Language+Arts

=Language Arts =

Because English Language Learners are new to speaking English, the subject of English Language Arts is an obvious challenge for them. From initially understanding the language to developing literacy skills and strategies in that new language, there are difficulties to overcome. On this page you will find resources to help mitigate the challenges of teaching ELL’s language arts.

Judie Haynes has identified several challenges of ELL's specific to each content area (**[]** )

Here are some for Language Arts, and some suggested resources to help with those areas: [] []
 * ** Challenges ** || ** Resources ** ||
 * ** Figurative Language in texts ** ||  Idiom practice: []

Idioms found in the news: [] || [] Synonym Toast game [] Synonym and Antonym Webquest ||
 * ** Unfamiliar vocabulary ** || [] This picture dictionary can aid in familiarizing students with new vocabulary ||
 * ** Homonyms and synonyms ** || [] Homophone matching game
 * ** Grammar usage/ “Exceptions to the rules” ** ||  Interactive Grammar Glossary: definitions, audio, rules explained []

[] An interactive guide to grammar, features parts of speech explanations, paragraph level- help, and more || Use collaborative group work strategies whenever possible. This link provides many ideas for collaboration.
 * ** Expressing opinions about texts ** || [] This unique resource supplies a photograph as a writing prompt. Students can create their own text or choose from existing words to write sentences that tell about or express opinions about the photographs. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;">** Regional U.S. dialects ** || <span style="color: #943634; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;">Songs to help pronunciation, recorded performances of stories, poems, etc. [] ||
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;">** Fear of participation/interaction with mainstream students ** || <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;"> []

Think Pair Share is a popular collaboration strategy. Here is a description of how to use it in your classroom: Think Pair Share Article || || || ||
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;">** Literary terms for story development ** || <span style="color: #943634; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;">[] Elements of a story, literary elements. Resources for teaching lit terms
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;">** Drawing conclusions, analyzing characters and predicting outcomes ** || <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;"> “Predicting with Storytelling” Lesson (from The Learning Strategies Handbook p224-26)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 108.9%;">** Imagery and symbolism in text ** || <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> “Using Storytelling to Teach Imagery” Lesson (from The Learning Strategies Handbook p213-14)

<span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Additional Resources
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|Multicultural Children's Literature Site] One of the most important elements of a classroom that values multiculturalism, and therefore the students who represent many different cultures, is by including literature that students can see themselves in. If a student feels that they are viewing a book that they cannot connect to culturally, it is more difficult to understand as well as take an interest in. This site, created by a friend of mine in bilingual education, is a phenomenal resource. It reviews several books that are multicultural, and gives great insight as to their value in the classroom.

[|http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/]Graphic Organizers: Representing what is being taught in multiple modes really benefits ELL's. Visually, graphic organizers are excellent ways to help support English Language Learners and to help in organizing their thoughts. These examples may be used across the content areas, but lend themselves to language arts activities.

[] Doing What Works: Teaching Literacy in English to K-5 English Learners: videos, concise and comprehensive information of best practices for teachers with ELL’s. [] PowerPoints, lessons, topics on everything in language arts instruction [] A database of books in Spanish. Searchable by many different criteria. Great resource for teachers with native Spanish-speaking ELL’s in their classroom.

Published by US Department of Education, The Institute of Education Sciences has created a guide to Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades. Research and recommendations for teachers. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">An article about differentiation in reading: