According to Diane August (2002), a senior research scientist at
the Center for Applied Linguistics, English Language Learners
(ELLs) spend less than two percent of their school day in oral
language development. Worse yet, when ELLs are speaking in
school, it is often not about academic topics or rigorous
content. Instead, according to Gibbons (2002), ELLs are
relegated to shallow forms of speech, such as those which
require only one-word responses. This lack of academic oral
language practice is detrimental to the acquisition of English,
as well as to the access of grade-level content area material,
which are both mandated by Title III of the No Child Left Behind
Act. Similarly, the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority
Children and Youth (2006) suggests that oral language
development is the foundation of literacy. In order for ELLs to
become proficient in the basics of English, as well as grade-
level academic English, it is imperative that they be given
repeated and more complex opportunities to spea