Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Silent Period Grigor is in my 4th grade classroom. He came to the US last year with his family from Bulgaria. He was in 4th grade at our school last year as well. He was retained in 4th grade because he did not develop his English language skills. I learned about a "silent period" that children go through when they learn a new language. My guess is that Grigor is in the silent period. But it does not make sense to me that he would be in the silent period for almost two years. He does not say anything in class. He does not socialize with his classmates either. He can read and write in simple English though. His parents tell me that he acts completely normal at home and he is able to communicate with English speaking people at home when they have guests. This is really puzzling. I have to find a way to communicate with Grigor and discover what is holding him back from communicating with people at school. I need some help. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I believe that you took a great first step by contacting his parents and gathering further information. I would suggest researching Grigor's home country to find information related to his culture and schooling. From there, you can make adjustments to your classroom to make him feel more comfortable. I would also suggest having him complete activities related to his home country or even allow him to bring items from home that are sentimental to him for adjustment. Christina Igoa's "The Inner World of the Immigrant Child" text provides excellent activities and strategies to implement for communicating with immigrant children; I strongly encourage you to purchase this. This is a great tool for the issue at hand.