Tip Sheet: How to Help ELs in the Mainstream Classroom

Print these EL-friendly Modifications for a Quick Reference
1. Let ELs sit at the front.

2. Wherever possible, print notes for ELs (so they focus on ONE language task at time, such as listening to the class discussion or highlighting new vocabulary).

3. Tell ELs in advance what you will be covering in the forthcoming lesson/s to active prior knowledge and provide extra processing time.

4. Hand out/pre-teach key words and concepts prior to the lesson.

5. Allow students:
[a] to discuss assigned homework in small groups before the end of the lesson.
[b] to check each other’s homework in small groups or pairs before discussing as a class.
6. Be selective when marking - don’t attempt to "correct" everything.
7. Allow ELs time to hand in a second draft.
8. Whenever possible grade students’ work on:
[a] content and not on spelling/language errors.
[b] his/her own progress rather than in comparison with the rest of the class.
9. Encourage ELs to look for topic sentences and main ideas.
10. Try to include some positive comments on students’ work. They may not get many!