EAL Learners

Strategies and Ideas

Guidance and Advice

Peta Ullmann

Language Acquisition

Acquiring full mastery of a new language takes a long time. In the early stages, pupils quickly develop basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) and may, in some situations, appear superficially fluent in the language. However, beyond the beginner stage, students then have to go on to acquire cognitive academic language proficiency skills in the language (CALP) in order to achieve well within the education system. Moving from BICS to CALP takes a longer period of time and research indicates that it can take most pupils between 5-8 years to acquire academic proficiency in English.

We know that pupils’ acquisition of an additional language is greatly enhanced by exposure to the language in use in everyday settings, both formal and informal. For students from homes where English is not the primary means of communication, it is the school situation and its various contexts which can develop pupils’ skills from basic conversational competence to academic proficiency in the language providing that attention is given to their specific needs and that their needs are not confused with pupils with learning difficulties.

We know from research that using more than one language is cognitively beneficial and that across the World, using more than one language is the norm.

Within the classroom, the extent to which the teacher is able to give attention to individual EAL learners’ needs is of course important: but equally valuable is the planning of interaction with other students especially when lessons are organised in ways which require purposeful work (particularly talk) in small groups. At first, the capacity of EAL learners to participate in such groups will be limited, but the evidence from studies of EAL students working in this way suggest that they are likely to be learning a great deal from the different kinds of models of spoken and written English they encounter.

What can I do for a beginner in my class?

Try to discover whether the student has studied the material previously. Though some students newly arrived from overseas may have had little education in their countries of origin, many of the students coming into Essex schools will have experienced formal education – though not in English – to equivalent levels. It is at least possible that they may already be familiar with some of the subject matter you are presenting. Bear in mind also that some pupils may be gifted and talented but that their level of English may mask their skills and aptitude.

It may be some time before it becomes clear whether this is the case or not. It takes courage and confidence to speak (especially to a teacher) in a new language, and children differ in their readiness to commit themselves to utterances which they fear may be ridiculed or unduly corrected. This means that their progress in the language may be difficult to gauge when they are in the early stages of EAL acquisition and to repeat, that their particular skills and abilities will not be immediately obvious.

It is important to consider the seating arrangements for EAL learners. If the lesson is one in which much of the teaching will consist of teacher exposition to the whole class, it could be helpful for the students to sit near the front. (You may have pressing reasons for allocating such seats to other students, of course, but such a position will give you clear indications as to whether you are communicating, and it will give great opportunity for the student to hear without

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distraction, and to ‘read’ other cues to meaning such as gesture, illustrations and demonstrations.)

If your lessons follow a predictable format, this can also be helpful, as EAL students can then adopt the routine, knowing what is expected of them. In itself, this may help then to develop the confidence which is an essential preliminary to active participation You will though need to be consistent and clear in your use of instructional language and you should be prepared to repeat key instructions either demonstrating what is expected yourself or directing your new learners to observe the actions of their peers..

Working with English Language Learners:

All children bring unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to the classroom. EAL students' diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds can offer many resources for the entire classroom including:

Information - about other countries and their cultures, customs, and resources;

New perspectives - about the world, about society, about beliefs; and

Opportunities - for exposure to other languages, for sharing ways of thinking and doing things that might otherwise be taken for granted.

Understanding Cultural Differences

Differences in language and culture are often subtle but affect students' classroom participation in several ways. Understanding these will help you to respond in ways that will help both EAL and other students to learn.

Cultural differences can mean different rules for classroom behaviourStudents from other cultures can have different views of how to be a student or to "do schooling." For example, though you may want students to participate in class by asking questions and joining in discussions, some students may not feel comfortable participating because, in their culture, it is considered disrespectful to ask questions of a teacher.

Cultural differences can affect students' understanding of contentNew knowledge is built on the basis of what is already known by an individual. For example, in the area of reading, research points out that it is a constructive process that involves building meaning not only from the words on the page but also from one's related background knowledge. Often, school texts assume a common experience that, in fact, is not shared by all students: EAL students may not fully understand these texts and, consequently, will be less likely to remember the content material. Students whose experience is not in the mainstream culture, therefore, will often need additional explanation and examples to draw the connection between new material and their existing knowledge bases. This is especially true of texts which present Anglo-centric situations and where knowledge of English customs and history is important to support the understanding of particular texts.

Cultural differences can affect interactions with othersCulturally different ways of showing interest, respect and appreciation can be misinterpreted. For example, if a student does not look at the teacher when the teacher is speaking, it may be interpreted as the student's lack of attention or as a show of disrespect. However, in the student's

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culture the expectation may be just the opposite, that is, to show respect a student should not look directly at the teacher. The way in which praise is given can also be different. For some cultural groups, praise to an individual student is not given publicly. Instead, a quiet word of praise to the student is more appropriate. Teachers need to be sensitive to student reactions and try to respect these, while also helping students to understand the cultural differences too.

Understanding Additional Language Learning

EAL students have specific needs but this should not be confused with pupils who have learning difficulties

When new, pupils need time to tune in and to learn a range of everyday forms of the new language

Fluency on the playground does not necessarily mean proficiency in the classroom

Children learn an additional language across various contexts and need to listen to good models of spoken language

Silence is normal in the early stages of EAL acquisition

Errors can indicate progress as well as indicating areas for further development

Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom

Valuing the diverse resources that EAL students bring to the classroom and being sensitive to their unique needs can serve to build a teaching environment that can benefit all students. Current education research and reform focus on increasing student participation in the learning process and on basing learning on the real-life needs of students. An active learning-teaching model for EAL students includes elements that address the special language-related needs and cultural differences of students who are learning English. There are five key teaching elements to active learning for EAL students.

The classroom should be predictable and accepting of all students. All students are able to focus on and enjoy learning more when the school and classroom make them feel safe-comfortable with themselves and with their surroundings. Teachers can increase comfort levels through structured classroom rules and activity patterns, explicit expectations, and genuine care and concern for each student.

Teaching activities should maximize opportunities for language use. Opportunities for substantive, sustained dialogue are critical to challenging students' abilities to communicate ideas, formulate questions, and use language for higher order thinking. Each student, at his or her own level of proficiency, should have opportunities to communicate meaningfully in this way.

Learning tasks should involve students as active participants. Students contribute and learn more effectively when they are able to play a role in structuring their own learning, when tasks are oriented toward discovery of concepts and answers to questions, and when the content is both meaningful and challenging.

