ESL Activities Colleen Serencsits Tutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth [email protected] Please take a handout and a plastic bag.

ESL Activities

Colleen SerencsitsTutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth

[email protected]

Please take a handout and a plastic bag.

Purpose

Share activities and techniques to use with ESL learners.

Purpose

Why?• Make practice more interesting, relevant, fun. Why?• Students are more likely to practice.• Help students be more open to thinking about

their choices, what they are doing and why they are making those choices.

• Break up the intensity of learning new information.

Purpose

Explain to the learner why you are playing the game or doing the activity.

page 1

Practice with Gestures

• Take turns making common gestures and facial expressions and saying what they mean.

page 1

Will you repeat that, please?

• Practice different ways of asking people to repeat what they have said.

tutor: “I work at blah blah.”

student: “Where do you work?”

page 2

Finger Tap

• Hold learner’s hand above the table. Put down a finger for each sound in a word.

• Learner taps finger to indicate each sound heard (or lifts up finger).– cat– tea– shout

page 3

Sound Chain

• Say a word.

• Student listens for final sound.

• Student says a word that starts with that final sound.

• Continue.

page 3

Where’s the Sound?

• Prepare list of words with three sounds.

• Have three paper cups, labeled 1, 2, 3.

• Say word; say one of sounds from word.

• Student places token into appropriate cup.

Where’s the Sound? example 2

• Prepare a page of pictures with three boxes under each picture.

• Student says the word, and indicates whether the target sound is in the beginning of the word (box 1), the middle (box 2), or the end (box 3).

page 6

Sound Grids• Create a grid.• Provide a list of letters. • Learner writes a letter in each box.• Say a letter sound

(or word that starts with that sound).• Learner places token on the appropriate

sound.

gray card

page 6

Large Cards for a class

• Put letters to spell a word on large cards.

• Hand cards to individual students.

• Student in charge of spelling word calls student with needed letter to front of room, arranges them to spell the word. d r i n k

• Next word: d and r sit, s come forward. Say the word sink.

page 7

Phonics Bingo

• Blends on bingo board

• Cards with word that starts with each blend

• Draw card, say word, learner covers space on board with token

yellow card

page 7

Sort• Random words• Vocabulary words• Words to illustrate beginning sounds,

particular sounds, letters, parts of speech

small envelope c random sort

Sort

• To illustrate categories

small envelope ESL sort

Sort

• Words from a story written on cards.

• Sort the words– Known or unknown– Categories

• Read the story.

small envelope G sort

page 8

Flash Card Concentration

• Pairs of words written on flashcards

• Flashcards face down on table

• Player 1 chooses two cards to turn face up, trying to make a match.– If match, player 1 keeps both cards– If no match, return to face down

• Play continues to Player 2

small envelope sight words

page 8

Memory Game• Goal is to spell the word with letter tiles.• Print word on card, identical cards for each

player.• Provide letter tiles face down.

– only needed letters, or extras

• Player 1 chooses a tile, tries to place it on a letter on his card.

• Player 2 chooses a tile, tries to place it on a letter on his card.

page 9

Slides for Word Patterns

• Pattern on card, with opening where changes may occur

• Separate strip of letters to move

• Say the words formed.

• Write the words formed.

page 11

Track the Word in the Text

• Tell a story or read a passage.

• The learner keeps track of how many times you say a particular word.– By moving tokens– By counting on fingers or marks on paper– By reading along, and circling the word

page 9

Flyswatter Game classroom• Write words on the board or attach cards with

words to the wall.• Students in two teams.• One player from each team stands at board.• Teacher says a word.• Players compete to find word and slap with

flyswatter.• Teammates give them directions (right, left, up).

page 9

Nine-Patch

• 3 x 3 grid

• Words from a story on the grid

• Slips of paper with words

• Teacher says word from story.

• Student finds slip of paper with that word and puts it on the block on the grid

cream card

Nine-Patch variation

• 3 x 3 grid

• Pictures from a story on the grid

• Slips of paper with words

• Teacher says word from story.

• Student finds picture that shows that word and marks that block on the grid

white card

page 10

Same or Different• Paper strips with two similar words or two

identical words• Strips placed upside down on table• Student turns over paper and quickly turns it

upside down again• Student says same or different• Student checks response

small envelope p_t

page 10

Puzzles

• Find or make word searches or cross-word puzzles with vocabulary words.

• Include pictures.

page 12

Sentence Unscrambling• Words (that can make a sentence) on strips

of paper• State three word sentence for student to

find (or lay it out for student).

Bill/father buys apples.• Ask student questions to lengthen the

sentence.

small envelope sent

page 12

Parts of Speech Practice

• Find an article of interest.

• Read the article to the student.

• Provide the student with a copy of the article, but with a part of speech whited out (ex: prepositions)

• Student writes the correct word in the space.

white half sheet

page 13

Order the Story• Provide pictures that depict the story.• Read the story.• Student puts the pictures in order to

describe the story.

• Student finds the pictures as you read the story.

small envelope G pix seq

page 13

Order the Story example 2

• Write a few short sentences that describe a story.

• Read the story.

• Student puts the cards in order to describe the story.

long envelope white strips

page 13

Order the Story example 3• Separate the paragraphs of the story.• Print the sections, and cut the sections into

strips.• Read the story.• Student puts the strips into order.

same long envelope blue strips

Language Experience Story

page 15

Question Game

• Picture, of one person

• Cards with adjectives (big, small, ugly, pretty, fat, thin, young, old)

• Student picks a card.

• Student asks “Is she _____?” filling in the blank with the word on the card.

page 15

One More Question Game

• Cards with wh words

• Student picks card

• Student asks question starting with that word.– Set a topic, such as vocabulary words,

classroom words, place words, family words, or provide a picture.

Mystery Bag

• Put an object for which the student knows the name into a paper bag.

• The student asks questions to determine what is in the bag.

page 15

Take a Walk

• Take a walk following a map.

• Give directions to the student.

• Student gives directions.

• Student practices asking how to get somewhere.

page 16

Using Letters and Sounds to Segment Words

Word

Beginning Letter Sound

Middle Letter Sound

Final Letter Sound

How many

letters?

How many

sounds?

Prefixes, Words, Suffixes• Select known words to which prefixes and

suffixes can be added.• Write the words on cards.• Provide cards with several prefixes and

suffixes.• Student selects a word, then a prefix or

suffix, and predicts the meaning of the word.

small envelope p s word

Other Activities?

• What activities have you found useful that you will share?

• What websites have you found useful that you will share?

• For what topics would you like to find activities or websites?

Resources

• Information Used in Preparing the Training– ELL-U– ESL Literacy Network – Literacy Development Among Adult English Learners

• Video Clips / You Tube Videos• Reading Resources for Learners• Web Sites for Learners and Instructors• Dictionaries

• Favorite web sites you have used?

Conclusion

• [email protected]

• www.tlcliteracy.org

• Please contact me or TLC if you would like electronic copies of any of the materials from this session, or more assistance in general.

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