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!) It is odd for a student to be in the silent period for so long. I would have a one-on-one talk with Grigor first to see if he has a reason for being silent. He may be getting bullied or made fun of at school. He could also just not have any friends. A simple discussion may answer all the questions about Grigor you need. If he says that he does not know why he doesn't say anything then I would try my best to include him in as many things as possible. This could be done with partner work or simple one-word games. I would also start doing response journals where students have to write about a topic and then have another student read and respond. This way other students will get to know each other even without speaking.