Learning interactions should provide support for student understanding. Teachers should ensure that students understand the concepts and materials being presented. For EAL students this includes providing support for the students' understanding of teaching presented in English.

Learning content should utilise student diversity. Incorporating diversity into the classroom provides EAL students with social support, offers all students opportunities to recognize and validate different cultural perspectives, and

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provides all students information on other cultures and exposure to other languages. Also, examples and information relevant to EAL students' backgrounds assist them in understanding content.

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Create an Accepting and Predictable Environment

A supportive environment is built by the teacher on several grounds: There is acceptance, interest, and understanding of different cultural backgrounds,

beliefs, and customs. Explicit information on what is expected of students is provided and is reinforced through

clearly structured daily patterns and class activities.

These provide important social and practical bases for all students, especially EAL students. When students are freed of the need to interpret expectations and figure out task structures, they can concentrate on and take risks in learning.

Provide a clear acceptance of each studentTreat EAL students as individuals and as equal members of the class:

Recognise and be aware of cultural differences; however, don't assume that, because a student comes from a particular language or cultural group, s/he shares all the beliefs or customs of that group.

Understand that singling out students as spokespersons for a culture may make them uncomfortable.

Show acceptance by making the environment more accessible to EAL students. One way is to place signs in the student's language and in English to identify areas in the classroom (e.g., "class library," "science materials," "quiet work centre") and around the building (e.g., "office," "cafeteria"). Such multilingual signs make families as well as students feel more welcome in the school.

Ensure that you know their preferred name and can pronounce their name correctly. Watch out for incorrect versions of their name being used by other students and colleagues.

Make classroom activities structured and predictableGive students a clear understanding of how tasks proceed. For example:

If students are to work in co-operative groups, begin by describing how they are to work together. Make lists of student roles and group responsibilities, and explain and discuss these. Keep the basic structure for cooperative group work consistent. In this way, students will know what is expected of them, even though the specific content or tasks will change.

Ensure that students have a clear sense of their daily schedules, even if they vary from day to day. Students will be less able to focus on learning when they are concerned about where they should be or what they should be doing. When a change in routine is needed, give as much advance notice as possible.

Let students know what is expected of themFor all students, a clear, shared understanding of the rules for participating in the class, acceptable behaviour during and after completing specific class activities, and general expectations for student behaviour are important. For EAL students who are often struggling with cultural differences as well as language, it is even more important to:

explain or demonstrate expectations about classroom rules and behaviours (e.g., provide specific information on how to gain the teacher's attention, how use of a particular activity centre is shared); and

Assist students whose cultural definitions of being a student differ from class expectations (e.g., describe the types of activities that the class will do, how to ask questions within these different activities, or when and how it is acceptable to interrupt the teacher or to move about the classroom).

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Have high expectations An environment in which students feel comfortable and accepted is also one where all students feel that their participation is valued and that it is likely to lead to success. Positive, high expectations for performance are important for EAL students within any classroom. They, as much as English proficient students, need to develop content knowledge and the higher order thinking skills that will be required of them as they progress into further training or employment. There must be opportunities provided for EAL students to work with challenging tasks with good quality contextual support such as practical activities, visual material, diagrammatic material, demonstration and reference to their own prior experience. EAL students should be included, for example, in co-operative working groups and given responsibilities that allow them to contribute to the group goal.

High expectations for EAL students are important not only within the classroom but within the school. The context of the school must be one in which all students are viewed as highly capable and able to take on challenging work successfully.

Placement in lower sets and groups simply on the basis of their level in English should be avoided as it will have a negative impact on their rate of progress.

Listening and Speaking

1. Though it is important for you to address EAL students, if only in greeting, it may well take some time before they say much to you. Listening and trying at first to simply tune into the speech of a number of different teachers can be very demanding for the beginner. Listening time is an important preliminary stage in learning a new language.

2. For the first few weeks it is helpful if the beginner sits next to a sympathetic friend, preferably one who speaks the same first language. In the absence of a pupil who shares the new arrival’s first language, select a pupil who can present a good model of behaviour as well as language as most beginners look to the actions of their peers to interpret simple commands.

3. Apart from the simple greeting and acknowledgements (‘Yes, Sir’, ‘No Miss,’), beginners can only speak in language(s) other than English, and will to a large extent be dependant – as you may be – on translations. If a pairing with a pupil who shares their first language is possible, encourage the use of their first language – it will support their acquisition of both English and their ability to access the content of the lesson and subject.

4. The obvious starting point for the learning of subject-related English is the naming of equipment and symbols which are basic. Such learning is greatly assisted by offering as much visual support as possible: real objects, unambiguous illustrations and diagrams and illustrated glossaries. The use of bilingual dictionaries should be encouraged.

5. Try to make a point of talking to beginners each day. Both teacher and student should know each other’s name and be able to say it clearly.

6. If the teacher speaks clearly, succinctly and at normal speed, it will help beginners to acquire vocabulary and to become familiar with the pronunciation and rhythm of English speech.

7. Invite EAL students to participate in practical activities such as distributing equipment and clearing up, when they will contact with other students.

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8. From the initial stages of learning English, joining in collaborative activities can be reassuring and valuable.

9. Students learn readily from their peers; beginners benefit from planned student talk as part of the lesson.

10. It can be difficult for EAL beginners to contribute unless there is a pattern to follow. For example, let them listen to other student’s questions and answers before being asked to make a similar response.

11.Encourage students to say, ‘I don’t understand’, when they need help. Check whether it is a signal for a) reassurance b) repetition c) further or alternative explanation or d) total incomprehension.

12.You may often understand what beginners are asking for or trying to say, even though their English is limited. As long as you do not inhibit communication, it can be helpful to rephrase the utterance in Standard English before making the appropriate response.

Reading and Writing

Many EAL beginners are literate in their home language, some may have only limited literacy and others will need to learn the basic skills for the first time. The EAL beginner’s own experience of reading and writing in the home language will influence his/her acquisition of English.

Please find below some basic information of some of the languages spoken in Essex. ‘The Languages of the World’ by Kenneth Katzner, published by Routledge and Kegan Paul, is a useful publication.

Arabic It is written from right to left in Arabic script. The alphabet consists of 28 letters, which are basically consonants.

Bengali The written form is a variety of the Sanskrit or Devanagari script, which consists of 48 signs. These are written from left to right, suspended from a line.

