Browsed by
Category: Uncategorized

Using Wordless Picture Books
Using Wordless Books with MLs

Using Wordless Books with MLs

Comments 0 Comment

Wordless picture books are a great tool to use with Multilingual Learners. They allow students to practice making inferences and thinking critically.  An added benefit for newcomer students is that they can tell a story in their native language. Over time and with vocabulary support, students can also create stories in English. Create Multiple Versions of the Same Story Students can work individually or with a partner to create a story using a wordless picture book. Then have students tell…

Read More Read More

Using a sound wall
Using a Sound Wall with MLs

Using a Sound Wall with MLs

Comments 0 Comment

A sound wall using speech lips to match the articulation of speech sounds/phonemes to the letters/graphemes that represent those sounds. Many sound walls only show the letter sound and lip pictures. Others also include the picture of a key word that has the target sound. Less frequently, teachers combine a word wall with a sound wall. In this case, the word she would go under the digraph sh, and not under s. The benefit for Multilingual Learners (MLs) is that a…

Read More Read More

Picture Phonics Assessments

Picture Phonics Assessments

Comments 0 Comment

When English Language Learners are practicing phonics skills, it is important to add in vocabulary instruction so that they know what the words they are learning to read and spell mean. One simple way to accomplish this is with pictures. Keep reading to get a FREE short vowel picture phonics assessment. Use picture and word cards for students to read the word and then match them to the picture. As a spelling assessment, you can hold up a picture and…

Read More Read More

Cause & Effect
Cause and Effect with MLs

Cause and Effect with MLs

Comments 0 Comment

Cause and effect is a reading comprehension skill where students identify why something happened (the cause) and what happened next (the effect). Very young children experiment with the concept of cause and effect (such as when a baby dumps over a plate to see what will happen next.) This concept is more formally taught in reading during upper elementary. In a story or nonfiction text, students must first identify the important details. Then they have to decide if those events…

Read More Read More

Squirrel Text set
Squirrel Text Sets

Squirrel Text Sets

Comments 0 Comment

Text sets allow students to build background knowledge about a topic as they read each new text. Discover books and articles to create squirrel text sets for students to read. Nonfiction Books About Squirrels Squirrel Emergent Reader and Decodable Books – Learn facts about the squirrel. This squirrel text also comes with a long and short vowel one page decodable book. Heggerty Frog Series: I Have Soft Paws– Readers learn about similarities between squirrels and other animals. Uses short vowels: a,…

Read More Read More

background knowledge
Building Background Knowledge with MLs

Building Background Knowledge with MLs

Comments 0 Comment

Students that have background knowledge about a topic are typically able to read more complex texts, participate in classroom discussions, and retain new information faster than students that are learning about an entirely new topic. Use Text Sets Group materials together by topic. This can be as simple as showing a video clip about the moon or reading a picture book before giving students an article to read on the same topic to having students read multiple books on the…

Read More Read More

Using Decodables
Using Decodable Texts with MLs

Using Decodable Texts with MLs

Comments 2 comments

Decodable texts are an important tool in helping beginning readers. A decodable text is one where a student is able to decode the majority of the words used. It is important to keep in mind what phonics skills a student has learned when selecting decodable texts. Decodable texts are one tool in helping students learn how to read. Younger MLs may be able to mostly read decodables as they are building their phonics knowledge. For older MLs they will still…

Read More Read More

writing sentences
Writing Sentences with ELLs

Writing Sentences with ELLs

Comments 0 Comment

Writing a detailed sentence can be challenging for students that are learning English as a second or additional language. Beginning writers benefit from explicit instruction in writing sentences as well. Here are some strategies to help students improve their writing at the sentence level. Question Words Use question words to help students practice writing sentences. Choose a topic and then have students answer questions. Next model how to take the information and put it together into a detailed sentence. Question…

Read More Read More

Cicadas
The 5 Best Cicada Books

The 5 Best Cicada Books

Comments 0 Comment

Introduce students to the fascinating cicada insects. These bugs emerge from the ground at different intervals. On the east coast of the US, they typically come out every 13 or 17 years. Create a text set with cicada books and videos. Friend to Cicadas is a website designed by scientists to share information with children. It has videos, a workbook, and other educational materials. Here is a list of cicada books to use with students. What to Expect When You’re…

Read More Read More

phonics writing practice With ELLs
Phonics Writing Practice

Phonics Writing Practice

Comments 0 Comment

Using phonics writing activities is one way for students to practice their phonics skills. Writing helps students segment words and then write down the sounds that they hear. Students with more advanced phonics skills can practice vowel patterns, silent letters, and other letter combinations. When students are writing, they are practicing letter sound knowledge or encoding. Have students write words to practice a spelling pattern. Word Chains or Word Ladders Writing words with the same spelling pattern will give students…

Read More Read More