Teaching Strategies
Useful Links:
For articles to practice pronunciation, reading and
comprehension:
http://www.kidsdiscover.com/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/scholasticnews/index.html
For general ESL teaching materials and lesson
plans:
http://edvista.com/claire/internet-esl.html
http://www.nc-net.info/ESL/guide.php
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/678/01/
http://www.real-english.com/
http://www.eslgold.com/
Citizenship:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/blinstst_new.htm
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.749cabd81f5ffc8fba713d10526e0aa0/?vgnextoid=982a309186e89210VgnVCM10000025e6a00aRCRD&vgnextchannel=c242df6bdd42a210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD
For articles to practice pronunciation, reading and
comprehension:
http://www.kidsdiscover.com/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/scholasticnews/index.html
For general ESL teaching materials and lesson
plans:
http://edvista.com/claire/internet-esl.html
http://www.nc-net.info/ESL/guide.php
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/678/01/
http://www.real-english.com/
http://www.eslgold.com/
Citizenship:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/blinstst_new.htm
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.749cabd81f5ffc8fba713d10526e0aa0/?vgnextoid=982a309186e89210VgnVCM10000025e6a00aRCRD&vgnextchannel=c242df6bdd42a210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD
Some Thoughts on Lesson Planning
1.
Introduce – Begin the lesson by going over the learning
objectives with your students, translating into Spanish when necessary.
2.
Use Modeling – On the first day of class, introduce yourself to
your students, and ask them to introduce themselves to you in turn. After the
first day, greet students and ask them to greet you in return. Spend a few
minutes going back and forth and practicing these interactions. Then, ask your
students to introduce themselves to one another or greet each other. Chances
are, the students will be familiar with basic introductions and greetings (if
they are not, take some additional time on this exercise). However, they may
have questions about the meaning of the words they use as well as questions
regarding pronunciation. It is imperative that you address these questions.
Write what is spoken
– As you model introductions, make sure that you are writing words up
either on the whiteboard or on a piece of paper so that your students can
practice spelling and reading. Many have very limited exposure to the written
word. Also, it will serve you to take the time to practice writing words with
your students so that they will have the opportunity to practice. Remember that
our ultimate goal is to prepare students for the citizenship exam, where they
will be asked to demonstrate literacy. It is imperative that we begin investing
in their literacy even at the earliest stages of language
learning.
3.
Teach Vocabulary – It is difficult if not impossible to really
“teach” students vocabulary. It is important to introduce new words to them and
to provide them with helpful associations that will aid them in the process of
memorization. As teachers, we can also use class time to increase their
exposure to new words through creating activities and games to be completed
together. However, it must be stressed to them that completion of homework is
necessary to success.
4.
Verb Conjugation Charts – These charts will be an essential
part of language learning. You will complete charts in class and students will
be asked to complete them for homework. It is important that you drill correct
conjugation into your students’ minds and then assess student progress with
exercises and games.
5.
Follow Up Review – Because of the patchy nature of student
attendance and the nature of our program, there will be a lot of review and even
re-teaching each week. However, having a standardized system will allow us to do
the best that we can in circumstances that are less than
ideal…
1.
Introduce – Begin the lesson by going over the learning
objectives with your students, translating into Spanish when necessary.
2.
Use Modeling – On the first day of class, introduce yourself to
your students, and ask them to introduce themselves to you in turn. After the
first day, greet students and ask them to greet you in return. Spend a few
minutes going back and forth and practicing these interactions. Then, ask your
students to introduce themselves to one another or greet each other. Chances
are, the students will be familiar with basic introductions and greetings (if
they are not, take some additional time on this exercise). However, they may
have questions about the meaning of the words they use as well as questions
regarding pronunciation. It is imperative that you address these questions.
Write what is spoken
– As you model introductions, make sure that you are writing words up
either on the whiteboard or on a piece of paper so that your students can
practice spelling and reading. Many have very limited exposure to the written
word. Also, it will serve you to take the time to practice writing words with
your students so that they will have the opportunity to practice. Remember that
our ultimate goal is to prepare students for the citizenship exam, where they
will be asked to demonstrate literacy. It is imperative that we begin investing
in their literacy even at the earliest stages of language
learning.
3.
Teach Vocabulary – It is difficult if not impossible to really
“teach” students vocabulary. It is important to introduce new words to them and
to provide them with helpful associations that will aid them in the process of
memorization. As teachers, we can also use class time to increase their
exposure to new words through creating activities and games to be completed
together. However, it must be stressed to them that completion of homework is
necessary to success.
4.
Verb Conjugation Charts – These charts will be an essential
part of language learning. You will complete charts in class and students will
be asked to complete them for homework. It is important that you drill correct
conjugation into your students’ minds and then assess student progress with
exercises and games.
5.
Follow Up Review – Because of the patchy nature of student
attendance and the nature of our program, there will be a lot of review and even
re-teaching each week. However, having a standardized system will allow us to do
the best that we can in circumstances that are less than
ideal…