Chinese The language has many dialects, for instance, Cantonese, Mandarin and Hakka. The Chinese character writing is common to all these. These ideographs have no relation to the sound of a word and they are written either from top to bottom or, more commonly, from left to right.

French The alphabet is the same as that of English. It is an official language in a number of African countries. Be aware that many of your African students will be bilingual or multilingual.

Gujarati This is another variety of Sanskrit or Devanagari script. It is written from left to right but without the continuous horizontal line along the top of the line of characters.

Italian This language has many varying dialects. The letters J, K, W, Z and Y are omitted from the alphabet and only appear in foreign words.

Portuguese The alphabet is written in the Roman script and is the same as that of English, except that K, W and Y are not used.

Punjabi This is written from left to right in the Devanagari script and has its own alphabet (many families from Pakistan speak Punjabi but do not read and write the language).

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Spanish The spelling is based on generally consistent phonetic principles, and closely linked with the way a word is pronounced. The alphabet has no letter W.

Turkish The written form is a slightly modified version of the Roman alphabet and omits the letters Q, W and X.

Urdu It is written in Perso-Arabic script in a right to left direction.

Vietnamese This language has a Roman script, but there are many Chinese words in its vocabulary. Cantonese is spoken by a considerable number of Vietnamese people.

Other languages common in Essex are: Polish, Tagalog, Farsi, Russian, Thai and Shona.

Essential Tips for Mainstream TeachersWorking with English Language Learners

Learn how to pronounce the student’s name.

Don’t assume he/she does not speak or understand English…take the time to find out.

Students who are recent arrivals need time to adjust.

Increase your knowledge. Learn as much as you can about the language and culture of your students.

Encourage students to express their points of view and opinions on different issues and share information about their culture.

Families generally speak their 1st language at home. Encourage your students to continue to speak their 1st language.

Encourage students to read in their 1st language.

Focus on vocabulary. Pre-teach vocabulary and concepts; use objects, demonstrations, visuals, and multiple modalities when teaching. Illustrate, label, and explain multiple meaning words.

Read aloud. Pupils need to learn pronunciation, intonation and stress patterns.

Buddies and peer support are needed for break times as well as lesson times.

Simplify your language, not the content.

Speak directly to the student, emphasising important nouns and verbs. Avoid slang and idiomatic expressions. New vocabulary should be presented, discussed and used prior to teaching content.

Prepare and provide focus questions before you start to teach the lesson.

For beginners, adjust the amount of work or the performance standard to be reasonable. Increase requirements as proficiency and comfort increase.

Outline the lesson’s objectives and activities at the beginning of the lesson.

Write the objectives. Use pictures, drawings, diagrams, charts, labels, etc. to illustrate what will be taught. Use a normal rate of speech, enunciate clearly, use less difficult words and/or explain vocabulary that may make the content difficult to understand.

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Demonstrate. Whenever possible, accompany your message with gestures, pictures and objects that help get the meaning across. Use a variety of different pictures or objects for the same idea. MODEL, MODEL, MODEL.

Make use of all senses.

Make use of visual clues and graphic organizers. Create semantic webs, cluster vocabulary, use graphs, charts, maps, timelines, and diagrams to help convey meaning and check for understanding.

Access prior knowledge. Assess students’ prior knowledge and tap into their past experiences to make learning interesting and meaningful.

Write legibly. Some students may have low levels of literacy or are unaccustomed to the Roman alphabet.

Teach note-taking. For some beginners, given their previous experience copying is writing.

Provide frequent opportunities for EAL students to speak. Use small groups, pairs, cooperative groups and native language groups (when possible).

Ask inferential and higher order thinking questions. Encourage students’ reasoning abilities, such as hypothesising, inferring, analysing, justifying, and predicting and allow them to demonstrate these abilities in nonverbal ways using charts, diagrams, drawings, etc.

Recognise that students will make language mistakes. Model correct grammatical form in a supportive, friendly, environment.

Do not force reticent students to speak. Give students opportunities, increase wait time, respond positively to students’ attempts, and model correct grammar.

Bring the student’s home language and culture into the classroom.

Create listening stations so they may listen and read at the same time.

Fluent conversational skills do not necessarily indicate academic proficiency. Continue to use all of these strategies for teaching academic content.

Use illustrations that help clarify text (including instructions on worksheets/whiteboard)

Check comprehension through sequencing activities. Check student comprehension with one or more of the following activities:

o Write individual sentences from the text on separate sheets of drawing paper; then read or have the students read each sentence and illustrate it.

o Informally test students’ ability to sequence material from a story: print sentences from a section of the story on paper strips, mix the strips; have students put them in order.

o Check students’ ability to order words within a sentence; write several sentences from the text on individual strips of paper; cut the strips into words; have students arrange each group of words into a sentence.

NB. Think about homework tasks and their appropriateness for a new arrival who may not have anyone at home who can help them if the task requires a certain level of skill in English.

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Ways in

Smile, make frequent eye contact and give positive praise

When introducing a new topic, these strategies may help bilingual learners:

PicturesVideos Slides

Use bilingual dictionariesUse other students to translate

Providing simple summaries of books/texts

Provide family trees for characters in books, history, etc.

Providing ‘Who’s Who’ information for books etc

Support strategies – Inclusion in the mainstream classroom

Activities

Group work -Consider ways in which students can work together in small groups to solve problems or answer questions. Group work provides bilingual students with a rich environment for improving their language skills, and all students with an opportunity to develop and articulate their thinking skills and the cognitive domain. Carefully prepared group work can make content more accessible. Possible tasks include extracting data from texts, sequencing information, categorising information.

Contextualisation –

Consider how the lesson content can be contextualised so students with limited English can still access the content while supporting all students’ internalisation of content and concepts. This can be through the use of equipment, visual support or use of technology such as whiteboards, OHTs etc

Learning frameworks -

Consider possible frameworks and or develop strategies to help students focus on the task. For example: through development of the three part lesson on a systematic basis. It will support an environment where expectations of the lesson are established, will support the activation of prior knowledge and understanding (the starter), develop knowledge and add to knowledge bank in a connective way and provide a vehicle for modelling how we combine new and old understanding of a concept (main activities), while summing up what has been learned and setting further expectations or learning outcomes (the plenary).

Motivation and self-esteem -Try to set achievable tasks. Self-esteem and motivation are closely linked to perceived levels of success. With regard to bilingual students this means tasks that are of appropriate cognitive challenge but where language development strategies provide a supportive framework or scaffolds into the activity. Their level of English does not necessarily reflect their academic abilities. (Finding out and showing interest in their language background, previous learning, in itself shows respect and recognition of them as successful learners).For all students activities that activate and draw on previous knowledge and learning provides a model of them as successful learners by giving them a structured way into the new learning.

