Syllables are one component of phonological awareness and syllable types are a part of phonics. A syllable is part of a word that has a vowel or vowel sound. Here are some ideas for teaching syllables to English Language Learners. Introducing Syllables One way to teach students to identify syllables is to have them close their mouth and say a word. They then count how many breaths of air they take to say the word. That is the number of…
Teaching phonics is an important aspect of a literacy program. This is especially true for ELLs. Phonics is the relationship between sounds and the letter or letters used to write them. Phonics connects sounds with letters and combinations of letters. In the English language, there are 26 letters and 44 sounds (called phonemes). A grapheme is how to spell each sound with either a single letter or letter combinations. Phonics helps students learn specific sounds in the English language. For…
Integrating the themes of gratitude and being thankful is a common practice around Thanksgiving. These themes are great to teach about throughout the year as well. Here are some thankful activities to use with your students, including a FREE writing activity. I am Thankful Writing Vocabulary This set comes with vocabulary words to help students tell what they are thankful for. This is a great opportunity to integrate basic vocabulary into a lesson for all students. The vocabulary words…
It is important for children to be exposed to diverse books as they are learning how to read. Many teachers are examining their classroom library and adding more diverse books to their collection. Some teachers are lucky to teach in a school with a well-stocked book room. In other cases, many of the books at the lower levels are not age-appropriate for older MLs and do not reflect the diversity of ELLs. Here are some suggestions of diverse leveled readers…
Learning basic vocabulary will help newcomer students improve in all areas of English development. Students with basic reading skills can benefit from reading simple sentences and matching pictures with words. Google slides is one format students can use the practice new vocabulary. Learn more about teaching newcomer ELLs. Accessibility Tools For students that are not able to read in English, having a screen reader can help them improve their English. Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader– This extension…
Matching pictures with text is one strategy to assist English Language Learners and primary students 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…
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…
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…
English Language Learners benefit from easy access to sight words and from seeing vocabulary words in many places. It is important to refer to word walls and other labels to help students get into the habit of using them. Here are some ways to display words around your classroom to support ELLs. Interactive Word Walls Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase….
Poetry is a wonderful genre to share with students. For ELLs, it is a great way to expose them to rhyming words and other ways to play with words. Poems are typically short and lend themselves well to being read out loud. This helps build students reading fluency and oral language skills. Poetry is also a way for ELLs to analyze more complex text, even if they are reading below grade level. Poetry is a great opportunity to share books…