Language Learning Strategies for Teaching ELLs

Language Learning Strategies for Teaching ELLs

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Language Learning Strategies for English Language Learners English is a difficult language for native speakers to learn. I am amazed watching my toddler learn English as her first language. She picks up new vocabulary rapidity and experiments with language. She makes grammatical mistakes when she overgeneralizes grammar “ruler” that she has naturally picked up through listening to others speak and read English. For English Language Learners they go through a similar  process but have to navigate through additional challenges. As…

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Ideas for Celebrating Earth Day with ELLs

Ideas for Celebrating Earth Day with ELLs

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Here are some ideas for celebrating Earth Day with your English Language Learners. Go Outside Look for ways to take lessons outside. Going outside is great for student engagement. A recent study described in Psychology Today describes the benefits of outdoor learning. Go on a scavenger hunt Read books outside Use adjectives and the 5 senses to make observations. Here is a free 5 senses graphic organizer. Read books about Conservation Thank You Earth uses photographs and simple sentences to describe…

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New Site

New Site

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I finally took the plunge and purchased my domain name. I am still figuring out all of the technical details so please let me know if you notice any broken links or other strange things on the blog.

10 Spring Books for English Language Learners

10 Spring Books for English Language Learners

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Spring is a great time to read books about the environment, animal and plant life cycles, and other outdoor topics. For English Language Learners (along with all students) it is important to read books with characters from diverse backgrounds. Try and integrate characters with similar backgrounds as the students you work with so that they can see kids that are similar to themselves in the books that they are reading and listening to. Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links,…

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Spring Teaching Ideas for English Language Learners

Spring Teaching Ideas for English Language Learners

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It is now officially spring. Here in the DC area we are expecting the largest snow storm of the year on the first full day of spring, but the weather should hopefully warm up soon. Here are some ideas for teaching about and enjoying spring. Learn about animal life cycles Life cycles are great for teaching transition words. One fun activity is to show students a video of an eagle or other animal with eggs or newborn babies. In the…

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Using Games to Build ELL Vocabulary

Using Games to Build ELL Vocabulary

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Games are a great way to help students practice vocabulary. For newcomers that are just learning English they are a fun way to practice basic Tier 1 terms. For students at higher language levels and native speakers they are great ways to practice content specific vocabulary. It is important to review vocabulary words with ELLs before they begin playing.  This is particularly important for students with lower language levels and those that are not yet able to read. Games are…

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Teaching ELLs Context Clues + FREE Context Clue Task Cards

Teaching ELLs Context Clues + FREE Context Clue Task Cards

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English Language Learners often read text without fully comprehending all of the words that they are reading. Using context clues are one way to help ELLs increase their overall comprehension of the text that they are reading. Many of the strategies of teaching context clues to ELLs is similar as when a native English speaker learns this strategy. There are some differences though. Think about what would make sense This is one of the first context clue strategies I would…

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Strategies for Helping English Language Learners that were Born in the United States

Strategies for Helping English Language Learners that were Born in the United States

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English Language Learners come from a diverse set of backgrounds. There is a large segment of ELLs that were born in the United States. Some of them are the children of recent immigrants, some grow up in poverty, some quickly acquire bilingual literacy skills. The linguistic, cultural, and economic background of an ELL impacts how quickly they acquire English. One misconception is that those that are bilingual have equal proficiency in both languages. In fact in the majority of cases…

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