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Think Pair Share

Think Pair Share is a cognitive rehearsal structure that can be used to help students:

recall events make a summary stimulate thinking share responses, feelings and ideas

Teachers monitor the children’s interactions and draw attention to successful discussions so that students understand exactly what they need to do.

Placemat and Round Robin

This activity is designed to allow for each individual’s thinking, perspective and voice to be heard, recognised and explored.

1. Form participants into groups of four. 2. Allocate one piece of A3. 3. Ask each group to draw the diagram on the paper.

4. The outer spaces are for each participant to write their thoughts about the topic. 5. Conduct a Round Robin so that each participant can share their views. 6. The circle in the middle of the paper is to note down (by the nominated scribe) the

common points made by each participant. 7. Each group then reports the common points to the whole group.

Round Robin

Students give their opinions verbally around the circle or group. All members contribute equally.

Jigsaw

This activity is characterised by participants within a cooperative group each becoming expert on different aspects of one topic of study.

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Strategies

Information gap activitiesSmall groups can be given different questions or problems to investigate. Then they have to share their findings. Example: investigating the weather

Sorting activitiesThe students share their knowledge to reach an agreement. Examples from the science curriculum include:

Classifying Cards for the three types of heat transfer, types of forces, types of energy, renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

Sequencing processes Energy chainsThe parts of an investigation

Ranking The amount of energy usedThe safest, cleanest…….energy sourcesThe pressure/momentum in given situations

Matching Devices and the type of energy produced and used.Pictures and descriptions e.g. how a baby develops

Contextualising information The use of equipment for practical work The use of electronic whiteboards, videos, OHTs to give visual support Explanations that relate to student’s everyday experiences and knowledge Drawing on student’s experiences

Frameworks for supporting reading and writing matching, sorting, categorising activities organising information into table form, reading information in table form cloze activities to practice and reinforce new vocabulary and check knowledge

and understanding of scientific concepts/knowledge Model writing in science, history, geography etc …. prompts/sentence starters for writing plans and reports language tasks that focus on the use of particular language forms:-

For investigationsConditionals to make predictions: I think the…..will be…..when the…..is…….Using ‘will’ future forms for writing plans.The simple past tense for writing reports.Comparisons for conclusions: ‘The….was……er when the ……was……….er’

Descriptive writingThe present simple form of verbs. ‘The ice melts to form water.’ The use of

passive forms to describe processes. ‘The coal is loaded into the furnace and is burnt.’

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Developing Language in the Mainstream ClassroomFive key principles should underpin planning for the language development of EAL learners in the classroom:

Activate prior knowledgeWhat we get out of a text is partly determined by what we bring to it: knowledge of the world, knowledge of texts – how they work, how writers construct them. The majority of children come with previous experiences that they can usefully draw on in understanding new ones. Teachers need to help their students connect what they know with what they are being asked to learn.

Provide a rich contextual background to make input comprehensible.Teachers should exploit multi-media technology to provide the child with multiple ways into the topic, such as pictures, film footage, and recorded sound material, which the child can replay to aid understanding. Highlight text to identify keywords, provide links to (online) bilingual dictionaries, etc.

Actively encourage comprehensible output This may begin with simple ‘yes/no’ questions to build-up confidence and become more elaborate as time goes on. The questions, too, can grow in complexity from a straightforward assessment of the child’s factual understanding, using closed questions such as, ‘How many…’, ‘When did…’, What is …’ etc, to higher order questions such as ‘Why did…’, ‘How does…’ and ‘What would happen if…’

Draw the learner’s attention to the relationship between form and function, making key grammatical elements explicit Children are actually quite interested in understanding the nuts and bolts of language. This needn’t be dry and tedious. A discovery approach to identifying past tense markers or when capital letters are used in texts, for example, can involve the child working as a ‘language detective’ to discover the rules for themselves. Other languages have different rules (for example, in German all nouns start with a capital letter), and making links with the child’s own language can help them focus on similarities and differences.

Develop learner independence Essentially, our key task as teachers is to help the learner how to learn. This may begin with such ‘simple’ skills as how to hold a pencil or use scissors and develop as the child’s needs grow to include using dictionaries, searching the Internet, making notes, etc. It should be remembered that students with a fractured formal education may have gaps in their skills and it may be necessary initially for teachers to include activities at a lower level than might be expected in terms of age. It is important not to assume that the child is therefore of lower potential ability. It is also vital to convey to learners an expectation that, with appropriate support, they will bridge the gap between what they can currently do and the normal expectations. 

Listening and SpeakingLearning a language takes time; remember how many lessons in school it took before you felt able simply to say your name and ask someone else theirs in French, German, or Spanish. Imagine trying to understand or explain convection, feudalism or Pythagoras! EAL learners not only have to learn to talk in English but to learn through English. This dual task provides both challenges and opportunities. This section looks at practical ways to organise speaking and listening.

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A good place for talkThe first thing for the teacher to consider is how to make the classroom a supportive environment for spoken language. This includes planning:

where the child should sit (preferably near the front to ensure they can hear everything the teacher says)

who they will sit with (ideally a child who speaks the same first language but is more advanced in English, or supportive English speakers)

visual support for oral language (by having pictures and keywords on display) how the child can access their first language (e.g. through taped stories, the

deployment of bilingual assistants and the involvement of parents to translate key words and discuss key concepts).

Listening in, not tuning outWhen setting up activities, the teacher should make sure that students have opportunities to:

listen into peer talk about an activity as they do it do practical activities such as surveying people’s birthdays or favourite colours,

measuring each other’s height or finger span, all useful for helping new arrivals get to know their classmates whilst using a restricted range of language over and over again.

take part in collaborative tasks that involve purposeful use of language, such as info-gap games (such as battle ships) where children have to ask for and share information in order to complete a task.

Model languageAll teachers have their particular ways of starting lessons, marking transition points and drawing things to a close. These routines are amongst the first things the EAL learner will need to tune in to in order to make sense of what is going on. Teachers should focus on making such language and indeed all exchanges clear, concise and consistent. We do not only communicate through words, of course; clear body language and gestures are important in getting a message across, remembering that body language varies widely from one culture to another, as do such things as eye-contact, volume, and physical proximity when talking vary.

