Using visual aids in English Language Learner classrooms helps by giving students clues that clarify meaning. Not only can visual aids help students solidify their understanding of the lesson, but they can also help them increase their vocabulary as they hear the new words and associate them with the visual aid you provide. For instance, when teaching a lesson about the water cycle, make a poster that uses more pictures than words and point to each part of the water cycle as you explain it.
English Language Learner students need more time than native English speakers to formulate their answers when you ask questions and expect them to respond in English. Until their English is very natural, they must translate the answers in their minds before they speak, and this takes extra time. Get in the habit of pausing after asking every question, and this will help students to feel comfortable with the extra time required to give their answers in English.
At the beginning of class, hand lesson outlines to English Language Learners to help them follow along during class. Sometimes it's easier for students to keep track of what is going on during class if they have access to the written word as well as the spoken word. They will also be able to visualize key vocabulary words associated with the lesson, and this will help them with their English spelling and sentence structure.
When you correct your students' spoken language, they may begin to fear speaking aloud in the classroom. Instead, use restatements to model correct grammatical structure. For example, if a student says, "No understand," answer with, "You don't understand? Okay." In this way, the student hears the correct structure but doesn't feel criticized. If a student asks to be corrected, go ahead and make the correction, but try to use restatements as a matter of course.
When teaching ELL students reading strategies, teach them to skim and scan. Skimming is a reading strategy that helps students to get the main idea of a chapter or paragraph before reading the whole thing. Skimming is looking over the chapter or paragraph for key words. For instance, in a matter of seconds, a student can learn that a paragraph is about elephants in the wild without having read the whole thing. Scanning is a method of looking over a selection for a particular keyword or words. The student may be looking for the answer to a question about battleships. With scanning, the student looks for the word "battleship" until he finds the passage that contains his answer. Skimming and scanning help students to find answers easily and to get a general idea about a reading selection before diving in.