Creating Welcoming and Affirming Environments for ELLs that Support Middle School Students

Abstract

English language learners have many challenges in the middle school classroom. Among them are feeling a lack of belonging and welcome in the classroom and among their peers. This capstone project aims to present research and resources to create welcoming and affirming environments for ELL students that support the social-emotional health. When considering welcoming and affirming environments, it was found that some of the important factors to consider were student culture, family life, and classroom strategies. This capstone includes a professional development that builds on those three areas with a variety of resources and strategies for teachers looking to make their classrooms environments that benefit the social-emotional health of middle school students. Through the incorporation of research based strategies, teachers will gain the knowledge and resources necessary to make their classrooms places where ELLs can feel they belong and are welcomed into the learning environment.