Teachers need to develop the skills of working with other adults and deploying them to best advantage.

Other adultsWhere support staff are available, teachers should involve them in advance planning which will allow them to prepare additional resources and suggest strategies and activities which will help EAL learners to develop their skills in this area. Support staff also have a valuable role in providing detailed formative assessment feedback to the class teacher on the student’s progress.

Drawing them in A good starting point is to use the student’s name whenever they are addressed.

Make sure your pronunciation is correct. Research has shown that even allowing just a few seconds longer for a student to

answer has dramatic effects on response rates. The student not only has to think of the answer but also how to say it in an unfamiliar language. This extra time can seem like an age in a hushed classroom and may seem even more unbearable to the teacher.

Allowing the student to become familiar with the language and content in a small group setting first gives them an opportunity to hear other students model answers and rehearse their own efforts.

 Leading them onGames and practical tasks can provide a natural and relaxed context into which effective language practice can be built.

Reading and writingA number of issues need to be borne in mind when approaching reading and writing in a second language.

Previous experience of the written wordLiteracy is not neutral; it is bound up with our home background and wider culture. Some children will have experienced literacy in a narrow range of settings, others in a wide range. Different communities have different literacy practices. Many African communities, for instance, emphasise reading to learn and as a social activity shared with the group rather than as a private pastime; Muslim children learn whole passages of the Qur’an by heart in ‘maktabs’ or religious schools; Chinese children also attach importance to repetition and memorization in community classes. Valuing and building on the child’s previous experiences provides the surest foundation; starting with familiar text types and gradually extending the range will offer the child a ‘comfortable point from which to explore less familiar terrain’ (Gregory et al. 2004).

Transferable skillsIf children are literate in another language then they may well have transferable skills that they can draw on to develop their abilities in English, such as:

* knowing that print carries meaning* being able to identify discrete words on the page* using images to predict the content of a text

If the child’s first language uses Roman script and is written from left to right then they are likely to have fewer problems in producing legible work than if they are only familiar with a non-Roman script that is written right to left, for example. Legibility and intellectual ability do not go hand in hand, however, and it is important not to confuse the mechanics of writing with ability.

Visual supportIn the early stages it is particularly important that teachers choose texts that provide plenty of visual support. Photographs and drawings can convey or provide clues to meaning without making heavy language demands. Wherever possible and appropriate, familiar images from the child’s homeland context should be incorporated into the activity to help the child connect with prior experience and know that their own background is validated. Diagrams and tables can also be similarly useful (particularly for non-fiction texts) but have their own conventions which students might not initially be familiar with.

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Summary

EAL learners are best supported when:

all teachers are responsible for language teaching and specialist EAL work is class-based, working collaboratively with class/subject teachers, with joint planning/review;

teachers use specific support strategies e.g. additional verbal support, repetition, visual support, non verbal gestures, pictures and active learning strategies;

students have access to strong English language peer models and collaborative tasks. Students acquire social/functional English from peer interaction. Subject-related vocabulary/structures, e.g. English for science or mathematics investigations, are best acquired through small group collaborative work where talk and interaction are central to the task;

students have access to first language (L1) or bilingual support (especially beginners); opportunities for L1 work supports English (L2), e.g. discussing or drafting ideas in the stronger language and translating into English;

the curriculum reflects and draws on students' cultural, religious and linguistic knowledge and experiences, and resources present positive images of those experiences.

Research shows that it takes one to two years for bilingual learners to develop fluency in social, conversational English but much longer (minimum of seven years) to acquire fluency in academic forms of English. Bilingual students acquire a second language most effectively when they are engaged in learning, not when the focus is on English. They do not need separate or extra English tuition or remedial support. They do need supported access to ongoing class work and focused support for using English across the curriculum.

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Differentiation: How to do it

Differentiate by task; outcome;

and time allowed

Set different tasks. Use:ability groupshelp sheets and writing framesextension tasks, or grade criteria + targets

Graduate tasks e.g. from easy to hard on a worksheet.Use “Bloom’s Taxonomy” and mix Mastery and Developmental tasks

Use teaching methods that differentiate well, e.g. require all students to participate, and all students to carry out thought provoking tasks.

Accommodate different

preferences & support-needs

Accommodate Learning styles. Visual, aural, & KinaestheticRight and left brainHoney and Mumford etc

Use group work so that peers can support each other

Make explicit use of for e.g.peer checking peer tutoringlearning teams

“Buddy up” students who can help each other. E.g. one who can write and one who can’t. The buddy needs some ‘training’

can help each other. E.g. one who can write and one who can’t.(The Buddy needs some training)

Integrate Learning Support into your classesUse ILT to give support

Differentiate feedback, then set individual

tasks & targets

Use “Medal and Mission” feedback

Set individualised goals and targets based on diagnostic tests & assessment; ILP; One-to-one action planning; etc

Develop Generic skills by:Feedback proformas Teaching skills with both Process and Product

Use self-assessment and ask students to set themselves targets

Differentiate time allowed by:Resource Based LearningIndependent learningMastery Learning

Set open tasks, because stronger students interpret these in a more demanding way. Expect more from the more able students.

Differentiate resources: e.g. use texts of different depth, breadth, and difficulty

Use high-order Q&A: why? how? & which? questions.

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1. Picture – Word Matching

This can range from matching pictures with single words or very short sentences as a way of introducing them to vocabulary or the main points of a story, to matching more complex information with the relevant picture as in the Geography example (c).

Example (a) Home Economics – Equipment

Choose the right name of the pieces of equipment and write the names under the pictures:

a saucepan a grater a whiska cake tin a spatula a vegetable knifea chopping board a potato peeler a forka mixing bowl a blender a rolling pin

A B

C D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

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Example (b) English “Comfort Herself”

Look at the picture on the following pages and match the sentence to the picture.

Comfort sold cloth at the market

Comfort made friends with Lettie

One Saturday Margaret was killed

Comfort went to live with her Granny and Grada Grandad.

Examples (c) Geography – Types of house

There are many different types of houses in Britain.

Read these descriptions of types of house. Match the labels with the pictures.

A terraced house is joined to the houses next to it on both sides. They are usually old with a small garden or backyard and two floors. There are also modern terraced houses.

Semi-detached house Bungalows Terraced house High rise tower

blocks Detached

Select appropriate visual from text or that represents the information

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2. Mix and match – words and their meanings

This is very useful for introducing specialist vocabulary as the Geography example shows. In English, it can be used for developing and extending the student’s vocabulary.

