Foster an atmosphere of respect for students’ English varieties.
• Introduce literature (folk tales, stories, proverbs, etc.) in which different English varieties are used.
• Invite respected community members who speak different varieties of English to speak to the class.
• Engage students in research projects in which they study different varieties of English.
Build on the English varieties that students bring to class.
• Engage students in written dialogues with teachers where they can use their variety of English but also see the Standard American English forms in the teacher’s responses.
• Allow the use of different varieties in prewriting and drafting of papers and in language experience stories.
• Base early writing assignments on personal, family, or traditional stories.
• Include students’ writings in the collection of texts that students read.
Focus on developing written Standard American English.
• Provide extensive opportunities for students to use Standard American English in their reading and writing.
• Provide frequent opportunities for students to draft, revise, edit, and share their writings.
• Use small-group guided reading to foster discussions about similarities and differences in English varieties.
Be explicit about the major differences between the students’ Englishes and Standard American English.
• Provide contrasting sentences in Standard American English and a student’s variety of English to help students notice grammatical and lexical differences.
• Discuss differences in spelling conventions.
• Make academic English discourse and rhetorical conventions explicit.
Use thematic units that integrate academic content (mathematics, science, social studies) from several disciplines and offer substantial academic language and literacy demands.
• Point out that all students are learning new language, especially vocabulary, when they learn academic English.
• Focus attention on vocabulary, grammar, and spelling conventions.
Encourage collaborative projects in which pairs or groups of World English students work together.
• Engage students in investigating language differences, language attitudes, and dialect diversity.
• Develop jigsaw reading activities in which each student is responsible for being an expert on a portion of the text.
Be cautious in interpreting the results of standardized tests of English.
• Explain to administration and faculty that the scores on standardized English placement exams are based on norms of Standard American English (see Lowenberg, 2002, for examples).
• Advocate for adaptation of assessment instruments to recognize different English varieties.
• Develop alternative assessments that record students’ actual reading and writing abilities in their English varieties.
For students with limited literacy or prior schooling, develop special instructional programs.
• Offer small-group basic literacy classes.
• Involve former literacy-level World English students in cross-age or cross-proficiency tutoring with current students.
• Provide sufficient instructional time through special literacy classes, afterschool programs, weekend programs, or summer school.
(ERIC/CLL News Bulletin Summer 2003, Volume 26, No 3)
