Meeting the Needs of ELL Students in the Literature Classroom

ELL (English language learners) students face numerous challenges when first beginning the work in an English literature class. There are language barriers that have to be addressed as well as other issues. Whenever ELL students have difficulties in a literature class, teachers focus on language as the primary cause. However, ELL students experience other challenges as well. They may have problems interacting with peers and instructors. They may not have the prior knowledge necessary to complete group work or presentations. Teachers can help alleviate these types of problems by adapting lesson plans to meet the needs of ELL students.

First of all, it is important to adapt your teaching methods to give your ELL students a more flexible way to learn and show their progress. During class instruction, I frequently give ELL students a copy of my notes/PowerPoint presentations for them to copy at their own pace. Make sure you include your ELL student in classroom discussions. It's also a good idea to work with them individually as well. I find that working one-on-one with them really helps him or her understand essential sentence structure or common English phrases. 

Next, you need to work on helping ELL students analyze text. The best way for them to master reading and analyzing literature is to do it on a daily basis. It's something that is often done during class discussions. Unfortunately, I have found that sometimes ELL students are apprehensive about speaking in large groups. One way to solve this problem is to assign blogs and journals as part of a literature unit. Not only do ELL students get to practice writing and reading, but it’s also a “safer” environment to express their ideas. This technique is a way to make sure that ELL students practice important skills, but aren't put on the spot. 

Updating the classroom environment is also a great way to provide another learning outlet for ELL students. Visual aids not only create an inviting classroom, but can greatly improve overall understanding. When a new ELL student enters your classroom, you can add a few posters that describe the unit your are working on. A fabulous activity would be for the students to create murals or posters depicting the unit.  Place key vocabulary or concepts on the wall or overhead.  

But first and foremost you should create engaging lessons. It is proven that if students are engaged during a lesson, the likelihood that they will retain the instructional information increases significantly. One of the ways you can make lessons interesting is by includng hands-on activities. You can also have students use computers to complete assignments, and design PowerPoints to enhance lessons.

You can make ELL students feel more comfortable by familiarizing yourself and your students with some of the specifics of the cultural backgrounds of the students in your classroom. You can also incorporate multicultural literature and writers to expose students to the diversity of authors and voices. Find an age appropriate novel or story to add to the curriculum. ("Bless Me Ultima" is a good one!)  A great pre-reading assignment is to have the class research a specific aspect of the culture, such as family hierarchy, political structure or topographical landscape. Present the findings to the entire class. Then encourage ELL students to share personal experiences. Here are some other great ideas for you to try.

ELL Lessons and Activities:

Learning Idioms in ESL
I like this lesson because the students work together, practice unqiue English words and then create a visual aid.  Not only does it help ELL student to communicate, but incorporates visual learning.

Writing--ABC Animals
Here is a simple and fun way for your ELL student to share facts about his/her family and culture.  I love that all the students can work on new vocabulary!!

Language Recognition and Language Families
This is dense lesson with lots of links to additional material. I like that the lesson has the students explore bilingual students and the difficulty in acclimating to a new classroom.  I would try to incorporate this lesson with a novel such as "Bless Me Ultima".