Strategies for EL Students
Vocabulary
Basic Vocabulary Protocol:
1) Pronounce the word
2) Explain the word using images, definitions, etc.
3) Have students repeat the word
4) Have students process the word by writing a definition, using it in a sentence, or coming up with their own image (or all three!)
5) Cycle back to the word and reinforce throughout the week. Students need to use a word a minimum of 5-7 times to own it. Include both speaking and writing activities.
Reading Comprehension
Chunking & Summarizing Using Flipgrid
1) Chunk text by sub heading, page, or what feels like a bite sized portion to you.
2) As students read each section, have them summarize what they have read in writing.
3) Have students record themselves reading their summary.
4) To ensure all students receive replies, set a limit of two replies per video and have students respond to two videos each. Or assign/have students select partners.
5) Using the student to student replies feature, have students respond using these frames:
"What I heard you say was _________. One thing I would add is ____________"
6) Have students listen to the responses and add the suggestions to their original summary.
7) If there's only time for sharing one or two sections of the text via Flipgrid - no problem! Students have still summarized the text and engaged oral language production/listening skills
Writing
Sentence Frames & Sentence Stems
Sentence frames and stems reduce the amount of output required from the student while providing a model of written language. The less proficient a student is, the more content should be provided by the teacher. Gradually, as students become more comfortable with sentence structures, teachers can more to the less restrictive sentence stems.
Sentence Frames
Sentence frames essentially frame a sentence and students add in verbiage that is critical to comprehension of the content. Sentence frames look very much like traditional fill in the blank sentences.
Here are some examples of sentence frames:
The square has ___sides/angles.
The ____has ___sides/angles.
The ___are the same/different.
Based on the experiment, I can infer that the ____will increase and the ____will decrease.
My name is_____ and I am ___years old.
The _____ revolted against the ____.
____ is north/south/east/west of ____.
___have ____, however, ____ have ____.
Both ____ and ____ have ____.
Sentence frames are scaffolds that may fit the needs of English learners at beginning levels of English proficiency. Some students may also benefit from visuals and word banks. The easiest way to create these is to write the response you are hoping for, and delete the word/words which would best demonstrate comprehension of the content.
Sentence Stems
A sentence stem, or sentence starter, is the beginning of a sentence only. This gives students a hand on the wheel, then they can drive the sentence with their own thoughts. Sentence starters are powerful in both writing and speaking activities.
Here are examples of sentence stems:
What surprised me was...because....
I think that...for example
First...then...next...
In my opinion....in addition...
Based on the passage, I can infer that...for example....
I don't understand why....
Based on the pattern, I predict...
I agree with ________ because...
I see your point, but I think...
Sentence stems are scaffolds for English learners at all levels of English proficiency. They are open ended. The less proficient a student is, the more grammatical structure a stem should provide, to allow maximum possibility for student success.
Strategies for Using Sentence Frames and Providing Feedback
