
  • Pair/grouppupils with more experienced users of English to read and follow instructions to complete collaborative tasks
  • Introduce and use all subject-specific vocabulary within a meaningful context and supported by visuals and/or real objects
  • Reconstruct cut-up sentences (this encourages focus on details of words and discussions about word order)
  • Revisit texts and use appropriate questioning to ensure comprehension
  • Plan for pupils to hear a range of stories and poems with repetitive text supported by visuals and/or real objects
  • Use drama and role play to support understanding of events, settings and characters
  • Sequence images and actions to support understanding of different genres
  • Match different parts of a text(e.g. sentences, captions) to images

2.2 Continuing to develop knowledge of English phonic system and to use this knowledge to decode
2.3 Reads back own writing
2.4 Beginning to read with some recall and understanding
2.5 Developing a sight vocabulary (including friends’ names)
2.6 Reads simple texts with repeating language and structure
2.7 Beginning to extract meaning from familiar texts by using context cues
2.8 Follows simple written instructions
2.9 Extracts some meaning from subject-specific text with clear context and support of pictures, diagrams etc.
2.10 Makes reasonable inferences at a basic level, e.g. who is speaking in a story
2.11 Beginning to use books for research purposes at an age-appropriate level, although may continue to need support
2.12 Reads simple/short texts with visual support
2.13 Beginning to recognise the features of some text types such as stories, letters, instructions
2.14 Identifies key ideas by using clues in the text, e.g. title, sub-
2.15 Responds appropriately to questions about texts that require information recall, e.g. names of characters, main ingredients
2.16 Beginning to make inferences with reference to the text
Stage 2 Writing / How to support pupil progress
2.1 Can use a model to write sentences /
  • Precede all written work with oral rehearsal
  • Use the teaching sequence of modelling → joint construction/supported writing → independent writing
  • Make the writing process explicit with a running commentary
  • Continue to create a range of opportunities for writing in the classroom
  • Pair Stage 2 learners with more fluent English speakers to play word games and create texts
  • Ensure key word lists are accessible for quick reference
  • Demonstrate spelling patterns and word families
  • Explore the etymology of words to support learning of spelling and meaning (look for similarities with other languages)
  • Use the past tense naturally through personal recount and re-telling of familiar stories
  • Create human sentences to teach word order and appropriate use of connectives etc.
  • Encourage pupils to evaluate sentences, giving reasonsfor suggested changes
  • Use process of sharing ideas, selecting best ideas, ordering best ideas
  • While composing sentences or longer pieces of text, pause to reread at regular intervals

2.2 Attempts to express meaning in writing supported by oral rehearsal and visual clues
2.3 Beginning to show some understanding of English word order and sentence structure in own writing of age-appropriate texts
2.4 Beginning to show some knowledge of English sentence division through use of simple age-appropriate punctuation
2.5 Most commonly used letters are correctly shaped, but may be inconsistent in their size and orientation
2.6 Makes use of simple conjunctions (e.g. and, but) to construct longer sentences
2.7 Continuing to develop letter/sound correspondence, progressing to blends and digraphs
2.8 Developing a basic written vocabulary of accurate spellings
2.9 Beginning to use simple tenses (past and present)
2.10 Grammatical constructions may be irregular
2.11 Beginning to use different genres in writing (age-appropriate)
Stage 3 Listening/Speaking / How to support pupil progress
3.1 Understands most curriculum–focused teacher talk with visual support and repetition / Talk continues to play a key role in modelling language structures and use of vocabulary. However, of equal importance are the planned opportunities for pupils to rehearse these structures and use the vocabulary in appropriate contexts
Listening
  • Prompt pupils’ prior learning by using visual, auditory or kinaesthetic clues
  • Anticipate the need to explain potentially unfamiliar idiomatic English phrases
Listening and speaking
  • Ensure that teacher talk does not dominate but is focused instead on modelling the structures and vocabulary needed to achieve the learning objective
  • Use flexible groupings and pairings to provide pupils with sufficient intellectual challenge together with appropriate language support
  • Target and vary questions to challenge or support development of oral English as appropriate
  • Gradually introduce new vocabulary within the context of a meaningful activity and follow this with frequent checks on understanding
Speaking
  • Initiate explicit discussions about language structures and vocabulary such as position of adjectives, origins of words etc.
  • Plan activities that will give students opportunities to discuss the meaning of what has been said
  • Encourage extended speech by asking pupils to use sequence markers to keep going (e.g. Tell them their answer must include the words firstly, secondly and finally)

3.2 Follows most instructions
3.3 Beginning to understand more abstract figures of speech such as metaphors
3.4 Increasingly confident and fluent in contributing to group/class discussion
3.5 Engages confidently with peers in curriculum-focused collaborative activities
3.6 Continues to broaden understanding of subject-specific vocabulary and uses it with increasing accuracy
3.7 Engages in talk involving predicting and hypothesising
3.8 Beginning to recognise and use appropriate registers (e.g. formal/informal speech) according to the situation
3.9 Demonstrates a widening general vocabulary
3.10 Speech demonstrates a growing control of grammatical features such as verb tense, subject-verb agreement and use of pronouns and prepositions
Stage 3 Reading / Howto support pupil progress
3.1 Reading with increasing fluency, confidence and understanding / Plan for supported reading of a wide range of text formats and genres
Before-reading activities e.g.:
  • Predict from an illustration, key words, title or first sentence
  • Relate the subject matter to personal experience if possible
  • Create a concept map/semantic web of what pupils already know about the topic of the text
  • Make a collection of questions pupils would like to ask about the text
  • Ask pupils to sequence a small selection of illustrations from the text and justify their decisions
During-reading activities, e.g.:
  • Scan for information
  • Pause and predict
  • Ask questions about specific words and phrases that may be unfamiliar, e.g. How could you work out the meaning of ...? How would you feel in this situation?
  • Paraphrase a short section of the text and ask pupils to locate and read the specific words represented by the paraphrase
  • Analyse some language features, e.g. Why is the text written in the first person?
  • Begin to introduce reciprocal teachingtechniques in which pupils work in small groupswith a text to predict, ask each other comprehension questions, clarify meanings with each other, and then summarise
After-reading activities, e.g.:
  • Match topic sentences to sub-headings or paragraphs
  • Distinguish between true and false statements
  • Represent the information contained in the text in graphic form, e.g. timelines, cause and effect diagrams
  • Summarise the text
  • Create cloze activities
  • Reconstruct more complex sentences and discuss the impact of certain words, word order etc.
  • Create innovations on the text
  • Create cartoon strips with speech bubbles
  • Perform short sections of narrative texts with a narrator and other pupils speaking dialogues between characters

3.2 Approaches unfamiliar texts with growing confidence, using context cues for meaning
3.3 Identifies key ideas in a range of texts
3.4 Understands some of the detail of more complex texts with visual support/explanation
3.5 Beginning to use inference and deduction more confidently