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 have trouble connecting with his new environment and the people in it. He probably lacks trust and feels alone. I would make an effort to reach out to him. I would attempt to find out more about his past and where he came from. I would also give him an opportunity to express himself in a creative way. Often children in the midst of the silent period just need to feel like they can express themselves, they need to break that barrier. I would have him create a comic strip about a topic and see what he comes up with. This may also give insight into what he is thinking.