Strategies

Anything a teacher does to increase a student's achievement "counts" as a strategy. Similarly, anything a teacher does to decrease the language demands of a class with the goal of increasing an ELL student's learning is a Sheltered Instruction strategy.

*Please note* These strategies are good for ALL students, not just ELLs.

• Use slower speech, avoid colloquialisms.

• Explicitly teach unfamiliar and academic vocabulary.

• Seek texts that can supplement, written at a lower reading level.

• Use visuals to explain and provide background knowledge.

• Use manipulatives.

• Frequently check for understanding by asking questions or asking for retelling. Ask for response in complete sentence. DO NOT simply ask the student “Do you understand?” because the answer given is frequently “yes” even if the student does not understand.

• Use physical indications of what you are talking about (point, body language, etc.)

• Seat students with an assertive, busy-body partner in preferential seating (never at back). Do not ask another student for ongoing translation during lectures.

• Increase pair/group work. Allow for discussion in partners.

• Provide ELLs with notes (yours or those of other students). Do not expect them to take notes from a video!

• Provide them with pre-reading assistance: plot diagrams, background knowledge, summaries, pictures.

• Allow extra time for completing readings.

• Provide visual, concrete examples of research papers, essays, posters; they may have never done such things before and don’t know how they look.

• Shorten tests: it is the time-consuming act of trying to understand the English that is the problem, not their thinking skills.

• Tests should allow for graphic responses when words fail them

• Open book or open note tests when appropriate--language retention is difficult.

• Questions should be phrased as simply as possible in order to test for knowledge, not English proficiency.

• Be aware of lack of background knowledge; students should not be held accountable for what they have never been exposed to. Find ways to provide background knowledge that they may lack.

• Ask ESL students to contribute their knowledge of topics that you cover in class, knowledge that other students might not have.