First Year Focus by Jennifer Scully
When Content Is King
ESL teachers are wearing a growing number of hats these days, including that of a content area teacher. The NYS ESLAT is increasingly focused on content and the implementation of the Common Core has sealed the deal; content is king. So, Neophyte, how exactly do you teach K-12 students both language and content?Here are some tips and resources for a busy Year 1 ESL teacher:
In a nutshell, you must determine the most salient information or skills involved with a particular topic. For instance, a third grade science unit on weather might lead to a focus on the water cycle. Then consider what vocabulary, grammatical structures and background information would you students need to learn in order to (at least) understand topics discussed in their mainstream class?
Familiarize yourself with SIOP, or the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol, a set of instructional strategies any teacher can use to make content more comprehensible for ELLs. Here are some great links that will assist you in implementing SIOP strategies into your lessons:
1. Get an overview of SIOP by viewing videos from this site
2. Then explore this document, which has good tips on how to modify your materials, pacing and placement of ELLs.
This web site has links to help you infuse SIOP into all the content areas, across all grades. My favorite resources are the Lesson Preparation Reminder bookmark and the lesson plan adaptations for ELLS in Regular Education Classrooms Checklist.
So, it is not only possible but desirable to teach ELLs content while helping them to develop their English language proficiency and literacy level. For more on how to develop English language literacy skills while teaching content, go to Dr. Jill Mora’s Module on Content Area Reading for English Language Learners.
Finally, educate your administration and colleagues on how to meet the needs of ELLs; you can direct them to a short article on the SIOP approach by Deborah Short and Jana Ecchevarria.
Additional Web Sites:
Content Instruction for ELLS: http://www.colorincolorado.org/read/professional/content/ This web site has excellent modules on development of effective content instruction for ELLs:
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/teachlearn/mms/english_language_learners Jennifer Scully started teaching ESL in 1992 and has worked with students from kindergarten to college. She works with New York City Teaching Fellows, graduate students in TESOL, and mainstream teachers to improve their practice with ELLs. She provides professional development in various settings but still works with elementary school ELLs to stay current.
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