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Words to Sort for Grade 6 - Google Jamboard

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The version of the browser you are using is no longer supported. Please upgrade to a supported browser. Dismiss

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Take any text and change it into any language

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Children watch a girl build a snowman, a mother bake a birthday cake and more...with simple picture stories that are lots of fun to sequence! Students just arrange 3-6 cards in logical order to complete each sequence...then turn the cards over to check their answers!

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Longer passage of a script between two people

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Longer passage of a script between two people

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Collects important background information and SMART goals for students

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Please make copies and keep them in the school-based EL folders.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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TC Supports and Resources for ELL Students by Grade Level

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TC Supports and Resources for ELL Students by Grade Level

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From "which" and "witch" to "piece of cake"-our teaching cards make tricky words and phrases easy to understand! Each sturdy, laminated card has a different idiom, homophone pair or multiple-meaning word-with simple sentences that show how it's used in context, plus a picture clue for extra reinforcement.

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These 270 cards have enticing photos on front and the name of each object on back-prompting kids to discuss the items pictured...and build vocabulary and communication skills! Each card measures 4 1/2" x 5 3/4". Set includes blanks to add your own words.

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Match & Sort Language Skills Quickies - K-Gr. 1

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Pack tons of language practice into a short amount of time…with our ready-to-use card games! This set features 8 different card games that provide focused practice with a specific skill area—from capitalization to subject-verb agreement. Perfect for independent use, the pouches have illustrated inst…

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Amazon.com: Inside Outside: 9781452106441: Boyd, Lizi: Books

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Jack Wants a Snack (Jack's Books) [Schories, Pat] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Jack Wants a Snack (Jack's Books)

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Blackout [Rocco, John, Rocco, John] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Blackout

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Free shipping within the U.S. when you order $25.00 of eligible items shipped by Amazon.

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Flashlight: (Picture Books, Wordless Books for Kids, Camping Books for Kids, Bedtime Story Books, Children's Activity Books, Children's Nature Books)

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Flashlight: (Picture Books, Wordless Books for Kids, Camping Books for Kids, Bedtime Story Books, Children's Activity Books, Children's Nature Books) [Boyd, Lizi] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Flashlight: (Picture Books, Wordless Books for Kids, Camping Books for Kids, Bedtime Story Books, Children's Activity Books, Children's Nature Books)

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One Day, The End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories

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One Day, The End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories [Dotlich, Rebecca Kai, Koehler, Fred] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. One Day, The End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories

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Sample Goals in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking

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Sample Goals in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Journey (Aaron Becker’s Wordless Trilogy)

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Amazon.com: Journey (Aaron Becker’s Wordless Trilogy): 9780763660536: Becker, Aaron, Becker, Aaron: Books

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Return (Aaron Becker's Wordless Trilogy)

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Return (Aaron Becker's Wordless Trilogy) [Becker, Aaron, Becker, Aaron] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Return (Aaron Becker's Wordless Trilogy)

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A Ball for Daisy: (Caldecott Medal Winner) (Caldecott Medal - Winner Title(s))

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A Ball for Daisy: (Caldecott Medal Winner) (Caldecott Medal - Winner Title(s)) [Raschka, Chris, Raschka, Chris] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A Ball for Daisy: (Caldecott Medal Winner) (Caldecott Medal - Winner Title(s))

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This can be copied and printed.

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 Basic Communication Phrases and Pictures

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Writing Strategies for English Language Learners

Tasha offers tools and strategies for writing instruction in a diverse classroom setting, based on the latest research and theories on working with English learners. Suggestions for how to scaffold the writing process in a classroom environment that supports ELLs are illustrated with classroom vignettes and student samples.

Special Offer: Save 30% off our list price automatically when you buy 15 or more.

" Through strong teaching, multilingual students can expand their range of literacy practices, and we, their teachers, can also grow and change as we get to know students as individuals with talents, strengths, interests, and concerns. "

-Tasha Tropp Laman

Tasha Tropp Laman helps classroom teachers, ELL specialists, administrators, and literacy coaches become confident in their ability to support English language learners' growth as writers. Her book, From Ideas to Words, provides insight and practical tips for getting ELL students writing, even if they are at the very beginning stages of English language acquisition.

