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…
5 Easy Back to School Activities for ELLs
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…
Asking & Answering Questions with ELLs
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…
Books about Schools Around the World
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…
5 Tips for Teaching Grammar to ELLs
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…
Co-teaching to Support ELLs
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…
Sight Word Building
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…
Teaching Myths to ELLs
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…
Camping Books for ELLs
One of my favorite vacations as a child…and today was to go camping. Some of your students may also enjoy camping. Others have never had to opportunity to go. Here are some camping books to introduce camping to students or just some fun stories for them to enjoy. Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links,…
Integrating Speaking and Writing for ELLs
Speaking and writing are two components of language development. With elementary-aged students, the typical progression I see is that they progress more quickly in speaking than in writing. This is most likely due to the fact that all students at that age are learning writing, while speaking is a natural way that children socialize. Integrating…