SIOP

Without having experience with ELL students in the classroom, finding creative ways to incorporate their educational needs seems like an intimidating task. After reading this article, it seems like there are very practical ways to help them achieve their goals. The overall impression I got from this article was that if you can thoughtfully use visual and other tactile methods of teaching so that ELL students are hearing and seeing what you expect from them, you can heighten their overall success.

Honestly, I usually think of ELL students needing help with their comprehension of the subject matter and instructions, but I hadn't thought about my role in developing their English speaking skills.  The process that students go through in doing group work or working in partners will give them opportunities to develop their speaking and comprehension skills in a more comfortable setting than in front of the whole class.  I like the idea of giving the ELL students opportunities to work in groups to build their language skills as well as to develop and capitalize on their social skills among their peers.

The two strategies for teaching that resonated with me were the thinking out loud strategy and the summarizing strategy. The thinking out loud strategy fits with my personality as I do that all the time with my own kids.  I have a five year old who wants to know why we do everything and I am constantly explaining daily tasks to her that go without explanation to an adult.  What I have discovered is that sometimes I wonder why I do things the way I do or she will suggest another way to do it. I can see how especially in using lingo and vocabulary that can seem appropriate will lose a student who doesn't know a specific reference or word. Which leads me to summarizing, I see that summarizing what you're going over in segments can keep things from slipping through the cracks and gives opportunities for questions. Overall I think that planning for ELL students keeps you focused as a teacher and helps you keep your expectations clear and your lessons creative.