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!) To communicate with Grigor, you should find what he is good at so you can praise him and allow him to grow through his strengths. This will give him confidence and something for you two to work on together as the teacher and student. His silent period could be a result of various things at school, so finding out what he likes about his culture and incorporating it into your class could be a first step. You could also teach others about different cultures (purposefully incorporating his) so his peers are also aware of his likes and homeland.Reaching out to his parents was a great step, so now utilizing more resources within the school will be the next step to helping him become more successful with his language and adaptation.