Tips for working with english language learners and how to best support ELLs them in your classroom!
Post sight words and vocabulary words around the room to help ELLs. When you display vocabulary and sight words, this will help ELLs learn new words.
The start to the school year for newcomer ELLs can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking. It is our job to set them up with tools to help them feel comfortable exploring a new language in a
Learn about the benefits, challenges, and tips for co-teaching between a classroom and ESL or ESOL teacher. This is a great way to support ELLs but...
Do you have a newcomer student in your classroom? Here are some strategies for supporting newcomer ELLs in their elementary classroom...
Set up phonics writing activities to help students practice spelling. You can use pictures to give vocabulary support to ELLs.
by Valentina Gonzalez I have to admit that when I first began my role as an ESL teacher years ago, I didn’t know much about ELs other than through my own experiences. My experience growing up…
Entering a brand-new classroom is nerve-wracking for most of our English speaking students. For our newcomer ELLs, it can be a very intense and scary experience. Providing them with a welcoming, thoughtful environment from the moment
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Advice from three ESL teachers on the things regular classroom teachers can do to help English language learners thrive in mainstream classrooms.
I teach 5th and 6th grade math to beginning English language learners. This post shares 3 critical strategies that support ELLs in the understanding of math concepts AND in the language of math. These are three "must haves" for any math classroom with ESL students, especially those with newcomers! "Math is a universal language." Have you heard this saying? I must admit, it's drives me a little crazy! Have you seen "standardized" testing? There is a LOT of language involved in math, and for students who are new to the country, this poses a lot of obstacles. Not only do we teach grade level math concepts to our students, but we also need to teach the language of math. So how can we best support our beginning ELLs in math? There is a reason I put vocabulary instruction at the top of the list. It simply cannot be ignored if we want our students to be successful. 1 - Vocabulary Instruction There are three types of vocabulary: tier 1 is basic vocabulary, tier 2 is grade level vocabulary (terms most native English speakers are familiar with), and tier 3 is low frequency content specific vocabulary. ALL students need explicit instruction in the third tier! Being aware of all 3 types is important, and knowing your students is key in deciding which words might need front-loading before a lesson. Ex. of Tier 1 Basic Vocabulary - tall, short, fast, long, more, less, far, close, heavy, light, around, cover, most, many, about, big, small, fill, full, empty, all, etc. Ex. of Tier 2 "Grade Level" Vocabulary (math language) - increase, decrease, greatest, least, altogether, replace, combine, random, weight, length, opposite, distance, etc. Ex. of Tier 3 Content Vocabulary - ratio, probability, quadrilaterals, polygons, equations, diameter, circumference, coefficient, variable, volume, capacity, scalene, kilometer, etc. In classrooms with beginning ELLs, vocabulary is one of the main focuses of instruction. Terms from all 3 levels need to be explicitly taught. Analyzing the math lesson during the planning phase and looking for terms that need front-loading is vital to providing comprehensible instruction. On days that I'm introducing a new concept, I KNOW that my primary focus is on vocabulary. ---- Vocabulary Building Activities ---- I use the KIM Strategy for direct vocabulary instruction. To read a post about this highly effective vocabulary strategy, click HERE. Key vocabulary is introduced, a simple kid friendly definition is produced and visual "memory clue" is illustrated. Make vocabulary fun:) Write terms on one set of cards and visuals or examples on another set, then pass out cards to students. As an "exit ticket" they must find their matching partner. The vocabulary terms on this day were "ascending" and "descending." My sixth graders used the KIM strategy in their notebooks at the beginning of class. We practiced putting numbers (fractions, decimals, percents) in ascending and descending order. At the end of class, I passed out index cards with percentages, and their "exit" task was to get into descending order. Then I mixed the cards up and asked them to get into ascending order. I always add an interactive notebook activity, or a foldable activity, to follow up. This resource provides students with a reference during their independent work time. These also are used as study tools before unit assessments. Quadrilaterals Interactive Notebook Activity Quadrilaterals Foldable Activity Numerical Patterns Interactive Notebook Activity Types of Lines Interactive Notebook Activity To find these math resources, click HERE. The direct vocabulary instruction always come first, then I find ways to get my students up and out of their seats for fun vocabulary building activities. This physical activity helps to solidify their understanding. An interactive notebook, or foldable, activity usually follows. Then we practice using the vocabulary throughout the unit with sentence frames to support their language acquisition. 