I recently saw a post from Science Teacher tasked with teaching English Newcomers and suggested a list of ideas, one being pre-teaching vocabulary. But, how do you pre-teach vocabulary in a mainstream classroom? Today’s episode addresses this question and more.
Why is pre-teaching vocabulary is good for all learners?
There are 3 tiers of words we talk about in EL instruction: Tier 1, or everyday, words, Tier 2, or frequently used words that show up across content areas, and Tier 3, or subject specific words. Pre-teaching, particularly tier 2 words, is important for access to the academics and equity. All students are building their vocabulary and ability to communicate their ideas and building confidence in demonstrating their content knowledge.
What are the steps to pre-teaching vocabulary?
Step 1 – Select appropriate vocabulary words by anticipating what they might already know and which they might struggle with. Ask for help from your EL teacher.
Step 2 – Provide a simple definition and visual representation of the word and possibly a translation. Then, review the vocabulary whole-class, use the words in an opening class discussion, or ask students to use these words in their responses.
Step 3 – Utilize word walls for a particular unit or for use throughout the year. Students can help with the creation of these words, definitions, and visuals.
Step 4 – Use the words! Create simple sentence starters and/or sentence frames in conjunction with word banks to help students build confidence and ability with using new vocabulary.
Step 5 – Revisit the vocabulary multiple times in different contexts. Ask students to listen for the words they just learned. Provide slides, or have students create padlets or flip grids with these sections: word, simple def, translation, image, sentence where the word is used correctly.
What you will hear about pre-teaching vocabulary:
- What vocabulary pre-teaching is
- The reasons why it is so important to pre-teach vocabulary in the mainstream classroom
- The steps that can be taken to pre-teach vocabulary
- How pre-teaching vocabulary will benefit all students not just the language learners
Resources
As mentioned in the episode, I am linking some useful resources!
- The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join.
- 25 Authentic Speaking Activities for Your ESL Classroom
- Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
- Teachable Platform – Courses and Workshops
- Follow me on Instagram
- Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group
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