Example (a) Geography – working on farming

Cereal FarmingPair up these words and their meanings. Join them with lines.

Arable lane

Cereal crop

Ploughing

Harrowing

Sowing

A plough

A seed drill

A combine harvester

Fertilisers

Irrigating

Weed killer

Pesticide

Harvesting

Separating the grain from the stalk

Used for sowing seeds

Used to make the soil richer

A type of farming where crops are grown

Used to plough the soil

Planting seeds in the soil

Putting water on crops or soil

Used to kill weeds

Used to cut the crop

Used to stop insects attacking the crop

Breaking up the soil into small pieces

Cutting the crop

A type of grain

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Example (b) English

“The 12th Day of July”Chapter 6 – The 9th July.

Pair up these words and their meanings

admired

gathered

relaxed

escorted

hurtling

half-witted

become less worried

rushing, moving very fast

to think well of someone

unintelligent, stupid

go with someone

come together

Put the words into sentences:

1.Brede ___________________________ Sadie because she seemed brave.

2. A crowd _________________________ round Sadie when she was caught.

Etc…...

Below is a template for making cards for sorting, mix and match activities:

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3. Sequencing

Students have to put statements in the right order. If it is done in pairs or groups it should generate a lot of discussion.

It can be used to highlight important parts of a story, or the timing of the parts of a process as in the Geography example or to predict the order of the instructions in an experiment or recipe.

Example Geography (after an explanation of the Water Cycle)

Put these sentences in the right order:

Water passes through the permeable rock

It cannot pass through impermeable rock

Rain falls on a mountain

Water comes to impermeable rock

So it comes to the surface as a spring

A river begins from the spring

Below is a template for supporting you in developing ranking activities:

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To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

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4. Tick Charts

The student has to place ticks in the appropriate place.They can be useful for generating discussion in group work.

Example (a) Home Economics (after students have learnt about processes)

Cooking Process – Activity Sheet

Look at the food at the top of the chart. Read the processes down the side.Tick () the chart if you can do the process to the food. Put a cross () if you can’t.Put a question mark (?) if you don’t know – and ask your teacher.The first one has been done.

tomato flour chocolate margarine & sugar

margarine & flour pastry egg

whites onion dough white sauce

beat

boil

chop

cool

cream

Example (b) Science – Dissolving

dissolve - auflÖsen

soluble - lÖsbar

insoluble - unlÖsbar

Substance Dissolves Doesn’t dissolve

sugar

oil

salt

sulphur

To change statement text click here

To change statement text click here

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Example (c) Geography (after work on weather measurements)

The Weather Forecast

Which instruments are used?

Put a () if the instrument will be used. Put a () if it won’t be used. Put a (?) if you don’t know – see a teacher.

a rain gauge

a minimum thermometer

a maximum thermometer

a wind vane

an anemometer

a thermometer

screenheavy rain and thunder and lighting

temperatures will be average

in Devon and Cornwall it will be 5 OC

decreasing to 4 OC and 3 OC

temperatures will fall to 1 OC over Warwickshire and -2 OC over Sussex

winds will be south westerly

moderate to strong

a gale warning

5. Beginnings and endings

Students have to match the best ending to the first half of the sentence. For group work, the sentence can be cut up and then matched. This is a good way of focussing attention on reasons or consequences.

Example: English – work on a story ‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’

Match up the beginning of these sentences (A) with their endings (B).

Andy was lying in the alley because

Andy had been stabbed because

The drunk man didn’t help Andy because

The girl and boy didn’t help Andy because

The old lady didn’t help Andy because

Andy wanted to take off his jacket because

A

he was a royal.

she didn’t hear him.

he thought he was drunk.

he had been stabbed.

they were afraid of the other gang, the guardians.

he wanted to be himself, not just a member of a gang.

B

6. Filling in information in tables and charts

The information to be filled in to complete the table can be either provided in a ‘jumbled-up’ fashion which the student has to sort out, or it can be used to help students extract relevant information from books.

Again as a group activity, it should generate discussion.

Example (a) Geography – Food First

Read the comic ‘Food First’. In groups, discuss the statements which go with each page of the comic. Write each statement in your chart, in the column you think it fits best. When you have finished, discuss the work with your teacher.

Page 1

Hunger and famine are the same thing.

One out of eight people in the world don’t have enough to eat.

When people don’t have enough food they are malnourished.

A famine is when a lot of people starve to death.

Many people in poor countries are not dying from starvation but they never have enough to eat.

When we feel hungry it is similar to how people in poor countries feel.

The Philippines is a country where many people don’t have enough to eat.

Chart for ‘Food First’

We agree We don’t agree We’re not sure

31

Example (b) Geography – Colonisation – its effects on developing countries

Task Sheet

Task 1 - From your reading, fill in the table:

Reference Country Situation before colonisation

What the colonisers did to change the

situationEffect on the country

P. 2 – 4 in bookletIndia

Wealthy. Made cotton and silk

Grew food

Charge high import duties. Made India a market for cotton goods. Got people to grow cash crops – tea, indigo, jute

Ruined textile industry

Poverty

P. 6 – 7

Bangladesh

Example (c) English – ‘Tyke Tyler’

Fill in this table with information about the characters you meet in Chapter 1.You may want to add to it later, as you meet new characters in the story.Discuss the work in pairs.

Name Nickname Approximate age? Anything you know about the character.

Danny Price

______ Tyke

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Example (d) English – work on ‘The 12th Day of July’

(Done after reading the first two chapters to make sure the students knew who was who.)

Catholic Information Protestant Information

Mr McCoyBrede and Kevin’s

father Mr Jackson

Mr Jackson Mrs McCoy Sadie Brede Steve Linda

Mrs Jackson Kevin Mr McCoy Tommy Brian Kate

Sadie and Tommy’s father Brede’s friend Kevin’s friend

Like reading Tommy’s sister Brede and Kevin’s mother

Sadie and Tommy’s friend Sadie and Tommy’s mother

Brede and Kevin’s father Kevin’s sister Brede’s brother

Didn’t like the Pope Sadie and Tommy’s friend

7. True or false statement

Students have to decide, through discussion, which statements are true and which are false.

Example: Geography – (before starting work on glaciers)

Sheet 1 What do you know already about glaciers?

Put ticks () in the boxes besides the statements which you think are true.

