Fall is a great time to teach about changes. If you live in an area where the leaves change colors during the fall, this might be a new experience for English Language Learners that are new to the country. Apples and pumpkins are also popular fall themes. Here are some ideas for teaching about the fall to ELLs. Study How Leaves Change For young ELLs of all levels, and older newcomers they can practice colors, answering questions, and describing words…
Matching pictures with text is one strategy to assist English Language Learners and primary student with reading comprehension and vocabulary development. Students can match pictures in a range of ways. This includes matching pictures with words or sentences. Here are some ideas for using picture matching with ELLs. Match Pictures with Words Choose pictures from a text that students are reading or relevant vocabulary words. Depending on the choices of words, students are able to practice beginning and ending sounds…
Wordless picture books are a great tool to use with English Language Learners. They allow students to practice making inferences and think critically without the language demands of reading text. Students can make up their own stories orally and using writing. Wordless picture books are also a helpful tool for vocabulary development. Students can label the picture, either using sticky notes or writing on a projected image of the book. Another idea is to write a story as a class…
The beginning of the school year is an important time for creating a classroom community. It is also important to help students feel comfortable in the classroom. Here are some simple back to school activities that will help you support your ELLs and help them to get ready for a new school year. Art Collage The project can be as simple or complex as you wish, depending on the age of the students and materials that you have available. The…
One important critical thinking skill is asking and answering questions. This is also an important way that students deepen their understanding of what they are reading. Additionally, this is also one component of language development. Students may need assistance with the syntax and sentence structure of asking and answering questions. Here are some tips to support asking and answering questions for ELLs. Supporting ELLs in Formatting Questions Depending on a students language level, they will require different amounts of language…
Help students learn about schools around the world with this selection of books. Students can use the information that they learn to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between their own school and those that they read about. It is also a great opportunity for students that have attended school in other countries to share some of their own experiences. Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click on an…
Grammar instruction is one component of learning a language. For students, it is often beneficial to use a mixture of direct grammar instruction and indirect and in context activities. This is particularly true when there is little time available to devote to direct grammar instruction. Here are some activities that are easily integrated into other content areas. They still allow students to practice new grammar skills. Teach Basic Parts of Speech In elementary school learning about the basic parts of…
Co-teaching is when educators work together to support a group or whole class of students in a general education classroom. There are a number of different models of co-teaching between a classroom teacher and ESOL or ESL teacher. Some of the co-teaching models involve two teachers working with the whole group of student in different capacities. Teachers can also split students into small groups during a co-teaching partnership. Finally, students can be working independently with both teachers supporting them. Benefits…
Sight words are words that students are exposed to frequently when they are reading. When a student can read and spell these words automatically it will significantly speed up their reading comprehension. I use sight word building activities as a simple and engaging way to give students practice spelling and writing common sight words. With my students, I did not spend a large amount of time focusing on sight words. I liked to use short and simple activities that are…
Myths can be exciting stories for students to learn about. A myth is a story that plays a fundamental role in society. They often tell the origins of why something is set up the way that it is. The main characters often are gods or have supernatural powers. For ELLs, myths can be both exciting stories and challenging. One of the challenges is that the events take place in the past and might contain references that the student is unfamiliar…