2 - Visuals and Anchor Charts Beginning ELLs do the majority of their learning by watching. Meaningful visuals are key to their understanding. My lessons are loaded with visuals and I am constantly drawing pictures to show what something means. I really wish I could draw!! That hand has 6 fingers!!! Yikes! It's always a challenge, but my students get a kick out of my efforts. LOL! If only it could be this simple... It would be so much easier for me, and for them! :) Color coding is also an effective visual strategy. My students copied this capacity "diagram" in their math notebooks using 5 different colors. Add visuals to math notebooks for each lesson so that students have a reference. On the left hand page is a visual chart for the "Types of Lines" vocabulary. To be successful with independent activities, such as centers and homework, they have everything they need in their notebooks. Use images that relate math to the real world around them. I often use the "Essential Questions for 6th Grade Math" pages by The Illustrated Classroom. They've been a real life saver to me! The visuals are great and the text is simplified. I print them at 75%, cut the excess edges off, then have my students glue them into their notebooks. It works great! Create a visual math word wall. I use this word wall, also by The Illustrated Classroom. Another math reference tool with visuals, and a great place to introduce AND review content vocabulary. Math Videos - I absolutely love using short math videos in class, especially the ones on You Tube by NumbeRock!! NumbeRock videos are free on You Tube. He also has a ton of awesome math resources on TPT. The visuals are spot on, and each video is short, only about 2-3 minutes. My students love them and can see the math concepts in action. These videos are often a part of my introductory lessons. I also use Brain Pop Jr. videos. Brain Pop Jr. is a paid subscription. Even though the "Jr." version is for grades K-3, the focus is on vocabulary, and the language is simplified, so compared to the upper elementary BP version, I find that it's a better fit for my beginning 5th and 6th graders. Creating anchor charts is also invaluable. Pinterest is such a great place to find inspiration for math anchor charts! It's my go-to destination for ideas! As long as we are learning about a concept, the anchor chart stays up for viewing. When we go back to review at the end of the year for state assessments, or spiral back to a concept later, the anchor chart gets pulled out again. Some charts stay up all year! KIM Vocabulary Strategy Poster. Students regularly use this format in the back of their math notebooks. Inequalities anchor chart Order of Operations anchor chart The most important thing to remember about teaching beginning English language learners, IMO, is that you need to show the concept visually FIRST, along with explicit vocabulary instruction. Even with definitions, adding a visual can be "worth a thousand words." ;) When I am planning a math lesson, I think to myself, "How can I show this concept to my students?" And... "Where can I add meaningful visuals?" If I'm teaching fractions, I want to show them parts of a whole. Maybe that means breaking a Hershey's candy bar into pieces, or cutting a pan of brownies into equal parts. (I see a chocolate theme happening here!) If I am teaching probability, I want to show the concepts of certain, impossible, likely and unlikely. It's all about Visuals - Visuals - Visuals!! 3 - Hands On Activities Manipulative and hands-on activities are a great way for students to see "how" math works. Cubes, tiles, measuring tools, foldable activities, food, tangrams, fraction pieces, dice and games are just some ways we can get our students working on and practicing math skills. When students are using their hands, they are focused on "doing" something, compared to when they are note taking or using receptive skills to understand a lesson or new vocabulary. Here they get to practice and try out their math thinking. It's also a great way for ME to see what they understand, as well as what might need clarifying. When math is FUN, and students have had both vocabulary building and meaningful visuals beforehand, the hands-on activities are where they can dive in and practice what they've learned. ---- Hands-On Activities ---- Creating Math Foldables Forming Angles with Wixi Sticks Measuring circumference with round foods. Measuring that skittle was a challenge! FUN math games Measuring Around the Room Vocabulary, visuals and hands-on activities are the 3 must-have strategies for any math classroom with English language learners, especially beginners. Here's an example of all 3 in action. >>> Data and Statistics - Day 1 <<< Direct Vocabulary Instruction - term: "Data - a collection of information (facts, numbers, measurements)" Students copy this in their