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Phonology is the study of sound patterns in spoken languages.

Phonemic awareness is the important process when children learn to hear and break down words into the individual sounds, blend sounds, and manipulate sounds to make new words.

Phonemes are the smallest unit of sound that carries meaning.

The sounds of English can be organized by consonants and vowels. This will help when pronouncing sounds and words, and speaking.

There are phonological rules that explain what happens when sounds change in the different contexts of words: assimilation, deletion, insertion, and metathesis.

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Morphology

Morphology is the study of word structures and how they formed and related to each other in a language.

A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that has meaning.

Morphemes are grouped into two main categories:

Closed classes - Words or morphemes that keep the same form every time used and are unchangeable

Open classes - Words that have morphemes that change depending on the grammar and meaning of a sentence

Morphemes are important when learning a language because it helps students understand how language works and changes over time. It also helps with creating new words, understanding word structure, and improving communication.

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Activities:

Vocabulary Building -ELLs must build their English vocabularies quickly and vastly. ELLs need support in developing their vocabulary language skills and learning the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Previewing texts before reading them - students can scan through the text and look for words they may not know. Then, the class can work together to define the words, using context clues and prior knowledge. Make a word wall so students can look at it if they can not remember what the word means.

Differentiation - picture or definition word wall, having different reading leveled books for students to choose from

Picture Dictionary - Having students create their own picture dictionary is a great vocabulary activity for ELLs. Provide a template of words and drawing materials, clip art, magazine clippings, or students can take pictures for them to remember the words.

Differentiation - students can choose which way they would like to define the vocabulary words, teachers will provide different words for certain students to define

Listening Activities - Listening is one of the most essential skills students will need to develop to find success in the classroom.

Simon Says - Simon says can be played traditionally or modified for the classroom such as “simon says pick up your blue crayon.” This will help ELLs with their listening skills and practicing relevant vocabulary. Listening activities test cognition, retention, and their ability to follow instructions.

Differentiation - you can extend the game by adding flashcards and modify for the appropriate age groups.

Long-Form Listening - Offer students the opportunity to read and listen to videos on a device during silent reading time, such as audiobooks, learning websites with games and lessons, and kid oriented learning videos.

Differentiation - Provide multiple options for all students needs, and provide students with sites to explore for their needs or audiobooks to read.

Writing Activities - Writing offers unique opportunities to build vocabulary in context and demonstrate critical thinking. Writing activities for ELLs are one of the best ways to check their understanding without the pressure of speaking in front of the class.

Sentence starters or sentence frames - Providing sentence starters is a great way to get ELLs comfortable with writing. This gives students the opportunity to not have to come up with the whole sentence or sentences on their own  to practice starting or finishing a sentence. Ex: I can ____.

Differentiation - to differentiate sentence starters for ells teachers can adjust the complexity of the sentence structure based on their language proficiency level

Create a short story - Students will be given a set of sight words that they will need to include in their story. They can write a story about themselves or make something up.

Differentiation - Based on students' grade level and learning level some students will be able to draw pictures, write a sentence, more than one sentence or paragraphs.

Speaking Activities - Speaking in front of the class can be difficult for ELLs while learning a new language. Fun and engaging listening and speaking activities for ELLs can make a big difference in the classroom.

Question of the day - to get ELLs confident and comfortable speaking out loud provide a question of the day for students to answer and express how they feel and share their opinions and knowledge. Each day teachers can choose a simple, silly, or strange question for each student to answer in front of the class

Differentiation - teachers can ask students to further explain their answers or simply ask yes or no or one word answer questions

Songs, rhyming and responses - Group speaking can help ELLs get comfortable with speaking aloud in front of the class. Playing songs and rhymes and using “call and response” activities to get ELLs speaking and learning the language by listening and speaking.

Differentiation - play songs or rhymes that are related to the topic you are learning about, ask students to answer questions with thumbs up thumbs down, turn and talks and then sharing aloud, or asking group response questions

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At Home ELL Activities

Starfall website - Starfall is a great website for ELLs to improve on their language proficiency. This website has videos, games and activities for all students from grade levels K-5th grade. Students can play learning games, listen to videos, and read books.

www.starfall.com

ABCya website - ABCya is a fun website for ELLs to improve their language proficiency and all around learning. This website supports students from grades Pre-K-6th+ and is a great tool for ELLs to practice their skills in reading, phonics, math etc. It has learning videos, games, books, and more.

www.abcya.com

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Phonology in the classroom. Linguistics for Teachers of ELLs. (n.d.). https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/phonology-in-the-classroom.html

Morphology in the classroom. Linguistics  for Teachers of ELLs. (n.d.). https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/morphology-in-the-classroom.html

Maxfield, K. (2023). The best writing activities and tips for ESL students. GRASPhopper Learning. https://grasphopperlearning.com/esl-writing-activities/

Tower. (2023). Writing, listening, and speaking activities for ells: Continental. Continental Educational Publisher. https://www.continentalpress.com/blog/listening-speaking-activities-ells/?srsltid=AfmBOoq11syt7MNxtuII04VWigRaDNUiYaHPiEYWp_kEHBU03vDot4JY

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Syntax

Syntax is the grammatical and structural basics of English.

Syntax is the arrangement of words or phrases to create a well formed sentence.

