Improving Classroom Strategies for ELLs
More than any other question I get from anxious teachers with ELLs in their classroom for the first time is some form of “How do I teach these students when they don’t understand what I am saying, and they can’t read the instructions or assignments that are in their books, or I post on the board.” This section is designed to provide the answer for the many teachers in this awkward situation asking this question. In this section, we offer strategies and valuable tips to improve the effectiveness of lesson plans and the classroom setting to increase ELLs’ participation and academic achievement in your classroom.
Lesson Planning for ELLs
Teachers must be sensitive to the difficult situation many ELLs find themselves in core subject classrooms. Often these students need to learn basic English language skills and grade-level content and vocabulary in the core subjects. Try to imagine not knowing any Spanish language skills but moving to Spain as a 10th grader and attempting to learn basic Spanish language grammar while trying to understand classic Spanish literature or Spanish history in the Spanish language. Now think about the ELLs who come to the United States from countries with languages with entirely different foundations and alphabets than English, such as Chinese or Arabic. ELLs in this unique situation require teachers to adjust their lessons to address their needs.
Steps for Developing Effective Lesson Plans for ELLs
Teachers can assist their ELLs in developing the ELLs language skills and literacy and build on their background knowledge for them to succeed through effective lesson planning. Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) is a foundation for teaching basic English skills while simultaneously teaching content. Although SIOP is an excellent framework for lesson planning for ELLs, it allows for flexibility in lesson planning. This section lists ideas for practical lesson-planning strategies for the ELLs in your classroom based on SIOP.
Lesson Planning with Sheltered SIOP
LDOE – Lesson plan template
1 – Identify Content Objectives
Lesson objectives should always be identified and displayed in the classroom and in lesson plans. This display provides the students an understanding of what they are intended to learn in the lesson, giving the activities meaning and direction. Teachers can facilitate this understanding by defining, displaying, and reviewing the objectives in precise, straightforward language.
2 – Identify Language Objectives
Core subject teachers must identify language objectives as well as content objectives. Once the language objectives identified, teachers can integrate both content and language objectives into the lesson plan. This integration will allow the students to learn the language necessary to understand the content.
Your state department of education should provide a list on its website listing content connectors for grade-level ELLs that will help teachers understand how to connect language and content. Here are the Lousiana Department of Education (LDOE) student standard connectors for ELLs:
3. Scaffolding
Scaffolding for ELLs is a metaphor for providing temporary support similar to scaffolding during building construction, as with the building project, where the builders remove the scaffolding as the construction nears completion; it is also discarded for the ELLs as they reach English proficiency.
Scaffolding lessons with multiple forms of visual and interactive support is essential to lesson planning for ELLs’ content comprehension. School districts expect ELLs to learn content without full English language proficiency, which requires teachers to utilize various scaffolding techniques for the ELLs in their classrooms. By incorporating interactive, sensory, and graphic support into the lesson, teachers can improve ELLs’ content comprehension. For example, in addition to explaining the content through speaking or text, use Venn diagrams for science, and have students create pamphlets for social studies or other appropriate visual aids to demonstrate the essential aspects of the lesson whenever possible.
Helful Scaffolding links
The link below offers an understanding and examples of sensory, interactive, and graphic scaffolding.
https://tankhuynh.com/scaffolding-instruction/
4. Differentiate Instruction
Although many ELLs may be newcomers to our country and have minimal English proficiency, this does not mean they are incapable of critical thinking or learning grade-level content. Often, teachers feel that they need to provide less rigorous content for ELLs; however, the opposite is true. By differentiating instruction for ELLs, teachers can instruct them toward grade-level expectations.
Below is a link to an example of a science teacher differentiating instruction to help the ELLs in his classroom engage in his experiment. He created a color-coded data-collection table to assist ELLs to organize their data. In this manner, ELLs are able to engage in the activity in a different fashion than the other students without unnecessarily dumbing down the content.
Link to Differentiated Lesson Example
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nNMu7DDMAKFMFFsWaJgvFXmVuZgAQc7PLJ1hycKp8Mw/edit?pli=1
5. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
Teaching content provides teachers a valuable opportunity to teach ELLs Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). Learning content cultivates listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills simultaneously. Classroom content acquisition requires ELLs to use every English language domain. Therefore, teachers should develop lesson plan strategies to incorporate English language practice while teaching content.
The CLIL classroom has these four elements:
- Content – Progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to curriculum
- Communication – Using language to learn
- Cognition – Developing thinking skills to link concepts, understanding, and language
- Culture – Exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings.
Teachers should incorporate strategies ensuring activities are challenging and attainable for their ELLs.
link to understanding clil
YouTube videos:
Helpful Links
Here is a helpful link that explains SIOP in detail with links to lesson plan checklists and templates:
https://www.empoweringells.com/siop-lesson-plan/
This is a link from LDOE with content connectors for ELLs:
Link to differentiated lesson example
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nNMu7DDMAKFMFFsWaJgvFXmVuZgAQc7PLJ1hycKp8Mw/edit?pli=1
Link to understanding scaffolding
