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 this student needs to be tested on his knowledge of the fourth grade curriculum. Maybe he is simply bored with what he is learning so he shuts down at school. If he is communicating with people outside of school and he can read and write in simple English then maybe you need to push him harder in school. He may also be embarrassed by being held back especially if they is not common in Bulgaria. When he first entered the US he may have been shy and just learning English which could have caused the silent period. Now that he is repeating the same grade, this could be causing an extended silent period. He could also not be confident to speak English in front of his peers because it is normal for children of any background to be concerned of what people think of them. I would first start with a test that truly tests his knowledge of the curriculum you are teaching him. If it shows that his placement is correct, then I would try and discover his confidence level in the classroom and help him to feel more comfortable around his peers.