Teaching ESL with Music
Submitted by: Deborah Harvey Objective: Teaching vocabulary through music Resources: Recorded children’s music, written words for songs, pictures depicting vocabulary in song. Teacher Preparation: Collect >>>
Month: October 2010
Palindromes
Palindromes are, of course, words, verses or sentences that read backward or forward.
Idioms
Idioms are phrases with non-literal meanings. Compile a list of idioms, and have students choose five or more. They can draw pictures to represent the idiom.
Synonyms and Antonyms
Students will learn to identify synonyms and antonyms by rewriting headlines from the Sports section of the newspaper.
Adjectives, Adverbs and Advertising
The student will identify adjectives and adverbs and be able to use them correctly in a Christmas-related creative writing project.
Anagrams: Beyond Computer Solutions
Anagram solving in the classroom (along with the use of other puzzles such as acrostics, crosswords, word-searches, etc.) brings pattern recognition to the problem-solving process. In fact, algorithms have been written to port the process rather successfully over to the computer, to the point that numerous anagram generators can be found on the web. Just type in a word or phrase, hit the button, and all the work is done for you. However, solving problems without electronic intervention can have real-world value not readily apparent to your students.
Acrostics M.O.T.I.V.A.T.E. Your Students
Have your students come up with acrostics for your school mascot, school name, teacher’s name, or even individual students’ names. These are great for bulletin boards and school displays, and are equally fun (and challenging) on notebook paper.
Delivering a Persuasive Speech
In this introduction to public speaking, students will learn how to deliver an organized, persuasive speech to an audience.
Rainbow Writing
Rather than having kids write their words 3-5 times each every week (boring!), allow them to pick 3-5 colors and “rainbow write” their words.
Spelling Using Memory Cues
Students will learn memory strategies for spelling.
Model Reading and Writing for your Students
Do as I do… Set a good example at a school level by encouraging all staff members to exhibit the same behavior expected of students.
Sequencing
Recognizing the order of events not only helps in reading comprehension with stories or historical events, but also provides a foundation for breaking large tasks into manageable pieces that must go together in proper order. This exercise pairs students who will do the preparation work for you.
Promote Reading at Home with a Snuggle Pack
Create “Snuggle Pack” bags filled with books and some extras to encourage at-home reading.
A Good Day
Using “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” to inspire students to write.
Interview Book Characters
Students will use reading comprehension and character study to understand a book character.