Browsed by
Tag: ESOL

summer learning
Summer Learning Tips for ELLs

Summer Learning Tips for ELLs

Comments 0 Comment

Encourage students to continue learning throughout the summer. Here are some summer learning ideas to help kids have fun and keep learning to share with parents or use in a summer school program. Practice Native Language It might seem counterintuitive, but the summertime is a great opportunity for ELLs to practice their home language. International trips this year might still be postponed. Students can practice speaking their native language at home, reading books in their native language, or learning how…

Read More Read More

mood and tone
Teaching Mood and Tone to ELLs

Teaching Mood and Tone to ELLs

Comments 0 Comment

Mood and tone are closely connected concepts. Tone is the author’s attitude towards the topic. Mood is the overall feeling the reader gets when they are reading the text. Mood is particularly subjective. The important part is that students are able to defend their reasoning with evidence.  Here are some ideas for teaching these topics to your ELLs. Review Feelings A quick review of feelings is a great way to begin a unit on mood or tone. This can help…

Read More Read More

phonics
Phonics for MLs

Phonics for MLs

Comments 1 comment

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…

Read More Read More

thankful activities
Thankful Activities for MLs

Thankful Activities for MLs

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

speaking and writing with ELLs
Integrating Speaking and Writing for ELLs

Integrating Speaking and Writing for ELLs

Comments 5 comments

Speaking and writing are two components of language development. With elementary-aged students, the typical progression is that students 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. For older students, some may be more comfortable writing down ideas before speaking. Integrating speaking and writing provides English Language Learners with additional and opportunities for vocabulary development….

Read More Read More

10 Spring Books for English Language Learners

10 Spring Books for English Language Learners

Comments 0 Comment

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. Here is a list of spring books…

Read More Read More

Diverse Leveled Readers for ELLs
Diverse Leveled Readers for ELLs

Diverse Leveled Readers for ELLs

Comments 0 Comment

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. Guided reading is also an important component of a balanced literacy program. 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 ESOL students and do not…

Read More Read More

would you rather
Using Would You Rather Questions with ELLs

Using Would You Rather Questions with ELLs

Comments 0 Comment

Help students tell about their opinion and develop critical thinking skills. Would you rather questions are fun ways for students to practice speaking and writing. Here are some ideas for using them with your English Language Learners. Speaking Warm-Up When meeting with a small group of students use would you rather questions as a way to get students talking in a structured way. Choose a question then have each student answer the question.  Students can then tell why they choose…

Read More Read More

Digital Newcomer Vocabulary

Digital Newcomer Vocabulary

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

Picture matching for ELLs
Picture Matching for ELLs

Picture Matching for ELLs

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More