ELL Handout

Proven Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners ERN Audioconference Suzanne Irujo, Ed.D. 9/30/08

Adapted Academic Language Lessons Middle School U.S. History Topic Causes of the Civil War Main Idea Many different factors contributed to the Civil War Prerequisite knowledge

Development of slavery in the U.S.; western expansion; events leading up to secession

Language • Vocabulary: conflict, cotton gin, emancipation, expansion, conservative, liberal, economic, political, moral

• Function/structure: Explain causes, using phrases such as consequently, as a result, led to, caused

• Mini-lesson: Identify causal phrases when there are no specific causal verbs

Pre-teaching Activity

• Write economic, political, and moral on the board; explain and give examples of meanings

• Help students suggest examples of economic, political, and moral issues in current affairs; list them under those headings

• Have groups of students use those 3 categories to sort sentence strips (prepared before class, containing multiple causes of the Civil War from the 3 categories of issues)

• Review categorization; tell students that all are causes of the Civil War, but some or more important than others

Integration of Language

• Use and ensure that students use vocabulary • Point out examples of causal relationships in text that are not

overtly identified; model how to understand the relationship • Stage a debate over which causes are the most important and

why High School English Topic The Lord of the Flies Main Idea Writers use symbols to represent abstract ideas. Prerequisite knowledge

Concepts of fiction, story structure, “writer’s craft”

Language • Vocabulary: Selected from the story • Function/structure: Interpret symbols, using examples from

the story and phrases such as might mean, seems to refer to, could represent, can be interpreted as

• Mini-lesson: After teacher modeling, groups of students write an anecdote that includes symbolism

ELL Handout

Proven Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners ERN Audioconference Suzanne Irujo, Ed.D. 9/30/08

Pre-teaching Activity

• Demonstrate and explain a well-known symbol (e.g., hand up for “quiet, please”)

• Show pictures or objects of symbols from story (conch shell, pair of glasses, signal fire)

• Groups discuss the objects and discuss on what they might be symbols of in the story

• Briefly summarize the story, integrating important vocabulary in context, and explain what they 3 objects symbolize

• Use and be sure students use the selected vocabulary and structures

Integration of Language

• Small group discussions in which students have to use specified vocabulary

• Identification and discussion of symbolism in the story, with explicit focus on the language used to show symbolism

High School Physical Science Topic Chemical changes Main Idea A chemical change happens when a substance reacts and forms

a new substance. Prerequisite knowledge

Concepts of matter, property, substance, element, compound, solution, physical change

Language

• Vocabulary: chemical property, chemical change, flammability, react, reactivity, precipitate

• Function/ structure: Infer when a chemical change has taken place, using therefore.

• Mini-lesson: suffixes -able, -ive, -ity (flame + able + ivity); react + ive + ity)

Pre-teaching Activity

• Review physical change (liquid water boils, becomes gas, but is still H2O)

• Have student pairs create a chemical change by mixing vinegar (a solution) and baking soda (a compound); discuss what happens

• Explain how vinegar and baking soda react and produce a new compound (carbon dioxide)

Integration of Language

• Use vocabulary repeatedly, demonstrating, explaining, and paraphrasing

• Ensure that students use vocabulary in written lab reports done in small groups

• Model how to infer if a chemical change has occurred or not, and explain how you know, using therefore; students practice in small groups

ELL Handout

Proven Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners ERN Audioconference Suzanne Irujo, Ed.D. 9/30/08

Examples of Conversational and Academic Language Tasks

Listening and Speaking Language lessons with demonstrations

and illustrations Art, music, physical education, shop,

some vocational subjects Face-to-face conversation Following simple, demonstrated

directions Playing a simple game

(Conversational Tasks)

Listening and Speaking Demonstration of a process Lesson with demonstrations and

illustrations Making oral presentations Answering higher-level questions Hands-on science activities Math computation problems Academic discussions Reading and Writing Heavily illustrated text books Math word problems with concrete

referents or pictures Writing simple reports with format

provided Filling in graphic organizers

(Contextualized Academic Tasks)

Listening and Speaking Decontextualized language drills Answering lower-level questions Predictable telephone conversations Reading and Writing Shopping list Note from family member on a

predictable topic Recipes Directions on medicine Oral reading Copying words and sentences Written pattern practice exercises Writing answers to lower-level questions Filling out forms

(Decontextualized Tasks)

Listening and Speaking Content subject explanation without

demonstration or illustration Reading and Writing Reading comprehension Math word problems without illustrations Reading for information in content

subjects Compositions, essays Research and report writing Writing answers to higher-level questions Standardized achievement tests

(Academic Tasks)