Newsletter | Sep 6, 2011 | 0 Comments

July 2011 – Summer Vacation

ELL Teacher Pros Newsletter July 2011

Well, summer vacation is here—except for teachers who never stop tweaking their teaching tool kits :) If you have the time, you will definitely want to master the paper toy activity in this issue. All students will have fun with it. For ELLs, there is the visual of a student creating the toy (SIMPLE TOY). This support is a must for most ELLs since complicated instructions can often times be quite a challenge. What you might want to try over the summer is writing directions to accompany the video. This way ELLs will have practice in following directions (one of many skills they must master to become proficient in English). You might think of this as a fun opening back-to-school ice breaker (in say day 3 or 4—not on day 1). By then, you might be able to create small teams (kids love competition) with fun prizes (like stickers, school supplies, etc.).

One site your students might like to keep up their grammar skills is the BBC’s WHAT IS A SENTENCE site. There they will find games, explanations, quizzes, worksheets that look at what constitutes a sentence. However, it is a British site so watch out for those British spellings like practice instead of practice. Students will also like many other features of the site including GAMES (academic in nature). The QUICK READS also have an audio component for struggling readers; however, if students want to read beyond chapter one, they need to get the book from the library.

One last site for your older students is HOW STUFF WORKS. Every content area is covered in a professional and easy to follow format. For ELLs especially, they would be able to get a head start for the new year as they explore key vocabulary for their courses as well as broaden their knowledge of academic language. It is also FREE which is a must in this day and age of shrinking school budgets.

A gift to you fellow educator-enlarge your screen , darken your room, and let the universe touch your soul. MILKY WAY

We hope you enjoy the sites (and your vacation)! See you next month!
Denise, Marnie, and Cheryl
ELL Teacher Pros