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!) Grigor seems to need a personal connection to the school, teacher, and students. It appears that Grigor is comfortable with his English speaking abilities so I believe this is a situation in which the student simply does not feel "at home" in the classroom. I would suggest that you make a personal connection with the student by finding out his likes and interests. Then, you will be able to communicate with Grigor using these common interests and you could even pair him with a student that has similar interests so that a friendship may grow. I would also bring in some things from Bulgaria to make him feel a sense of home and more comfortable to open up. Give him the opportunity to share things from his culture with the class and become more involved. I feel as if Grigor has great potential he just needs a little help opening up.