ESL Teacher Resources for Elementary Education
The following strategies fall into the other category because some of them may be content area specific. In the case of the Social Studies strategies, these can be interchangeable in any reading strategy area. Since the Social Studies topic is primarily reading based, these strategies can be used in all reading based subject areas. The same can be said for the Schema and Academic Vocabulary strategies, they can also be used in social studies or any reading based content area.
OTHER STRATEGIES
Acting Out a Problem
Since ELL students are visual learners, acting out math problems is a great way for them to visualize the word problems. Students must first learn to find the information necessary to know whether or not they should act out the problem. Any type of word problem that describes an action can be acted out.
For example, if Rob had four 8’ wide planks and he laid them side-by-side how wide would his deck be? The action of laying the boards side by side can be acted out. Once the students have found the “acting out” queues they can physically act out the problem or use pictures to draw out the problem, depending on what is available around them.
The following videos provide a more in depth look at acting out a problem.
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MATH
SCIENCE
SOCIAL STUDIES
Ask Three Before Me
Are you tired of answering silly questions like “What is today’s date”? Especially when most of the answers are clearly written on the board! The Ask Three Before Me strategy allows you to avoid answering silly questions and focus on the students who actually need help. This strategy enforces students taking responsibility for their own learning and also shows them that they can rely on others for help; not just the teacher.
When beginning this strategy it is important to enforce the rule that if they do not know the answer to a question, they are to ask three people before coming to you (the teacher) for help. In a math classroom environment, the most common question is “is this right?” By using the Ask Three strategy, you can have your students check their peer’s work before coming to you for help.
It is also important to note that when a student does come to you for help, you must ask them if they have asked three people before coming to you. By repeating these phrases, it will condition the students to ask their peers for help and to stop asking you silly questions! For ELL students, this strategy is beneficial for their communication skills. By asking English-speaking students questions, they are learning the proper ways to communicate without hearing it from an authority figure.
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Chunking and Checking
Chunking and checking is a great way to show students how hard math problems can be broken down into much simpler, smaller problems. This strategy should be applied to age groups that are familiar with place value and used on numbers that have at least two digits.
To start, have your students break down the number into simpler terms (See the example to the right). By separating the tens and ones into separate columns, the students will recognize simple numbers that they are used to seeing. This takes away some of the stigma associated with adding bigger numbers. Chunking can also be done using three and four digit numbers, just separating them into the hundreds and thousands columns. Place value is a crucial component to this strategy because if the students do not understand how to place the numbers they will not be able to add them easily.
The checking aspect of this strategy is important for all math work. Having students check their final answers is a good practice to get them into. Having students check their own work gives them a sense of responsibility for their answers and also shows you (the teacher) whether or not they understand the concepts.
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Domino 555
The Domino 555 strategy can be used for difficult math problems and is somewhat similar to the Ask Three Before Me strategy. For this strategy, students spend five minutes working on a math problem, after the 5 minutes is up, if they still have not figured out the answer, they then spend 5 minutes working with a partner. After those 5 minutes, if they still have not reached an answer, then they work with the teacher. This strategy is used to help promote responsibility in ones work as well as peer interaction for ELL students.
There is no video for this strategy because it is pretty self explanatory.
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Frayer Model
The Fayer Model is a good technique to teach math vocabulary, or any type of vocabulary for that matter. “The Frayer model is a concept map which enables students to make relational connections with vocabulary words” (Florida Department of Education, 2010, pg. 9). The sections in this graphic organizer feature the word, the definition of the word, characteristics of the word, examples of the word, and non-examples of the word. This strategy is extremely important to ELL students because helps reinforce the academic vocabulary that they tend to struggle with. Even though numbers are universal, the terms used in math differ across all languages!
The following videos show different versions of the Frayer Model in action and the document icon includes a blank Frayer model.
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Mnemonic Devices
Science terminology often falls in the Tier 3 section of academic vocabulary, meaning you mostly use these words when working in the science classroom. In order to help students remember these specific terms and their meanings; we can use mnemonic devices. The mnemonic device strategy uses key words, rhyming words, acronyms, and pictures to show students the meaning of words.
