Nine Strategies for Reaching All Learners in English Language Arts

Free Printable Worksheets for ESL Teachers and Students Most of the free printable worksheets on EnglishHints.com can be used online or downloaded for use whenever you want. This page includes a list of links to the downloadable pdf versions. (Many of these ESL printables are also available on the related pages on English Hints.com.) You may use these ESL printables freely at home or in an ESL classroom as long as you keep the copyright notice on the bottom of each page. (You may not sell these or otherwise use them commercially or on another website, though you may link to the pages.) I hope you find these free printable worksheets helpful. You will need Adobe Reader (the latest version is best) installed on your computer in order to download or print these pdfs. If you want to open the file in your browser window, just click on the link for each pdf. When you are ready to use it, locate the place on your computer where you saved it, and double click to open it. Vocabulary Improvement Worksheets Free Grammar Worksheets ESL Printable Puzzles

Reading Coach: Incidental Vocabulary By Cathy Puett Miller Note: This final article in a series on vocabulary instruction builds upon previous articles. If you missed the earlier articles, you might want to take at least a brief look at them before proceeding. (See sidebar 2 for links to previous articles in this series.) As we already know, incidental learning plays a critical role in vocabulary acquisition. Word knowledge is incremental. (Promoting Students Vocabulary Development: An Overview) Put your students in situations that allow them to experience all three types of learning. Preparation: Quickly read with students the class list of Intriguing Words. The Activity Break students into small teams. Through regular use of this activity, students will become masters at figuring out what words mean. A.

How to Use a Visual Dictionary It's important to know how to use a visual dictionary as an English learner. In fact, I'd say that along with a collocation dictionary, a visual dictionary can be a secret weapon when it comes to learning new vocabulary. Of course, you'll always need a standard learner's dictionary, but using these other types will really help you expand your vocabulary quickly. What's the difference between a Visual Dictionary and a "Normal" Dictionary? A visual dictionary teaches through pictures. Visual Dictionary Differences Using a standard dictionary requires you to look up a word alphabetically. One negative aspect of visual dictionaries is that they do not provide words that are in similar (or opposite) in meaning. Many visual dictionaries do not provide pronunciation for individual words. How Should I Use a Visual Dictionary? Use a visual dictionary when you need to understand a specific situation or topic. The best use of visual dictionaries is to explore the physical world. I'm glad you asked.

Choosing, Chatting, and Collecting: Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you. More Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals. More Teacher Resources by Grade Your students can save their work with Student Interactives. More Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans Lesson Plan Overview From Theory to Practice The vocabulary self-collection strategy involves having students choose the words they want to learn, chat about their rationale for selecting words, and agree upon words for a classroom collection. back to top Ruddell, M.R., & Shearer, B.A. (2002).

Concept Mapping for ELLs Make-a-Map, our IdeaphoraⓇ-powered concept mapping tool, is officially live on BrainPOP ELL! (You’ll find the Make-a-Map button on all BrainPOP ELL lesson pages.) The new tool lets students connect and organize clips from movies, keywords, and other elements as they construct visual representations of their knowledge. To help you get started with concept mapping, we’ve put together some best practices for using it with English language learners. Whether you’ve already explored Make-a-Map or you’re completely new to concept mapping, read on for background and implementation ideas. Visual input. All language domains. Differentiation. Make-a-Map can be especially useful for students who are reluctant to participate in class activities. Prior knowledge. TIPS FOR USING CONCEPT MAPS WITH ELLs Share your concept maps with us!

Building Reading Comprehension Through Think-Alouds Student Objectives Day 1 Day 2 Extensions Student Assessment/Reflections Students will Explore the use of the think-aloud strategyVocalize interactions with textsDiscuss connections between texts and previously acquired knowledgeUse various types of responses to interact with textsAssess personal level of comprehension back to top Day 1 Initiation — Present the term "think-aloud" to your students. Modeling — Model a think-aloud by presenting a poem on the overhead. Example — This is a think-aloud for the poem "Dream Variation" by Langston Hughes. To fling my arms wideIn some place of the sun,To whirl and to danceTill the white day is done. [I’m picturing a young girl with bare feet and a summer dress twirling in her front yard with her arms outstretched.] Then rest at cool eveningBeneath a tall tree [I'm picturing a large willow tree and sitting underneath it. While night comes on gently,Dark like me— That is my dream! [I think about how children's lives are so filled with dreams. Day 2

English news and easy articles for students of English Improving Writing Skills: ELLs and the Joy of Writing "The meaning of even a single word is rather more complex than one might imagine." - Editors of the American Heritage Dictionary, 1980, p. viii "Teacher, do we need our pencils today?" my Puerto Rican elementary students would urgently ask when I came to their classroom to escort them to my English as a Second Language classroom. I was a student teacher in a Massachusetts elementary school, and it took me awhile to figure out the correlation between the pencil and hallway behavior. So, what was the correlation? I have been teaching ESL for many years and there is no perfect solution to this problem; however, I do believe I have added quite a few writing activities to my bag of tricks and improved my ability to differentiate writing tasks based on student ability. There is a very important correlation between writing and language development. With that said, teachers have a big task in improving ESL student writing skills, but the payoff for instructional dedication can be great.

Helping ESL students understand written texts Introduction Every day in school and at home ESL students have many different texts* to read. It is through reading that they acquire much of their knowledge and understanding of the different subject areas, and reading often forms the basis of follow-up work such as class discussions or homework questions. For these reasons it is essential that ESL students are helped as much as possible and necessary to understand what they read. [* The word texts is used here to refer to all kinds of reading material that ESL students have to deal with; e.g., textbook passages, worksheet questions, short stories, Internet articles, etc.] The purpose of this article therefore is to suggest to mainstream teachers how they can help the ESL students in their classes to become more effective readers. What makes texts difficult to understand Here are the main sources of language difficulty for ESL students: Illegibility A first, obvious difficulty relates to the legibility of a text. Unfamiliar Words Polysemy

Eslflow's English language teaching resource for ideas and lessons plans. ELL | Achieve3000 Access the right solutions to meet the needs of emerging, developing, and long-term English language learners Differentiated Instruction and Accelerated Learning for the Unique Needs of Your ELLs The goal of any ELD/ESOL program is to accelerate literacy and language gains for ELLs through targeted instruction in general classrooms or specialized classrooms. Achieve3000®’s family of Access solutions (KidBizAccess™ for grades 2-5, TeenBizAccess™ for grades 6-8, and EmpowerAccess™ for grades 9-12) is proven more than double the expected reading gains for ELLs – all in a single school year. Access accelerates results because it is built with Achieve3000’s patented methodology and world-class technology to deliver the same grade-appropriate lesson to the entire class, differentiated to the precise needs of each student. Access further supports language growth with a standards-aligned custom curriculum that integrates phonics and fluency practice. Achieve3000’s System of Acceleration

Collaborative Writing, Common Core, and ELLs Editor's note: This second post in a three-part series is adapted from the new book Navigating the Common Core With English-Language Learners by Larry Ferlazzo and his co-author Katie Hull Sypnieski, an English and ELL/ESL teacher in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Student collaboration is only mentioned in the writing standard related to using technology for developing and publishing writing, but that doesn't mean that it can't be an important strategy to help meet the standards in this domain. In addition to helping students develop the explicit academic knowledge listed in the standards, collaborative writing has been found to be particularly helpful (PDF) to English-language learners (ELLs) in lowering anxiety and increasing self-confidence and motivation. Storytelling We have long used a fun and simple collaborative storytelling exercise. In our new version, students work in pairs, instead of groups of three. 12 Guiding Questions What is the setting?