55 ESL Activies to Promote Literacy

55 ESL Activies to Promote Literacy By Angelica Molero Shira Wrightman Brook Mackin Aubrey Korneta Chris Donohoe Eric Eagon Jennifer Timm Bhagli Suren Melissa Katz Matthew Holzgrafe Allison Wolf Instructional Activities Guide Compiled by Shira Wrightman and Angelica Molero

1. Vocabulary Dice (elementary, beginner-advanced) Activity Description: This activity requires a pair of teacher-created dice. On each side of one of the large dice the teacher tapes target vocabulary words. On each side of the other die the teacher tapes tasks such as "write a sentence," "act it out" or "draw a picture." A student rolls the pair of dice in order to receive a vocabulary word he or she must work with and a task to complete. Small groups can collaborate in order to perfom the designated task for the vocabulary word that they have rolled.

**This activity was adapted from Townsend's 2009 article entitled, Building Academic Vocabulary in After School Settings: Games for Growth with Middle School English language learners.

Implementation:This activity can be adapted for any language level and age, provided the teacher chooses appropriate words and appropriate tasks. The activity came from an article about vocabulary games for middle-school, but I have implemented it in an after school program for third and fourth graders. For beginning ELLs tasks such as drawing pictures or acting the words out would work best. For advanced ELLs, more linguistically demanding tasks such as writing the word in a sentence can be incorporated. Some suggestions for further adapting this activity include changing all of the sides of the task die to "guessable" activities such as charades, pictionary or describing the words and having students play in teams. One could vary the activities on each side of the die in other ways. Alternate activities could include completing a sentence starter such as "this word reminds me of..." or looking the word up in a dictionary. This activity can be used to reinforce recently taught vocabulary or to cycle through and review older vocabulary words.

2. Vocabulary Journal (elementary, intermediate-advanced) Activity Description: Students use individual notebooks to maintain a record of new vocabulary words encountered throughout class readings. After the text's reading is completed, students enter the new vocabulary words into their vocabulary journals. Each word entry consists of writing the word on top of a fresh page, defining it in a short way (when applicable), drawing a picture of the word or a related association, and then using it in a sentence (if applicable). Depending on students' language levels, criteria for each entry is altered. For instance, a beginner student would focus on drawing the picture and recopying the word that matches it. Intermediate students often draw a picture and use the vocabulary word in a new sentence, but may struggle to create a self-constructed simple definition. Therefore, they are not required to do so. Finally, advanced students usually fair well completing all tasks.

**This activity was adapted from "vocabulary logs", as cited in Herrera, et. al., Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Differentiated Literacies (2010). Implementation: To implement this activity, key vocabulary terms are pre-selected by the teacher, and students use them interactively before entering them into their own vocabulary journals. For example, prior to beginning reading a text, the teacher previews the chosen vocabulary by providing a direct, simple definition of the word accompanied by a visual representation. It is then reinforced through the use of total physical reponse (TPR) before and during reading. The teacher's explicit definition of the word is meant to ensure understanding and meaning, and TPR is then utilized to reinforce it. Thus, by the time the class completes reading a given text, students have had multiple opportunities to interact with the word. At this point, vocabulary journals are passed out and students begin the process of entering each new word (usually 3-5, depending on the text). Students usually enter new words into their journals once a week. Because there are several words, students can work at their own pace as they add them to their journals, and ask clarifying questions to each other and the teacher as they work.

3. Word Splash (elementary, beginner-advanced) Activity Description: A vocabulary word is written in the middle of a large piece of chart paper by the teacher. Students are then asked to brainstorm related word or pictorial associations that come to mind when they hear and/ or read that word. Preferably, the word chosen is related in some way to a text read in class, whether through direct exposure or through a connection clearly explained by the teacher. Since a large piece of chart paper is used, with the chosen word written in the middle, several students may work on it at the same time. Students at different language levels may respond differently, though all are encouraged to show as many associations as possible. Beginner students may draw pictures only, intermediate students may show a picture, word definitions, and sometimes a sentence. Advanced students often write synonyms, definitions, and sentences using the word or related associations.

**This activity was adapted from Herrera, et. al., Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Differentiated Literacies (2010).

Implementation: This activity works best in small groups, as teachers may have up to six or seven students working on the same word simultaneously. In my classes, I choose a key word from a text in order to prepare students prior to engaging in the actual reading. This type of free association allows room for building background knowledge, as students are able to see that they already have connections to something from the text. Furthermore, students seem to enjoy the simultaneous peer work. The piece of chart paper can be placed in the middle of a table, for instance, and students sit around it, carving out their corner on the page to express their word or pictorial associations. This activity can be completed in about 5-7 minutes, with a group share at the end. Providing students with an opportunity to share their respective associations is an excellent opportunity for their connections to be validated and/ or clarified by their peers and teacher, as necessary. 4. Free Journal Writing (elementary, intermediate-advanced) Activity Description: Students use notebooks to write freely both in the classroom and beyond. Prior to beginning this type writing, students and teacher should engage in a conversation about what appropriate free journal writing entails. As a group, students can create a list of possible topics to write about, including how they are feeling, what they did in school, where they want to go next weekend, etc. The point the teacher must stress is that their journals provide students with the opportunity to write freely, about whatever is on their minds. Writing can and should be an enjoyable experience that enables us to express our thoughts, ideas, and feelings, without continuously being utilized in strictly project-specific tasks. Because this journal is meant to be a personal form of expression, teachers must make sure to engage in dialogue with students about this purpose, so that they understand the freestanding nature of their journal writing. This activity can be abbreviated or extended, depending on instructional time availability. It can also be adapted to students across language levels, though I have seen that intermediate and advanced ELLs respond better to this type of open-ended exercise.

**This activity was adapted from Davies-Samway, When English Language Learners Write: Connecting Research to Practice, K-8 (2006).

Implementation: The way in which this activity is implemented may vary from classroom to classroom, as it will depend largely on the curriculum and school model followed by the teacher. For example, I have utilized free journal writing as a mainly beyond-the-classroom activity because I am a push-in ESL teacher with limited instructional time. Therefore, I have determined that giving my students ample free journal writing time is not the most effective use of the one-two daily blocks I have with them. Therefore, we have engaged in the conversation about how and why we keep journals, as described above, and students often take the journals home to write their entries. Additionally, though we focus on content-based reading or writing lessons in class, students know that if they finish a given independent practice early, they can get their journals and begin writing.

5. Bilingual Alphabet Chart (elementary, beginner) Activity Description: This activity provides students with an opportunity to isolate the phonemes that exist within the English language and connect them to phonemes that they are already familiar with. It is intended for beginning ELLs of any age. The teacher gives each student a blank bilingual alphabet chart and instructs each student to complete the chart with a parent at home. The chart includes a box for every letter in the English language with space to write words under each letter. Students, along with their parents, must identify words in their native languages that start with each letter on the alphabet chart. Finding cognates is especially helpful, and not every language will have a letter sound that corresponds directly to an English letter. Those boxes can be left blank. Upon completion, students share the words that they found with the rest of their class. Students can use bilingual alphabet charts as a reference when reading or writing. **This activity was adapted from Herrera, et. al., Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Differentiated Literacies (2010).

Implementation: This activity gives students a chance to engage in cross-lingual transfer and places value in the students' prior knowledge. It celebrates the students' native language and allows him or her to engage parents in the learning process. On the flip side, if parents do not participate in the process, it can be especially difficult to engage those students with whom the teacher does not share a language other than English. When implementing lessons which include phonemic awareness objectives, it is useful to refer back to these alphabet charts as a supplemental way to emphasize letter sounds. Students can also tape them to their desks as a resource to use when writing.

6. Cognate Chart (upper elementary, intermediate-advanced) Activity Description: This activity requires a copy of the same text in English and in Spanish. At first, students are asked to look through the English text, picking out any words that look like words they know in Spanish. Each time they find one of these words they write the Spanish word that they are reminded of on a post it. Next, the students read the same text in Spanish, now filling out the post its in English by referring back to the word from the previous text that matches the Spanish word that they know. After finishing both readings, students place their notes on a T-chart where each English word is placed in line with its Spanish equivalent. The teacher leads a discussion of which words are cognates, which are false cognates and any nuanced meanings.

**This activity was adapted from Herrera, et. al., Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Differentiated Literacies (2010).

Implementation: In order to facilitate this activity, the teacher must be a speaker of some of his or her students' native language. Also, an increased number of cognates can be expected to be found by speakers of romance languages. As such, this activity is best suited for a certain segment of any given ELL population-mostly likely Spanish and French speakers. By emphasizing the body of knowledge that students already possess from their native language, it is possible to create a high degree of investment among learners. Also, encouraging students to actively look for cognates while they are reading will allow ELLs to feel empowered by the amount of words they already know.

