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Activity, strategy, website, concept, etc.: Create a visual display of key vocabulary words relevant to the current unit of study.

Brief Explanation:

A Word Wall is a visual display that features important vocabulary words related to a specific topic or unit.

Benefits for ESLs:

This helps ELs build vocabulary in context, allowing them to anchor new words visually.

Classroom Use: Incorporate new vocabulary each week, encouraging students to use the words in sentences or discussions.

Source:

Allen, J. (2011). Words, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4–12. Stenhouse Publishers.

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Activity: Think-Pair-Share

Explanation: This activity encourages students to reflect on a question, discuss their thoughts with a partner, and then share their insights with the class.

Benefits for ESLs:

It creates a relaxed atmosphere for ELs to practice speaking and boosts their confidence before sharing with the entire class.

Classroom Use: Implement this strategy after presenting a new topic to foster discussion and engagement among students.

Source: Lyman, F. (2020). The Responsive Classroom: A Guide to Effective Teaching. The Center for Responsive Schools.

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Activity: Sentence Frames

Explanation: Sentence frames provide structured prompts that help students formulate complete sentences when responding to questions or prompts.

Benefits for ESLs:

These frames support language development by giving ELs a clear response starting point. -

Classroom Use:

Use sentence frames during group discussions or writing tasks to facilitate student participation.

Source: Zwiers, J. (2008). Building Academic Language: Essential Practices for Content Classrooms. Jossey-Bass. -

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Strategy: Visuals/Images

Explanation: Visual supports include using pictures, diagrams, and charts to help clarify and reinforce spoken or written language.

Benefit for ELs:

Visual aids can significantly improve understanding and memory retention, making lessons more accessible. - Classroom Use:

Integrate visual elements into lessons to help explain complex ideas and vocabulary.

Source: Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning: Teaching English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom. Heinemann.

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Strategy: Jigsaw

Explanation: In this collaborative learning strategy, students are divided into groups, and each member learns a portion of the material to teach their peers.

Benefit for ELs:

Jigsaw activities encourage teamwork and give ELs a chance to practice their language skills in a supportive setting.

Classroom Use:

Assign different sections of reading to groups so they can become experts and then share their knowledge with classmates.

Source:

Jigsaw. (n.d.). Reading Rockets. Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/jigsaw

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Jigsaw: Management in the Active Classroom

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Strategy: Interactive Notebooks

Explanation: Interactive notebooks allow students to creatively combine their notes, illustrations, and reflections on what they learn.

Benefits for ELs:

This approach promotes personal expression and helps students organize their thoughts visually.

Classroom Use: Encourage students to use these notebooks for each unit, fostering creativity while reinforcing content

Source: Hyerle, D., & Alper, L. (2003). Visual Tools for Transforming Information into Knowledge. Corwin Press.

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Website: Colorín Colorado

Explanation:

This bilingual website offers a wealth of resources for educators and families of English language learners.

Benefit for ELs: It provides valuable articles and strategies aimed at supporting both ELs and their families in the educational process.

Classroom Use: Utilize the website’s resources for lesson planning or to share with families how they can assist their children.

Source: Colorín Colorado. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org

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A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners

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Strategy: Culturally Responsive Teaching

Explanation:

This teaching approach emphasizes the importance of recognizing and incorporating students' cultural backgrounds into the curriculum.

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Benefit for ESLs: By validating students' cultural identities, this method makes learning more relevant and engaging for them.

Classroom Use: Integrate students’ cultural experiences and perspectives into lessons to enhance engagement and understanding.

Source:

Breiseth, L. (2013, January 4). Arts Education, the Common Core, and ELLs. Colorin Colorado. Retrieved November 17, 2024

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Earlier in December, Education Week published an article about the connections between arts education and the new Common Core State S tandards (CCSS) written by reporter Erik Robelen. The article featured school districts and art institutions such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston that are making that connection explicit through programming and curriculum development.

One point in particular by Michelle A. Grohe, the director of school and teacher programs at the Gardner Museum, caught my attention. She notes that, "When one of our schools is focusing on 'close' readings, to read an excerpt of text and describe the main idea and provide supporting evidence or details, that is very similar to what we do with the visual arts."

Robelen returns to Ms. Grohe's point later in the article:

"When students first encounter a piece of art, they are asked to spend a few minutes looking silently at the image, Ms. Grohe said. Their guide begins by asking what's going on in the artwork. As students share impressions, they are asked, 'What makes you say that?'-a question that directly ties to multiple common-core standards for evidentiary reasoning in both English/language arts and math, she said.

"A third question, Ms. Grohe said, is "What more can we find?'

"By spending 15 to 20 minutes at a time with one work of art, 'the students learn to slow down and look carefully, attention skills that also are used when grappling with new or unfamiliar text, math equations, or problems,' she said."