Each chapter is stocked with specific tools and strategies that help writing instruction meet the needs of ELL writers; illustrated classroom vignettes, samples of children's writing, student observations, and planning notes based on the information in that chapter. In addition to the theories and research behind working with ELLs, Tasha offers her experience and advice on:

creating a classroom environment that supports ELL writers

building a community that promotes risk-taking and values different experiences

creating whole-group minilessons that meet the needs of emerging and fluent ELLs

scaffolding independent practice for a wide variety of ELLs

scaffolding writing conferences with tools based on ELL students' writing and language needs

facilitating and encouraging students to share and reflect.

To preview a sample ofFrom Ideas to Words click here.

(click any section below to continue reading)

Contents

Introduction: Seeing Possibilities for Growth in Ourselves and in Our Students

Chapter 1: Writing Workshop: An Instructional Framework That Supports Multilingual Writers

Chapter 2: Knowing and Being Known: Building a Community of Writers

Chapter 3: Minilessons: A Story of Instruction that Includes All Writers

Chapter 4: The Art of Doing: Engaging Multilingual Writers

Chapter 5: Conferences: Helping Multilingual Writers Realize Their Intentions

Chapter 6: Calling Out and Being Heard: Sharing & Celebrating for Multilingual Writers

Chapter 7: Being and Becoming Multilingual Writers

Appendix A: List of Multicultural and Multilingual Poetry and Songs

Appendix B: Sample Questions for Family Surveys

Appendix C: List of Multicultural and Multilingual Children's books

Appendix D: Sample Questions for Student Interest Inventories

Appendix E: List of Grant Resources for Educators

Appendix F: OBSERVING STUDENTS DURING WRITING

Appendix G: OBSERVATION OF SINGLE WRITING PRODUCT

Appendix H: OBSERVATION OF GROWTH OVER TIME
References

Related PD Services

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Tasha offers tools and strategies for writing instruction in a diverse classroom setting, based on the latest research and theories on working with English learners. Suggestions for how to scaffold the writing process in a classroom environment that supports ELLs are illustrated with classroom vignettes and student samples.

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Draw a set of pictures that tell a story

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Draw a set of pictures that tell a story

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Create a "sequence of events" story. Start with a sheet of paper divided into 4 large squares. (For older children, you can create more blank sequence squares on the sheet.) Pick an activity your child is familiar with, such as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or brushing his teeth. Ask your child to draw the steps of the activity — one step per square in order from beginning to end.

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Use your story time books as models. The books you read together provide a chance to talk about a sequence of events. After you finish a book, ask your child what happened first? And then what happened? How did the book end? To extend this idea, write each event on a separate index card or popsicle stick. Ask your child to put the cards (or sticks) in order.

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What is the conversation that could be happening in this picture

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What is the conversation that could be happening in this picture

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Predict what this girl's mother will say to her. 

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Predict what this girl's mother will say to her. 

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On any of the pages, describe what is happening.

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On any of the pages, describe what is happening.

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Slide Presentation of Last Stop On Market Street

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What is the conversation that could be happening here? 

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What is the conversation that could be happening here? 

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In complete sentences, what is happening in this picture?

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In complete sentences, what is happening in this picture?

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Determine what happened first, second, and third. 

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Determine what happened first, second, and third. 

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12 Strategies for working with ELL Students

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12 Strategies for working with ELL Students

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If you are a classroom or content-area educator trying to figure out how to teach English language learners (ELLs), you are not alone! You are off to a good start by looking for ways to support your students!

There are many things you can do that will make a big difference to ELLs, and they often prove helpful for other students in the class as well.

Here are some ideas to help you begin. Look for a few ideas you can try and one or two topics where you would like to learn more information.

Note: This article also includes some research-based recommendations offered by Dr. Diane August in her 2018 American Educator article, Educating English Language Learners: A Review of the Latest Research.