7. Sentence Completion Activity (elementary, intermediate-advanced) Activity Description: As part of this activity, students are given a weekly handout containing sentences that are missing a word. In order to complete them, students must utilize the vocabulary words of the last week or two (taken from texts read) in order to fill in the appropriate words. Vocabulary word choices are provided in a work bank on top. This activity is particularly beneficial to assess how students are acquiring new vocabulary words, as it measures how students are able to process the words in contextualized, meaningful sentences. The sentences may be created in a definition style for beginners, but may also be scaffolded up by being used in a sentence in which the meaning can be applied, without the explicit structure of a definition-style sentence.

**This activity was adapted from Beck's, Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction (2002).

Implementation: Students work independently while engaged in the sentence completion activity. They are each given a copy of the worksheet and instructed to read each sentence carefully so that they can make the best choice. Prior to being asked to use the target vocabulary words in sentence-context, students should have had several opportunities to interact with the words (through the teacher's explicit instruction, vocabulary journaling, TPR, etc.). Having these multiple opportunities to interact with the words enables students to be more successful at completing this activity. This activity is intended for intermediate-advanced ELLs, though it may be scaffolded for beginners by providing shorter, simpler sentence completion exercises, such as the definition-style sentence mentioned above.

8. Show and Tell/ Share (elementary, beginner-advanced) Activity Description: This activity pushes students to actively engage in dialogue with one another by giving them the opportunity to speak, listen, and respond to one another. Students bring in an object that is special to them in some way, and that they would like to share with the class. Objects can range from a small teddy bear or a favorite book, to a family photograph or a self-made illustration. In order to share their object with the class, students are prompted with several questions, including "what are you sharing with us today?"; "where did you get it?"; "who gave it to you?"; and "why is it special to you?". Students are encouraged to use complete sentences, and re-directed to use the question to create a complete answer as necessary. Once they feel satisfied that they have told us what they wanted about their object, other students have the opportunity to ask any burning questions they have, or make a connection to what was shared.

**This activity was adapted from Kriete's The Morning Meeting Book (2002).

Implementation : In order to execute this activity, the teacher may choose a time that is not intrusive on instructional time. For example, my students engage in this type of whole-group share during Morning Meeting. The day before, a volunteer is chosen to share the next day, and this rotates daily so everyone has a chance to participate. Since we have had a class discussion on what kinds of things we can bring to show and tell/ share time, the student has already been prepped on what types of objects he/ she may bring. Once it is time to share, the student comes to the front of the room and begins to tell us about their chosen special object. It may be helpful to have a chart up with the list of questions that can guide their share, though I have found it is more helpful to simply remind students if they feel stuck. Additionally, many students will have a great deal they want to share, and do not need to rely strictly on the guiding questions listed above. An important component of this activity is to open it up to questions the attentive peers may have once the share is completed. Students often are intrigued by what is shared, and ask insightful inquiries. This activity may last 4-6 minutes, depending on the student's speaking abilities. It can be an enjoyable activity for students at all language levels, as it allows them to share something of value to them, in addition to helping them develop their speaking skills. In turn, peers learn to be sensitive and attentive listeners so that they can ask follow-up questions, or make a connection to what was shared.

9. Academic Taboo (upper elementary, advanced) Activity Description: Teachers create cards with vocabulary words on them (modeled after the popular game "Taboo.") Students must describe the word on their card without saying the word itself with the goal of having their classmates guess the word on their card. They can give examples of the word or give any clues about the context in which one might find the word. In the original game of Taboo, there is a list of forbidden words that can not be used as part of the description. Since this game takes place within the context of English language learning and considering that the nature of academic vocabulary is to be somewhat abstract, there are no forbidden words in this version of the game. The class is divided into two teams and one student at a time from each team is called up to the front of the room. Each of these students goes through as many cards as his or her team can guess in one minute.

Implementation: Vocabulary must be pretaught or explained in context so that students are familiar enough with words in order to be able to guess them. If students have learned the game words only recently, a word bank can be provided so that students have a frame of reference for words they should be thinking about. This game encourages students to make connections between words and creates an exciting, fast- paced atmosphere of friendly competition. Much encouragement and a supportive environment is necessary so that students are not fearful of being singled out to give clues in front of their peers. As students become more comfortable with this game and more advanced in their language abilities, the teacher can include "taboo" words on the cards. For example, if the vocabulary word was "swift," some of the taboo words might be run and race. The student would have to describe the word "swift" without using the taboo words. If beginning ELLs are to be incorporated into this game, they could be allowed to use gestures instead of only words.

10. Picture Puzzler (upper elementary, beginner-advanced) Activity Description: Many of the words that ELLs (and all students) must learn in order to be successful in the classroom are academic words or Tier II vocabulary. These words are often abstract and cannot be easily explained using pictures. Picture puzzlers utilize pictures in order to spur discussion and have students make connections with those words. In order to make a picture puzzler, the teacher puts up pictures (on a smartboard or flashcards) that relate to academic words. For example, Townsend's article suggests using pictures of a kitchen sponge or a screwdriver as a starting point for a discussion about the word "function." Students are expected to explain how the picture that has been presented related to the vocabulary word being studied. Picture puzzlers connect to much of the current research on vocabulary acquisition since they provide for multiple exposures to words, give students opportunities to make personal connections and provide visual support.

Implementation: The reason this article is appropriate for all language abilities is that it gives intermediate and advanced students opportunities to really internalize Tier II words that they might be struggling with by discussing and grappling with different meanings and connections. Picture puzzlers are great for beginners because they expose them to sophisticated words by providing visual support instead of creating a situation where beginners are only exposed to Tier I words since those can usually be easily translated into visual representations. It is important to ensure that students recognize the flexibility of the pictures used in this exercise. In other words, it is important to clarify that academic words do not translate directly into the pictures being used and to explain how the words are related to the pictures. If teachers are ambiguous about this point, they run the risk of leaving students with a skewed perception of what these academic words actually mean.

Word Roll Grade Level(s) 4-12

Language Level(s) Beginner-Advanced

Focus Vocabulary

The following activity is a dice game that allows students to engage with and personalize the meaning of vocabulary words in creative and interactive ways. While the activity was originally geared toward middle school students in an after school setting, this activity can also be effectively implemented during lessons and for a broader range of grades. The creators of the game focused on the development of specific academic vocabulary that appears across multiple content areas (see below). However, this activity could also be used to reinforce other vocabulary units relevant to teaching standards and linguistic levels.

Target Words for Language Activity analysis constitutional established indicate occur role approach context estimate individual percent section area contract evidence interpretation period sector assessment create export involved policy significant assume data factors issues principle similar authority definition financial labor procedure source available derived formula legal process specific benefit distribution function legislation required structure concept economic identified major research theory consistent environment income method response variables

The Dice Game requires some basic initial preparation, but with quick and easy implementation after these steps are taken. First, the teacher must make/acquire two large dice. On one die the teacher attaches a different vocabulary word to each face and then a task to each face of the other die. Tasks may include directions such as draw a picture, write a sentence, act it out, define it, etc. Students work in groups to complete the vocabulary tasks directed by the roll of the dice. This game may be adapted in many ways to expand its uses. For example, this model could be used as a competitive game between teams, as one student from each team comes to the front, rolls the dice, then performs the tasks quickly enough for his/her team to guess the word. Teachers may wish to replace each vocabulary word as it is used with a new word to cover more vocabulary. This activity allows students to interact with the meanings of words through a variety of different expressive outlets.

Townsend, D. (2009). Building academic vocabulary in after-school settings: Games for growth with middle school English-language learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 242-251.

Picture Puzzlers

Grade Level(s) 3-12

Language Level(s) Intermediate-Advanced

Focus Vocabulary

This activity allows students to discuss the meanings of abstract and/or academic words using associated pictures as a prompt. Many higher level words cannot simply be exemplified by a single picture, so this activity prompts students to explore how words can have a variety of connotations depending on the context. Picture Puzzlers serves as an engaging “hook” for a lesson or as a way to examine words through an alternative approach. The teacher first selects a picture that, in some way, exemplifies the meaning of a vocabulary word. This picture may be displayed with a projector or Smartboard or printed out and distributed to groups or individuals. The teacher then asks the students to explore how the picture is linked to the meaning of the selected word. Depending on the nature of the class, the teacher may wish to lead a whole class or small group discussions or ask the students to respond in writing or with partners based on the associations of picture with the word. This activity effectively shows that words are developed through their application in multiple contexts. The teacher may wish to present several pictures based on one word to reinforce this idea more. Not only does this activity allow students to better understand abstract words, it also includes collaborative inquiry and visual support. One potential downside to this activity is that students may still develop overly concrete definitions of words based on the picture they see. For example, if the selected word is separate and the teacher shows a picture from the 1950s of Caucasian and African American people drinking at different water fountains, students may wrongly think that word relates exclusive to discrimination. Therefore, students will need to continue to see and use words in different written, visual, and oral contexts.

