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  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!)
Grigor is not comfortable with his classroom environment. If his parents can spare the time, you might ask for the parents' assistance that if either or both of them can come and stay in class with him to let him know that school is a safe and comfortable place to be. Try and see if you can find another student that speaks the slavic language that you can introduce to him. You might also learn something about his culture that you can talk to him about. I think any of these suggestions should draw him out