Getting Started

1. Get to know your students.

ELLs are a tremendously diverse student group. In order to serve your students effectively, it will be helpful to:

In addition, it's helpful to know more about their home language, literacy skills in that language, prior schooling, and current levels of English proficiency (keeping in mind that students' levels may have changed during the pandemic since the last time they were assessed).

You don't have to do this all at once and it's best not to overwhelm students or families with a lot of questions at the beginning, but taking some small steps early on can make a big difference throughout the year. Learn more from the following:

Videos: Why building relationships with ELLs matters

2. Be mindful of your communication.

In order to communicate effectively with your students:

Speak clearly and naturally, without going too quickly or slowly.

Simplify language without "dumbing it down."

Be mindful of your body language.

Encourage your students through positive body language and expressions, especially when they make mistakes.

Be patient and encourage classmates to do the same if needed.

Encourage students to raise their hand if they don't understand a word.

Avoid slang and idiomatic expressions.

Video: Why positive body language matters when working with ELLs

3. Create a language-rich environment.

ELLs will benefit from increased exposure to print and language. A print-rich environment will include access to books and reference materials, labels (in students' languages and English) and posters, and student work on bulletin boards. Word walls are also a great support for ELLs, and may be organized around a number of concepts, including:

the alphabet and phonetic sounds

new vocabulary words

sight words

grammar rules

conversational phrases

writing structures.

Video: Using sentence frames with ELLs

4. Learn how to plan lessons that incorporate best practices for ELLs.

Take a look at our article on lesson planning for ELLs for ideas on how to:

identify background knowledge needed to understand the lesson

connect content to students' experience

identify content and language objectives

identify key vocabulary and academic language needed for the lesson

scaffold and differentiate instruction

incorporate peer learning into your instruction.

Video: Teaching ELLs the names of all 50 states

Language and Literacy Instruction

5. Learn some basic information about how students acquire a new language.

A good place to start is a basic overview of the process and stages of language acquisition. It's also important to learn about the four key domains, or skill areas, of language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students need instruction and practice all four of these domains.

Drs. Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Dove include "interaction" in that list for the helpful acronym SWIRL:
Image credit: Input and output in language development. WelchEducation.com. Used with permission.
Keep in mind the following:

Students are assessed in the four language domains each year through their English language proficiency (ELP) assessment, although that assessment may have been disrupted or done under difficult circumstances during the pandemic. Your ESL colleagues should have access to that data and you can check your students' proficiency levels across different domains.

Students may be stronger in one domain than another.For example, a student may be more proficient in speaking than writing.

ELLs need explicit language instruction, scaffolding, and modeling in across all four domains.

Related resources

6. Teach academic oral language skills.

Oral language skills are an essential part of a student's language and literacy development. Students will need guided practice and modeling to develop the academic language needed for classroom discussions and presentations. You can see more ideas for how to do so in the resources below:

In order for ELLs to access grade-level content, they may need additional literacy support and instruction. Here are a few initial steps to take; much more information is available in the links below.

Learn more about students' literacy skills in their home language and in English. If students need to develop their foundational skills, work with an ESL teacher and reading specialist together to identify some helpful strategies and resources to use.

Provide students with opportunities to engage more deeply with grade-level text. Some strategies for doing so are available in the resources below, but you may wish to request additional training for staff in this area since it takes some practice.

Give students numerous opportunities to write across content areas and for a variety of audiences. Ideas for scaffolding ELLs' writing follow below.

To see some related strategies in action, take a look at our Classroom Video library. Many of these videos and classroom materials were developed as part of our Common Core and ELLs project developed with Dr. August.

Related resources

8. Try only one new thing at a time.

Teaching multiple new things at the same time often doesn't work! When introducing new material, remember the following:

If you are teaching new language, use old content.

If you are teaching new content, use old language.

Video: Try one new thing at a time

Students' Home Languages as a Resource

9. Draw upon students' home languages as a resource.

Students' home languages are a valuable resource. Even if you don't speak those languages and are not working in a bilingual setting, there are way to tap into them to support instruction.

