Oral Language | Reading | Writing

Meet Carl

Carl is 6 years old, and is in first grade at an elementary school in a medium sized Midwest town.  Born in El Salvador, Carl and his family moved California and eventually settled in the Midwest when he was 5 years old.  

Carl lives with his two younger twin sisters and his grandparents. Both grandparents graduated from high school education in El Salvador and really encourage their grandchildren to do well in school.  His grandmother works in a local Mexican bakery and his grandfather is an auto mechanic.  They know some English, but prefer to speak in Spanish at home.  Since Carl is the oldest, he often helps take care of his twin sisters. For fun, his family enjoys having indoor camping trips, whereas Carl builds his own fort and he gets to toast marshmallows.

Carl receives daily ESL instruction through a pull-out program taught by a certified ESL teacher. He receives this instruction in a small group with 8 students at the intermediate to advanced levels of English proficiency.  His school has a one-to-one technology program and provides each student with an iPad for use at school and at home.  Neither of his regular classroom teachers have received specific training on how to work with ELLs.  Carl’s official English Language Proficiency level is 1.5 (WIDA). His favorite subject is science because he likes to learn about stars. 

Reading sample: I Gotta Draw