Language and Content Instruction (English Immersion, SIOP, SDAIE)

Historical Overview

Although programs for ELLs have existed in the United States since the early 1900s, it was the large influx of immigrants in the 1970s that led educators to design English as a second language (ESL) classes for students in U.S. schools. At that time, most ESL programs taught English through a communicative approach. Students discussed material of high interest, such as current events or how to navigate transportation systems. Yet, because these topics were unrelated to school subjects, ELLs were ill prepared for the more rigorous academic study taught through English in the general education classrooms when they exited ESL programs.

In the 1980s, educators began developing grade-level curricula and instructional strategies that were content-based to better prepare ELLs for their transition to general education classes. Still used currently, content-based instruction (CBI) uses subject matter as a vehicle for English language learning. All students in these classes are ELLs and are taught by language educators. The main goal of content-based instruction is to learn English by using the texts and vocabulary of school subjects for topics and tasks. Preparing ELLs for the regular, English-medium classroom is a secondary goal.

With the continued growth in numbers of ELLs in U.S. schools in the mid- to late 1980s, it became apparent that separate ESL classes alone could not accommodate the instructional needs of all ELLs. An approach was needed that would allow them to participate fully in grade-level content classes through modified lessons. ESL professionals and content teachers began to work collaboratively in developing the sheltered content instruction approach. Sheltered instruction offers general education teachers a way to make content lessons accessible for all their students, thus enabling ELLs to develop the academic language skills and knowledge needed for success in school.

In the 1990s, most states and districts in the United States moved to some form of outcomes-based education that introduced a higher level of accountability in schools. With an emphasis on student assessment and meeting high standards, providing effective instructional programs to ELLs became a priority, especially since the achievement gap between ELLs and their English-speaking peers continued unabated. Even more attention focused on their academic performance with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001. The assessment of students' English proficiency and their achievement in core content has led states and school districts to ensure that programs for ELLs are effective. Over the next decade, educators would continue to focus on the achievement of these students with an emphasis on both content and language teaching.

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