Syntax helps us make clear and complete sentences that have meaning.

Syntax is important because it creates clear communication and meaning in your words, helps with reading comprehension, and ensures that your sentences are grammatically correct.

Classroom Activities:

Sentence Scramble Games or worksheets - Students are given a set of words from a sentence that are out of order. They must then rearrange the words into a complete sentence that follows correct English grammar.

Visual representations - Providing visual representations of words can help ELLs begin to form sentences.

Sentence building cards - write words on separate pieces of paper, index cards or cut sentence strips. Students will work to form a complete sentence or a paragraph.

Sentence Elaboration -  This can help students use and manipulate a growing number of words in sentences. Teachers use six question words: who, what, where, why, which, how. The activity starts with a simple subject. Then, a series of questions are asked to prompt students to expand and elaborate.

Differentiation - differentiate words used in sentences and vocabulary words for the students depending on their learning level

Online At Home Activity:

https://wordwall.net/en-us/community/syntax-activities

This website has great activities for ELLs to practice their syntax skills. Students will practice their vocabulary skills, unscramble sentences, fill in the blanks sentences, etc. These activities will help students with creating complete sentences and practice vocabulary skills and learn English.

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Semantics

Semantics is the study of how words, phrases, and other texts are understood and given meaning.

Semantics helps us understand how we read, communicate, and make decisions.

Semantics is important for understanding meaning, effective communication, critical thinking, and comprehension.

Classroom Activities:

Word sorts - if students are given the list of words: ping, pat, ring, sing, mat, and fat, they could organize them by sound

Taboo game - split into teams and take turns giving clues to help your team guess a word without using any taboo words.

“I spy” with vocabulary words - play i spy and keep changing the vocabulary words, ask students to form a sentence for what they spy

Flashcards - flipping through flashcards for vocabulary words, alphabet practice and sight word practice

Differentiation: Provide options for students with various levels of vocabulary knowledge.

Online At Home Activity: https://www.tinytap.com/activities/g3jq8/play/colorful-semantics-daily-tasks

This website has great activities for ELLs to practice semantics skills. In this activity students will match symbols to match the sentence. This will help students identify vocab words and learn English.

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Pragmatics

Pragmatics is the study of how language is used by real people in real contexts, in spoken language and written contexts. It is highly influenced by cultural and social contexts.

Use explicit teaching and meaningful practice to give ELLs multiple opportunities to hear models of language and the use of language in different contexts.

Pragmatic speech is vital for communicating our personal thoughts, ideas and feelings.

Pragmatics involves understanding and using eye contact, understanding and using facial expressions, knowing when to speak and when to listen, and using appropriate volume and tone.

Classroom Activities:

Storytelling - Have students listen to stories and tell stories in class

Drama Play - Have students act out situations and scripted acts or plays

Turn and talk - students can turn and talk to a partner or a group when discussing questions and answers to practice conversation

Board games or sports - when playing games with others, students can practice conversation and language skills by listening and responding

Differentiation - differentiate all activities for students to match their learning levels, and change up the activities frequently, use these activities throughout the school year

Online At Home Activity:

https://www.tinytap.com/activities/g1nxm/play/pragmatic

This website has great online activities to practice pragmatics skills. Students will pick which responses they would use in certain situations and what to do in certain scenarios.

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Resources

Book - https://www.continentalpress.com/product/team-toolkits-teaching-ells-for-academic-language-mastery/?srsltid=AfmBOorUUJrvBP2U8znOapQ1MBJ6OKFyJyFECnUv46BXIdSG81MgJ19c

Website - https://www.colorincolorado.org/ell-basics/ell-resources-grade

This website is a great resource for teaching to check out when teaching ELLs. It provides many resources such as articles and videos to inform teachers on best practices for teaching ELLs.

Website - https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/english-language-learners-resources/

This website provides resources for teaching ELLs including best practices for teaching and supporting ELLs.

Website - https://www.edutopia.org/article/helpful-online-resources-teaching-ells/

This article includes helpful online resources for teachers to use in their classroom for supporting and teaching ELLs.

Video/podcast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb-cukSzuIA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8D-4f0fRhM&t=114s

This video and podcast gives teachers tips and tricks for teaching ELLs in the classroom.

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Hine. (2023). Teaching semantics to increase vocabulary. Top Teaching Tasks. https://topteachingtasks.com/teaching-semantics-to-increase-vocabulary/?srsltid=AfmBOoqGPT0Rnfv0yQlobNJSObVNHP7b33uo5o-6Uzzbyz0OqZ5iQjzg

Larrazabal, M. (2024). 5 activities to improve pragmatic language skills in children. Better Speech. https://www.betterspeech.com/post/5-everyday-activities-to-improve-pragmatic-language-skills-in-children

Pragmatics in the classroom. Linguistics  for Teachers of ELLs. (n.d.). https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/pragmatics-in-the-classroom.html

Semantics in the classroom. Linguistics  for Teachers of ELLs. (n.d.). https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/semantics-in-the-classroom.html

Syntax in the classroom. Linguistics  for Teachers of ELLs. (n.d.). https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/syntax-in-the-classroom.html

Syntactic awareness: Teaching sentence structure. (n.d.). https://www.education.ne.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/syntactic-awareness.pdf