For example, Dr. August shares a number of research-based strategies that draw upon the home language such as the following:

using bilingual glossaries

providing background information in students' home languages

peer work in students' home languages

explicit instruction in how to use cognates or build on their own skills in their home language.

Related resources

Learn more about what using students' language can look like in this related series from Larry Ferlazzo on Education Week, this resource guide on translanguaging, and these recommendations from Tan Huynh.

Monitoring Student Progress

10. Use informal assessment on a regular basis.

It's important to use informal tools to monitor student progress in addition to more formal measures. That might mean something like quick comprehension checks during a lesson or exit tickets. You may also wish to use tools such as graphic organizers. More ideas are available in the resources below.

Coming up with a correction/feedback policy

While it is difficult to know when to correct students, constructive and effective feedback is essential to student progress. Nevertheless, it is important to balance between encouragement and error correction. One way to do this is to focus on one or two concepts at a time when listening to or reading student work. Let students know what you will be focusing on so that they in turn can focus on those particular concepts in the assignment.

Another strategy is to circle errors in writing assignments, and have students try to figure out what the mistakes were. Most of the time students are able to correct their own writing errors once they focus on the circled area. If they are still stuck, try giving them the answer and asking them to explain why it is correct. If they don't know the answer, ask them to consult with a classmate. If no one else knows the answer, review the structure as a group.

Related resources

Video: Assessment for ELLs

11. If a student is struggling, proceed with care.

If a student is struggling, it's important to proceed carefully and in collaboration with colleagues. Discuss your concerns with an ESL teacher to identify some targeted areas of instruction and ideas for progress monitoring. (Dr. August shares some ideas towards the end of the her research review for this kind of monitoring.) In addition, talk with the student's family to determine whether there is any important information you should know about factors that might impact the student's learning.

Keep in mind the following:

Nationwide, ELLs are both over-identified and under-identified for special education. Over-correction in one direction can lead to misjudgments in the other.

There is no single checklist or factor that can determine when a student needs extra support and what kind of support that might be, which is why it is imperative to work in close collaboration with ESL educators, family members, special educators, and reading/speech specialists if you are reviewing a student's situation.

The types of support that students receive in special education are different than those that students receive in ESL classes. Referral to special education is not a silver bullet where students will "at least get some help." A special education referral is a step that should only be taken after careful progress monitoring and targeted instruction (in the absence of an immediate and obvious need for services) and in consultation with a team that includes ESL educators and the student's family.

Related resources

Video: Having enough data to look at progress over time

Tips for Collaboration

12. Reach out to your ELL colleagues for ideas.

Don't hesitate to reach out to ELL colleagues in your building or district (they may have a wide range of titles). They are experts in supporting ELL instruction. Even if schools have not made formal collaboration time a priority, you can start with small steps. A concrete question or example is often a very good place to start collaboration.

If you find the collaboration helpful, share your successes with colleagues and administrators - you may be able to advocate for more collaboration time in the future! While it may be difficult to find time to meet on a regular basis, increased collaboration among all of the educators working with ELLs will improve their chances for success.

Video: Collaborating to support an ELL with special needs

Closing Thoughts

There is a lot of information here, but remember that it's ok to start with small steps. And when something doesn't work, don't hesitate to go back to the drawing board! Make some adjustments and try again, and if it still doesn't work, move on to a new strategy. You will soon find what works for your students and will come to appreciate the privilege to be a part of their journey.

Video: When new strategies don't work

Discussion Questions

What are some strategies that you can try here on your own?

What are some topics you would like to learn more about in professional development?

What is an example of a lesson you might teach differently in the future?

What are some ways you can try collaborating with your other ESOL or bilingual colleagues?

Recommended Resources

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Supporting ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom: 12 Strategies for Language Instruction

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If you are a classroom or content-area educator trying to figure out how to teach English language learners (ELLs), you are not alone! You are off to a good start by looking for ways to support your students!

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I can't remember if I posted this yet. Another Hart McLeod one for a third grade textbook. This one was supposed to be an intentionally vague, wordless comic strip. The student is supposed to write a story explaining what frightened the stick-man.

