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!) Because his parents told you that when he is in his home setting he can easily communicate with English speaking people or guests, I might think that he is intimidated in the school setting. He may have had a hard time at first going through the silent period, but he should be encouraged to participate and become an active learner in class. I think that using methods that will help him to feel like he is truly an equal contributor in class is important. You may want to start by talking about Bulgaria and discussing some interesting facts, language differences, cultural values, etc. with the class. As Grigor becomes more comfortable you can have him tell his peers about his own culture and language. i think this could be a great learning opportunity for all your students and it could help Grigor feel like his is contributing to the classroom community.