Who is living in your backyard?

Nine year old Maria and her eleven year old brother, along with their mother, father and maternal grandmother moved to California from Mexico three months ago, but her mother just enrolled them in school last month.

Both parents work full time outside the home; her father is a mechanic and mother works at a daycare center. After school both children walk home where their grandmother, who doesn't speak English, cares for them. Maria's mother is home every evening by about 5:30pm. Her father does not usually get home until after both children are in bed.

Both parents are able to carry on a limited conversation in English and her mother can also read basic English words. The family is not poor, but they do not have access to a home computer and do not own many books. Maria loves school and is never late. Her favorite subjects are reading and art but she does not like to write. When asked why not, she says, "Writing makes her hands hurt."

Explain at least three informal language proficiency instruments you can use in your classroom to determine Maria's level of expressive and receptive language comprehension, analyze how the content and purpose of each one is different, and describe what each purports to measure. Finally, describe how you can use these three instruments to guide your instruction.

You can use the article Using informal assessments for English Language Learners as a starting point for your research. You must have at least one source in addition to your text and the required article. Your paper must be two- to four- pages in length, excluding the title and reference pages.