notebooks. Visuals - Bar Graph Anchor Chart: Question Posed- "Which color do you like best?" Collecting Data - Students come up and color in their favorite color choice. Then we analyze the the data. I ask questions like, Which color did most students like best? Which color did the least, or smallest, number of students like best? Which color did no students like the best? How many students chose the color red? How many students chose the color green? etc... This is a great time to build that tier 1 and 2 vocabulary. Next, I want to model how to take this data and show it in a different way using a circle graph. See pics below. >>> Data and Statistics - Day 2 <<< We review the data from the circle graph and then convert fractions to percents in a whole group setting. Hands-On Activity - My students gather data and use it to create their own circle graph. They will also convert fractions to percents. They each get a baggie of skittles and predict how many are inside. Then they take out the skittles and gather their data. They count and note the amount for each color. Next they write the fraction for each color and convert that number into a decimal. Last, they create the circle graph the same way I modeled with the colored strips the day before. (The M&M Lab Activity by Lisa Tilmon can be found here.) My students all had a firm understanding of data collection after these 2 days. My teacher heart was smiling:) ************************************************ Vocabulary -- Visuals -- Hands-On Activities -- Oh Yea!! ************************************************ I hope that you found some helpful tips in this post. I'd love to hear about a strategy that you find to be a "must-have" when working with beginning English language learners!
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Teaching fables in ESL class is easier with the support of graphic organizers and clear objectives. Check out how I prepare for this unit!
As you have probably noticed with your ELLs, there is quite a difference in an ELLs' conversational vocabulary compared to their academic vocabulary. According to Jim Cummins (1984), BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) refers to
Whether you are virtually teaching, or teaching ESL in distance learning, it is important to differentiate for ELLs just as you would in the classroom setting. Without the face to face interaction of an ELL
Post sight words and vocabulary words around the room to help ELLs. When you display vocabulary and sight words, this will help ELLs learn new words.
Word sorts are a great way to help students understand the spelling patterns of words. There are many ways to use word sorts...
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Find out how effective your ESL ELL Activities are and tips for how to make them better with this fun resource.
--> By Presto Plans My career in teaching started in a less traditional way as after I collected by degree, I immediately set off from my very small town to Beijing China to teach at a Canadian international school. Although many educators who go abroad to teach focus on language instruction, I was teaching regular language arts curriculum, but with the unique challenge of all of my students' language abilities being vastly different. Some students were native English speakers, for some English was their fourth or fifth language, and for others, they were relatively new to the language. With students being from different countries and possessing varying abilities, I quickly had to develop and implement strategies that would accommodate that complex dynamic. Upon returning to Canada, I continued teaching a language support class for ELL students, and also worked in conjunction with classroom teachers to support ELL instruction of their regular curriculum. Although my experience teaching in China was vastly different from my experience in Canada, it provided valuable insight on how to address the frustrations some of the teachers I worked with felt. They would come to me stressed and overwhelmed by the task of teaching English, science, or math to those who lacked foundational English language skills. Having navigated these waters before, I was able to empathize and also share the strategies that had been successful for me. An added benefit is that many of these strategies are not only beneficial to English language learners, but for all your students. 