This document gives you some simple strategies and guidance to support New to English pupils in the primary school. It also has a couple of links to useful websites.
- For: Primary, SFL
- Purpose: Best Practice
Resources: Best Practice
New to English Nursery
This document gives you some simple strategies and guidance to support New to English pupils in the nursery. It also has a couple of links to useful websites.
- For: Nursery - P1, SFL
- Purpose: Best Practice
MESH Guide
This guide provides lots of links to suggested strategies, activities, research and other materials for teaching EAL pupils. Where you see a blue triangle click to get more information. Lots of good material here which could provide a backbone for understanding the teaching of EAL pupils.
Click on logo for more…. or
http://www.meshguides.org/guides/node/112?n=133
- For: Primary, Secondary, SFL
- Purpose: Best Practice, Dual Language
Understanding and Supporting Multilingual Language and Literacy
Good link to a CPD session hosted by LALCO (Language and Literacy Research Group) looking at:-
- Teachers’ beliefs about meeting the literacy needs of pupils learning English as an additional language
- Bilingualism and (bi)literacy: myths, facts and challenges
- Early reading in languages other than English: similarities, differences and transfer
- Multi-contextual vocabulary instruction for children learning English as an additional language
You can also sign up to the network to access future resources and research findings.
- For: Primary, Secondary, SFL
- Purpose: Best Practice, Information
Strategies for Supporting Writing at Stage 4
- provide visual stimuli for pupils to write from g. photos, video, artefacts eg Literacy Shed
- talk about the structure of English within the contexts of the text eg parts of speech, differences between spoken land written language
- provide opportunities to rehearse before writing
- encourage paired work, possibly with writing partners, to brainstorm ideas before writing and discuss the context and then peer evaluation afterwards
- Use activities such as Dictogloss to practice note taking and use to develop writing
- DARTS activities including;–
- clearly organise information on the board using graphic organisers and provide simple grids or tables for pupils to complete
- use gap fill exercises or cloze procedure to develop awareness of synonyms
- model writing for the pupil and providing good examples
- use writing frames to scaffold first attempts and to encourage paragraphs and structure
- encourage students to learn from their mistakes and use Correction Code
- encourage pupils to punctuate to clarify meaning while writing
- ask pupil to read back the writing to check for flow and continuity
- pre teach new words and broaden the vocabulary around the theme through providing interactive
- develop awareness of word families (eg photograph, photography etc) and semantic awareness (eg volume in music and science)
- encourage the ongoing use of dual language/English to English dictionary as appropriate
- develop understanding of metaphor and idiomatic sayings
- For: ESOL, Primary, Secondary, SFL
- Purpose: Best Practice, Literacy Support
Strategies for Supporting Writing at Stage 3
- provide visual stimuli for pupils to write from g. photos, video, artefacts eg Literacy Shed
- talk about the structure of English and possible similarities and differences with other languages eg. different word order, articles etc. (Omniglot details some common challenges speakers of other languages have)
- provide opportunities to rehearse before writing
- encourage paired work and peer evaluation
- Use activities such as Dictogloss to practice note taking and use to develop writing
- play games / provide activities to help understanding and use of prepositions, match nouns and pronouns, teach articles
- DARTS activities including;–
- provide support for pupils to match simple sentence starters to sentence endings, then ask pupil to copy complete sentences
- ask pupil to sort/sequence simple jumbled sentences
- clearly organise information on the board using graphic organisers and provide simple grids or tables for pupils to complete
- use gap fill exercises or cloze procedure
- model writing for the pupil and providing good examples
- use writing frames to scaffold questions leading to how / why question
- introduce different connectives/conjunctions Connectives and starters word list – basic or Connectives and starters word list – advanced eg because, so, then, but, however etc
- encourage students to learn from their mistakes and use Correction Code
- encourage pupils to punctuate while writing
- ask pupil to read back the sentences to see if they ’sound right’, use Clicker 6 to do this
- pre teach new words through providing interactive display g. of new or key words
- encourage the ongoing use of dual language/English to English dictionary as appropriate
- For: Primary, Secondary, SFL
- Purpose: Best Practice, Literacy Support
Strategies for Supporting Writing at Stage 2
- encourage peer modelling in small groups
- scribe for individuals or use speech to text software (available on Google Docs)
- devise paired and collaborative writing tasks
- use storyboards and story mapping
- Pre Teach new vocabulary
- talk about writing beforehand, as it is done and reviewing
- link the writing activity to the preceding talk or reading
- Use differentiated tasks such as :
- ask pupil to label pictures / diagrams with initial letter cues and use word lists / banks (with illustrations / translations)
- ask pupil to write short phrases of two or more words
- DARTS activities including;–
- provide support for pupils to match simple sentence starters to sentence endings, then ask pupil to copy complete sentences