Ms. Grohe's approach is particularly relevant to CCSS lesson planning since the standards do in fact explicitly touch upon the arts through activities such as the comparison of filmed or live versions of text and analysis of illustrations. In addition, Robelen reports that some schools and districts are exploring the use of the arts with the Common Core math standards, such as the musical or visual representation of geometric patterns. (For more on the arts and STEM fields, see Robelen's 2011 Education Week article, STEAM: Experts Make Case for Adding Arts to STEM.)

The Arts and ELLs

This discussion of the arts and the CCSS got me thinking about the arts and English language learners. Unfortunately, the first image that came to my mind was the unproductive practice of sending ELLs to the back of the room with a box of crayons and a coloring sheet while the class continues its content lesson for the day.

Yet just as ELLs need to access content in science and math and social studies, they can benefit from a rich arts education experience as well, with the opportunity to develop their language, literacy, and writing skills by interacting with different forms of art and media such as drama, film, visual and graphic arts, music, and dance. Imagine the benefits of having ELLs spend an extended period of time with a piece of art or music, as Ms. Grohe describes, while providing them with vocabulary words, background knowledge, and critical thinking activities.

The benefits aren't strictly academic, however - the arts can also provide ELLs with a chance to build confidence and express themselves in ways that showcase strengths that aren't necessarily apparent in the classroom setting, as noted by award-winning illustrator Rafael López in his interview clip " Art in schools. "

In addition, the arts offer ELLs a setting in which to share their own experiences and cultural background with their peers, an exercise which is valuable in and of itself but also dovetails with the Common Core's emphasis on the ability to "understand other perspectives and cultures" as part of a 21st-century skill set.
Recommended Resources
For further discussion of using the arts with ELLs, and how arts education can support language and literacy development, take a look at the following:

I'll close with a final thought from Robelen regarding arts education and our current budget climate: "Embracing the common core may be something of a survival strategy for the arts in schools, some experts suggest, given how much time, energy, and resources districts and schools are devoting to the standards."

What do you think? Are you seeing any connections being made between the arts and the Common Core, or the arts and your ELLs? Have you had related experiences with your students? We'd love to hear from you!

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Arts Education, the Common Core, and ELLs

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Earlier in December, Education Week published an article about the connections between arts education and the new Common Core State S tandards (CCSS) written by reporter Erik Robelen. The article featured school districts and art institutions such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston that are making that connection explicit through programming and curriculum development.

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Activity: Gallery Walk

Explanation: A Gallery Walk involves displaying student work or information around the classroom, allowing students to walk around and engage with each display.

Benefit for ELs: This interactive activity promotes discussion and allows ELs to engage with content in a visual and kinesthetic way.

Classroom Use: Set up displays related to a recent lesson or project and have students rotate, discussing their thoughts and observations.

Source: Gallery Walk for language classes. (2013, October 7). The Comprehensible Classroom. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://comprehensibleclassroom.com/2013/10/07/gallery-walk-language-classes

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A Gallery Walk is an activity that gets students moving and sparks discussion. This activity can be adapted for many uses and fits in well with a…

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Strategy: Content Scaffolding

Explanation:

Scaffolding refers to the temporary support provided to help students achieve understanding and independence in their learning.

Benefit for ELs:

It aids students in gradually building confidence and skills needed for language proficiency.

Classroom Use: Employ various scaffolding techniques, such as modeling and guided practice, to support students during instruction.

Source:

Freiberger, S. B. (n.d.). Six Scaffolding Strategies for the ESL Classroom. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from http://idiom.nystesol.org/Fall2015Idiom/5-8.pdf

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Activity: Word Sorts

Explanation: In Word Sorts, students categorize words based on shared characteristics or themes, enhancing their understanding of vocabulary.

Benefit for ELs: This hands-on activity deepens vocabulary comprehension and allows for active engagement with the language.

Classroom Use: Introduce a set of vocabulary words and have students work in pairs or small groups to sort them into categories.

Source: Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnson, F. (2016). Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction. Pearson.

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Word sorts are one way to help students learn spelling patterns and how to pronounce new vocabulary words. Students are able to focus on two or three patterns instead of trying to memorize a list of words. They are then better able to apply those spelling patterns to new words that follow a similar pattern. Students are also able to practice the correct pronunciation of words. Here are some ways to set up word sorts with ELLs.

Small-Group

The small group might be a word study group, where all of the students are at the same developmental spelling level. It could also be a guided reading group where you are including a word study component. It is especially helpful in guided reading groups to include word study activities that go along with words students will be reading in their book.

Whole Group

Using word study activities in a whole class setting is one way to expose all students to grade-level vocabulary. Not all students will end up spelling all of the word patterns they learn correctly. Exposing students to grade level word patterns will help students as they are reading and spelling. In a whole group setting, the teacher can provide a high level of support. The class can assist in sorting words.

