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 think a parent/student/teacher conference would be a good idea. One on one with student/teacher may make the student feel overwhelmed and want to stay silent even longer. It seems to me the student is still not comfortable with his English. It might be good for him to have some individualized encouragement every time he does speak English. When he writes in English give him positive reinforcement about how proud you are. He needs to know that he is doing his best and being accepted.