MY Classroom: 10 Practical Planning Tips for EAL Teaching Success!

 

In our previous post, we discussed ways to build proficiency in English for those who lack confidence or experience in teaching the subject. You can find that post here. Today we consider some practical steps you can take to prepare as much as possible for English language lessons. Your attitude is all-important when it comes to teaching less-favoured subjects or those you face with some anxiety. Preparedness is vital! As the old adage goes,

 

 

With appropriate planning and preparation, much success can be enjoyed. Here are our top 10 tips for you.

 

1. Think about your classroom management and English lesson structure, and consider the following questions:

 

Classroom Management:

• What routines and structures are in place in your class for daily incidental language practice?
• Can you identify ways to increase exposure to English outside formal lesson times, e.g., by giving classroom instructions in English? Create a list of phrases you could introduce in this way.

 

English Lesson Structure:  

• What is the aim of your lesson? Why do pupils need to learn the content you have selected? How will you relate it to (and build on) previous learning?
• How will you present the content to your pupils?
• How will pupils practice the new vocabulary and sentence structures? (Guided Practice)
• How will students independently use the new language taught? (Independent Practice)
• What opportunities do pupils have to review previous learning? (Retrieval Practice)
• How will you assess your lesson and plan your next steps?

 

 

 

 

2. Extra preparation is essential if gaps in subject-knowledge have been identified. Create lists of the topic-specific vocabulary you wish to cover in your lesson. Find pictures or physical resources you can use to teach the new words. Linking the visual with the verbal gives pupils an extra hook to hang their learning on.

 

 

3. Pre-prepare specific phrases you would like pupils to learn. A useful starting point is choosing sentences that can be adapted by filling a blank. For example,

 

Topic: Body Parts

Vocabulary: arm, wrist, elbow, shoulder (Make flashcards with word and picture.)

Sentence Stem: I slipped on the icy path and broke my ____. (Pupils select a picture to fill the blank and repeat the entire sentence.)

 

Do not be afraid to go beyond that which you have prepared for or scripted. In the above example, challenge pupils to provide other alternatives to fill the blanks. Praise those who try! If a pupil asks you for a word that is not in your vocabulary, model using a dictionary in order to find it. We are all life-long learners, and it is beneficial for pupils to see how we overcome gaps in our knowledge.

 

 

4. Build on vocabulary lists and sentence stems by scripting short conversations to teach pupils. Begin with a 2-sentence conversation. Read through it with pupils to ensure they understand the vocabulary, can pronounce the words properly, and are using correct intonation (raising their voice slightly at the end of a question, for example).

 

In the context of the lesson above, pupil A might ask, ‘What happened to you?’ and pupil B replies, I slipped on the icy path and broke my ____ (selecting a picture to complete the sentence.) Gradually, script longer conversations.

 

Use English books to help you select suitable phrases, or find a colleague who is willing to help.

 

5. Prepare knowledge organisers for use with older pupils to support the organisation of information. These are documents containing the key vocabulary, facts and information, and diagrams related to a topic.

 

 

6. Search online for rhymes, poems, and songs to pupils related to your lesson theme. Familiarise yourself with these beforehand so that you can confidently lead pupils in learning them. Have a poetry recitation event in class where pupils recite a poem they have learned. This provides pupils with an opportunity to address an audience and can be a good confidence-booster.

 

 

7. Make use of audio books as a way to expose pupils to a breadth of literature read with appropriate expression and intonation.

 

8. Discussing everyday events is a useful way to build vocabulary and knowledge of tenses. We will look at this in more detail and provide more specific guidance in a future post. For now, consider how to use questions to prompt dialogue in various tenses.

 

Past Tense: Use questions to prompt pupils to tell you about something that has already happened.

• What happened yesterday / last week / earlier / this morning / bin the playground?

 

Present Tense: Use questions to prompt pupils to provide a commentary on what they are currently doing.

• What are you doing now?
• What are you thinking about?

 

Future Tense: Use questions to prompt pupils to outline future plans.

• What will you do tomorrow / after school / during the holidays / when you have finished your project?

 

Conditional Tense: Use questions to prompt pupils to consider things that could happen or that they wish would happen. Such questions will feature the use of ‘if.’

• What would you do if …?
• If you do/don’t do (something), what will happen? E.g., If you study for your exam, …. If you don’t study for your exam, … .

 

 

9. Make use of the wealth of EAL resources available online. Try watching short clips from documentaries that relate to the topic you are teaching. Videos from The Literacy Shed are another great resource and each one is accompanied by teaching tips and ideas.

 

10. Encourage pupils to sign up to language laps such as duolingo and to practise for 10-15 minutes a day. Could you set up a class account and use it on a daily basis for consolidation and review?

 

I hope you find these tips have given you some new ideas. Why not sign up for our mailing list so you never miss a post? 

 

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