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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!)
Considering that Grigor's parents said he acts like a normal child at home makes me feel that he's just uncomfortable at school. Immigrant children often will experience a great deal of different emotions when being placed in an area that they feel uncomfortable in. Instead of trying to get him to be sociable with his peers, it would be best if he had one person to rely on while at school (teacher/student relationship) and who could help him to possibly grow and expand his learning ability to speak. Sooner or later, he will break from his silence and he'll have to speak.