Research, Observations, And Findings for Goal #2 (Cont.

In the American educational setting, ELLs struggle to receive the same levels of

comprehension and overall understanding of content-based learning as that of their native

English-speaking counterparts. Integrated Content-Based (ICB) Instruction provides an

opportunity for ELLs and other CLDs to employ the use of a native language while

simultaneously being exposed to the language of instruction which is typically English in a

way that does not result in an academic deficit in terms of learning abilities. The ICB method of

instruction prides itself in authentic teaching, or, in other words, applying content material as a

means of educating ELLs in language skills and vice versa (UNLV Online Education, 2017).

ICB is unique in that it heavily emphasizes the significance of communication in a combination

of English and other languages in an effort to raise overall proficiency levels of CLDs (UNLV

Online Education, 2017). ICB allows for the differentiation of learning scaffolds, based on a

range of aspects, from the emphasis on learning topics, linguistic context, themes, and hands-on

activities (Herrera & Murry, 2016). Using theses techniques, ICB has proven to be beneficial by

giving students more opportunities for social interactions with peers, additional exposure to

differentiated learning, and overall confidence in academic capabilities (Herrera & Murry, 2016).

To recap, the student selected for this study is a Salvadoran native currently enrolled in

the seventh grade in North Las Vegas. They really enjoy cooking with their mother, going to

church, playing sports, and babysitting. Their favorite class is science, and they hope to one day

be a lawyer to help and advise immigrants in the United States. They did not have an academic

record prior to their schooling here, much like Ramona from the in-class case study (UNLV

Online Education, 2017). However, their language development is rapidly increasing in the
English language, especially with increased exposure to content in the classroom setting. They

are switching back and forth from ELL to standard classroom settings on a daily basis, and the

student has become more comfortable using words and phrases in the English language in front

of peers. A combination of instructional materials in Spanish and English are being used to allow

for authentic exposure to both languages so that the student feels comfortable in terms of

grasping the academic context of learning targets and objectives. Furthermore, the student works

with a bilingual peer in the science class so that there are more opportunities for collaboration

and cooperative learning (Herrera & Murry, 2016). Additionally, they are working in an

environment that fosters literacy integration while simultaneously engaging, supporting, and

challenging each other through academic discussions (UNLV Online Education, 2017).

By providing ELL students with the ICB method of instruction, we will be able to

observe cognitive growth from a dimension in which organizational and analytical skills are

heavily emphasized (UNLV Online Education, 2017). In addition to the initial interest

inventories administered to the student, fluency levels have been assessed based on dual

language literacy. The student has been exposed to academic texts in English and Spanish, and

for those provided in English, has been paired with a reliable bilingual student who demonstrates

the ability to go back and forth in both languages with little to no overall difficulties. Also, the

student has been working on projects in class with two different bilingual partners to further

improve interpersonal communication skills while encouraging social interactions as part of the

overall classroom culture.