- ask pupil to sort/sequence simple jumbled sentences
- clearly organise information on the board using graphic organisers
- build semantic web/topic web of related vocabulary
- use gap fill exercises or cloze procedure
- use writing frames from across the curriculum – primary and secondary
- make literacy activities and games to teach phonics
- encourage pupil to write in first language (as appropriate)
- provide example paragraphs and ask pupils to substitute new set of information
- build in writing activities to consolidate new language eg writing crossword clues on key topic vocabulary
- encourage the ongoing use of picture/dual language English dictionary as appropriate
- For: Primary, Secondary, SFL
- Purpose: Best Practice, Literacy Support
Strategies for Supporting Writing at Stage 1
- use individual whiteboards and pens
- model the writing for the pupil and provide modelling and deconstructing tasks
- show/provide examples of different types of writing
- provide key word/common word lists linked to writing tasks
- devise collaborative writing tasks with opportunities to ‘have a go’
- ask pupil to copy short text that has been explained and discussed
- provide opportunities for talk as rehearsal and the use of talking partners prior to starting writing tasks
- DARTS activities including;–
- provide support for pupils to match simple sentence starters to sentence endings, then ask pupil to copy complete sentences
- ask pupil to sort/sequence simple jumbled sentences
- clearly organise information on the board using graphic organisers
- use gap fill exercises
- provide sentence starters
- play simple writing / alphabet card games and puzzles
- ask pupils to copy words matched to pictures / diagrams
- ICT such as speech to text, Clicker 6 etc
- encourage pupil to write in first language (as appropriate)
- prepare differentiated tasks for the pupil to complete while the others work independently
- encourage the use of picture/dual language dictionary as appropriate to age and skills
Strategies for Supporting Reading at Stage 4
- pick out key words or events; unknown words (eg. underlining, highlighting)
- explain cultural references/nuances/homonyms including ambiguous phrases and hidden meanings
- provide dictionary / thesaurus work
- reinforce subject specific language and use vocabulary building strategies: word banks at appropriate level, crosswords, word searches, matching vocabulary with definitions etc
- identify and highlight specific language structures associated with particular types of text/genres to support pupils’ understanding and control of style/tone/genre etc
- practise hot seating characters
- use strategies such as SOLO taxonomy to develop higher order thinking and collaborative learning
- scaffold questions leading to how / why question
- ask specific skimming questions
- ask specific scanning questions
- use colour coding/numbering etc to identify different types of information in text
- discuss figures of speech, simile, metaphor, personification
- discuss symbolism/allegory
- use running dictation
- ask pupils to match headlines to pictures / titles to texts e.g. in text books, newspapers
- ask pupils to identify topic sentences of paragraphs
- use Reciprocal Reading techniques (predicting, clarifying, questioning and summarising) to engage pupils with text giving each a role/responsibility within a group reading task
- encourage pupils to look for bias and recognise different perspectives of a common event
- make cross-curricular references, links and glossaries (mono and bilingual)
- DARTS activities including:-
- use collaborative reading activities eg information gap, jigsaw reading etc.
- ask pupil to transfer or remodel information from a text into a key visual by using graphic organisers such as tables, classifying information, sequencing of key points
- gap fill activities and cloze procedures
- encourage prediction about text content using visual and contextual cues
Strategies for Supporting Reading at Stage 3
- pick out key words (g. underlining, highlighting) to help understanding
- preview text (g. pre teach key words prior to meeting in text, ideas, subject matter, share similar stories) and use mindmaps etc
- establish peer modelling and provide opportunities to talk about text pictures/illustrations with a partner
- encourage re-reading
- use teacher/adult-led shared reading strategies
- listen to stories for intonation / developing reading stamina
- set up role play activities / act out play scripts
- explain cultural references/nuances/homonyms
- provide dictionary / thesaurus work
- reinforce subject specific language
- use visual / audio / video support for text
- provide opportunities to link reading to personal experiences
- practise hot seating characters
- provide a framework to ask / answer questions about the text eg. who, what, where grid
- write book reviews
- use running dictation
- make cross-curricular references, links and glossaries (mono and bilingual)
- DARTS activities including:-
- use collaborative reading activities eg information gap, jigsaw reading etc.
- processes, matching the beginning and ends of sentences etc
- ask pupil to find/match/highlight letters in words, words in texts, phrases in texts
- ask pupil to transfer or remodel information from a text into a key visual by using graphic organisers such as tables, classifying information, sequencing of key points
- gap fill activities and cloze procedures
- encourage prediction about text content using visual and contextual cues
- scaffold questions leading to how / why question
- Use strategies such as SOLO taxonomy to develop higher order thinking and collaborative learning