So, what do YOU think happened in this strip?

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I can't remember if I posted this yet. Another Hart McLeod one for a third grade textbook. This one was supposed to be an intentionally vague, wordless comic strip. The student is supposed to write a story explaining what frightened the stick-man. So, what do YOU think happened in this strip?

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3. Descriptive drawing activity: Pair up the students and give each student a picture, placing it face down so partners cannot see each other’s cards. They must describe the picture for their partner to draw.

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4. Comic strip descriptions: Give each student a portion of a comic strip. Without showing their pictures to one another, the students should attempt to describe their image, and put the comic strip into the correct order. After about 10 minutes, the students can guess the order, show one another their portion, and see if they were correct.

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CK-12 is a Math and Science resource that offers Text-Books by grade level.  All the text-books can be changed into over 100 languages.  Be on the look-out for other websites having this option.
https://www.ck12.org/teacher/

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Read and Write for Google has many supports for ELL.  See the resources available for the following:
-Google Chrome supports for ELL
-Tool suggestions for ELL
-Voice Choices in R&W for Chrome
-Text to Speech, Speech to Text (Talk&Type) and translator languages
-Levels of ELL support in Google Chrome
-Read&Write for Google Chrome supports dual language programs
-ELL reading vocabulary strategy lesson for beginners
-ELL reading vocabulary strategy lesson for intermediate users
-Build a list of idioms and their meanings
-Verb meanings & tenses using vocabulary list builder

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Tool suggestions for ELL

This resource gives specific tool suggestions for each of the four Core Skills of Language Learning (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) to help all levels of English Language Learners in acquiring a new language.

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Read&Write Learning Resources for English Language Learners

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This resource gives specific tool suggestions for each of the four Core Skills of Language Learning (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) to help all levels of English Language Learners in acquiring a new language.

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Supports German, Greek, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian

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View the research behind our ESSA Tier IV evidence

XtraMath worked with LeanLab Education to document the connections between using XtraMath and improving outcomes for students primarily in grades K-6.

Download our Logic Model to discover the research and evidence that demonstrates how using XtraMath enhances students' learning and performance, leading to better outcomes for both students and teachers.XtraMath worked with LeanLab Education to document the connections between using XtraMath and improving outcomes for students primarily in grades K-6.
Download our Logic Model

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XtraMath - 10 minutes a day for math fact fluency

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XtraMath is a free program that helps students master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.

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Geri McClymont is passionate about education. She holds an MEd and has taught English language learners for over ten years.
Be Intentional

As teachers, we have the opportunity every day to use effective strategies to support English language learners in our classroom. One significant way to help our ELLs succeed is to be intentional about teaching vocabulary.

Limited academic vocabulary hinders many ELLs from reading and learning classroom content. But with effective strategies, students can leave our classroom with an enriched vocabulary bank every day!

While English learners generally have the greatest need to expand their vocabulary, many non-English language learners-especially those from low socioeconomic communities-also have a limited vocabulary bank, so they can benefit from these strategies as well.

10 Ways to Teach Vocabulary to ELLs

1. Label everything in your classroom.

2. Speak to your students with rich vocabulary.

3. Pre-teach key vocabulary.

4. Use text with rich vocabulary and images.

5. Play vocabulary games.

6. Sing songs.

7. Teach prefixes and suffixes.

8. Use cognates.

9. Introduce words in pairs.

10. Seize teachable moments.

1. Label Everything in Your Classroom

Posters

Choose posters with colorful and clearly labeled images. Or add labels for the pictures yourself. They don't have to be perfect-you don't need to type, print, and laminate the words before you tape them onto the posters.

Handwriting them in bold on sticky notes and taping the sticky notes onto the poster works equally well.

The main thing is for your students to associate each word with its corresponding image to help them learn vocabulary.

Maps

Write the title above each map to depict what the land represents. If it's a country, write the name of the country. If it's a world map, specify that.

Label cardinal directions on a map: north, south, east, west, as well as northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest.

Add labels for large bodies of water such as oceans and bays-their names often appear in tiny print and are therefore almost unnoticeable on the original map.

