Teaching the English Language Learner in the Social Studies Classroom

1
Teaching the English Language Learner in the
Social Studies Classroom
2
Environment

• Creating an environment in the classroom that
  accepts and utilizes students home languages and
  cultures eases some of the affective tension in
  learning new norms and new vocabulary.

3
Disadvantages

• ELLs may be at a disadvantage while learning
  Social Studies because of the following factors

4
Lack of background knowledge

• For a student whose native culture is very
  different from U.S. culture, learning social
  studies can be difficult.
• Students learn new concepts by fitting them into
  pre-existing mental schema. The less experience a
  student has with a subject, the more difficult it
  is for the student to learn that subject.
• Cultural differences may inhibit the ELLs from
  asking questions of their teacher.

5
Difficulty learning from textbooks

• In social studies text, facts and details are
  often condensed, and authors often omit the kinds
  of concrete or anecdotal detail that can help
  ELLs relate unfamiliar concepts to their own
  experiences.
• ELLs' may have difficulties with reading
  comprehension when textbooks contain a high
  concentration of new vocabulary or sophisticated
  sentence patterns.

6
Difficulty learning from lectures

• Some ELLs who were taught English in countries
  other than the United States find it difficult to
  understand American teachers' accents and
  pronunciations.
• Other ELLs may have lived in the United States
  too short a time to develop a sufficient
  listening vocabulary or listening skills.

7
Teaching Strategies

• To facilitate the needs of ELL students in the
  classroom, it becomes necessary for teachers to
  create strategies that are democratic, equitable,
  but are also effective for students with
  different learning styles and needs.

8
Use role plays

• If ELLs lack the language skills to participate
  in a role play, other students can play the
  roles. ELLs will still benefit from watching and
  listening.
• Make abstract concepts concrete.

9
Create analogies

• Helps students link the unfamiliar with the
  familiar.
• For example, a teacher might help ELLs understand
  the concept of the U.S. cabinet by comparing it
  to a school in which each teacher has
  responsibility for a particular subject and group
  of students but reports to the principal.

10
Pre-teach

• The teacher should discuss a reading assignment
  with students before they read it.
• The teacher should model how to use textbook
  features such as chapter overviews and summaries
  to preview chapter content, objectives to set
  learning goals, and questions to self-monitor
  comprehension.
• The teacher also pre-teaches unfamiliar
  vocabulary and helps students activate prior
  knowledge through the use of KWL activities.

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Jigsaw learning

• In this form of collaborative learning, the
  teacher divides a subject or a textbook chapter
  into five or six logical parts and makes each
  student responsible for learning and then
  teaching one of those parts.

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Games

• Bingo
• Puzzles
• Memory game
• Jeopardy
• Pictionary
• Charades

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Realia

• Globes
• Maps
• Posters
• Flags
• Artifacts

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Help struggling listeners

• Pass out fill-in-the-blank lecture guides or
  graphic organizers before you lecture.
• As you lecture, tell students when to fill in
  each blank.
• Speak slowly and distinctly.
• Write key concepts and vocabulary on the board.
• Use simple, familiar language.
• Pause frequently to ask and answer questions.

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Using technology in the classroom

• There are great interactives for Geography, U.S.
  History, U.S. Government, Ancient Civilizations,
  Environment, and current events at www.uen.org.
• ELL students can also benefit from DVDs that deal
  with the subject matter.

16
Web site where we found our information

• http//www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/t
  eaching_ell.phtml

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Web Sites

• http//www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/d
  iff_instruction_ss.phtml
• http//www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/a
  nalyze_this.phtml