Vocabulary Development

Matching pictures with words is one of the easiest ways to increase ELLs understanding of the words used in a sort. You can use pictures as you introduce the sort and then switch to words. Have students match the pictures and words as they are sorting, or have them use cards that have both the picture and the words together. It will depend on the level of the students, and what word sort they are completing, for how the word sort is set up.

Phonemic Awareness

Word study activities are one way to incorporate phonemic awareness into activities for older students. Pictures and sound sorts are two ways that require students to listen to the sounds in a word instead of looking at how the word is spelled.

Pronunciation

Especially for older students learning English, how to pronounce new vocabulary words can be challenging. One way to help students practice this skill is through sound sorts. Students can sort words based on how they are pronounced. This will also give them additional practice identifying new words. For example, have students sort the sounds of /ed/ a the end of words or voiced and unvoiced /th/ words.

Phonics

Word sorts allow students to learn about phonics concepts and apply those concepts to new groups of words. Instead of trying to memorize new phonics concepts, students are better able to conceptualize them when they are using word sorts. Word sorts are a type of puzzle, which makes them naturally engaging for children.

Learn more about sorting with ELLs

Word sorts are one way to use sorting activities with English Language Learners. There are many other ways to use the strategy of sorting with ELLs.

Word Study Resources

This set of word sorting and writing pages is a simple way to support ELLs with word study. All of the word sorts will have picture cards. There are three levels of word sorts. Set one has pictures, set two has pictures and words, and set three is only words. Many of the word sorts now come with a digital version.

Words Their Way for ELLs - An overview of using word sorts with ELLs along with specific strategies to support ELLs.

Words Their Way Word Sorts - Starting at the Letter Name level some of the sorts do not have pictures. As you introduce the sorts consider adding in the picture and/or explaining the meaning of new vocabulary words to ELLs.

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Word Sorts with ELLs - A World of Language Learners

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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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Strategy: Cooperative Paragraphs Explanation: This strategy encourages students to work together to write a cohesive paragraph, combining their ideas and sentences.

Benefit for ELs:

It fosters collaboration and gives ELs a chance to practice writing in a supportive environment.

Classroom Use: Assign groups to create a paragraph on a specific topic, guiding them through the writing process and facilitating discussion.

Source: Colorín Colorado. (n.d.). Cooperative Paragraphs. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/cooperative-paragraphs -

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Colorín Colorado is a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs). Colorín Colorado is an educational service of WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in the nation’s capital, and receives major funding from our founding partner, the AFT, and the National Education Association. © Copyright 2023 WETA Public Broadcasting.

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Strategy: Activating Background Knowledge

Explanation: This strategy involves prompting students to recall what they already know about a topic before learning new information.

Benefit for ELs:

Activating background knowledge helps ELs make connections between new and existing information, facilitating better understanding.

Classroom Use:

Before introducing a new topic, ask students what they know about it and discuss their thoughts to build a foundation for learning.

Source: Ferlazzo, L., & Sypnieski, K. H. (2018, March 29). Activating Prior Knowledge With English Language Learners. Edutopia. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from

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Activating Prior Knowledge With English Language Learners

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Students learn better when they first access what they already know—and this plays a big role in improving English language learners’ academic literacy.

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Activity: Laugh at Yourself Charades

Explanation: This activity encourages students to share humorous mistakes they have made while learning English, fostering a supportive classroom environment.

Benefit for ELs:

Sharing funny moments helps ELs feel more comfortable with their language-learning journey and reduces anxiety about making mistakes.

Classroom Use:

Set aside time for students to share their stories, reinforcing the idea that making mistakes is a natural part of learning.

Source: Santopietro, E. (2017). The Importance of Humor in the Classroom: Building Relationships with Students. Journal of Educational Psychology

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Using improv in the language classroom: Prompts for free scenes

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Charades in the Language Classroom — Lesson: Impossible

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Your language teaching mission, should you choose to accept it, is to use charades as a method for introducing or reviewing grammar or vocabulary.

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Strategy: Graphic Organizers

Explanation:

Graphic organizers are visual tools that help students organize and represent information, aiding comprehension and retention.

Citation: Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Routledge. - Benefit for ELs:

These organizers provide a clear structure for thoughts, making it easier for ELs to process and connect ideas.

Classroom Use:

Use graphic organizers for brainstorming, outlining essays, or summarizing

information, allowing students to visually map their understanding.

Source: Sutherland, L. (2023, November 15). 5 Ways to Use Graphic Organizers for ELLs/EL/MLL Students. Raise the Bar Reading. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://raisethebarreading.com/2023/11/15/5-ways-to-use-graphic-organizers-for-ells-el-mll-students/

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5 Ways to Use Graphic Organizers for ELLs/EL/MLL Students

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As ESL educators, our goal is to support English Learners (ELs)/ELLs/MLLs as they develop their language skills while keeping pace with content area learning. One highly effective tool to aid ELs in this journey is