Townsend, D. (2009). Building academic vocabulary in after-school settings: Games for growth with middle school English-language learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 242-251.

Concept Picture Sorts – Labeling Grade Level(s) 6-10

Language Level(s) Beginner

Focus Vocabulary

This is activity, found in Words Their Way with English Learners, is a vocabulary activity that focuses on emergent English learners. Ideally, the teacher should procure a copy of the Words Their Way text in order to fully access all of the word and picture sorts provided. However a teacher can also simply make a picture sort of their own or find resources online of thematic picture sorts. The materials required for this activity are copies of a thematic picture sort (page of approximately 20 images based on the selected vocabulary words of the unit), cut into individual picture squares, and then a corresponding set of blank squares for students to write labels on. Students will go through the set of pictures and write a label for each picture on a blank square. After all of the labels have been created, students can go through the cards and match the pictures and labels. The matching exercise can be done independently, in pairs, or in small groups. This activity may be expanded for more diverse uses as well. First, the teacher may prompt the students to write the label in English and also in their native language to simultaneously maintain development in their first language. Once all of the cards are ready, students can play games with these picture cards such as “Memory/Concentration”, charades, bingo, etc. Depending on the nature of the class, a teacher may also want to simply provide the students with a copy of the picture sort to keep in word study notebooks, still going through the process of labeling all of the words for later reference. Keeping this resource on hand may also provide assistance during writing exercises.

Bear, D. R., Helman, L., Templeton, S., Invernizzi, M., & Johnston, F. (2007). Words their way with English learners. Columbus, OH: Pearson.

True or False?

Grade Level(s) 6-12

Language Level(s) Advanced

Focus Reading Comprehension

True of False? is a helpful activity that supports reading comprehension, specifically focusing on main idea. It is designed to activate prior knowledge, allowing students to use their rich socio-cultural backgrounds as a stepping stone to new learning. This activity, based on academic standards, allows for individual practice with the material as well as collaborative work. In advance, the teacher must identify the academic standards or objectives of the lesson and find a text that appropriately covers those objectives. Next, true and false statements must be created to go along with the main points of the text that evoke a response prior to reading the text. The following template may be used as a guide for the handout.

TRUE or FALSE?

Book Title: My Name Is Maria Isabel

Read each of the following statements As you read, write down your reaction to and write down your prediction before BEFORE: each of the statements. Also write down a Page DURING: reading the text. T or F quote to support your idea. number T or F

1. Maria is happy she is going to a new school.

2. It bothers Maria that the teacher does not pronounce her name correctly.

3. The students are nice when Maria starts school.

4. Maria’s parents can help her learn English.

At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher will distribute the handouts and direct students to engage in pre-thinking before reading the text. Students will consider each statement, evaluating whether it is true or false. After students have reviewed the sheet, the teacher may wish to facilitate a whole class or small group discussions relating to their background knowledge. All answers are acceptable considering that this is a pre-reading exercise. Finally, students will read the text and refer back to statements as they come across them in their reading. The teacher may prompt them to use sticky notes to annotate sections of the text that relate to the handout. Students will also continue to fill out response sections on the handout with quotations from the text in relation to the true and false statements. After responses have been crafted, students can work in pairs or small groups to confirm their findings.

Herrera, S. G., Perez, D. R., & Escamilla, K. (2010). Teaching reading to English language learners: Differentiated literacies. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Dialogue Journals

Grade Level(s) 6-12 Language Level(s) Intermediate-Advanced

Focus Writing

Dialogue journals are an effective way to develop students’ writing within a safe context while simultaneously allowing students to express themselves and build relationships. This activity can take on a variety of different forms and can be shaped to meet the needs of your students, classroom, and teaching style. The use of this type of activity requires some consistency to maintain its integrity; however, teachers can still choose how often they want students to write in their journals, whether that is daily, weekly, or biweekly. Initially, the teacher or students must obtain notebooks for their journal entries. A wide variety of prompts may be selected to direct student writing. The prompt could be created in response to a story the class or student is reading, a topic discussed in class, the student’s background, current events, the student’s personal life, or be left open ended. Ideally, the prompt should, in some way, relate to what is being discussed in class. The teacher provides time for the students to complete the entry (beginning or end of class) and also time to respond to their journal partner’s writing (if applicable). This type of activity allows students to have a safe space to express ideas. It is important to provide ELLs with time to reflect on their learning and experiences. A relationship then grows between the student and either the teacher or his/her journal partner. As well, the journal can serve as an effective assessment tool to mark student progress over time. Teachers will need to maintain and ensure that meaningful feedback is provided to the journal entries. Depending on the amount of students and frequency of journal writing, a teacher cannot likely respond to every entry of every student. A system must be developed that staggers when the teacher responds to student writing, for example one randomly selected entry a week if entries are written daily. The teacher must endeavor to refrain from making trite remarks to student writing (e.g. “good work” or “interesting”) and instead allow the student’s work to direct a more naturally flowing written conversation. The teacher should share his/her own ideas while also responding to and asking questions. The dialogue and relationship must be developed in a meaningful way in order for this activity to produce significant results.

Samway. K. D. (2006). When English language learners write: Connecting research to practice, K-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

KWL Charts (Know, Want to know, Learned)

Know Want to Know Learned

This activity is a way to activate students’ prior knowledge about a topic. It was particularly helpful during our non-fiction units because I could use it as part of my book introduction in guided reading. For example, I showed students the cover of a book about frogs, and students would then tell me what they already knew about frogs, using accountable talk stems, such as “I know frogs are…”. This step would allow me to see what vocabulary they might need in order to be successful with the book. Then students could think about what they wanted to learn or what they predicted they would learn in the book. We would also use accountable talk stems, such as “I want to learn about…” or “I think we will learn about…”. Finally, I would tell students that while they were reading, I wanted them to jot down a fact that they learned on a post-it, so that they could tell me at the end. Once they had finished reading, each student would have a chance to share what he or she had learned, using the accountable talk stem, “In this book, I learned…”. This activity is well suited for beginning and intermediate ESL students who need more support when structuring sentences in English. For newcomers, your expectation might be that they simply complete the stem with what they learned. For more advanced students, you could lessen the accountable talk support and make your expectation that they use complete sentences.

Cappellini, M. (2005). Balancing reading and language learning: A resource for teaching English language learners, K-5. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Language Experience Approach

The language experience approach (LEA) is suitable for beginning readers and writers of English. It can be adapted and used in many different grades depending on the content area being covered. LEA is based on what students say, and can be used with one student, small groups, or with the whole class. It helps students see reading as “talk written down” (198). My mentor teacher frequently uses this activity with her kindergarten pullout group. She started a thematic unit on spring, and introduced many spring vocabulary words through a read aloud and a webbing activity. With this background knowledge, she then had students use the accountable talk stem, “Spring is” to tell her what spring meant to them. The students used the vocabulary words that they had discussed to finish the sentence. For example, one student said, “Spring is flowers”, while another student said, “Spring is sunshine”. The teacher acted as the scribe and wrote down exactly what the students said. Once everyone had a chance to share, the students and the teacher would re-read what had been written in a shared reading. Then, they would each illustrate their sentence. My mentor teacher chose to make a bulletin board out of this LEA activity, but she could also have created a class book or a handout that students could re-read. This activity is useful for reading instruction because it uses vocabulary that students are learning in meaningful ways. Furthermore, since students have been exposed to the vocabulary and have participated in shared readings, it is not frustrating for them. LEA can also be used to teach writing because students can see the structure of written English and begin to learn high- frequency words (199).

Escamilla, K., Herrera, S. G., Perez, D. R. (2010). Teaching reading to English language learners: Differentiated literacies. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Phoneme Addition Activity, Letter Detective

The phoneme addition activity is something I do with my kindergarteners when introducing new word families. This activity is best suited for young beginning readers and writers (kindergarten-second grade). For this activity, you will need a white board, white board markers, sheets of 8 1/2” X 11” paper (one per student), and pencils (one per student). I start by writing the word family on the white board, for example, at. Then I will show students a picture of a word in the –at family, such as a cat, and have them identify it. If the word is unfamiliar or has more than one meaning, we would discuss the definition. For example, the word bat has two meanings that kindergarteners should know, so they would need to draw two pictures. Next students will supply the beginning consonant sound they hear. After that, we will blend the word together, and spell it. Students can then write the word on their paper and draw a picture. Once we have gone through all of the words, students can write a sentence using each word. This activity helps students to create new words, which can help them when they are reading and writing because they will be able to successfully recognize or decode more words. It also increases their vocabulary and improves their sound symbol correspondence.

