Creating an ELL-Friendly Classroom

Across SMSD, classroom and content area teachers are teaching integrated classes with both ELLs and native English-speakers. What can we do to make sure our ELL students feel welcome, included, and can access the content? Read on for tips about seating arrangements, inclusive literature, and ELL sessions to look for at January's iFair. Also, don't forget to visit the virtual ELL-friendly classroom! Click around for tips on word walls, vocabulary instruction, interaction with peers, and more.

Click on the title or picture above to visit a virtual ELL-friendly classroom. The entire classroom is clickable and will lead you to more information, ideas, tips and strategies for setting up your grade-level or content-area classroom in a way that will help support your ELLs.

Where you seat ELL students in the classroom will greatly impact how they are supported as well as how included or isolated they feel. When it comes to seating ELLs in the grade-level or content-area classroom, here are some important things to consider:

1. Newcomers should sit by an English-speaking peer who is confident, encouraging, and positive. If this student happens to speak the language of the ELL, even better, but this is not necessary. This peer is there to offer essential support as a model for both language and classroom procedures. Teachers may have concerns that the English-speaking buddy will become burnt out or the newcomer will become too reliant on this peer. It is absolutely appropriate to change the buddy student in order to avoid this.
2. Newcomers should sit close to the teacher and/or posted information. Proximity to the teacher will make supportive conversation easier. Also, students will need to see anchor charts, word walls, and information on the board for frequent reference.
3. All ELLs should be seated in groups. Placing ELLs of any proficiency level encourages interaction, which is KEY for acquiring language. Students must have numerous opportunities throughout the day to talk with their English-speaking peers in order to learn English. Facing their peers during directed learning activities will provide this chance.
4. ELLs should be seated with the rest of the class. Although ELLs are likely to need a higher level of adult support than their English-speaking peers, seating ELLs separately should be avoided for all of the reasons above. Also, seating ELLs separately increases feelings of seclusion and isolation.

From Katie Hearn (ELL iCoach):

As part of my reading specialist graduate program, I created a text set of more than 60 books on the topic of immigration. These books can be great for connecting with ELLs or for teaching about the immigrant experience.

The text set has several intended purposes:

• Read alouds in the classroom.
• Literature circles
• Independent reading for students
• Use two or more books to compare texts based on the same topic
• Use multiple titles to supplement a unit on immigration

Thanks to the generous donations of my friends and family, I've collected almost all of the books in the text set and they currently live in my office. The books range from grade levels PreK-12 and span all genres (narrative, information, historical fiction, science fiction, poetry, graphic novels, wordless picture books, chapter books). Feel free to browse the list and read about the books here. If you would like to borrow a book OR a whole set of books, just email me at katherinehearn@smsd.org and I'll get it to you.

Keep an eye out for these ELL-focused sessions at the iFair on January 4!

Elementary

• Using the Open Court EL Teacher's Guide with Laura De Adder (ELL Teacher, Brookridge Elementary)
• English is a Language, Not a Measure of Intelligence: Using Bloom's Taxonomy across Levels of Language Acquisition with Martha Ayalla (ELL Teacher, Rosehill Elementary) & Michael Soto (ELL Teacher, Nieman Elementary)
• Co-Teaching with an ELL Teacher with Katie Black (ELL Teacher, Shawanoe Elementary)
• Scaffolding on the Fly with Amy Culey (ELL iCoach)
• Using Movement & Drama to Teach Language & Content with Amy Culey (ELL iCoach)
• Adapting Interventions for Upper Elementary ELL Students with Laura Everett (ESOL-endorsed Innovation Specialist, Comanche Elementary)

Secondary

• Help! I Have a Newcomer in My Class! with Elizabeth Ault (ELL Teacher, Shawnee Mission West)
• Scaffolding on the Fly with Amy Culey (ELL iCoach)
• Using Movement & Drama to Teach Language & Content with Amy Culey (ELL iCoach)

Email: amyculey@smsd.org
Phone: 9139934062

Email: katherinehearn@smsd.org
Location: https://maps.google.com/?cid=17740544643128892125
Phone: 913-993-4208
Twitter: @mrshearn512

Below is a menu of ways the ELL iCoaches can support you and your building. Reach out to Katie or Amy for more information or to set up a meeting.