Key words are words that sound similar to the term being used. When introducing the term and the keyword, it is helpful to illustrate both. For example, when teaching students about the scientific term for frogs (ranidae) you can tell students to relate the word to rain and draw a picture of frogs hopping in the rain.
Rhyming words can also be referred to as peg words. These words are generally used in relation to numbers and help students remember a specific order. For example, when teaching students about the number of legs an insect has you can draw a picture of a spider on a gate, this way they can relate gate to the number of legs a spider has (8).
Acronyms and phrases are also a great way for students to remember information because it takes the first letter of each word and forms its own word or phrase. We all remember the “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” (PEMDSA) saying for the order of operations in math, and the same can be said about remembering the planet names in science (My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas, MVEMJSUNP). This strategy is interchangeable among all content areas!
Students can even create their own mnemonic devices, but it is a good idea to make sure the students practice using them until they are completely comfortable incorporating them into their learning.
The following videos show different ways to use mnemonic devices in science.
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Modeling/Teacher Demonstration
When it comes to modeling or demonstrating something in a science classroom, it is always good practice to speak clearly and explicitly so that ELL students can understand what you are saying. Modeling is also a good strategy because your students are visually seeing how things should be done, as opposed to reading about it on a worksheet or in a textbook. While modeling, it is also important to say what you are doing out loud. Instead of just pouring water into a beaker, you need to tell your students that you are doing it and why it is important. For example, “I am pouring the water into the beaker to measure the amount of water that has evaporated out of the bag”. When ELL students can see what you are doing and given a clear explanation for why they have to do it, they will comprehend more of what is being asked of them.
The following videos show the concept of modeling and demonstration.
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Foldables
Foldables are a hands-on type graphic organizer. This strategy is great for any type of vocabulary or concept learning instruction. There are many different types of foldables to meet all educational needs. Foldables are great because students can create them on their own or with the class. Students are usually responsible for supplying the information in their foldable as they see fit; which also makes for a good assessment of your students learning. You can also supply the information for the students and they can use the foldable as a type of study guide. Pinterest is a great source for finding foldable ideas!
The following videos show you how to construct certain foldables, as well as how they are used in the classroom.
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Matching Cards to Review Key Terms / Memory Game
Everyone remembers index cards as a study guide, but how many of you actually remember learning from this strategy? This strategy has been revamped into a fun game of memory. By using index cards, you can write the term on one card and the meaning or definition on another card. Using all the terms from the unit, you then flip the cards over and take turns matching the terms to the definitions. For beginning ELL students you can even print out pictures of the terms and have students match them up to the words themselves. This strategy can be used for any vocabulary-based instruction, but it is especially good for science because there is more Tier III vocabulary to remember.
The first video below shows key terms being used on flash cards; while the second video uses objects in the game of memory. The second video is geared towards preschool students, but it can adjusted to meet the needs of your ELL students, depending on their level of proficiency.
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Student Glossary
Student created glossaries are a good strategy to help students remember key terms and their meanings. Students can put the meanings in their own words, which will help them remember the terms in the long run. It is crucial that you check their definitions to make sure that they have the proper meaning of the word. With beginning ELL students, you can have them draw a picture to define the meaning if they do not have a steady grasp of writing.
The following videos show you how to construct a student glossary using a hands-on experience or a technology based system.
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Virtual Tour / Picture Walk
Virtual tours and picture walks are great strategies to help students become engaged in the reading and build their background knowledge on the topic.
Virtual tours can be done using textbooks or any nonfiction text. When introducing the reading, take students on a virtual tour of the book by showing them all the aspects of the text. Introduce the glossary, table of contents, index, etc. This will help ELL students become familiar with the book as well as the terminology used when talking about the book.
Picture walks are similar to virtual tours but instead of using textbooks, you would generally use a storybook. Before reading the story, introduce students to the text by flipping through the pages, showing them the pictures, and talk about what is happening on each page. Ask them how they think the elements on the page relates to the topic.
The following videos show you pictures walks being used in the classroom. The first video uses nonfiction text, while the second video uses fiction. Both videos do a good job showing how to do a picture walk.
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Big Fox
The Big Fox strategy is a great tool for nonfiction texts. By using the Big Fox graphic organizer, students will be able to pick out key elements of the text. This organizer should be completed before, during and after the students have read the selected text. To use this organizer, students must have a developed understanding of nonfiction elements.
