Photo by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages If you are looking for ideas on teaching ELLs, take a look at these strategies and the related resources that go with them! Content-area instruction for ELLs Use scaffolds to support students' comprehension. Draw upon students’ background knowledge. Pre-teach background knowledge and concepts. Differentiate instruction for ELLs. Think about how students need to use language in your content area. Use hands-on learning with ELLs. Use project-based learning (PBL). Teaching academic language and vocabulary Select vocabulary words to pre-teach for your lesson. Use sentence frames to build academic language. Teach students to use cognates. Practice writing language objectives. Learn about the difference between social and academic language. Use prefixes and suffixes for learning word strategies. Look for ways to develop students' academic oral language. Peer interaction for ELLs Give students lots of practice with peer work. Use peer learning to develop students' oral language skills. Encourage use of students’ home languages in peer learning. Consider how culture might play a role in peer interaction. Be intentional with your grouping. Use “turn and talk” activities to engage students. Using informal assessment with ELLs Use visual cues for quick comprehension checks. Look for different ways to use formative assessment. Use entrance/exit tickets. Ask students to report what their partner has shared. Use project-based learning (PBL). Avoid asking, "Do you understand?" Drawing upon students' home languages Welcome ELLs’ languages. Use tools such as bilingual dictionaries and glossaries. Look for classroom materials in students’ home languages. Look for books in students’ home languages. Look for different ways that students can use their home language. Encourage use of students’ home languages in peer learning. Learning about special populations of students Special population: Students with interrupted education Special popluation: Refugees Special population: Unaccompanied minors Special population: Farmworker families Special population: Long-term ELLs Special population: Indigenous students from Latin America