1. Classroom Environment / Positive Outlook One of the most important things for teachers to do is to approach having ELL students in your classroom with a positive attitude. While experiencing that feeling of, "How am I going to get this student to meet all the outcomes?" is totally normal, it's better to focus on how you can support this student, learn about them, and help them improve in your subject and develop the skills they need to be successful in your domain at their level. Half the battle is remaining optimistic about the students' growth, but also realistic that the student isn't going to learn the English language in a semester. You need to focus on helping that student learn, grow, and improve. Accept that the learning of students with less advanced English language skills is going to be commensurate with where they are, and that’s ok. 2. Trust Factor English learners in the classroom need to feel safe. Whether or not an ELL student will be successful in your classroom is dependent on whether or not they feel safe to take risks and make mistakes. If you have ever been in a country where you don’t speak the language (or even just amongst a group of people) you might know how uncomfortable, vulnerable and uneasy this scenario can make you feel. Draw upon this feeling if you need to, and try to have empathy for your students who are working hard at developing their skills. Make an intentional effort to build relationships with your students, and those relationships will in turn build trust. You'll also want to build trust between the ELL student and other students in your class as well. One way to do this is to use team-builders in your classroom that allow students to work with small groups. I've bundled by favorite team builders together that work really well with ELL students (classroom escape rooms, sports mash-up, wonder day, maker activity, and mystery). You can grab them here: CLASSROOM TEAM-BUILDERS 3. Learn About and Respect the Students’ Culture Make an effort to get to know where the student is from and learn about their background. When you find out where they are from, make sure you know where it is and have at least a basic understanding of the country. You may also want to consider the students' cultural or religious background and make informed decisions about what you are celebrating in your classroom. Celebrating holidays can have their place, but being inclusive is important. Find out what holidays your ELL students celebrate, and use it as an opportunity to have the class learn about the traditions that come with those celebrations as well. Although it seems like a simple task, you'll also want to learn how to say the students' name properly (before they arrive if you can). Some students will have an English name that has been given to them. You may want to ask the student if they would prefer to be called their real name and put the effort into learning how to say it properly even if it takes some time (but, of course, use whatever name they prefer). 4. Use Predictable Routines In the same way that children excel at home when there are routines in place and established boundaries, so do students in the classroom. With predictable routines, ELL students know exactly what to expect, which in turn helps them thrive. Something as simple as using bell-ringers at the start of each class gives students something to look forward to and channel their energy into the moment they walk in the door (you can try a free week of bell-ringers here and read about how I implement this daily routine here). They will be calmer, more focused, and less stressed knowing what is expected of them. If you think the bell-ringers might be too hard for your ELL student to complete independently, allow them to work with a partner. Whatever routines you choose to implement, be sure to explain the process in detail from beginning to end, and repeat as often as is necessary until it becomes second nature for everyone in the class. 5. Engaging and Compelling Activities and Content Although it seems obvious, when you deliver content that is compelling, students tend to be intrinsically motivated to learn and participate. Try to avoid over-lecturing as ELL students will tune out and instead incorporate as many unique activities to appeal to as many different learning styles as you can. Use group work and paired work as often as possible, as it tends to incite more engagement with ELL students, as they know they might be called upon to share. 6. Check in with your Students and Foster a Question-Asking Environment Some cultures do not see asking authority figures questions as appropriate - so make sure you make a specific effort to check in with those students. Without your encouragement, they might never speak up, even if they are falling behind. They may even say that they do understand something when they do not because they don’t want to bother you or openly admit that they are lost. If they do say they understand something, have them explain it back to you. If you continue to encourage them to speak up and ask questions, it will eventually become commonplace within the walls of your classroom. 7. Watch your Language (Idioms) For many of us, idiomatic expressions are a piece of cake, but ELL students often can't make heads of tails of them (do you think a language learner would have understood that sentence? 