How To Build Background Knowledge For Ells

According to recent surveys, at to the lowest degree 55% of classroom teachers have i or more than English Language Learners (ELLs) in their classroom. ELLs arrive in our classrooms with varying levels of the four domains of English language (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) for conversational and bookish purposes. As a social studies teacher, how tin you help an ELL pupil make sense of the advanced vocabulary and judgement structures that come along with bookish instruction? One proven strategy is to build or activate background knowledge BEFORE starting the unit of measurement.

Lay the foundation

Background knowledge refers to being familiar with the context of the topic/theme of the unit and knowing some associated vocabulary or concepts related to that topic. Prior knowledge, every bit well as a potent foundation of English vocabulary and grammar, volition help the average educatee make sense of a unit on, say, the economical policies of the Jeffersonian era, while an ELL pupil with only bones conversational skills and a 2^nd grade reading level in English will be at a natural disadvantage. Background noesis is likewise important because in expository texts (e.g., primary sources and textbooks), and oft in classroom lectures, it is assumed that the students tin can embrace a certain language level, and often students have to infer facts and concepts from what they read or hear. Even leveled readers may not be sufficient to help students understand the context and language being used.

Past providing structured activities that help students learn cardinal vocabulary and context for what will be taught in the adjacent unit, students will be more prepared to actively participate and learn in one case the unit of measurement begins.

Create pregnant from the footing up

Before get-go any background-building activities, identify central vocabulary and concepts that need to be understood prior to teaching the lesson. For example, if the next unit covers Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Buy also every bit economical policies of the time, you may want to teach these concepts and terms first: economic system, Jefferson, embargo, trade, purchase. It is also important that students sympathize what they will need to exist able to demonstrate their learning. For example, if a unit of measurement objective is that students volition be able to identify causes and effects of Jefferson'due south policies, so the concepts of "cause" and "issue" could be incorporated into the edifice background knowledge stage.

Put information technology into action:

Here are some ideas to build background noesis through interactive, participatory experiences:

1) Simulations

Utilize a easily-on, whole-classroom experience in which students actively participate. For example, if you demand to teach the concept and related vocabulary of an "economy," laissez passer out Monopoly coin and assign roles to students so they tin can act out their parts. Create situations in which students can trade for different goods and purchase state or other items, and then connect it to students' existent-life objects/items so that they are using familiar vocabulary. Through different scenarios or situations, students can identify how deportment of others tin can produce different effects on other classmates' finances.

2) Visuals

Provide photos, graphic organizers, or videos (with comprehensible verbal content) to help correspond vocabulary items and concepts whenever possible. Maps and other geographic tools are useful in orienting students to time and place of various concepts and in giving them a reference betoken for different historical events.

three) Demonstrations

Rather than describing or defining vocabulary, show them examples of the concepts whenever possible. For case, if you are trying to teach the concept of "embargo," give different office supplies (east.g., paper clips, paper, pencils) to three different students. Ask them to trade one particular with each other so they accept an even number of items between the three of them (at least two of each item). Next, tell ii of the traders they cannot merchandise with the third, and can but trade between the ii of them, signifying an "embargo." Students can discuss crusade/effect from this demonstration and how that afflicted the third student'southward ability to become the other two items, and the other two traders' abilities to become the third item.

4) Easily-on manipulatives

Students can hands grasp concepts when hands-on materials and activities are involved. Although this tin can exist challenging for more abstract vocabulary, try to connect words to real-life items that students can connect with.

v) Explicit pedagogy

For all of these activities, it is important to verbally label the central vocabulary/concepts learned and and so add those terms to a word wall or some type of vocabulary book that students (and teachers) will have for future reference. If the activeness is done without any reflection on the specific vocabulary and how those words are used in sentences, it ELL students may non retain them.

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Susan McDonald, M.Southward., CCC-SLP, is a voice communication-language pathologist and English linguistic communication teacher based in southern California. She earned a bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from Western Washington University in 1997, and her master's caste in Communication Sciences from the Academy of Vermont in 1999. Susan completed coursework for the Vermont State English as a Second Language Teaching Endorsement from Saint Michael's College in 2006. When she's non teaching or writing, she enjoys riding her bike, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.