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Interview Activities
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
for E
nglish
Language
Learners
Instant Student-to-Student
Interviews That Develop
Skills in Listening, Speaking,
Reading, and Writing—and
Engage the Whole Class
by Katherine Maitland
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the
reproducible pages of this book for classroom use only. No
other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or
in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the
publisher. For information regarding permission, write to
Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-06613-6
ISBN-10: 0-545-06613-1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Abilities
Who Are English Language Learners? . . . . . . . . . 4 Lesson Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42–44
Why Use Interviews? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Student Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45–47
Teaching With This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Can You . . .?
Building Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 I Can, You Can, We Can
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 At Home, Outside, At School
Scaffolding Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connections to Goals and Standards . . . . . . . . 14
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
academically and socially. The materials in this book, including interviews and related activities,
are designed to provide opportunities for English language learners (ELLs) to engage with their
environment, and to acquire skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing English.
My School Friend
Directions 1.
2.
Interview a classmate.
Write your friend’s answers
Date:
on the blanks.
Interview Questions
Name :
2006, p. 135). Based on such research, the interviews and activities in this book Getting
(first
and last) Date:
serve as a catalyst for language development in the following ways. 4. Do you speak another
language
2. Write your
3. Then, interv
at home?
own answer
to each quest
iew a classm
ion.
ate. Write your
Resources
classmate’s
I will inter view answers.
What is it?
Maitland Scholastic Teaching
are linked to a topic that is being studied within the classroom. They are 7. What do you enjoy in school?
My classmate
is difficult for
you?
My answer:
conducted with a purpose and an audience in mind and generally have a 9. Do you play a sport?
My classmate
’s answWhich one?
Resources
er:
10. What do you want to be
Teaching
3. Whatwhen
Literacy-Building Interview
My answer:
My classmate
’s answer:
by Katherine
4. What is one
wish you have?
My classmate
’s answer:
English Language
5. What are
three word
My classmate
’s answer:
Interview
22
Literacy-Building
practice the second language learner could engage in” (p. 56).
] Interviews are interactive tasks that require the integrated use of four
essential skill areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Hudelson
(1984) writes that “the processes of writing, reading, speaking, and
listening in a second language are interrelated and interdependent . . . .
Second language learners demonstrate that they are dealing with and
making sense of language as a totality rather than dealing with the
language processes as separate entities” (p. 234).
teaching ] Interviews can be adapted to several levels of
difficulty, from beginning English to intermediate
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
strategies around
asking for help, ] Interviews encourage English language learners to develop a variety of
requesting ways to negotiate academic and cultural situations. To be successful,
clarification, and students must learn appropriate cultural behaviors, such as those
using home language involving eye contact and body language. They must be aware of the
resources. Students
audience they address. This aspect of communication is part of the NCTE/
will have many
IRA Standards for the English Language Arts: “Students adjust their use of
opportunities to
spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary)
observe teacher
demonstrations of
to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different
how to formulate and purposes” (Crafton, 1996).
ask questions.
Unit Skills: Check this list to identify skills covered by the unit activities.
Vocabulary Development: This section suggests ways to support students in
acquiring topic-related vocabulary in the areas of listening (aural skills), speaking,
reading, and writing. (For more information on building vocabulary, see page 9.)
Home Languages and Cultures: These ideas show how to use home
languages to support children’s learning—for example, by tapping prior
knowledge. Suggestions may also include ideas for the entire class to experience
their classmates’ different languages and cultures.
Reading and Writing Connections: Although not the focus of this book,
suggestions for these skill areas are an integral part of the instructional experience.
In this section, these activities are often linked to an art project or to creating
displays, charts, and graphs.
Using the Reproducible Pages: These suggestions include tips for introducing
the interview pages, for guiding students in completing them, and for helping
students use the information they gather. These teaching materials emphasize the
need to demonstrate strategies around asking for help, requesting clarification, and
using home language resources. Students will have many opportunities to observe
teacher demonstrations of how to formulate and ask questions. keep in mind
Student Pages: These ready-to-use reproducible pages meet the needs of
students at different levels. Several strategies for gathering information and I nterviewing is
one of a variety
of activities that may
recording data are used throughout this book. Children then use the data to create
be used to engage
graphs, interpret information, summarize, and report. Revisiting vocabulary
learning. It cannot
and language patterns throughout these pages and activities supports language
be, however, the sole
learning. These activities become ways to actively develop learning strategies and
means of language
academic language.
development.