😉). Idioms are such a part of our daily communication that we aren’t even aware that we are using them. However, for someone learning the English language, idioms can be extremely confusing. While “he has a chip on his shoulder”, “she really went the extra mile”, “it’s a toss up”, or “back to the drawing board” might be expressions we often use without giving a second thought, consider how perplexing these might be to someone unfamiliar with the English language. Watch your language, and when you use an expression, take the time to explain its meaning. Rather than avoiding using idioms, include resources for teaching idioms, as sometimes even first-language English speakers struggle with them. Use idiom discussion or writing prompts, share an idiom of the week, or even give students idiom awards. Try a free sample of my idiom discussion prompts by clicking here. 8. Preview Resources and Give Context Let your English language learners in on what is coming up in your classroom. Give students the texts/short stories/videos that you will be reading or watching in class the day before. This will allow them to go home, read over the material and get a head start, which will make them feel far more comfortable. Also consider what background information students may need for the lesson at hand. Not everyone comes to the table with the same experiences, and there are many factors to consider from nationality and religion to culture, and economics. 9. Scaffold and Repeat Get comfortable with repeating yourself in a variety of ways. When issuing an assignment, give clear instructions, use visuals, and provide student samples of work. Explain it clearly and use gestures, pictures, or written directions to make it clear for the students. You will also want the student to explain it back to you prior to starting. It is important to remember that nodding, does not necessarily mean understanding. You might also want to schedule time at the end of each class to review and repeat important information from that day, and answer any questions. Have students turn to each other to share the content they learned that day and share any instructions they need going forward. It is also important to break tasks down into manageable chunks for ELL students. Instead of giving them the entire assignment like the rest of the class, give them one task at a time to focus their attention on one part at a time. 10. Use TONS of Visuals Most people are visual learners, so incorporating more visual elements into your classroom will help all of your students. Here are a few ways that you can incorporate more visual aspects to support ELL students: - You can have word walls set up to provide vocabulary support; figurative language walls set up for quick reference; essay words and their definitions posted to help with research essays. - Write all directions on the board in clear language. - Share examples of other students’ work as a model of a strong response. - If you are lecturing, use and refer to the related visuals in your presentations and print out the presentation slides for ELL students so they can follow along and also look at the slides later. - Use sentence frames to ignite conversations like: “I agree with so and so because…” or “I disagree with so and so because…” - Use graphic novels or comic book representations. For example, the short story The Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury has a comic interpretation that is nearly identical in text to the original dialogue. This is an can be an excellent way to stimulate the senses and bridge the language gap. - Use diagrams or visual representations to help explain complicated ideas. If you are reading a story or a novel, you could do this to show how the characters are related or connected. You could also look up a setting that is similar to the story to show the student. Having an ELL student in your class is a privilege. You will often get to learn about a new culture or country, you will use strategies that will benefit all of your students, and you will get to see measurable growth in their language and understanding of your content.
This WH question sheet helps students determine the difference between who, what, when, where, why and how. It has visuals to support ELLs and is a great tool to help students with answering reading comprehension questions.
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If we want language to come OUT of our students’ mouths, we must get language IN to their heads. They need INput so that they can produce OUTput. » Input is reading and listening » Output is speaking and writing This is common sense. A learner cannot utter an expression in a new language if…
I teach 5th and 6th grade math to beginning English language learners. This post shares 3 critical strategies that support ELLs in the understanding of math concepts AND in the language of math. These are three "must haves" for any math classroom with ESL students, especially those with newcomers! "Math is a universal language." Have you heard this saying? I must admit, it's drives me a little crazy! Have you seen "standardized" testing? There is a LOT of language involved in math, and for students who are new to the country, this poses a lot of obstacles. Not only do we teach grade level math concepts to our students, but we also need to teach the language of math. So how can we best support our beginning ELLs in math? There is a reason I put vocabulary instruction at the top of the list. It simply cannot be ignored if we want our students to be successful. 