Bilingual Picture Dictionaries

Bilingual dictionaries are useful for many different age-ranges and can be adapted to suit beginning, intermediate, and advanced students. I have seen teachers use a similar version of this activity with lower elementary grades, so I will detail how they implemented it in that setting. One example of how teachers use this activity is when they are teaching new letters and sounds, they have students pick a word to use for that letter, they write the word in English and in their native language, and draw a picture to represent the word. This helps students make associations between the English label and the label in their native language. Teachers could also use this activity in a thematic unit. For example, if they are doing a unit on marine life, they could have students illustrate new vocabulary words in their picture dictionaries, so that they can refer back to the dictionaries throughout the unit. One major advantage of this activity is that teachers do not need to be speakers of the students’ native languages. Students can use their own background knowledge and language experiences to learn new vocabulary more efficiently. To differentiate the activity, you could have beginners simply write the words and draw a picture, intermediate students could use the word in a sentence, and advanced students could write a definition for the word or think of synonyms. If students are not literate in their first language, picture dictionaries can still be helpful for reinforcing new vocabulary for students. Instead of including the translation in their native language, students would simply write the word and draw a picture. More advanced students could write a definition or use the word in a sentence as well.

Word Splash

Word splash is an appropriate activity for beginners, intermediate, and advanced students, and is suitable for many age groups. Currently I use this activity with my first and second grade classes, but I have adapted it and used it with high school students. You write a word on the board or on chart paper, and students write what they think of when they read that word. Beginning students could write in their native language or draw pictures to represent what the word means to them. Intermediate and advanced students could write in English. This activity can be whole-class, small group, or individual. For example, I have used this word splash with a whole class to activate my students' prior knowledge about a topic that we were going to discuss. I have also done this activity in small groups as part of a book introduction. With indivdual students, this activity can be a good way to get them thinking about a writing topic. Word splash is a useful exercise because it allows students to make connections with concepts or with vocabulary words, which can help further their understanding of a topic or definition. It can also be helpful for teachers because they can see what their students already know, and where gaps in information exist.

Academic Taboo

Grade Level(s) K-12

Focus Vocabulary

Copied from Townsend, D. (2009): "Based on Taboo by Hasbro, this quick-thinking word game involved words in multiple contexts with opportunities for students to process and personalize word meanings. The object of the game is for a student to get his or her team to say a target word by describing it using related words; however, there is a list of closely related words that cannot be used. For example, the student might have to get the team to say the word umbrella without using the words rain, open, protect, or water"

Townsend, D. (2009). Building academic vocabulary in after-school settings: Games for growth with middle school English-language learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 242-251. (Retrieved from ERIC database.) Pictionades

Grade Level(s) Upper Elementary and Middle School

Language Level(s) Beginning-Intermediate- Advanced

Focus Vocabulary

Copied from Townsend, D. (2009): "Many students are familiar with both Pictionary by Milton Bradley and Charades, and this game was a combination of both. It involved multiple contexts for words, visual support, and, again, opportunities for students to actively practice and personalize word meanings. The format used in Language Workshop was similar to the format for Academic Taboo, but two students would come up for each team to draw the word and silently act it out rather than talk about it. Simple Pictionary proved to be very difficult with the academic words (anecdotally, we even watched college students have a difficult time trying to de- pict words like interpret or specific), so we added the charades component, hence Pictionades!"

Townsend, D. (2009). Building academic vocabulary in after-school settings: Games for growth with middle school English-language learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 242-251. (Retrieved from ERIC database.)

Action Jeopardy!

Grade Level(s) Middle and High School

Focus Vocabulary Copied from Townsend, D. (2009): "Although time-intensive to create, an Action Jeopardy! game (based on the TV show Jeopardy! by Sony Pictures) for a set of target words can really engage students in active processing of many words at once. The Action Jeopardy! game board, which is posted for all to see, has a series of answers for which the contestants have to provide questions. In Language Workshop, the categories at the top of the game board were definition, synonym, antonym, sentence, and context, as well as one category from the two dis- covery texts on the solar system and great inventions used in the intervention. Each category had answers worth from 1 to 6 tickets (tickets could be used in the Language Workshop “store” for school supplies and games), with the answers getting increasingly harder with increasing ticket values. There was also a second “double-jeopardy” round, which, similar to the TV show, included more challenging answers that were worth double the ticket values. Together, both rounds of the game led to a total of 60 answers on 60 different words. Because so many different words were included in the game, and because students’ English proficiency levels varied widely, each student had a word list and a dictionary to use as resources.

Students were divided into three groups of six or seven students, and each team took turns choosing answers. If the team who chose the answer could not provide an accurate question (e.g., “What is benefit?”) in one minute, the other two teams would each have a chance to write down responses. To include students with limited English proficiency, all students were occasionally selected to be the team speaker, which involved selecting the next answer and providing responses on behalf of the team.

The “Action” part of Action Jeopardy! was our effort to keep all students engaged, moving around, and having fun. Occasionally, students would select an answer only to find a physical challenge instead of an academic word. All teams participated in each physical challenge, which included activities like doing 10 push-ups or holding a yoga pose for one minute. Students who did not wish to participate could opt out, and other students could complete the challenge for them. Language Workshop was 20 sessions long, and sessions 10 and 20 were Action Jeopardy! tournaments. These tournaments provided students with multiple exposures to words in multiple contexts, opportunities to process word meanings, and opportunities for collaboration with peers"

Townsend, D. (2009). Building academic vocabulary in after-school settings: Games for growth with middle school English-language learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 242-251. (Retrieved from ERIC database.)

Reading Scavengerhunt

Grade Level(s) Middle and High School

Focus Reading For this activity the teacher prepares a list of questions--each taken from a different text in a unit of instruction. The questions are prepared in a scavenger hunt format. As students read the books for the unit, they will find the answers to the questions being asked and record them on the scavenger hunt worksheet. This activity can be used as a way to invest students in reading and to help build excitement around a given unit of study.

The following scavenger hunt questions were copied from a thematic unit about the fall season to be used in a middle school context (Maxwell, 2004).

The Game 1. Who is the illustrator of the Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor book The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia McKissack? 2. Halloween is Grinch Night is a story by this famous children’s book author. 3. Name the American Library Association award-winning book for young adults in which a magical being reveals himself to Michael and Mina, offering them hope. Hint: The author is David Almond. 4. In the Coretta Scott King Awardwinning folktale The Talking Eggs by Robert San Souci, what is the name of the young girl who is rewarded for her kindness to a strange old woman? 5. In the story Wiley and the Hairy Man by Molly Bang, how many times does Wiley have to fool the Hairy Man to be forever rid of him? 6. Kat Kong and Dogzilla are two of the creatures in books of the same name written and illustrated by this highly imaginative children’s author. 7. Who is the main character in Lois Lowery’s Newbery Medalwinning, futuristic novel The Giver? 8. Is the phantom real or imaginary in the children’s modern classic The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton? 9. Greenwitch, The Grey King, Silver on the Tree, and Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper are all a part of this highly honored series. 10. In this folktale by Cynthia C. DeFelice, a skeleton is finally put to rest after dancing itself to pieces. 11. Some of this poet’s bestknown tales of horror include The Raven, The Bells, The Pit and the Pendulum, Cask of Amontillado, and The Tell-Tale Heart. 12. At the end of Dark Tale by Ruth Brown, who is hiding in the box in the cupboard? 13. What is the name of the phenomenally successful series by J. K. Rowling that tells the story of the education of young witches and wizards? 14. Name the award-winning children’s author who is best known for her ghost stories, two of which are Christina’s Ghost and The Dollhouse Murders. 15. Donald S. Sobol is best known for his many mystery books starring a main character who is a boy detective. What is the young sleuth’s name? 16. Oscar is the “wiener-dog” in this humorous Halloween picture story by Dav Pilkey. 17. Chester, Harold, and Bunnicula have appeared in a number of horrifyingly funny stories by James Howe. What kind of animals are Chester, Harold, and Bunnicula? Hint: Read Howliday Inn, Nighty- Nightmare, Bunnicula, or The Celery Stalks at Midnight. 18. How many books comprise the Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal-winning series The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander? 19. In Joanna and Paul Galdone’s retelling of the spooky ghost story Tailypo, what is a tailypo? 20. Adapted from an old South African folktale, what is the name of Pete Seeger’s story-song about a giant who terrifies a town, eating up everything he can catch?

Maxwell, D. (2004). Falling for fall reading games: Great stories for the season. Library Media Connection, 23(2), 46. (Retrieved from ERIC database.)