For a world map, highlight the names of the seven continents to make them stand out.

Be sure to leave ample space between posters and maps on your walls so that your students aren't over-saturated with visual input. Walls that are too cluttered with information may overwhelm your students rather than draw them in.

Supplies

Label containers for all supplies and materials in your classroom: pencils, colored pencils, erasers, scissors, rulers, glue, lined paper, white paper, and any other materials you use regularly.

Label the shelves where binders, folders, writing journals, books, and workbooks are kept with their designated names.

Labeling all materials will not only help your students learn vocabulary, it will help you and your students locate supplies easily-thereby maximizing classroom time.

Technology and Furniture

Label computers, computer screen, keyboard, mouse, speakers, classroom screen, cabinet, file cabinet, teacher desk, teacher chair, and tables.

Miscellaneous

Label a wall, a visible outlet, a visible chord, light switch, air vent, the ceiling, windows, shades, curtains, and the classroom door and clock.

Ways to Communicate the Same Message Using Rich Vocabulary

2. Speak to Your Students with Rich Vocabulary

Take full advantage of classroom time by using rich vocabulary in your everyday instruction and interactions with your students. Believe me, they are listening to every word you say.

Pair up Rich Vocabulary with Synonymous but Simpler Words

When you use rich vocabulary in the classroom, use synonymous but simpler words immediately after the rich vocabulary so that your English language learners gain a natural understanding of the rich vocabulary.

For example, when you say to your students, "Can you elaborate on that?", some of your students may look at you as if they are clueless as to what you mean.

But if you say, "Can you elaborate on that?" followed up with, "Can you tell me more?", then they will grasp what you mean. They have now learned that to elaborate means to tell more about something.

Use a Variety of Rich Phrases to Communicate the Same Message

Another way to naturally incorporate rich vocabulary into your daily dialogue is to use different rich phrases interchangeably to communicate the same message to your students.

For example, one day you might say, "I'm perplexed by what the author is communicating" and another day you might say, "I'm baffled by what the author is communicating." Use gestures to communicate that you are confused, such as bringing your finger up to your head and putting on a very pensive look.

If you think your students still need the rich phrase explained, continue to follow the rich phrase up with a synonymous but simpler phrase. Eventually, you will no longer need to use the simpler phrase because your students will have learned to associate it with the richer phrases.

3. Pre-Teach Key Vocabulary

Don't assume students will know essential words from the text. Teach them the words they don't know ahead of time. This is called pre-teaching vocabulary and it helps equip them for a successful reading experience. Here's how:

Select Key Words

Pre-select key words from the text you're about to read.

Pretest

Give your students a quick pretest to assess their current knowledge of key vocabulary.

Direct Instruction

Once you've targeted the words your students don't know, focus on teaching them!

Graphic Organizers

Word Study, word maps, word journals, and word walls are excellent tools for helping students learn and apply new vocabulary.

Tangible Items

Aside from images, use tangible objects to teach the meanings of words. For example, if introducing the word bark (from a tree), show students a piece of actual bark you found outside. Or, better yet, take them outside and show them!

4. Select Text with Rich Vocabulary and Images

Read to Your Students

Have a designated, regular time to read aloud to your students in class. Reading to your students is an excellent way to not only teach new words, but to model their correct pronunciation.

Choose high interest reading material with rich vocabulary and images. Attractive images in text are powerful in communicating the meanings of words.

Display the Text on a Large Screen

If you can, display the text on a large screen using a document camera, so that the text is highly visible to your entire class as you read it.

Enlarging the font (use the zoom lens on the doc cam) and displaying one section at a time helps students focus.

I use a blank half sheet of white paper to uncover the lines of text one by one, as we read them. I simply slide the white sheet of paper down as we read one line at a time.

Use Many Visuals

To teach the meanings of words for which there are no visuals on the page, it's critical to pre-teach key vocabulary from the text, accompanied by pictures you've gathered to represent the words' meanings.

Keep the visuals handy after pre-teaching vocabulary - such as by posting them on a word wall - so when the you come across the words in the text, you can quickly point to the visuals without distracting students from the reading.