1 - Vocabulary Instruction There are three types of vocabulary: tier 1 is basic vocabulary, tier 2 is grade level vocabulary (terms most native English speakers are familiar with), and tier 3 is low frequency content specific vocabulary. ALL students need explicit instruction in the third tier! Being aware of all 3 types is important, and knowing your students is key in deciding which words might need front-loading before a lesson. Ex. of Tier 1 Basic Vocabulary - tall, short, fast, long, more, less, far, close, heavy, light, around, cover, most, many, about, big, small, fill, full, empty, all, etc. Ex. of Tier 2 "Grade Level" Vocabulary (math language) - increase, decrease, greatest, least, altogether, replace, combine, random, weight, length, opposite, distance, etc. Ex. of Tier 3 Content Vocabulary - ratio, probability, quadrilaterals, polygons, equations, diameter, circumference, coefficient, variable, volume, capacity, scalene, kilometer, etc. In classrooms with beginning ELLs, vocabulary is one of the main focuses of instruction. Terms from all 3 levels need to be explicitly taught. Analyzing the math lesson during the planning phase and looking for terms that need front-loading is vital to providing comprehensible instruction. On days that I'm introducing a new concept, I KNOW that my primary focus is on vocabulary. ---- Vocabulary Building Activities ---- I use the KIM Strategy for direct vocabulary instruction. To read a post about this highly effective vocabulary strategy, click HERE. Key vocabulary is introduced, a simple kid friendly definition is produced and visual "memory clue" is illustrated. Make vocabulary fun:) Write terms on one set of cards and visuals or examples on another set, then pass out cards to students. As an "exit ticket" they must find their matching partner. The vocabulary terms on this day were "ascending" and "descending." My sixth graders used the KIM strategy in their notebooks at the beginning of class. We practiced putting numbers (fractions, decimals, percents) in ascending and descending order. At the end of class, I passed out index cards with percentages, and their "exit" task was to get into descending order. Then I mixed the cards up and asked them to get into ascending order. I always add an interactive notebook activity, or a foldable activity, to follow up. This resource provides students with a reference during their independent work time. These also are used as study tools before unit assessments. Quadrilaterals Interactive Notebook Activity Quadrilaterals Foldable Activity Numerical Patterns Interactive Notebook Activity Types of Lines Interactive Notebook Activity To find these math resources, click HERE. The direct vocabulary instruction always come first, then I find ways to get my students up and out of their seats for fun vocabulary building activities. This physical activity helps to solidify their understanding. An interactive notebook, or foldable, activity usually follows. Then we practice using the vocabulary throughout the unit with sentence frames to support their language acquisition. 2 - Visuals and Anchor Charts Beginning ELLs do the majority of their learning by watching. Meaningful visuals are key to their understanding. My lessons are loaded with visuals and I am constantly drawing pictures to show what something means. I really wish I could draw!! That hand has 6 fingers!!! Yikes! It's always a challenge, but my students get a kick out of my efforts. LOL! If only it could be this simple... It would be so much easier for me, and for them! :) Color coding is also an effective visual strategy. My students copied this capacity "diagram" in their math notebooks using 5 different colors. Add visuals to math notebooks for each lesson so that students have a reference. On the left hand page is a visual chart for the "Types of Lines" vocabulary. To be successful with independent activities, such as centers and homework, they have everything they need in their notebooks. Use images that relate math to the real world around them. I often use the "Essential Questions for 6th Grade Math" pages by The Illustrated Classroom. They've been a real life saver to me! The visuals are great and the text is simplified. I print them at 75%, cut the excess edges off, then have my students glue them into their notebooks. It works great! Create a visual math word wall. I use this word wall, also by The Illustrated Classroom. Another math reference tool with visuals, and a great place to introduce AND review content vocabulary. Math Videos - I absolutely love using short math videos in class, especially the ones on You Tube by NumbeRock!! NumbeRock videos are free on You Tube. He also has a ton of awesome math resources on TPT. The visuals are spot on, and each video is short, only about 2-3 minutes. My students love them and can see the math concepts in action. These videos are often a part of my introductory lessons. I also use Brain Pop Jr. videos. Brain Pop Jr. is a paid subscription. Even though the "Jr." version is for grades K-3, the focus is on vocabulary, and the language is simplified, so compared to the upper elementary BP version, I find that it's a better fit for my beginning 5th and 6th graders. Creating anchor charts is also invaluable. Pinterest is such a great