Engaging English Language Learners in lessons is important to help bring their language to life. The document provides several ideas to engage ELL students at the beginning of lessons such as reading short books aloud and having students act out key actions, sing songs and chants with visual supports, act out stories and scenarios, and use language pattern songs. The ideas are meant to introduce new topics in a fun and engaging way for ELL students.

1. Engaging
English
Language
Learners

2. All students need to be engaged in the lesson in a fun and
interesting way. ELL students especially need this to help
bring their language to life. This is done at the beginning of
a new theme or topic or as an introduction to a lesson. On
the following pages you will see some ideas to use in the
classroom.

3. Read short interesting books. With this
you could:
1. Act out actions.
2. Sketch Key vocabulary
3. Reread the story the next day.
4. Work on a theme or topic with several books
during the unit.

4. Sing songs or chants
and read poems with
visual supports.

5. Read and act out:
Stories and simple Various scenarios
plays with of everyday
straightforward interactions. Teac
plots. h frequestly heard
words.

6. Recreate scenarios or retell
stories through actions,
drawings and sentences using
frames they complete with
learned words and phrases.

7. Model the rhythm and cadence of
English.
Read an interesting passage, poem or short
book slowly, but with natural expression.

8. Write sentences of common utterances
and read them aloud.
1. One word at a time so students
see and hear word.
2. Slowly as a whole.
3. Then at normal speaking speed.

9. Use known works to focus on
phonological
awareness. Make this brief
and lively.

10. Songs
Use Language Pattern These help the students
Songs to engage to practice the
students at the vocabulary, language
beginning of a lesson. patterns and candence.