Inside the English Language Arts Classroom by Kathleen Gonzalez

 An English class can pose problems for the ELL student, as they are asked to read and comprehend novels, write in depth term papers, memorize complex vocabulary words, and etcetera. These students are currently learning the English language and we are asking them to master it as well. To relieve student stress, teachers can utilize several strategies and techniques to aid ELL students in their learning. 

 Interactive story telling can be used to practice both listening and speaking skills. The activity works in the following way: the teacher divides the students into pairs. The teacher begins reading a work of literature. At certain points in the story the teacher pauses and asks students to discuss specific aspects the work with their partner. After the students have had time to discuss, the teacher calls on students and asks them to tell the class their answer. Beyond listening and speaking, this exercise gauges the students’ comprehension of the material and allows students to build interpersonal skills.

In order to help students’ master grammar, for writing, teachers can use grammar games. Grammar games are fun for both learners and teachers. Games teach and reinforce critical grammar points by engaging students. Teachers can use pursuit, turn-taking games, card games, board games or TPR-based games to get maximum involvement from students.

           

Teachers can also use movie clips as aids for grammar. Movie clips are another fun way to engage students, by connecting them to popular culture, while reinforcing grammar. Movie clips should be no longer than three to seven minutes. Instruct students to write down what grammar forms they hear. After the movie clips, lead a class discussion about their findings- “Does everyone agree? No? What are the different forms they come up with? What's correct?”

These three techniques are fun ways to cater towards ELL students, while keeping all students engaged. There are many other techniques, which can be used as well. Teachers should research and collect techniques for their students. In today’s community ELL students are one of the fastest growing groups in schools and should not be “left behind”.

           

Swift, Sue, “Interactive Story Telling” http://www.eslbase.com/articles/story-telling

Lynch, Larry, “Three Fun Ideas for Teaching Grammar” http://www.eslbase.com/articles/grammar-ideas