place to find inspiration for math anchor charts! It's my go-to destination for ideas! As long as we are learning about a concept, the anchor chart stays up for viewing. When we go back to review at the end of the year for state assessments, or spiral back to a concept later, the anchor chart gets pulled out again. Some charts stay up all year! KIM Vocabulary Strategy Poster. Students regularly use this format in the back of their math notebooks. Inequalities anchor chart Order of Operations anchor chart The most important thing to remember about teaching beginning English language learners, IMO, is that you need to show the concept visually FIRST, along with explicit vocabulary instruction. Even with definitions, adding a visual can be "worth a thousand words." ;) When I am planning a math lesson, I think to myself, "How can I show this concept to my students?" And... "Where can I add meaningful visuals?" If I'm teaching fractions, I want to show them parts of a whole. Maybe that means breaking a Hershey's candy bar into pieces, or cutting a pan of brownies into equal parts. (I see a chocolate theme happening here!) If I am teaching probability, I want to show the concepts of certain, impossible, likely and unlikely. It's all about Visuals - Visuals - Visuals!! 3 - Hands On Activities Manipulative and hands-on activities are a great way for students to see "how" math works. Cubes, tiles, measuring tools, foldable activities, food, tangrams, fraction pieces, dice and games are just some ways we can get our students working on and practicing math skills. When students are using their hands, they are focused on "doing" something, compared to when they are note taking or using receptive skills to understand a lesson or new vocabulary. Here they get to practice and try out their math thinking. It's also a great way for ME to see what they understand, as well as what might need clarifying. When math is FUN, and students have had both vocabulary building and meaningful visuals beforehand, the hands-on activities are where they can dive in and practice what they've learned. ---- Hands-On Activities ---- Creating Math Foldables Forming Angles with Wixi Sticks Measuring circumference with round foods. Measuring that skittle was a challenge! FUN math games Measuring Around the Room Vocabulary, visuals and hands-on activities are the 3 must-have strategies for any math classroom with English language learners, especially beginners. Here's an example of all 3 in action. >>> Data and Statistics - Day 1 <<< Direct Vocabulary Instruction - term: "Data - a collection of information (facts, numbers, measurements)" Students copy this in their notebooks. Visuals - Bar Graph Anchor Chart: Question Posed- "Which color do you like best?" Collecting Data - Students come up and color in their favorite color choice. Then we analyze the the data. I ask questions like, Which color did most students like best? Which color did the least, or smallest, number of students like best? Which color did no students like the best? How many students chose the color red? How many students chose the color green? etc... This is a great time to build that tier 1 and 2 vocabulary. Next, I want to model how to take this data and show it in a different way using a circle graph. See pics below. >>> Data and Statistics - Day 2 <<< We review the data from the circle graph and then convert fractions to percents in a whole group setting. Hands-On Activity - My students gather data and use it to create their own circle graph. They will also convert fractions to percents. They each get a baggie of skittles and predict how many are inside. Then they take out the skittles and gather their data. They count and note the amount for each color. Next they write the fraction for each color and convert that number into a decimal. Last, they create the circle graph the same way I modeled with the colored strips the day before. (The M&M Lab Activity by Lisa Tilmon can be found here.) My students all had a firm understanding of data collection after these 2 days. My teacher heart was smiling:) ************************************************ Vocabulary -- Visuals -- Hands-On Activities -- Oh Yea!! ************************************************ I hope that you found some helpful tips in this post. I'd love to hear about a strategy that you find to be a "must-have" when working with beginning English language learners!
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Advice from three ESL teachers on the things regular classroom teachers can do to help English language learners thrive in mainstream classrooms.
Post sight words and vocabulary words around the room to help ELLs. When you display vocabulary and sight words, this will help ELLs learn new words.
As you have probably noticed with your ELLs, there is quite a difference in an ELLs' conversational vocabulary compared to their academic vocabulary. According to Jim Cummins (1984), BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) refers to
Learn about the benefits, challenges, and tips for co-teaching between a classroom and ESL or ESOL teacher. This is a great way to support ELLs but...
