esl strategies for content area teachers

Instructional Strategies That Support ELL in the General Education Classroom

LaConti’ S. Bryant, M.Ed, Ed.S

This session will provide cross-curricular training in the area of literacy and mathematics for teachers of ELL student and students with language deficiencies. This presentation will focus on providing teachers with strategies that support and supplement their core reading and mathematics programs for meeting the needs of these students.

The purpose for our learning today:

I can explain how to use specific strategies to support language development in reading and math to support ELL’s and general education students.

Brainstorm strategies you already use in your classroom that could benefit ELL students.

Language Development

Two foundational skills in order for ELL’s to learn how to read English: Phonological Awareness and Phonics Knowledge (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998; National Reading Panel, 2000)

Characteristics of English Language Learners

Beginners (No English Proficiency)• Point• Nodding/Shaking Head• Draw• Match• Select• Circle• State• Choose• Act Out• Label• Name• List• Answer yes/no ?s

Example Strategies/Activies Label classroom Use Manipulatives/Realia Total Physical Response (TPR) Non-verbal role play Rhymes, chants, songs, games Pre-recorded stories Reading aloud Choral/echo reading

Hands-on projects Authors chair Flannel board stories Environmental labels Word banks/Word Walls Think-Pair-Share Model Skills

Intermediate Students Can ( Good skills in English, but reading and comprehension need work)

Recall Retell Define Describe Compare Contrast Summarize Restate Answer Questions State Opinions Share Thoughts Converse at Length Comprehend Orally

Example Strategies/Activities Role playing (verbal) Reading, reciting poetry, writing Group discussions Retelling stories Process writing, quick writes and dialogue journals Graphic organizers Summarizing Compare and contrast stories and authors Use real life objects or models Provide Prompts

Advanced Students Can Analyze Create Defend Debate Evaluate Justify Support Explain Use Extensive Vocabulary

Example Strategies/Examples Age appropriate reading and writing Analyzing charts, graphs, and stories Predicting outcomes Supporting and defending positions/opinions Evaluating and judging processes Use the “ABCs” (Activity Before Content) of teaching. This will allow

students to discover new concepts on their own which can make them more meaningful

Incorporate all learning modalities, including visual, aural, and tactile

Teaching Strategies

Engagement Strategies That Support Language Development (Teacher Strategies)

•Whip Around

•Modified Whip Around

•Think-Pair-Share

•Table Talk

•White Boards

•Power Teaching/Whole Brain Teaching

•Remember ExCell Training? Direct and Explicit Instruction of Vocabulary.

Student StrategiesLiteracy-Reading Response Journals

Literacy-Interactive Anchor Charts and Word Walls

Math-Kim Sutton Math Songs as part of the introduction to the mathematics lesson.

Math-Math Interactive Notebooks

Math Literature

Make learning VISUAL by using

Interactive Word Walls

Anchor Charts

Language Development

Providing multiple ways for students to work with new words enhances their understanding of those words (McKeown et al., 1985; Stahl, 1991).

• Associate new words with known words.

• Use new words in a sentence.

• Match definitions to new words.

• Use new words in different contexts.

• Provide students with multiple exposures to new words.

Questions?

Let’s Have aGreat Year!