Put crosses () if you think the statements are false

Put D.K. if you don’t know

1. Glaciers are made of ice.

2. Glaciers move.

3. There aren’t any glaciers in the world today.

4. There are glaciers in Europe.

5. Glaciers are found in mountain areas.

6. Lots of glaciers have melted now.

7. There aren’t any glaciers in the Himalayas.

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8. Diagram completion

Instead of just copying a diagram, students can be encouraged to work out where the labels go from a close reading of the text.It checks comprehension and also focuses attention on the exact meaning of specialist vocabulary.

Example: Geography – Volcanoes

Copy the diagram of a volcano. Mark these labels on the diagram: (Work out from your reading where they go. Discuss with your partner.)

pipe crater lava rock ash reservoir of molten lava

Colour the lava – redColour the ash – greyColour the rock -

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9. Cloze procedure

This can be used at different levels of difficulty. At the simplest level the missing key words can be provided at the bottom of the passage. More complex passages (without the missing words provided) can be used to stimulate group discussion about the most appropriate work to fill the blank.

It can be a very useful way to consolidate what has been learnt previously, as this example show. However, it’s best use is probably where there are alternatives (as in descriptive writing) to encourage vocabulary extension and stimulate more thought over choice of words in students’ own writing.

Example: Geography – Measuring Weather

Fill in blanks in these descriptions

1. Measuring Rainfall

A rain gauge is used for measuring ________________. It is also used for

measuring snow, hail and dew. Rain falls into a ________________ . It goes

into a collecting _____________. The days rain is measured in _____________ .

2. Measuring Windspeed

An anemometer is used for measuring ___________________. An anemometer

has ___________________ little cups to catch the wind. It is put on top of a

_______________ pole, above the ground. It tells the weather forecast how

_______________ the wind is blowing.

Sleet rainfall funnel bottle millimeters

three wind speed tall fast

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10. Surveys

If students are asked to conduct surveys to discover additional information on a topic, the structure and repetition involved can provide a meaningful way for bilingual students to practise using the language.

Example: Geography (after work on types of housing)

A survey: What type of house do you live in?

NameAn old

terraced house

A new terraced house

A semi detached

house

A detached

house

A flat in a high rise

tower block

A maisonette

A bungalow Other

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11. Listening

To focus students’ attention when listening to a tape or talk or watching a video, the main points can be listed in a listening frame and students have to tick when they hear the right information, or fill in details. This is a useful technique to teach the beginning of note-taking skills. In the example below, after collecting information, students can use it to write summaries or ‘newspaper’ articles on types of farming.

Example: Geography - FarmingListening Exercise 1

Listen to the tape and tick off () the correct information.

Tape 1

a Farmer’s name Mrs Simpkins Mr Samson Mr Simpson

b Type of farm Dairy Beef Arable Pigs Poultry Fruit

c Area in Britain

d Animals sheep goats donkeys

pigs chickens lambs

cows bulls ducks

e Crops wheat maize fruit

barley grass

oats vegetables

f Food for animals

g Fields

h Buildings

i Machinery

j Numbers

k Extra information

Yes / No

Yes / No

Yes / No

Yes / No

Yes / No

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12. Providing alternative words

Students have to choose the appropriate word to complete a piece of writing. This is useful for beginners.

Example: English – support materials for ‘Myself’ project.

My Face

Draw a picture of your face and label it!

I have _______________________ hair.

black / brown / fair

I _______________________ a fringe.

have / don’t have

My hair is ______________________.

Curly / wavy / straight

My eyes are _____________________.

blue / brown / grey

It is __________________.

long / short

I ___________________ a parting.

Have / don’t have

My skin is _____________________.

Brown / pale brown / pale

My eyebrows are _________________.

Brown / black

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13. Substitution tables

These can be at different levels of difficulty. Students choose one word or phrase from each column to write sentences. They are especially useful for beginners.

Example (a) History – support materials for ‘Coal Mining Women’

Make 5 true sentences:

Before 1842

After 1842

menwomenchildrenno menno womenno children

worked in coal mines

Example (b) Geography

(Atlas work – Introduction to Geography booklet for beginners)

SpainEuropeIranAustraliaAfricaIndiaItalyFranceThe United KingdomSouth AmericaThe U.S.A.Asia

is a country

is a continent

Example (c) Geography – work on the weather

Make 7 sentences from this table:

1. A wind vane2. An anemometer3. A thermometer screen4. A maximum thermometer5. A minimum thermometer6. A hygrometer

is used for measuring

rainfallthe speed of windthe highest temperaturethe relative humiditythe direction of the windthe lowest temperature

Is used for keeping thermometers in.

14. Structured questions to give continuous writing

If questions are structured carefully, the answers when put together can give a piece of continuous writing. This is useful for students who would otherwise find continuous writing difficult.

Example Geography

Put the title Glaciers on a separate price of paper. Answer the questions in sentences but don’t write the numbers.

Paragraph 1

1. What are glaciers?

2. What do they move down?

Paragraph 2

1. How do glaciers form cirques?

Etc ……

Alternatively this exercise could be written as a writing frame:

Glaciers are ___________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

They move down _______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Glaciers form cirques ____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Etc …

Glaciers – Worksheet 4

15. Models

Provide models of the type of writing you want students to produce, so they can see what is expected.

Example (a) English – diary writing

This is Hannan’s diary:

Monday 7th April

I had a good day at school today. We played football and I scored a goal. Home Economics was good. We made cheese pie. I went to Judo after school.

Tuesday 8th April

Example (b) English – Tyke Tyler

A letter from Jenny Honeywell

97 Green Rd.,London,SE1 9SJ

12th September 2006Dear Fran

It seems a long time since we were at college doesn’t it? How’s your teaching practice going?

Well, I’ve been at

Hope to hear from you soon. Love, Jenny

address

dateOn the line below the date

Start paragraphs under each other

16. Plans

Providing plans will help students complete extended writing more successfully.

Example (a) English – review of ‘The 12th Day of July’

Write a review of the book. Use this to help you:

‘The 12th Day of July’ by Joan Lingard is about ________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

I enjoyed / didn’t enjoy the book because ____________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Example (b) English – essay on ‘Of Mice and Men’

Describe the friendship between Lenny and George.

Does this fit your description of a real friend?

How does it differ?

Paragraph 1

Main points: travel together, not so lonelymake plans for the future (explain)care about each other (give examples of this)help each other (give examples of George helping Lenny).

