This document provides strategies for engaging English language learners (ELLs) at the beginning of lessons. It recommends using short, snappy activities like singing songs, reading poems with visuals, or reading interesting picture books. These activities should grab students' attention, introduce new vocabulary through pictures and actions, and help bring the English language to life. The goal is to engage ELL students for a few minutes at the start of lessons in a fun, interactive way to help them learn.

1. Engaging English
Language Learners
by Rise” Cuellar

2. Student Engagement
• 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.

3. HOW?
• Short and snappy.
• Not more than a few minutes.
• You want to grab their attention.

4. Sing songs or chants.
Read poems with visual
support.

5. Visual Support Examples
Stuck On A New Word?
Look at the pictures
-Look at the picture
for clues
Get your lips ready
-Say first sounds
• Photos -Read & say it again
Stretch it out
-Stretch word out
-Put sounds together
• Posters
Chunk the Word
-Look for word chunk
-Look for a word part
• Real objects Skip It, Skip It
-Skip the word
-Read to the end
-Hop back & read it
• Charts Try it again
-Try to reread
-Try a new word
Ask for help
-Ask for help after
you have tried the
other strategies
Never let the word win. Read on!

6. Read Short Interesting Books
• Act out actions.
• Sketch key vocabulary.
• Reread the story the next day.
• Work on a theme or topic with several
books during the unit.

7. Selected Passages
• Choose a few pages from a book to grab
attention
• The pages should contain clear pictures.

8. Read and act out:
• Stories and simple
plays with
straightforward
plots.
• Various scenarios of
everyday
interactions.
• Teach frequently
heard words.

9. T
U
• Model the rhythm and cadence of the N
English language through reading: E
• interesting passages T
H
• poems
E
• short stories
E
A
R

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

11. Writing
Write sentences
of common
utterances and
read them
aloud.

12. Write then Read
• Write--One word at
a time so students
see and hear words.
• Read--Slowly as a
whole, then at
normal speaking
speed.

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

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

15. Sing a New Song
• It tunes the ear to a language pattern.
• Helps to internalize the new language.