Try to minimize interruptions as you read. Fewer pauses when reading increases reading fluency and aides comprehension.

5. Play Vocabulary Games

Allow students many opportunities to practice new vocabulary through games and classroom activities. Some examples:

Word Bingo: Each student has a card with grids, with one word written in each grid. Students listen for the meaning of each word and place markers on each word depicting the meaning they hear. The first player to mark a complete row, column or diagonal pattern of words is the winner. For more advanced students, give them each two cards-they now need a marked pattern of words on each card to win!

Charades: Students have to act out a word or phrase without speaking, while the rest of the class tries to guess what the word or phrase is. The goal is for students to guess each word or phrase as quickly as possible. For more advanced or competitive students, divide the class into teams. Time how long it takes each team to guess the opponent's word/phrase. Keep track of time to determine the winning team!

Word Jeopardy: Students are given clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in the form of questions. Jeopardy games can be created on smartboards by following utube tutorials.

6. Sing Songs

Using songs to teach vocabulary is always a winner for English language learners of all ages. You can pre-teach key vocabulary from the song before you introduce the song lyrics to your students.

Select Catchy Tunes
Children
When I taught English language learners in elementary school several years ago, Holiday Jazz Chants were a hit with my students.

These catchy, melodious songs about holidays celebrated in the United States are rich in vocabulary and common English expressions.

I purchased the Holiday Jazz Chants CD, which has the songs on it, and the Holiday Jazz Chants Student Booklet which contains all the song lyrics from the CD.

Display the Lyrics in Large Print
Elementary School
To help my students learn vocabulary, I copied the song lyrics onto large poster paper, which I displayed when we sang along to the CD in class.

I added some pictures and used a pointer to point to each word as we sang along.

I will tell you that my kiddos absolutely loved singing these songs! It was such a fun and natural way for them to learn English.
Middle School, High School and Adult English Learners
Display the lyrics on a large screen as you play the song on a CD and sing along.

You can also find a YouTube video for the song to play in class. Many YouTube song videos contain the lyrics written on the video.

Here's one I used with my middle school students:

Most Common Prefixes

Most Common Suffixes

7. Teach Prefixes and Suffixes

Thousands of words in the English language contain prefixes and suffixes. Therefore, teaching your students these important word parts and what they mean is a powerful way to expand their vocabulary.

When students know the meaning of prefixes and suffixes, they are then able to figure out or make smart guesses about unknown words they come across in text.

For example, let's say a student comes across the word antifreeze in a novel he's reading. He may not recognize this word and be initially stumped as to what it means. But if he has been taught that the prefix anti- means against, then he can conclude that antifreeze is something that goes against or prevents freezing.

Do you know that only 4 prefixes account for 97% of prefixed words students are likely to come across in school text? The same is so for suffixes. So if you only teach your students a few prefixes and suffixes, be sure to target these! (See the charts above.)

Some English-Spanish Cognates

8. Use Cognates

I always tell my ELLs that by already knowing Spanish, they have a huge advantage in learning English because there are hundreds of English-Spanish cognates! Cognates are words in two languages that have the same meaning and similar spelling and pronunciation.

Make it a point to ask your students to look for cognates as they read. When you introduce new vocabulary, ask your ELLs if the words have Spanish cognates. Your students will receive a boost of confidence when they realize that their knowledge of Spanish is very useful in helping them learn English. This will empower them to keep reading and learning more vocabulary!

9. Introduce Words in Pairs

So many words in the English language are frequently seen in pairs, so it only makes sense to introduce them that way. Your ELLs will enjoy seeing familiar pairs of words and the opportunity to learn two words at a time instead of just one.
Some common pairs of words:

peanut butter and jelly

thunder and lightning

ham and cheese

sweet and sour

hide and seek

sour cream and onion

sea salt and vinegar

bacon and eggs

fast and furious

10. Seize Teachable Moments

Impromptu teachable moments are priceless learning opportunities. They come unannounced but are timely opportunities to teach new vocabulary.