Instructional Activities Guide for English Language Learners Eric Eagon, Bhagli Suren, and Jennifer Timm CTGE 5846 April 14, 2010

1. Title of Activity: Phonics Chaser English Language Proficiency Level(s): Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Level(s): Elementary School Targeted English Module(s): Listening and Speaking Activity Description: This game is a modified version of Duck, Duck, Goose. The teacher chooses two words that sound similar, such as “thick” and “thin.” The students sit in a circle and Student A goes around tapping each student on the shoulder while saying the first word. When Student A says the second word, the chosen student, Student B, must stand and chase Student A. Student A tries to make it around the circle and sit in Student B’s seat before being tagged by Student B. If Student A arrives in Student B’s seat without being tagged, Student B would continue the game as the new student tapper. Phonics Chaser targets ESL students’ listening skills and to a lesser degree, their speaking skills. Students must listen closely to hear the word change in order to know when to get up and run around the circle. The student who is tapping each student also must be able to produce the different sounds so that his or her fellow students can understand and participate in the game. Phonics Chaser is most appropriate for younger students. The example set of words given by Parnell requires students to hear the difference between the end sounds /k/ and /n/, but this activity could easily be modified to practice initial sounds (ex: “bat, bat, pat”), middle vowel sounds (ex: “sat, sat, sit”), participles (ex: “go, go, gone”), or different prefixes or suffixes (ex: “walk, walk, walking”). The flexibility of the Phonics Chaser activity makes it appropriate for beginner, intermediate, or advanced students. Source: Parnell, C. (2008). Phonics Chaser. Retrieved from http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi? display:1090993234-88844.txt.

2. Title of Activity: “/Ch/” Chocolate Phonics Activity English Language Proficiency Level(s): Beginner Age Level(s): Elementary School, Middle School, High School Targeted English Module(s): Listening, Speaking, and Reading Activity Description: This phonics activity is designed to teach the /ch/ sound using a comparison with the /ch/ sound in Spanish. For the activity, the teacher hands out a copy of a well-known traditional Mexican poem about mixing hot chocolate and asks students to circle any words that they know. Even students who do not speak Spanish will likely be able to circle “chocolate” because it is a cognate in English. The teacher will ask students how to pronounce the word in Spanish and then in English. After reading the word several times, the teacher will ask the students if /ch/ makes the same sound in English as in Spanish. The class will then read the poems together in English and in Spanish. The “/Ch/” Chocolate phonics activity is appropriate for a mixed-language classroom, as long as there are Spanish-speaking students. The activity teaches a beginning phonics objective and is suitable for beginning ESL students. Because the activity requires hire-level thinking skills, such as comparing and evaluating sounds in two languages, this beginning-phonics activity can be used for older students as well as younger students. The overall format of finding culturally- relevant short texts to teach phonics could be repeated to teach other letter-sound combinations in an authentic context.

Chocolate (Spanish) Bate, bate, chocolate, Tu nariz de cacahuate. Uno, dos, tres, CHO! Uno, dos, tres, CO!

Chocolate (English) Stir, stir, chocolate, Your nose is a peanut. One, two, three, CHO! One, two, three, CO Source: Herrera, S.G., Perez, D.R., & Escamilla, K. (2010). Teaching reading to English language learners: Differentiated literacies. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

3. Title of Activity: Five-Day Story Read-Aloud English Language Proficiency Level(s): Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Level(s): Elementary School, Middle School, High School Targeted English Module(s): Listening and Speaking Activity Description: The Five-Day Story Read-Aloud takes the classic read-aloud activity and expands it to a five- day format with the same book to enhance vocabulary acquisition and comprehension in English Language Learners. The teacher chooses a book and divides it into several sections of about 200- 250 words based on appropriate stopping points the story. The entire book is read over three to five days in thirty-minute sessions. On the first day, the teacher first previews the book. Then the teacher presents three vocabulary words. After the teacher reads the selected passage she asks them for literal and inferential comprehensions and has the students make predictions. The teacher reviews the vocabulary words, rereads the selected passage, pausing to reinforce and clarify selected vocabulary words. On Days 2, 3, and 4, the teacher begins by reviewing the previous day’s content and vocabulary. Then the teacher reads the selected passage and asks literal and inferential comprehensions and has the students make predictions. Then the teacher reviews the selected vocabulary words and rereads the day’s passage, stopping to go over the selected vocabulary words. On Day 5 (or on whichever day is the last day), the teacher chooses five of the previously-taught vocabulary words to review. After going over the words with the students, the teacher reads the entire story to students and then the students answer comprehension questions that use the selected vocabulary words. Finally, the students participate in a separate activity that is designed to reinforce the selected review vocabulary, such as playing “charades” with the words or using the words to create a new story. This read-aloud activity is appropriate for all ages and ESL levels, but must be modified to make it appropriate for different ages and language-proficiency levels by choosing suitable books and vocabulary words for each group and by choosing an age-appropriate final vocabulary review activity on the final day. The teacher also must carefully scaffold the comprehension questions to give students the support they need. However, with appropriate modifications, the Five-Day Story Read-Aloud can be a powerful instructional activity for all ages and language levels.

Source: Hickman, P., Pollard-Durodola, S., Vaughn, S. (2004). Storybook reading: Improving vocabulary and comprehension for English-language learners. The Reading Teacher, 57(8), 720- 730. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20205423. 4. Title of Activity: Poetry Read-Aloud English Language Proficiency Level(s): Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Level(s): Elementary School, Middle School, High School Targeted English Module(s): Listening and Speaking (This activity can be used as a quiet reading exercise for advanced students as well). Activity Description: Poetry can aid ELLs acquire new vocabulary words and learn strategies to aid pronunciation such as rhyme schemes and syllabic awareness. Poems are short, so teachers can use them for any grade level. I'd recommend doing a Poetry Read-Aloud once or twice month on a Friday as relaxing end of the week activity, which can be used for social consciousness; it can also be used to introduce a new content area lesson for the following day or week such as science or math. The teacher will select one poem or two poems to read. The follow up can be a question and answer session with the class about theme, vocabulary words, and structure. The teacher can identify words that rhyme or or highlight other phrasal qualities such as onomatopoeia or alliteration.The teacher should allow the students work in small groups or pairs for a follow-up activity, which may include drawings or collage making for younger students and beginners. Older, intermediate to advanced students may want to write their own poetry, but the instructor shouldn't put too much emphasis on the correct form. Students can also re-read the poem the teacher read to each other; they can choose to read a poem by the same author or about a similar theme in order to practice fluency as well.

Some Poetry Books to consider:  Hip Hop Speaks to Children with CD: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat (A Poetry Speaks Experience). Nikki Giovanni (recommended for grades 4 through 10)  Poems from Many Cultures: Poetry Collection 4 (Poetry Collections). Fiona Waters (recommended for graded 5 through 10)  The Tree Is Older Than You Are: A Bilingual Gathering of Poems & Stories from Mexico with Paintings by Mexican Artists. Naomi Shihab Nye (grades 4 through 10)  Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems (Aladdin Picture Books). Lee Bennett Hopkins (grades 2 through 6)  One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (I Can Read It All by Myself). Theodore Seuss Geisel (grades K through 3) Source: Vardell S., Hadaway, N., & Young, T. (2002). Choosing and sharing poetry with ESL students. Book Links, 11(5), 51.

5. Title of Activity: Current Events Response English Language Proficiency Level(s): Intermediate, Advanced Age Level(s): Older Elementary, Middle, High Targeted English Module(s): Writing, Listening or Reading. Activity Description: Students can read a newspaper or an online current events article in their native language or in English.They may also watch a segment from a news broadcast from the language of their choice. They will write a short summary of their understanding from the article or segment. This assignment is a good way of incorporating social interest among students. I remember doing a similar activity in the 4th grade, the teacher asked us to watch a news clip from one of the 5 o'clock programs and write a couple paragraphs about what we saw. I thought it was fun because I got a chance to watch it with my mom and talk about it (in Gujurati), which is why I think it is beneficial for ELLs because they get an opportunity to use their native language. The students then write a short paragraph about the article or broadcast in English and bring it to class with them the next day. They can work in groups and discuss their thoughts with peers. Source: Banville, S. (2005). Creating ESL/EFL lessons based on news and current events. The Internet TESL Journal, XI(9). Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Banville-News/.

