Strengthening Your ESL Students’ Skills : Practical Strategies That Work

ESL Students Need… Time Cognitively Demanding Work Comprehensible Input Multiple Evaluations Modified Lessons Variety of “Reinforcing” Activities

It Takes Eight Years to Learn a Language!! Every lesson needs to be introduced, reinforced and mastered. Break skills into micro steps and repeat them many times. Do not expect mastery for a long time. “It takes as long as it takes.”

ESL Students Need Cognitively Demanding Work Input should be slightly higher than their independent level. It should be context embedded (lots of pictures, visual clues, facial expressions and gestures.)

ESL Students Need Comprehensible Input Use preview and review method. Give strong warm-ups for each lesson. Demonstrate lessons, assign students partners. Emphasize vocabulary development.

ESL Students Need Several Different Evaluations Ask students to show understanding –Pointing - Can you point to …? –Drawing - Can you draw a picture showing …? –Oral directions - Can you pick up the pencil? Ask students to give opinions and defend them. Invite applications and analyses of cause and effect.

A Modified Science Lesson Warm-up –Start by backing up –Give students opportunities to work with pictures or real objects. During the Lesson- –Present new vocabulary with vivid illustrations (comprehensible)

After the lesson: Have pairs of students retell the lesson together. Have students redraw the lesson in six pictures. Have students label or create phrases for each picture. Have students play “concentration” matching game with pictures and words.

Games, Songs, Choral Readings and “Blab” Sessions are all tools.