Students' native language is a valuable resource in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. Use of native languages may increase a student's sense of efficacy for learning English by: (a) facilitating vocabulary acquisition, (b) aiding learners in comprehension, (c) encouraging self-regulation, (d) making routines and explanations clear so as to direct attention and free up working memory for tasks in English, (e) modeling communication in environments where students may be reluctant to initiate conversation, and (f) setting the tone in situations where students have come to view English as exceedingly difficult.