6. Title of Activity: Reading about Food from Different Countries English Language Proficiency Level(s): Advanced Beginners to Intermediate Age Level(s): Elementary School (up to 5th grade) Targeted English Module(s): Listening and Speaking. Activity Description: The teacher does a read aloud week (maybe two) of stories about cultural foods such as  Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan  Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto  Chaat and Sweets by Amy Wilson Sanger  Bee-Bim Bop by Linda Sure Park  This Is the Way We Eat Our Lunch: A Book About Children Around the World by Edith Baer. This activity allows teachers to introduce new vocabulary words pertaining to different foods and cultures, it also lets students hear about their own heritage. Before doing this activity, it might be a good idea to get a sense of everyone's background and choose the books accordingly. ELLs might not understand all of the content presented in the books, but in my experience in and out of school food has an incredible way of bringing people together. At the end of each read-aloud students will discuss their likes and dislikes with a small group. The teacher can walk around and help guide them. A culmination activity can include the ELLs bringing in food (if necessary outlets for parent outreach are available). They can also draw and write simple phrases about their own family table. It is important to encourage pride among culturally diverse students. Teachers should limit ELLs sense of "otherness" in the classroom. This lesson can lead to other multicultural activities such as holidays from around world or similarities in fairy tales from around world (Cinderella comes in a variety versions). Source: Rowsell, J. & Sztainbok V. (2007). Losing strangeness: Using culture to mediate ESL teaching. Language, Culture & Curriculum, 20(2), 140-154.

7. Title of Activity: Electronic Chicken Soup Journal Writing English Language Proficiency Level(s): Upper-Intermediate, Advanced Age Level(s): Middle School, High School Targeted English Module(s): Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking Activity Description: This weekly journaling activity seeks to address problems of student engagement and personal relevance in traditional journaling activities. In the activity, the teacher e-mails a story from Chicken Soup for the Soul to students through the website . The teacher can vary this activity by reading the story aloud to the students for a change of pace or if computer access is a problem. After receiving the story, the students must read it and come to the next class prepared to discuss their reactions and ideas. The discussion helps scaffold the students’ understanding as they prepare to write. After the discussion, students reflect on the stories, their reactions, and the class discussion in their journals. Roman-Perez points out that the journal writing can be scaffolded with optional prompts, such as “what did you think of this story?” or “do you agree or disagree with what happened?” (p.313).

The Electronic Chicken Soup Journal activity helps add student engagement in journaling by giving them real-life stories to which they can relate. Furthermore, there is an added sense of excitement and ownership of the story for the students because they receive a personalized copy of the story every week and get to use the internet to do so. The journaling exercise targets reading as the students read the story, listening and speaking during the classroom discussion, and writing during journaling. Due to the advanced and independent nature of the activity, it is appropriate for middle or high school students. Similarly, because the Chicken Soup books are more advanced and do not have picture supports, this activity is appropriate for upper- intermediate and advanced students. However, with modified texts, the basic format of the activity could be transferred to a younger and/or less advanced group. Source: Roman-Perez, R.I. (2003). Whatever works: Electronic chicken soup for reluctant ESL writers. The Clearing House, 76(6), 310-314. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30189859.

8. Title of Activity: Movie Trailer Listening Activity English Language Proficiency Level(s): Upper-Intermediate, Advanced Age Level(s): Elementary School, Middle School, High School Targeted English Module(s): Listening Activity Description: In this activity, students watch movie trailers and complete cloze exercises of dialogue and listening comprehension questions based on what they heard. First, the students watch the clip and do a fill-in-the-blank exercise for a portion of the dialogue heard in the script individually. Next, the teacher reveals the answers and the students self-check their answers. Once the students have reviewed the correct answers, they go into groups to answer literal and inferential comprehension questions about the clip, such as “why does so-and-so say … to …?” The students record their answers on a handout with the questions and are graded on the appropriateness of their responses. This activity targets listening because students need to listen closely in order to complete the cloze activity and to respond to the comprehension questions. It is suitable for intermediate and advanced language students because of the rapid-paced language in movie clips. Finally, because movies are an engaging activity for all ages, this activity can be used with all age groups, as long as the teacher chooses an appropriate movie trailer. Source: Gebhardt, J. (2004). Using movie trailers in an ESL CALL class. The Internet TESL Journal, X(10). Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Gebhardt-MovieTrailers.html.

9. Title of Activity: Listening to Old MacDonald to Learn about Animals English Language Proficiency Level(s): New Arrivals, Beginners up to Intermediate. Age Level(s): Elementary School (Kindergarten to 3rd Grade) Targeted English Module(s): Listening Activity Description: ELLs will learn some background information about sounds and vocabulary words related to the song Old MacDonald. I saw it used in a first grade ESL classroom last year. The students practiced Old MacDonald for several weeks in order to perform it in front of an assembly while dressed as some of the animals mentioned. The song has repetition and onomatopoeia, because it includes rhythm it can help students acquire vocabulary faster. Students should listen and read along with the song at least three to four times before doing some exercises, which can include:  Matching animal picture cards with a given description.  Creating a new verse for the song with a different animal.  Students can label picture handouts with animal names (early beginners can color them).  Teach students the animal baby names (i.e. piglet, calf, puppy, foal).  Find native language translations (there are Spanish, Arabic and Portugese versions).  For intermediate ELLs: what purpose does each animal serve on the farm? They can answer true or false/yes and no questions or write sentences (they should work in pairs or small groups). Source: TE Editor. (2008). Using traditional songs. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/teaching-kids/using-traditional-songs.

10. Title of Activity: Using Math Word Problems for Literacy and Content Development English Language Proficiency Level(s): Intermediate to Advanced. Age Level(s): Elementary, Middle and High School Targeted English Module(s): Reading and Writing Activity Description: Word problems can help ELLs learn new vocabulary while helping them enhance their skills in math. Before starting a lesson, teachers should make sure that the students are well prepared with background knowledge of the terminology in order to understand what is being taught. Althought vocabulary barriers can be broken, teachers should go over doing different kinds of word problems with students before they can tackle them on their own. This means encouraging ELLs to draw graphs and diagrams, explaining the nuances of question structure, and allowing them to work together. Also, using some of the terms in a classroom context will help students acquire meaning:  There are 20 students here today, how many are absent?  It's 50 degrees outside this morning how much warmer is it than yesterday?  There 4 students wearing blue shirts and 6 students wearing red shirts what percentage of the class is wearing red and blue? When ELLs are able to dicipher word problems, they can create their own using acquired vocabulary and math skills. In the fifth grade I did this activity with my class; we wrote several math problems and created a small book, our teacher even lamenated the cover. It was exciting to say the least. After we had our finished product, we passed our books around and answered the word problems our peers had created on separate sheets of paper. It was wonderful way to culminate the lesson. Source: Krick-Morales, B. (2008). Reading and understanding written math problems. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/13281.

11. Title of Activity: Writing a Christmas Card English Proficiency Level(s): Beginner Age Level(s): Middle School Targeted English Module: Writing Activity Description: The activity on writing a Christmas Card is a writing exercise that exposes learners to a major American holiday tradition as well as a different form of writing. Students start the lesson learning about different American customs attached to Christmas, and are introduced to the use of greeting cards as one of the holiday’s rituals. The activity allows students to learn about the story of Santa Claus and what children believe he does on Christmas. Students address their cards to Santa (Christmas Cottage, Ho-ho Lane, North Pole), and write about what gifts they want for Christmas. Students practice writing in the form of a letter, making lists, and including relevant information. This activity is described as rather simple, though it could (and should) have more structure. It is good that students learn about American cultural practices, though it would be helpful to have students relate their experiences celebrating Christmas or another major holiday. Since the students are Beginning, the activity should have many structures. These include, but are not limited to, a vocabulary bank with pictures, sentence frames for the letter, a model Christmas card, and perhaps a demonstration of the teacher’s thinking process while s/he writes the model card. Students celebrate their achievements in writing by exchanging the cards with other students, though according to the activity’s description, the lesson seems to be more leisurely than academic. Source: Turkan, S. & Celik, S. (2007). Integrating culture into EFL texts and classrooms: Suggested lesson plans [Electronic Version]. Novitas-ROYAL: Research on Youth and Language, 1(1), 28- 29.

12. Title of Activity: Amateur Sociologists English Proficiency Level(s): Advanced Age Level(s): High School Targeted English Module: Writing Activity Description: “Amateur Sociologists” lets students practice their skills of investigating, interviewing, and summarizing. Advanced high-schoolers choose to examine different aspects of American culture – as observers, not authorities on the subject – and then write about their experiences. The article mention the possible topic of American courtship rituals as a path of exploration for students. In this case, students could go into “the field” (their neighborhood, the mall, etc.) and take notes on their observations, do research through magazine and newspaper articles, and interview “subjects.” Then, students create a report or project and present their findings. The students practice skills of concise writing, synthesizing, and summarizing. This activity gives students an opportunity to interact with American culture outside the classroom in a more authentic way. Students will gain new vocabulary from listening and reading that they can use in their writing, and they will furthermore gain a deeper understanding of the diversity and variances in American cultural activities. Source: Macdonald, V. L. & Macdonald, A. F. (1989). Cultural literacy and English as a Second Language: A perspective [Electronic version]. Clearing House, 62(7), 316.

