There are three key principles teachers of English language learners should use to help their students succeed in school.
1. Increase Comprehensibility – Use real objects, pictures, manipulatives, and experiments to be sure student understands concepts.
2. Increase Interaction – Use group activities such as Think/Pair/Share, Numbered Heads
Together, etc. to involve all learners in discussions. (All students are involved in all
questions/answers instead of calling on students with hands raised.)
3. Increase Thinking Skills – Involve all students in activities to use higher order thinking skills and problem solving to increase comprehension of content and skills. One strategy to do this is Teach the Text Backwards – doing an experiment first to establish vocabulary and generalizations or looking.
Click on the links below to view the rubrics to support your ELLs
Not sure about the meaning of all of the Abbreviations?
What are Thinking Maps?
Thinking Maps are eight specific visual patterns Visualizing our thinking allows us to have a concrete image of our abstract thoughts. Visual representations enhance the brain's natural ability to detect and construct meaningful patterns. Thinking Maps reduce anxiety by providing familiar visual patterns for thinking and working with complex ideas and situations.
1. Increase Comprehensibility – Use real objects, pictures, manipulatives, and experiments to be sure student understands concepts.
2. Increase Interaction – Use group activities such as Think/Pair/Share, Numbered Heads
Together, etc. to involve all learners in discussions. (All students are involved in all
questions/answers instead of calling on students with hands raised.)
3. Increase Thinking Skills – Involve all students in activities to use higher order thinking skills and problem solving to increase comprehension of content and skills. One strategy to do this is Teach the Text Backwards – doing an experiment first to establish vocabulary and generalizations or looking.
Click on the links below to view the rubrics to support your ELLs
- WIDA- Performance Definitions (The Levels of English Language Proficiency)
- Speaking & Writing Rubric (with instructional support, ELLs can produce.....)
- Listening & Reading Rubric (with instructional support, ELLs can produce.....)
- WIDA- CAN DO Descriptors (offer teachers working with English language learners a range of expectations for student performance based on the students' English language proficiency levels)
- Can Do's for Prek-K
- Can Do's for 1-2
- Can Do's for 3-5
- Can Do's Prek-12
Not sure about the meaning of all of the Abbreviations?
What are Thinking Maps?
Thinking Maps are eight specific visual patterns Visualizing our thinking allows us to have a concrete image of our abstract thoughts. Visual representations enhance the brain's natural ability to detect and construct meaningful patterns. Thinking Maps reduce anxiety by providing familiar visual patterns for thinking and working with complex ideas and situations.
- Circle Map- for defining in context, brainstorming, & assessing prior knowledge
- Tree Map- for classifying & grouping
- Bubble Map- for describing characteristics using adjectives
- Double Bubble Map- for comparing & contrasting
- Flow Map- for sequencing & ordering
- Multi-Flow Map- for causes & effects
- Brace Map- for analyzing whole groups & parts to show structure
- Bridge Map- for seeing analogies & relationships