Before having the students fill out the organizer, have them flip through the text to become familiar with it, and then they can start reading and filling out Big Fox. The BIG (bold, italics and graphics) portion of the organizer should be filled out before the students read; the FO (facts and opinions) should be filled out as students read, and finally the X (explain) should be filled out at the end of reading. The purpose of this organizer is to help students pick out important terms and information of the text.
The video shows a comparison of fiction versus nonfiction texts and the image below shows a sample BIG FOX organizer.
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Act it out / Drama
Just like in math, acting out something can help ELL students understand the concepts through visualization and help them to interact with their English-speaking peers. This strategy is a fun way to get students engaged in the topic and allows them to show their creative interpretation of the historical event. Have your students produce skits in small groups that show the topic of what they are learning.
Each group member should have a specific role in the skit. ELL students may be shy to participate, but once they see everyone else involved, they will gladly jump on board. Also, it is important to make sure your students are paying attention to the other performers so providing them with a questionnaire about each performance will keep them focused and engaged.
The following video describes the Act it out strategy more in depth, it is a little slow to begin but it does a great job explaining how to use the strategy.
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Sentence Frames
“The use of sentence frames is focused on developing fast vocabulary for students to be able to speak effectively about a subject” (Cruz-Wiley & Houston ISD Multilingual Department, 2010, p. 12). The use of sentence frames or sentence starters for ELL students increases their self-esteem and helps them become active participants in the classroom. It is crucial to go over the sentence frames with the ELL students to make sure they understand the meaning of them and how to use them. A tip for this is to have the sentence frames feature the native language translation to make it easier for your students to understand the concepts. Once ELL students are comfortable with the frames they will be more willing to participate in class discussions. This will also help them when writing critical think responses.
The videos below demonstrate using senstence frames in the classroom.
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Flash Cards
As with science, flash cards can help ELL students remember names, dates, and locations associated with certain historical events. The students can even draw pictures to help them remember certain terms associated with the topic. Printing out historical people and places and having the students glue them to the flash cards will also give them a visual interpretation of the even for them to remember.
The following videos shows us how to create flashcards and how flash cards can help students understand vocabulary.
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Resources
Barrera, M., Shyyan, V., Liu, K. K., Thurlow, M. L., National Center on Educational, O., Council of Chief State School, O., & National Association of State Directors of Special Education, (2008). Reading, Mathematics, and Science Instructional Strategies for English Language Learners with Disabilities: Insights from Educators Nationwide. ELLs with Disabilities Report 19. National Center On Educational Outcomes, University Of Minnesota.
Brandis, B. (n.d.). Teaching strategies for mathematics - Chunking - Teaching strategies for relief teaching. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.reliefteaching.com/teaching-strategies-for-maths/.
Breiseth, L. (n.d.). Reading comprehension strategies for english language learners - ASCD Express 5.11. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/511-breiseth.aspx.
Cruz-Wiley, C., & Houston ISD Multilingual Department (2010). Vocabulary Strategies. Retrieved from Multilingual Programs website: http://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/26922/VocabularyStrategiesDocument.pdf. Curriculum Associates, Inc (2006). Step-by-step math: Strategies for solving word problems. www.casamples.com/downloads/10134s.pdf.
Florida Department of Education (2010). Classroom cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies for teachers. Retrieved from Research-Based Strategies for Problem- Solving in Mathematics K-12 website: http://floridarti.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/Classroom%20Cognitive%20and%20Metacognitive%20Strategies%20for%20Teachers_Revised_SR_09.08.10.pdf.
Frey, N. (2007). “Hands on” doesn’t mean “minds off”: Using foldables to promote content learning. Retrieved from San Diego State University website: http://www.boostconference.org/workshop_pdf/Hands%20On%20Doesn't%20Mean%20Minds%20Off-Foldables.pdf.
Stafford, T., & Sanabria, I. (n.d.). Grouping and managing students for cooperative learning activities. Retrieved from Seminole County Public Schools website: http://education.ucf.edu/happyhour/docs/102411_handout.pdf.
WETA (n.d.). Mnemonics-Classroom strategies. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.adlit.org/strategies/22732/.