ELLRefresher

For those following along, the final post regarding the 15 Essential actions as noted by Colorin’ Colorado is here. Moreover, this is the final post of the semester! 13. INTEGRATE language domains to provide rich, authentic instruction. The language domains include listening, reading, speaking, and writing. To provide information to your students, you will want to provide listening and reading assignments. Overlapping essential vocabulary between these domains will allow multi-modal information processing, which means there is a more likely chance that the student will retain the information. Incorporating all four domains increases that probability even further. Speaking and writing will be more challenging domains for students to work with, but it is essential that the students are practicing vocabulary in these ways. For lower ability students, focus on the content. Did the student provide the key word in response? Excellent! Next, provide a sentence frame (which we tal

In the penultimate post regarding the 15 Essential actions as noted by Colorin’ Colorado, we will examine the fourth set of three actions. 10. IDENTIFY the language needed for functional use in teaching and learning. In preparing lessons for classes, it is important to know what vocabulary is necessary for participating in the activities, lectures, readings, and projects. When compiling a list of vocabulary, keep two lists in mind. The first list are words that you want to teach and test. These words are important for the class, here and now. The second list is what we as teachers hope the students can use and understand. This list includes key words for talking about the subject matter, words we assume the students learned in the previous classes, general terms that are commonly used in our discipline. When working with low level students, teaching the vocabulary of both lists is valuable. For more proficient students, only the first list should be needed. 11. PLAN for langu

In this week’s installment of the 15 Essential actions as noted by Colorin’ Colorado, we will examine the third set of three actions. 7. DESIGN language teaching and learning with attention to the sociocultural context. The BBC’s  Teaching English website notes that the sociocultural context is “the idea that language, rather than existing in isolation, is closely linked to the culture and society in which it is used. This means when language is learnt, the socio-cultural context in which it is used needs to be taken into consideration as well” ( https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/socio-cultural-context ). The main point is to be aware of how words that you use in your classroom may be used outside of your classroom. Why is the particular vocabulary important? This is commonly examined using the language of mass media and advertising. What words are being used to entice the audience? How effective is the language? How is the audience processing the information?  You