EAL/D

CEDoW Support for EAL/D students during the transition to remote learning

How can we best support EAL/D students?

Imagine that you do not speak English fluently, you may or may not have access to technology and you are struggling to navigate classroom and school expectations, with the teacher in front of you every day.

If it is hard for native English speakers to cope with the additional stress and workload, imagine how difficult it is for our EAL/D students and families.

The resources on this page are a starting point for you to consider how to adapt your teaching practice so that our EAL/D students have the same opportunities to access remote learning, as mainstream learners.

Ideally, it is very helpful for teachers to consider the language and literacy demands, and any cultural knowledge that is embedded in class texts.

1. What are the task requirements?

2. What is the essential vocabulary?

3. Are there specific language requirements for this text in my KLA?

4. Are all my students likely to understand the cultural references in this unit of work?

These questions can be a starting point to consider how to make the content more accessible to EAL/D learners. They also work well for all learners, particularly native English speakers with low literacy proficiency.

If you have any questions or would like some assistance in adapting or enhancing your teaching materials to meet the needs of EAL/D students, please email Sharon Gilbert on sharon.gilbert@dow.catholic.edu.au

SPOTLIGHT ON DIVERSE LEARNERS: Learning from Home for EALD Learners 7-10

Model and share the following strategies with your students so they can continue to practise their English at home.

Using a free local newspaper

• Read an article and make a dot point summary.

• Read an article and make a paragraph summary and your response to the article. Do you agree/disagree? Why? How does it make you feel?

• Choose one paragraph and highlight the punctuation such as capital letters, full-stops, commas and question marks. Why are they each used?

• Write a list of five words you don’t know the meaning of. Find and write a translation of these words. Write the English translation.

• Find and list the details of 3 activities happening in your community.

• Be a reporter and write an article that could be included in a future edition of the newspaper.

Using free supermarket catalogues

• Find five foods you like and learn the English word for them

• Choose 5 to 20 foods in the catalogue and list them in alphabetical order

• Find foods you like and write about them. ‘I like/love … because …’

• Find foods you don’t like and write about them. ‘I don’t like/ hate … because …’

• Make comparisons about foods you do and don’t like. ‘I like … but I don’t like …’ ‘I like …but I prefer …’

• Cut out pictures of foods and divide them into the five food groups.

• Imagine you have $10 to spend. Choosing foods from the catalogue, what would you buy and why?

• Look through the catalogue and choose some foods that you could use to cook a meal or cake. List the ingredients and write the instructions how to cook this dish.

Write or talk about your favourite meal.When do you eat this meal - for example, for a special occasion?

• Describe this meal, how is it cooked and who would cook this?

• How do you feel when you smell this meal being cooked and when you eat it?

• Write about a special meal you remember having.What was special about it?

• Why was it so special?

• Why does this meal have such good/ strong memories for you?

• What is a food you would like to learn to cook and why?

Supply a sight word list to complete the following activities:

• Find sight words in a newspaper article and circle or highlight. How many of each word did you find?

• Make sight words using letters from catalogues or newspapers.

• Write each sight word in a sentence. Read your sentences to a family member or friend.

Free writing

Provide a small exercise book for each student to:

• Write a daily diary – what you did today, how are you feeling, a weather report, plans for tomorrow.

• Write a letter to your school principal to persuade him/ her to introduce a food you like into the school canteen menu. You will need to explain the reasons why this food should be sold in your school’s canteen.

• Write about a topic from a suggested list glued into the front of the book and ticked off as you write about one each day.

Television

Choose one of the television programs selected by your teacher.

• What is it about?

• How do you know that? Do you like this show?

• Why or why not?

Radio and podcasts

• Listen to your favourite songs and try to write the lyrics.

• Listen to the news and take notes.

Listen to a podcast your teacher has provided.

• What is it about?

• How do you know?

Talking and listening activities

• Interview a parent or sibling in your first language or English asking them about their likes and dislikes (foods, activities, TV shows, sports). Draw some of their favourite things, label them or write a sentence.

• Listen to a story. Tell someone about what the story was about.

• Make up your own story and tell it to a friend or family member or record it.

• Help someone prepare a meal. Talk about the ingredients and the steps. Draw and write about how you made the meal.

• Teach your parents/ carers and siblings the English you know for directions, talking to the doctor, police, teacher, asking for help or similar.

Useful Links:

• NSW DoE Sample Learning Programs

• ABC Learn English

• VicTESOL

• DoE Victoria

• EAL Bell Foundation: Resources are free to access and download for educational purposes.

• A listening skills activity

• ESL at Home - Resources in different languages

From Catholic Schools NSW - Danielle Cronin 11 July 2021