Module 1 Discussion: The Stages of Language Progression

After reading about the Stages of Language progression, what surprised me the most was learning that it takes anywhere from seven to ten years before a student achieves fluency in a second language.  I honestly thought it would be achieved in less time, somewhere between 3 - 5 years.   

I do have several family members who arrived here from Cuba with school age children who I believed to be "fluent" in less than the 7 - 10 year time span; however, after reading the specific skills a student must have to be considered "fluent", I see now how the time span of 7 - 10 years is accurate as stated in the reading.  

After reading this text, I know that teaching ELLs and all students is a big challenge in the classroom, especially when they are all at different levels of language acquisition.  They all come from different backgrounds, parenting styles, cultures, etc.  We as educators must try our best to differentiate instruction to reach all students at ALL levels of learning a new language.