Depending on how advanced an ESL student is, he may need to see pictures of what is being described in the textbook. Much like children's books that have illustrations, the ESL book must have a picture that reveals the action described in the text. For example, if the text said a person picked up a spoonful of cereal, the book should have a picture of a person picking up a spoonful of cereal.
Once students are broken up into pairs they brainstorm an idea that the teacher gives them by writing down all previous knowledge of that topic. For example, if the teacher writes "blueberries" on the board, the students write down all they know about blueberries and all that relates to the plant. They develop a story from the words that they create and then read it to the class. For example, the students might know that blueberries are a fruit that can be added to cereal, so they would write a story along those lines.
After breaking a reading assignment into two sections, each student writes down the main idea of the topic and any other information that relates to the story. The students then exchange notes with their partner and then are given a few minutes to interpret the information. Any words that the students don't understand are then explained by the partner. The exercise is most useful if each person in the group speaks the same language.
ESL students can learn much better when they have other people to work with. Their fellow students can sometimes explain information to them if they speak the same language. This increases the ease of understanding for the student. When correcting students who are speaking to each other, teachers should use proper grammar and articulation. When marking their material, teachers should avoid using red ink, as this can cause students to lose confidence in their abilities.