Lesson Planning with the ELL in Mind: Key points from Unit 4
Note 2: ELL = English language learner. The corresponding acronym used elsewhere on this site is ESL student = English as a second language student. [ More ]
Unit 4: Materials and Lesson Delivery
1. Selecting materials
Materials include textbooks, worksheets, and webpages. As well as for their subject content, materials should be selected for their comprehensibility and their adaptability to the needs of ESL students.
Points to note:
- Materials are usually more comprehensible if they are well laid-out, feature good use of fonts to highlight different sections, and contain clear sub-headings, labelled pictures and diagrams or graphic organizers.
- Materials that are produced by the teacher (e.g. worksheets and tests) are easier to adapt than textbook materials or those downloaded from the internet.
- Various tools can be used to determine the readability of a given text. For example, in Flesch-Kincaid any text scoring at a higher reading level than 'grade 8' is likely to be very difficult for ESL students.
More on selecting materials
Annotated bibliography of current research on issues related to English language learners (.pdf)
An excellent resource with many links to further resources. It contains suggestions for selecting ESL-friendly materials in the various subjects.
A useful tool that gives immediate readability scores as assessed by various algorithms such as Flesch-Kincaid.
2. Adapting materials
Materials can be adapted at the word, sentence and full text level. The adaptations include reordering and paraphrasing, removing unnecessary detail, and reducing sentence length.
Points to note:
- Adapting materials requires a basic understanding of what makes texts difficult for ESL students.
- Adaptions can be time- consuming, so they are feasible only if the materials are likely to be reused in other classes or the following years.
- ESL at the school can advise on the likely difficulty for ESL students of any given task (classroom activity, homework or test), and can adapt it if desired.
More on adapting materials
Helping ESL students understand written texts
A page elsewhere on this website that analyses aspects of written language that cause difficulty. It includes a section entitled: 'How to help students understand what they read in textbooks'.
Preparing ESL-friendly worksheets and tests
This page on the website gives several suggestions on how to make the language of worksheets and homework tasks comprehensible to ESL students.
3. Lesson delivery
Classroom activities should provide ample time for communicating about subject content, and develop both receptive (listening/reading) and productive (speaking/writing) language skills. They should be progressively challenging and meaningful. A good questioning technique is an essential skill.
Points to note:
- Teachers need to assess the linguistic demands of the key questions they ask, as well as the linguistic and cognitive abilities expected in a good response.
- Waiting a few seconds after asking a question before choosing a student to answer allows ESL students to at least formulate a response in their head (even if they are not ready to speak out in class).
- Classroom tasks may be unmanageable for ESL students without significant support (e.g. scaffolding).
More on lesson delivery
Pedagogic questions in practice
Two videos from the ESL website that explore the centrality of questions in lesson delivery, and give advice on how to choose and frame questions that maximise ESL student learning.
The videos are from a series containing advice to student and teacher participants in the Kalahari Experience. [More]
Scaffolding Academic Learning for Second Language Learners
A good overview of the ways you can provide additional support and adaptations for ESL students to successfully complete classroom tasks - in this case on the topic of inventions.
Lesson plan template - mathematics
This is a comprehensively annotated template of a grade 7 mathematics class on the topic of probability It covers all aspects of delivering a lesson with ESL students in mind