Lynda There are several activities I have used that have been well-received. 1.One is to hang a map of the world on your bulletin board or wall. Have each child's name printed out on a strip of paper. Have the children use push pins or tape to place his/her name on his/her country of origin on the map. This becomes a starting point of conversation (weather, food, customs, music etc) and can be referred to throughout the year as you read/discuss different topics.
2.Another thing I have done is to get the multi-cultural construction paper (Discount School Supply.com sells it pretty cheaply). Have the students trace their hand and cut it out. Have them write their name and a reading goal they have for the year. You can make some stock phrases i.e. I want to read 5 books this year, to copy for those who need assistance with English. I make a bulletin board that says "Reach for the Stars" and place the hands on that board reaching upwards but you could use them in a variety of ways ( link the hands,make a wreath, a tree etc). 3.I also pair up students and have them draw each others' portrait. Then they complete a simple interview (this is Maria. She is from Mexico. She as 2 brothers. She has 1 sister. She likes to eat chicken and rice.) The questions can be adapted depending upon the grade level and English proficiency level. The portraits and interviews are posted on the wall in the classroom. 4.This activity is another way to learn each others' name. Each person writes his/her name on a piece of paper and writes the name of his/her home country underneath. A small picture of each student's home country flag can be included if you have it. The students then hold the paper with their name and home country in from of them. The teacher starts, "I am Ms. Cutolo, I am from the United States, I say Good Morning". You would point to your name and country as you say the words. You then point to someone else who repeats what you said and then adds her own information. "She is Ms. Cutolo, she is from the United States, she says Good Morning". "I am Maria, I am from Mexico, I say "Buenas Dias". She then points at someone else who repeats the first two names and then adds his/her own. Students can point to each others' names and countries as they say them. This activity usually causes a lot of laughter as we sometimes struggle to pronounce each others' names,countries and repeat Good Morning (or Good Afternoon etc) in each others' languages. After you have gone around the room and everyone has had a chance to repeat each others' names etc, you finish up the activity by repeating every students' name and country of origin etc. For students who are not yet verbal in English, they can point to the names and countries as you say them for the student. Again this can be adapted depending on the grade level and English proficiency level of your students. Susan -----Original Message----- >From: Lynda Grace Cutolo <[email protected]> >Sent: Aug 3, 2011 3:51 PM >To: [email protected] >Subject: [MOSAIC] teaching ESOL > > I am a first year reading ESOL teacher of grades 1 to 5. What introduction >activities can make students feel comfortable in the classroom? > >_______________________________________________ >Mosaic mailing list >[email protected] >To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org > >Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive
