Our English Language Learners are tasked with achieving proficiency within the academic year, which is an extremely challenging and unrealistic goal for them. ELLs reach a plateau in their vocabulary, comprehension; therefore, having difficulty making the transition from nearly met standards to standard met, leaving them disheartened and reluctant to participate during reading lessons. In order to recapture students’ engagement, it is vital to determine students’ motivation by making strategic approaches. Many students express having iPads or Chromebooks at home, and they love playing countless hours of video games and various applications. Gambrell et al. (2015) propose, “Our students are entering an age when knowledge of technology is a necessity and not a luxury. As educators, we are obligated to prepare them for that reality” (p. 28). A blended lesson allows the educator to differentiate in an environment that is appealing for this population. 

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English Language Learners possess a variety of skills contributing to their unique levels and reading abilities. Nowadays, state and district expectations continuously increase the bar, demanding that the students move grade levels and achieve proficiency, challenging ELLs who struggle in reading comprehension while learning a new language. Students are subject to formative and summative assessments to assess their Common Core Foundational Skills, Reading Literature, and Reading Informational Standards to form flexible directed instruction groups. During the academic year, the performance gap widens, and the students lose interest in reading. Hence, those achieving grade-level or above standards may feel unchallenged due to the lower performing students’ demands to improve their reading abilities, contributing to their loss of interest in classwork activities. These learners require support and differentiation of instruction that include research-based strategies and not ineffective classwork. On the other hand, those below grade-level standards require distinct strategies to improve learning and increase academic achievement. The results of the summative and formative assessments suggest students would not show academic achievement after a few weeks of one-size-fits-all instruction. The results indicate that despite the implementation of Differentiation of Instruction blocks to tailor instruction for these students, the results remain unchanged.

 

The plethora of technological resources allows the educator to utilize the most effective, efficient, authentic methods that strategically reach students' unique needs. The creation of a blended lesson to address ELLs needs presented a wealth of benefits and challenges. For an upcoming lesson, I would certainly promote the use of this blog to instill collaboration and ownership of their learning. Additionally, I would request parental permission to add students' work and pictures to further motivate students. Nonetheless, observing students evolve and progress was one of the most incredible joys any educator can experience. Considering the existing learning environments, it is vital to differentiate including research-based strategies in the classroom to promote student motivation and achievement. 

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