Through taking this ESL course I have learned a great amount about ELLs and how to effectively teach them. I have learned countless techniques that have made me more confident in my ability to teach not only ELLs but all students. When educating ELLs it is important to remember their background and to use it to make lessons that will more effectively meet their specific needs. Overall, I have gained valuable knowledge about the education of ELLs that I can use in my specific content area. Not having taken any other education classes, there is a lot of information that I didn’t know prior to taking this course. I was not familiar with the many aspects of language that go into learning English. It can be difficult for ELLs to learn English
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Unlike other content ares, the vocabulary used in social studies cannot be simply described in a picture. To describe an event in history students must be taught the background information, the terms have to be “unpacked”. Unpacking a term means to explain the events leading up to the vocabulary term. When explaining the term, it is important to simplify the history and even the language being used if necessary. An additional way to make social studies more comprehensible is to use current events. Through the use of newspaper articles and online sources, students can learn about current events, and the history behind them. ELLs could also learn about current events in their native country. This would be more understandable for them and can be compared to events that are being learned about in class. Integrating students’ culture is also important. If a students’ native country is not discussed in the curriculum, it isn 't difficult to make up a brief lesson. This will not only make them feel more welcome in the class but will lower their affective filter. Often times ELLs need supplemental materials. When teaching an ELL whose reading level is not the same as the text being used, it would be beneficial to use a simplified version of the texts. Due to the growing number of ELLs, publishers have started selling supplement textbooks. These textbooks have simplified English that is more comprehensible to ELLs. Along with textbooks, using other literature can help support their learning. Using additional literature will increase their knowledge on the topic and the vocabulary being
Unlike other content ares, the vocabulary used in social studies cannot be simply described in a picture. To describe an event in history students must be taught the background information, the terms have to be “unpacked”. Unpacking a term means to explain the events leading up to the vocabulary term. When explaining the term, it is important to simplify the history and even the language being used if necessary. An additional way to make social studies more comprehensible is to use current events. Through the use of newspaper articles and online sources, students can learn about current events, and the history behind them. ELLs could also learn about current events in their native country. This would be more understandable for them and can be compared to events that are being learned about in class. Integrating students’ culture is also important. If a students’ native country is not discussed in the curriculum, it isn 't difficult to make up a brief lesson. This will not only make them feel more welcome in the class but will lower their affective filter. Often times ELLs need supplemental materials. When teaching an ELL whose reading level is not the same as the text being used, it would be beneficial to use a simplified version of the texts. Due to the growing number of ELLs, publishers have started selling supplement textbooks. These textbooks have simplified English that is more comprehensible to ELLs. Along with textbooks, using other literature can help support their learning. Using additional literature will increase their knowledge on the topic and the vocabulary being