17. A model for teaching with writing frames These materials were produced by the National Literacy Trust

When introducing writing frames the following model should be used to help students become involved in the process, rather than letting them become too reliant on structure being provided for them.

Teacher models the processthrough explanation/demonstration

Joint activityteacher jointly completes writing frame with class

Scaffolded activitystudents individually use frames to support their writing – these frames can be

differentiated to support/stretch the full range of students in a class

Involving students in the processclass given task of creating the frames that will structure the writing

Independent activitystudents can now structure their writing without the help of the frame

Teaching process with Writing Frames

These materials were produced by the National Literacy Trust

Writing frame for maths investigations

Introduction: The purpose of this investigation is to find out _______

Teacher’s notes

Objective

Stage 1: My first step is going to be _________ Experiment

Making

Drawing

Stage 2: My results are _________ Encourage to tabulate

Stage 3: I have noticed that _________

Initial pattern

Recognition

(Algebra?)

Stage 4: By using my results, I predict that____

Go to conclusion?

Extended task:

Having completed the first phase of my investigation, I am now going to _________.(Going through stages 1-4 again as above)

Predict and test

Repeat again if appropriate

My different phase can be explained by________

Conclusion: Overall my conclusion is ________

Link back to all sections (Formal proof)

Writing frame for an IT project

These materials were produced by the National Literacy Trust

Key words Writing a frame

AnalysisInputsOutputsProcessesPerformanceCriteriaTesting

The problem I have been asked to solve is ………………………

The main tasks I will have to do are ……………………….

The inputs that are required are……………………….

These will be processed as follows ………………………

The final outcome should be ………………………..

I will know whether I have been successful if ……………………….

I will test my outcome, if necessary, by ……………………….

DesignSketchesAnnotationReasons Software planningJustification

Here are some sketches of what my system will look like …………

I have chosen to do this design because ……………….

I could also have chosen to use ………… because …………………

Here is a plan of how I intend to develop my system …………………This is my test plan:Test Expected Actual Comment Outcome Outcome

ImplementationEvidenceAnnotated printouts ImprovementsCorrections Reasons Technique

I have attached annotated printouts of my final system.

I made the following modifications to my original design because..

I have used the following parts of the software ………………...

TestingTest planResultsEvaluatework

My test plan is ……………

I had to make the following modifications to make my system……………. Because ……………….

The attached printouts show my testing. I feel my testing is successfulBecause ……………..

EvaluationCriteriaEffectivenessperformance

My system is/is not successful because ………………………..

If I had more time, I could have made the following possible Improvements: …………

Art-Writing frame for a critical study These materials were produced by the National Literacy Trust

Structure Useful starters Useful VocabularyIntroduction: describe the work – pretend you are telling someone who cannot see it

……………….. was completed by……………. in ……………. The work portrays ….

suggests, conveys, conjures up, recalls, recreates, when looked at closely, from a distance

Artist’s intention I think the artist is trying to………..

The reason I think this is because ………….

exaggerate, distort, conjure up, recreate, observe, reflect, express mood or ideas, explore material, line, tone, texture, colour, shape, see, feel, think, imagine

Source of inspiration and influences

I think the artist worked from …………. because …………….

The artist prepared for this work by …………….

observation memoryimaginationsupporting sketchesphotographs

Your reaction The work makes me feel …………. because ……………….

happy, sad, suggests, evokes, conveys, mood, feeling, atmosphere, recalls, reminds me of

Use of form The work has been composed to ……………………

balanced, symmetrical, foreground, background, arrangement, composition, design, strong lines, lead the eye, shapes, small, large, angular, curved.

Use of colour tone and texture

The artist’s use of ………………. suggests ……………………

I think he/she has done this to suggest …………………………

hot, cold, bright, dull, vivid, sombre, pastel, clashing, matching, range, variety, rough, smooth, broken

Style The artists style is …………………

I can tell this by ……………………..

Technique, abstract, realistic, surrealistic

Conclusion I like/dislike this work because ………………….

18. S t o r y M a p p i n g

H I S T O R Y F R A M ETITLE OF EVENT:

TITLE OF EVENT: PARTICIPANTS / KEY PLAYERS:

PROBLEM or GOAL:WHERE:WHEN:

KEY EPISODES or EVENTS:

RESOLUTION or OUTCOME:

Theme/Lesson/So what?

  History English Science

Setting Where and When Where and When Time and Conditions

Characters Who were the key players?

Who were the major (and minor?) characters taking part in the action of the story?

Equipment Used

Plot: Problem/Goal

What were the key players after? What problem were they tackling? What goal did they hope to achieve?

What event or situation sets the story in motion? What do they main characters hope to do?

What is the hypothesis the students intend to test?

Plot: Key Episodes Key events Key events Steps in the experiment

Plot: Resolution/Outcome

What resulted? How was it resolved? Did the key players solve their problem or attain their goal?

Was the problem resolved, or was the character's goal met?

What results did you obtain?

Theme

Why is this event still important to us today? What is its enduring significance? What is there to be learned from it?

What is the message for us or for the rest of humanity? What's the moral, the universal truth, the common understanding?

So what? What do these results mean to us, to our understanding of science, to our ability to use science to solve real problems?

19. Visual support The need for visual support in the curriculum can not be over emphasised. Visual support helps in activating previous knowledge and experience. It can provide the means by which students make links between past understanding and help anchor new

learning. It can act as a way into new understanding and insight into a topic. It can provoke and generate talk and the exchange of ideas new, old and different. Never underestimate the power of visual support!

Use as a pre reading activity As a way of developing plot, characterization etc…. As a way of developing key concepts, vocabulary etc… Labelling To support talk

Peaceful rustic reminds me of ……autumn hue reflective calm/ tranquil

BridgePathShadowLightShadycountryside

20. Supporting talk:

As much as it is important to provide scaffolds for children’s written work we know that much of that success will depend on the quality of pre activities leading up to the task. Throughout this booklet collaborative and interactive strategies have been strongly emphasised to support children’s learning and acquisition of language. Supporting student interaction and talk and developing our skills as teachers in developing quality responses from students is paramount. Providing prompt cards to facilitate talk e.g. sentence starter responses or key choice response cards (for and against, pros and cons etc.) provide a scaffold for EAL learners’ active participation in these sorts of activities.

Word Prompts for visuals or talk activities:

1

What

7

Movement

2

Size 8

Mood

3

Colour

9

Background 4

Number

10

Perspective 5

Shape

11

When

6

Where

12

Sound