Shownotes
Looking for effective ways to challenge ELL students at varying levels of language proficiency, promoting continuous growth and engagement?
In this episode of Equipping ELLs, we explore how to challenge English language learners at every proficiency level—beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Learn three actionable strategies to push your ELL students beyond their comfort zones, from simple picture descriptions and role-playing for beginners to opinion writing and debates for intermediates, and research projects and argumentative essays for advanced learners. Discover how to set higher expectations in assessments, assignments, and group work to promote continuous language growth and engagement in your classroom. Tune in for practical tips to elevate ELL learning at every stage!
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Transcripts
Welcome back to "Equipping ELLs" , the podcast dedicated to bringing you practical strategies to support every student in your classroom. Today, we’re zeroing in on how to challenge English Language Learners, or ELLs, at every level of language proficiency. We’ll provide you with three concrete examples of how to push your students to the next level, whether they’re beginners, intermediate, or advanced learners. Plus, we’ll dive into how to set higher expectations in assessments, assignments, and group work. Let’s dive in!
As educators, we know that challenging our students appropriately is key to their growth and engagement. But when it comes to ELLs, it can be tricky to find that balance between support and challenge. So today, we’re going to look at three specific ways you can challenge your ELL students at each stage of their language development, as well as share some ways to set higher expectations across all forms of classroom participation.
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**Segment 1: Challenging Beginner ELLs**
Let’s start with beginner ELLs—those who are just starting to learn English. It’s important to provide challenges that encourage language use without overwhelming them. Here are three examples:
**Picture Descriptions:** Provide students with a series of pictures related to a topic you’re studying. Ask them to describe what they see using simple sentences. For example, if you’re studying animals, show a picture of a dog and encourage them to say, “The dog is big” or “The dog is running.” This activity challenges them to use new vocabulary in context while practicing sentence structure.
*Additional Tip:* Increase difficulty by asking follow-up questions like, “Why do you think the dog is running?” to encourage more creative thinking and fuller sentences.
**Simple Role-Play:** Set up a basic role-play scenario where students have to use key phrases they’ve learned. For example, in a lesson on food, one student could be a waiter, and the other could be a customer ordering food. This activity pushes them to use functional language in a real-world context, boosting their speaking confidence.
*Additional Tip:* Gradually increase the complexity of these role-plays. For instance, move from just ordering food to dealing with complaints or special requests, challenging students to improvise more complex responses.
**Interactive Labeling:** Involve students in an interactive activity where they label objects in the classroom or on a worksheet. For instance, they might label items like “door,” “window,” and “desk” using sticky notes or on a digital platform. As they progress, challenge them to write simple sentences, such as “The window is open.” This not only reinforces vocabulary but also introduces basic sentence structure.
*Additional Tip:* Transition from labeling objects to writing short stories using the labeled items. For example, “The door was open, and the desk was messy.”
**Higher Expectations for Beginner ELLs:**
- **Assessments:** Use visual aids in beginner assessments but raise expectations by asking students to not only identify objects but also describe their function or provide simple explanations.
- **Assignments:** Instead of just labeling, ask beginners to write short dialogues or scripts based on classroom vocabulary.
- **Group Work:** Pair beginner ELLs with more advanced peers in small group work and encourage them to take an active role in group presentations, even if it's just delivering a single sentence.
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**Segment 2: Challenging Intermediate ELLs**
Next, let’s talk about intermediate ELLs—students who can communicate basic ideas but need help with more complex language structures. Here are three ways to challenge them:
**Story Sequencing:** Provide students with a series of pictures that tell a story. Have them put the pictures in order and then write a few sentences or a short paragraph describing each scene. This activity challenges them to use past tense, transition words, and more complex sentence structures, helping to develop their narrative skills.
*Additional Tip:* After sequencing, ask them to retell the story orally in their own words, using more advanced vocabulary each time.
**Opinion Writing:** Introduce a topic related to your lesson, such as the importance of recycling. Ask students to write a short opinion piece expressing their views. Encourage them to use connectors like “because” or “so” to explain their reasoning. This pushes them to move beyond simple sentences and start building more coherent, logical arguments in English.
*Additional Tip:* Include peer review as part of the opinion writing process, encouraging students to critique each other’s use of connectors and complex structures.
**Group Debates:** Organize a simple debate on a familiar topic, such as “Is it better to live in the city or the countryside?” Have students work in groups to prepare their arguments and then present them to the class. This challenges them to practice speaking and listening skills in a more dynamic and spontaneous way, pushing their language use to the next level.
*Additional Tip:* Push them to include formal debate phrases like “I disagree because…” or “In my opinion…”
**Higher Expectations for Intermediate ELLs:**
- **Assessments:** Design tests that focus on the application of language, such as requiring students to explain a process rather than simply identifying vocabulary.
- **Assignments:** Ask students to create written or oral presentations that include transitions and more complex structures like conditionals (e.g., “If we recycle, then…”).
- **Group Work:** Assign leadership roles in group projects, such as discussion leader or note-taker, to encourage accountability and engagement with higher-level language tasks.
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**Segment 3: Challenging Advanced ELLs**
Finally, let’s focus on advanced ELLs—students who are more proficient in English but still need to be challenged to refine their skills further. Here are three examples:
**Research Projects:** Assign students a research project on a topic relevant to your curriculum. For instance, if you’re studying history, ask them to research a historical figure and present their findings. They could write a detailed report, create a presentation, or even develop a multimedia project. This challenges them to use academic language, critical thinking, and organizational skills.
*Additional Tip:* Encourage students to conduct interviews or surveys as part of their research, adding another layer of language use and critical thinking.
**Literature Circles:** Have students participate in a literature circle where they read and discuss a novel or short story. Assign roles such as discussion leader, summarizer, or connector, where they must analyze the text, make connections to other materials, and express their ideas clearly. This not only pushes their reading comprehension but also their ability to articulate complex thoughts in English.
*Additional Tip:* Challenge students to lead the discussion without teacher guidance, encouraging them to take charge of their learning.
**Advanced Argumentative Writing:** Challenge students to write an argumentative essay on a complex issue, such as climate change or technology’s impact on society. Encourage them to use advanced structures like passive voice, conditionals, and a variety of sentence types. This pushes them to refine their writing skills and use language in a more sophisticated and nuanced way.
*Additional Tip:* Require students to include multiple sources and cite them correctly, integrating advanced academic writing skills.
**Higher Expectations for Advanced ELLs:**
- **Assessments:** Use open-ended questions and require students to justify their answers with evidence or detailed explanations.
- **Assignments:** Have advanced students peer-edit each other's work, focusing on higher-level grammar structures, formal language, and content organization.
- **Group Work:** Set clear expectations for advanced students to lead collaborative work or present their findings in front of larger groups, fostering leadership and fluency in complex discussions.
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And that’s a wrap for today’s episode! Challenging your ELL students at every level is essential for their growth. Whether they’re beginners practicing simple descriptions, intermediates writing opinions, or advanced students tackling research projects, these concrete examples and higher expectations will help push them to the next level. Remember to integrate challenges across assessments, assignments, and group work to ensure growth for all students.
If you found today’s tips useful, be sure to subscribe to "Equipping ELLs" and leave us a review. We’d love to hear your thoughts and any topics you’d like us to explore in future episodes. Thanks for listening, and until next time, keep inspiring, keep teaching, and keep making a difference!