Bricks, mortar and meaning: Inside Del Paso Manor’s E.L. Achieve program

At Del Paso Manor Elementary School, English language development (ELD) does not begin with worksheets or quiet desks. It begins with voices - reflecting San Juan Unified’s commitment to ensuring every student is seen, supported and able to fully participate in their learning.

On a recent morning in an ELD classroom, fourth-grade students sat shoulder to shoulder, practicing explaining cause and effect. The lesson centers on the tundra, melting ice and shifting ecosystems, but the real work is linguistic. Under the guidance of ELD teacher Julie Finney, students repeated sentence patterns aloud, adjusting words, reshaping ideas and gaining confidence with each exchange.

“By them saying it, they’re hearing it,” Finney said. “They’re experiencing what it feels like to say it. And then they’re able to use that sentence in different situations.”

The school has implemented E.L. Achieve, a curriculum designed to meet English learners where they are, particularly newcomers and students in the early stages of language development. The program integrates oral language, sentence patterns and guided practice to support students as they build fluency and confidence.

Del Paso Manor is one of 46 school sites across San Juan Unified implementing the E.L. Achieve curriculum to support English learners.

Finney describes the challenge using a construction metaphor she frequently shares with students and colleagues alike. Vocabulary words, she said, are the bricks of language and essential building blocks. What many students lacked was the mortar.

“The mortar are the sentence patterns that bring those vocabulary words into sentences to convey their thoughts, their ideas and their meanings,” she said. “What students often are given is vocabulary for a new concept, but not the tools to use it.”

In Finney’s classroom, lessons follow a predictable “I do, we do, you do” structure, which she calls lesson architecture. That consistency reduces anxiety and allows students to focus on speaking rather than on what comes next.

“Students are speaking in class every day more than I am as the teacher,” Finney said. “And that’s the goal. I am not supposed to be the one talking the entire time.”

Sentence patterns are practiced repeatedly across multiple contexts in ELD lessons and then reinforced in science, social studies and math. Finney refers to this as portability, ensuring language skills do not remain isolated.

“A sentence pattern doesn’t just live here in our ELD lessons,” she said. She wants to ensure these skills are applied in the classroom, where students spend most of their day. 

For Mohammad, a fourth grader, hearing classmates speak English is a critical part of his learning process.

“My friends help me,” he said. “When I hear them sound right, that’s how I get an idea from them.”

Fourth grader Sanam shared that she feels brave when raising her hand to speak with a partner, marking a noticeable shift in her comfort level with English.

Abid, another fourth grader, said working with classmates helps everyone learn.

“I like when the teacher makes us work together so we can learn and help each other,” he said.

When words don’t come easily, Abid said Finney helps break them down.

The results have been significant. Before E.L. Achieve, Del Paso Manor reclassified about 12 English learners each year. In the 2022-23 school year, after the introduction of E.L. Achieve and consistent implementation, that number rose to the mid-30s.

Progress on language assessments also increased, from 39 percent of students showing growth to 60 percent.

For students, the impact is measured less in percentages and more in confidence, raising a hand, helping a peer and being heard.

“I feel good and comfortable when my teacher listens to my ideas,” Abid said.

In a classroom designed around language, structure and voice, those moments may be the strongest evidence of all.