13. Title of Activity: Writing Questionnaire English Proficiency Level(s): Intermediate Age Level(s): High School Targeted English Module: Writing Activity Description: A student questionnaire asks students to reflect on personal writing pieces from throughout the year by asking them a set of questions to which they respond in writing. The questionnaire might students why they selected these particular pieces to discuss, what their strengths in writing are, and what they have learned from these writing assignments. The questionnaire has students focus on the positives, reflect on aspects of their work, and set goals for the future. The activity is a great way to elicit sincere personal writing and some academic phrasing. In addition to having students reflect on writing pieces, teachers can also implement questionnaires to get to know students at the beginning of the year, in anticipation for a new unit or book, for reflection on a single assignment, or as a culminating reflection on an entire unit. This activity gives students a lot of freedom to write expressively through its open-ended questions, but it also asks them to reflect on their scholarship through the focus on previous work. Source: Samway, K. D. (2006). When English language learners write: Connecting research to practice, k-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

14. Title of Activity: Describing Objects English Proficiency Level(s): Advanced Beginning, Intermediate Age Level(s): Elementary School, Middle School Targeted English Module: Speaking/Listening Activity Description: Describing objects is rather simple to execute, but can be an excellent practice from speaking and listening. First, one student stands at the front of the class and is blindfolded or turned around, and the teacher picks an object that the student will have to guess. One at a time, other students describe the object, so the blindfolded student must listen to the clues in order to determine the object. The rest of the class practices using describing words that do not give away the answer, while the student at the front practices listening. This activity could be used to practice vocabulary on classroom objects, characters from a book the class is reading, vocabulary words, or whatever the teacher chooses. This activity is great for having students develop descriptive language, as well as improve their pronunciation and fluency. The teacher could choose to adapt the activity to other levels by adding sentence frames, such as "this object is…" or "this object has…" and maybe a word bank for lower levels. For sake of management in the class, the teacher should start on one side of the classroom, have the first student come up, the next in line give a clue, and follow the order of the class until the object is guessed. Then, the student who gave the final clue comes up and the next student in the row gives the clue. This type of activity is appropriate for Advanced Beginner or Intermediate students in elementary or middle school. The length of the activity and difficulty of the descriptions would need to be modified to fit the student population. Source: Gwendolyn. (2008). Describing Objects. Retrieved from http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi? display:913597648-4680.txt.

15. Title of Activity: Baker Street Clues English Proficiency Level(s): Intermediate, Advanced Age Level(s): Middle School, High School Targeted English Modules: Speaking, Listening Activity Description: In this activity, students practice their speaking and listening skills through an interactive, problem-solving scenario similar to the game “Clue.” The teacher gives out 20 clues – at least one to each student – and each slip has one piece of information on it, such as “The woman in house number 6 has a dog,” or “The man with a cat lives next to house number 3.” The students need to communicate with others to figure our information about fictional residents on a street. The students are not to read their clues to others, so they must memorize it. Then, they speak and listen to others in order fill in the class’ table graphic organizer on the residents’ personal information. This is an activity for Intermediate and/or Advanced middle-schoolers or high scholers. Students need a high enough language proficiency to comprehend the information from the clues, and the problem-solving tasks are at an appropriate level for students at the secondary level. “Baker Street Clues” is good for making students practice pronunciation, listening for information, and problem solving skills. At a high school level, the focus might turn more to problem solving, with pronunciation and listening as secondary goals. Source: K.G. (2008). Baker street clues. Retrieved from http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi? display:1139878888-7089.txt.

Instructional Activity Melissa Katz

1.) Word families and phonics: The first activity comes from a book we read for class (Teaching Reading to English Language Learners by Socorro Herrera). It is an activity for beginner ELLs who are only just starting to read. When learning about word families, it’s important for ELLs to see the connection between words, not for the meaning, but rather for the phonics. I think this activity incorporates visual and kinesthetic learning. Basically, a teacher chooses a word family and several words in that family. For example, if a teacher is covering the “at” family, the words chosen could be “cat,” “bat,” “rat,” and “hat.” The teacher should print out a full-page picture of a cat, bat, rat, and hat then cut the pictures up into three even pieces (or however many pieces so that each piece gets one letter of the word). The teacher should write one letter of the word on each piece so that when the student flips over the cards, he or she will see the complete picture. This is a great center activity because students correct themselves. If they flip the letters over and see the picture out of order, they can put the picture back together, flip it over, and see the correct spelling of the world.

2.) Writing complex sentences: This is an activity for advanced ELLs that I got from an academic paper called Making Sense of the Academic Registers of Schooling by David Freeman. There are different registers for oral and written language, and teachers should help student bridge this gap by having them work individually or in small groups combining simple sentences into one, longer, more complex sentence. It familiarizes students with both the vocabulary and sentence structure of academic writing. By combining sentences, students have to use commas and conjunctions. Sometimes they have to switch the order of the sentences. It forces them to think of how the sentences relate, and if they relate, how to show that relationship in the one sentence. The activity can be differentiated easily enough by the content of the sentences the students are combining. Here is an example of 5 simple sentences that could be combined into 3: 1. Flies are among the fastest flying insects in the world. 2. The wings of some flies beat about 1,000 times a second. 3. A horsefly’s wings move about 200 times a second. 4. They can fly about four miles in one hour. 5. If they have to, they can fly even faster to escape their enemies. Combined: 1. Flies are among the fastest flying insects in the world. 2. A horsefly’s wings move about 200 times a second, but some flies’ wings beat as fast as 1,000 times a second. 3. Flies can travel four miles per hour, but can fly even faster in order to escape their enemies. A group discussion could follow based on how different groups combined the sentences.

3.) Listening: I found this idea on ESLcafe.com, a popular ESL website that we discussed in Dr. LaTorre’s class last semester. One way for kids to practice their listening skills is to draw a picture dictated by the teacher. This is more for beginners, but can be adapted for intermediate and advanced ELLs by introducing more complex sentences (for example, instead of “Draw a boy and a girl,” the teacher could say, “Draw a boy and a girl standing next to each other, but not so close that they could reach out and touch each other.”) I think this can also be used as an assessment to see if the kids understand the vocabulary in the unit. At the end of the exercise, students can compare their drawings, which will most likely be fairly different, and discuss the differences, perhaps even explaining why they are different. For example, if the teacher said, “Draw a flower,” and one student drew a flower with five petals and another drew a tulip with three petals, they could say that the teacher didn’t mention how many petals to draw.

4.) Talk Show: This is an activity that from Dr. LaTorre’s class last semester called Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners by Michael O’Malley. It is an activity that all levels of ELLs can complete, but more for intermediate and advanced ELLs. The students brainstorm a topic for the Talk Show, such as “What it’s like to be famous” or “Your native country,” etc. The students then pick a famous person and read a biography (or research several articles) about the celebrity, keeping in mind the topic of the show. Teachers can provide a list to the students of celebrities based on the content area, such as Black history, famous women, explorers, scientists, etc. The ELLs then go on a “talk show” (dressed as their character) and answer interview questions as if they were the famous person they studied. This activity involves several different modalities. The students demonstrate reading comprehension, writing (if the teacher requires a written assignment about the celebrity), listening comprehension (they have to understand the interview questions), and oral proficiency (when they are on the talk show and speaking as their celebrity).

5.) The fifth activity is also from Herrera’s Teaching Reading to English Language Learners. It is for all levels of ELLs and is easily differentiated. Before the activity, the teacher must choose three or four pictures that illustrate key concepts from the lesson. So, if the lesson is about the Great Depression, the pictures could be of stores out of business, people in unemployment lines, and a political poster against President Hoover. Each picture should be taped to a big piece of chart paper. Students are each given a different colored writing utensil. Each group gets a different picture/piece of chart paper. The groups have to write down everything they think or feel about the picture on the chart paper. The students can be given two to three minutes per picture, rotating the chart paper until all groups have written on all charts. The class goes over all together everything that was written on the charts, identifying common vocabulary and ideas. Teachers should be sure to highlight words/phrases that link to the overall concept of the lesson. Instructional Activities

Allison Wolfe Matthew Holzgrafe

Activity 1: Me, Myself and I (Herrera 49) Grade level: K-2 Proficiency: Beginner Description: The students write their names on a piece of paper and circle the first letter. They determine the sound that the first letter of their name makes, then find other students that have the same beginning sound. Those groups of students works together to find words that start with the same sound as their names. Implementation: For this activity, we would need pieces of paper and writing materials on which the students can copy their names. This activity is ideal for elementary beginners, because it deals with phonemic awareness in relation to their name. A student’s name is something they can identify with, and can always bring to the table. Some concerns for this lesson would be management, because as students move around the classroom, they would need to have clear expectations of who to find and what to do in their groups.