Examples:

You come across an important word in a text you didn't introduce before reading the text.

A student uses a word in an oral sentence and another student asks what the word means.

After the morning announcements, a song is played over the intercom that contains a word or phrase that is repeated continually.

Jump on it! Don't let the opportunity pass. Google the word with images and display them on the classroom screen. Or write the word on the board along with a quick sketch of its meaning, adding gestures and body language to help explain it.

Apply the word to a real-life experience you had. Students love hearing about your life stories! They're much more likely to remember what the word means when you make a personal connection to it.

Final Thoughts

Teaching vocabulary should be fun! When you enjoy teaching your English language learners new words, they will catch your enthusiasm and enjoy learning them. When students learn to love words, their love for reading will increase tenfold which will enable them to be more successful in all their classes.
© 2017 Geri McClymont
ria on April 03, 2020:

Thank you for sharing this article

Geri McClymont (author) on December 09, 2019:

So glad this was helpful to you, Savitri. Thanks for commenting.

Savitri Devi on December 09, 2019:

Thank you so much Geri McClymont ! Great Help . I am preparing for TESOL and this article of yours is quite helpful .

Geri McClymont (author) on December 01, 2019:

Thanks for stopping by, Devika and Joseph, and for your dedication to education. I am glad the article was useful to you.

Joseph Moore on November 29, 2019:

I write from Sierra Leone, Your publication is informative and easy to absorb. You have just made me a better teacher/facilitator! Thanks.

Devika Primic on November 22, 2019:

This is useful and informative to those in need of lessons.

Geri McClymont (author) on March 13, 2019:

I agree with you, Bahar--learning vocabulary through games and interesting books makes it much easier to learn new words. I have not used WordUp but will check it out. Thank you for stopping by.

Bahar on March 13, 2019:

The thing that people forget is, it takes a bit of work to improve your vocabulary. It's better to find ways that are enjoyable like reading books or listening to music and finding an interesting application like "WordUp".

I found it recently and its really helpful, now learning new vocabulary is a lot more fun.

Geri McClymont (author) on October 11, 2018:

I am glad this article was helpful to you, Adnan, and thank you for stopping by.

Adnan A Saif on October 10, 2018:

thank you very much for this. I got a lot of advantages. I do that in my teaching. I am a teacher in Yemen. I teach my students English language. this page is very important for me. thanks again.

Geri McClymont (author) on June 14, 2018:

Thanks for stopping by, Audrey. Vocabulary is so much fun to teach!

Audrey Hunt from Pahrump NV on June 13, 2018:

I needed you as my teacher in grammar school. You are one outstanding instructor! Thanks for sharing your gift of teaching vocabulary.

Geri McClymont (author) on December 29, 2017:

I'm glad this was helpful to you, Mary. When I lived in Japan, I remember how eager most people I crossed paths with were to practice their conversational English with me. Yes, some of these strategies can be used outside of the classroom for sure! Thanks for stopping by.

Mary Norton from Ontario, Canada on December 27, 2017:

This is really helpful even in our interaction with people. Most of the time we are in countries where people like to improve their English so this is a good guide.

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10 Super Ways to Teach Vocabulary to English Learners

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Geri McClymont is passionate about education. She holds an MEd and has taught English language learners for over ten years. As teachers, we have the opportunity every day to use effective strategies to support English language learners in our classroom. One significant way to help our ELLs succeed is to be intentional about teaching vocabulary.

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CGI Animated Short Film "Peck Pocketed" by Kevin Herron | CGMeetup

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UMBRELLA | Oscar® Qualified and Multi-Award Winning Animated Short Film

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How to use Read and Write for Google for EL students

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Utilize Read & Write for Google For EL Students

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Colorful Teaching Tools

Language Cards are great teaching tools to help kids build early language skills. They increase vocabulary, promote language development, and strengthen communications skills.

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Vocabulary units that support reading units

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Vocabulary units that support reading units

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September 27 Unit 2 Vocabulary Curriculum Launch

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The Idioms Dictionary explains common English idioms that are popular worldwide, especially in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand.

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