ESL Instructional Modifications/Accommodations
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Accommodations are a large part of helping ELL students become successful in the mastery of both English and Academic Content based language. The following is a list of ELL modifications for classroom use:
- Extended Time
- Read text in English
- Paraphrase/Simplify text in English
- Scribe responses : This could be done by teacher, paraeducator, co-teacher, or another student
- Adapt pace of instruction
- Reduce the amount of questions : choose questions that will assess the specific objectives of the assessment
- Provide visual organizers
- Provide word banks or multiple choice
- Provide adapted materials/technology
- Use computer/Software
- Use Spell Check
- Use Foreign Language Dictionaries/translation devices
- Link Instruction to Prior Knowledge: Talk to the student and find out about their culture and what they know. See if you can connect that to what they are learning in your class.
- Provide Language Objectives : Vocabulary is a great way to do this. Often times, text books have chapter vocabulary in them, have ELL students complete this a quiz them on it. You could also have them pick 10 words out of a chapter they don't know and learn those words.
- Encourage Language/Task Completion: This is for students who are in upper level ESL. This simply means encouraging students to complete a task without using their dictionaries or going into their native language.
- Engage in Academic Conversations : Talk to your ELL students and ask them question about what they are learning, what they enjoy in class, what they struggle with, what they think about the current topic, this allows them to further practice their academic language
- Use Scaffolding : This simply means providing support in different ways for example allowing students to see a picture of a new word instead of just hear it or allow students to write first in their native language then in English.
- Provide Interaction Opportunities : Use collaborative learning activities in the classroom and allow ELL students to work with students of varying levels of academic achievement
- Use alternate assessments such as: group tests, portfolios, graphic organizers, checklists, interviews, self-evaluations, journals, games and role-playing.