Activity 2: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Paquette 2) Grade level: 1-2 Proficiency: Intermediate Description: Start of by introducing the concept of rhyming, using picture and letter combination that rhyme. For example, use cat and bat or cake and snake to show the students how there is a similar spelling and sound with these words. Next, introduce the difficult words like star, world, sky, diamond, high, and twinkle (feel free to use hand motions). Show the students a written version of the song. As you introduce each new word, draw a picture of it by that word in the song. Next, sing the song to the students. After they become familiar with the lyrics, remind them about rhyming. Sing the song once more, emphasizing the rhyming words (star and are; high and sky). Work with the students to identify the words that rhyme. Finally, to reinforce the teaching point, have the students raise their hands to their ears when they hear the rhymes during the song. Last, assess them on their rhyming ability with other words and pictures. Implementation: For this activity, you will need some musical ability and the song on chart paper or a white board. Also, you will need cards with pictures to introduce rhyming and to assess. The students need to be familiar with procedures for listening, responding and singing together. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are!

Activity 3: Reading Response with My favorite part (Experienced ESL teachers) Grade level: K-3 Proficiency: Advanced Description: Teacher will read aloud an interesting grade-level picture book, engaging the students in an authentic literature experience. Some examples of grade-level books can be found below. After reading and discussing the chosen book, students will answer the question “What was your favorite part?” by drawing a picture, labeling the picture and finally describing their picture below. Teacher will try to avoid helping students with spelling and encourage phonemic spelling. Kindergarten: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen 1st Grade: Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg, The Mitten by Jan Brett 2nd and 3rd grade: Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes Implementation: Because students have a tendency to interrupt during read-alouds, the teacher will need to have strict management procedures to minimize this side effect. This lesson has multiple benefits as it targets reading comprehension and strategies. It also gives students an opportunity to write about their own thought in clearly outlined steps.

Activity 4: Using Talk Bubbles (Fletcher 40) Grade level: 3-5 Proficiency: Advanced Description: Early writers often have difficulty with using quotation marks and dialogue in their writing. To teach this, you can use talking bubbles to introduce the idea of character’s dialogue. Introduce the concept by showing and reading some of The Magic School Bus series. Point out how when characters talk on the pages, they are in talk bubbles. Allow the students to understand the concept by probing them with questions. Next, model the talk bubble, by drawing two students in the group or class and have them discussing, in talk bubble, how they love writing! Finally have the students create their own picture/ talk bubble with characters from a recent story they’ve read. Share excellent examples with the entire class/group. Implementation: Students often portray a fear of writing, so it is important to encourage students and let them have fun with this writing experience. This is a good way to introduce students to dialogue in a non-threatening way. The next step would be to introduce quotation in writing. The teacher could also show comic strips, to explain the idea.

Activity 5: Boxing the sound (Herrera 53) Grade level: 6-8 Proficiency: Beginners Description: The teacher will use masking tape to outline large triangles or squares on the floor of their classroom. Teacher will divide class into groups of 4 or 5 students. Students will receive pictures of common nouns. In each group of 4 or 5, the students will identify their picture with some help from each other and possibly teacher, and identify which picture does not fit in the group (fit is determined by initial sound). The student whose picture does not fit goes in the middle of the shape. Then have the group share with the class, why they chose that sound. Provide sentence stems, to help beginners, like “This is the odd sound because….” Or “All the other words begin with…” Implementation: This activity requires significant preparation for the teacher to create and organize the cards, pictures and shapes. The benefits of this activity are multifaceted; first, the beginner students familiarize themselves with English letters and sounds, and second they get the opportunity to learn new common words.

Activity 6: Describing Characters through Gestures (Fletcher 105) Grade level: 7-9 Proficiency: Intermediate Description: To target students’ understanding of characters, this activity allows ELL students to first put gestures and then words to describe characters. After or during reading of a book (such as The Giver by Lois Lowry), ask the students to come up with gestures to describe what the student would do. First model a few gestures. For example, bravery would be hands at the side and looking forward, talkative would by a hand pretending to talk, etc. Split the students into groups and have them choose a character from the book and come up with gestures that exemplify this character. Next, have them pick one of the gestures to with the rest of the class. As a class, come up with words to associate with each of these gestures. Finally, have students write sentences describing the traits of the character their group worked on. Implementation: Students might have difficulty understanding the character’s traits so be lenient on what you deem acceptable. It might be best to start with a familiar book or story that they know. This is a great way to encourage students to slowly take more and more responsibility for describing the traits of the characters. The first parts of this task could also be repeated several times before students work their way up to writing about characters.

Activity 7: Creating Similes for Poems (from Experienced ESL teacher) Grade level: 6-8 Proficiency: Advanced Description: Start off by introducing what a simile is and how poets use them in their writing. You can use poems to introduce the concept like “The Base Stealer” by Robert Francis. Then model how you would write a simile by picking an object, finding adjectives and picking another object to compare it to and finally writing a sentence in this format: “The hurricane is like a lion because they are both strong and fast.” Then provide class with another word like thunder or tornado and together brainstorm adjectives and finally comparing words. Finally, direct students to look through non- fiction books and pick their own subjects to write similes about and then to write a poem. Implementation: This is an easy way to introduce a literary element, which can be difficult with ELL students. It also lets students work on creating synonyms for adjectives and descriptive words. It can also lead them to more content knowledge about whatever the class is currently studying. Finally, Poetry as a genre can be especially difficult for ELL students, so this is an excellent way to engage them in their poetry writing.

The Base Stealer by Robert Francis Poised between going on and back, pulled Both ways taut like a tightrope-walker, Fingertips pointing the opposites, Now bouncing tiptoe like a dropped ball Or a kid skipping rope, come on, come on, Running a scattering of steps sidewise, How he teeters, skitters, tingles, teases, Taunts them, hovers like an ecstatic bird, He’s only flirting, crowd him, crowd him, Delicate, delicate, delicate, delicate — now!

1st word Adjectives 2nd word

Hurricane Strong, Fast, big, powerful Lion

Sentence: A hurricane is like a lion, because they are both strong and fast.

Sentence:

Activity 8: Prefixes (Experienced ESL teacher) Grade level: 9-12 Proficiency: Beginner Description: This activity can be used with a variety of prefixes (that can be represented visually, like un-, dis-, re-, pre-), but today we will focus on one. Start by introducing the concept of a prefix. For this example we are going to introduce the prefix: pre. Provide the students with pictures the represent words with and without the prefix, pre. Some word that could be used are preheat, pretest, preview, preread, prewrite, prepay. Note to the students any rules that relate to prefix and word relationship, in this case all words that can be put with pre- are verbs. By each word have the students write before you _____ (insert verb). After they understand the prefix and the concept, have students read through a pre- heavy text and circle where they see the pre- words. Implementation: This lesson could be difficult to teach to beginners with certain prefixes because of the difficulty to represent the information visually, so choose carefully. At the high school level, as they will be exposed to high-level vocabulary, this can give them a tool to navigate meaning.

Activity 9: Signature (Herrera 155) Grade level: 9-12 Proficiency: Intermediate Description: ELL students often have difficulty determining importance. This activity can help with that difficulty. After students, have read either a book or passage, have them go through the text and find sentences that they believe to be the more important or ‘signature’. Provide a graphic organizer (set up like the model below) so students can write the sentence and explain their reasoning. Of course, as a good teacher, model how to choose an important sentence. Also, if this task is especially difficult for them, choose strategic pairings for your students. Signature line Text page # This is a signature line because… “Jonas suddenly realized 112 (may not be accurate) This is a signature line he had become a giver” because it shows a shift in the role of Jonas.

Implementation: This is valuable because it can be used with any text. With the graphic organizer, ELL students have more of a framework so that they can understand the exact nature of the task. It also provide a sentence to explain their reasoning which they can internalize and use later.

Activity 10: Using transition sentences (Fletcher 115) Grade level: 9-12 Proficiency: Advanced Description: Many students, of all ages, have difficulty including transitions in their writing. This activity will encourage them to incorporate transition sentences in their own writing. Introduce the importance and concept of transition sentences to the students. First have the students read and identify transition sentences in passages. Because they are advanced, have them write why each identified sentence is a transition sentence. Next, give them a passage with a missing transition sentence and have them work on filling it in with different transition sentences, share the best with the class. Finally, make this an on going practice in class writings. For example, the teacher could have it on a self-editing or peer editing checklist. Implementation: The first step of identifying transition sentences could be difficult for students, so be ready to take a step back in instruction. This is a common error in all students’ writing and can be a simple way to make ELL student’s essays more comprehensible. Because this is a quick onetime lesson, it would be very important to continue to reinforce this skill with students.

Work Cited

Escamilla, K., Perez, Herrera. (2009). Teaching reading to English language learners: Differentiated literacies. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Fletcher, R., Portalupi, Joann. (2007). Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Paquette, K., Rieg, S. (2008). Using Music to Support the Literacy Development of Young English Language Learners. Early Childhood Education Journal, pp. 1-6.