Literacy workshops,
technology, physical
Before You Begin
education, the
Materials in this book are provided for both beginner- and intermediate-level arts, and content
learners. The following characteristics of both sets of learners can help you area learning are
understand your students’ needs and choose activities that support their success. an integral part
of a language-
What Are Beginners Like? rich learning
environment.
At first glance, beginners may be hard to spot because they fall into a wide range
of behaviors. Some will smile and nod their head as if they understand everything
you say. Others, however, will cry easily, overwhelmed by the demands of the
new environment. Some will sit passively, as if not wanting to be “found out.”
Still others will seem quite giddy, acting out from a sense of unease at trying to
negotiate new territory.
teaching When they do attempt to communicate, many beginners, especially newcomers,
will use gestures and body motions. At the early stages, they will use one-word
Tip utterances, and even break into their own language while searching for a way to
be understood. They are usually difficult to understand, make many grammatical
mistakes, and pause frequently, searching for ways to express themselves.
hatever topic you
W
Gradually, they will use two- and three-word phrases to communicate.
select, when you
Beginners are often eager to learn English but can become easily discouraged.
assign activities
They need a comfortable, positive setting to “take in” language.
remember to take
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
the following into
account. What Are Intermediates Like?
As children internalize more language, they are able to make themselves better
ersonality:
P
understood. Although intermediates can communicate more readily, they still
Is this student shy
make mistakes in grammar. Their vocabulary is stronger, but as the academic
or outgoing?
demands grow, gaps in vocabulary hinder their performance. They generally have
amiliarity and
F good listening comprehension and may appear to understand everything (and
experience with
may even believe that they do understand), yet they miss the deeper levels of
English: Is this
meaning and fail to make inferences. They may be quite fluent in oral skills but
student a beginner
may struggle with academic tasks. Intermediates need extra work on inferences,
or an intermediate?
drawing conclusions, and synthesizing information.
iteracy level:
L These students should continue to work on learning strategies, such as using
Can this student graphic organizers to develop academic language and skills.
read some high-
frequency words
and simple
sentences? basic skills checklist
otivation: Is
M To be successful with interview activities, English language learners will need
this student easily some basic skills in English. If you can answer “yes” to most of these questions,
discouraged or your students are ready to engage in interviews.
eager?
Can my students . . .
Choose activities
3 ame basic nouns such as school items (book, pencil, glue), people (boy,
n
and provide support
girl, man), and places (school, house, room)?
as needed to best
meet students’ 3 repeat simple phrases and short sentences?
needs.
3 count by rote from 1 to 10 and beyond?
3 nderstand personal pronouns (I, you, he/she, we, they) but with some
u
mistakes while using them?
Building Vocabulary
V ocabulary is an important consideration when using these activities with
students. Research on native English–speaking students indicates that
keep in mind
L
children learn about 3,000 words each year (Dressler & Kamil, 2006). Second- iteracy studies
language learners have an increased load in developing their new language while reveal that
they try to “catch up” academically to their native-speaking peers. although English
Research shows that lack of vocabulary is common in the poor academic language learners
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
achievements of a large portion of ELL students. These children must be given can benefit from
many opportunities through multiple and varied experiences to become aware discrete-skill
of, develop, and use new vocabulary. As these students learn labels for words, instruction such
they need to develop deeper knowledge of conceptual meanings and language as phonics, their
comprehension
structures that affect comprehension (Francis, D. J., Rivera, M., Lesaux, N., Keiffer,
suffers if they
M., & Rivera, H., 2006).
don’t know the
Within activities for each topic, suggestions for building vocabulary may involve
word meanings.
listening, speaking, reading, and writing, depending on students’ language and “Phonics shows
literacy levels. Labeling activities are more appropriate for beginners who still need students how to
to acquire a very basic vocabulary. decode, which
helps them as
Multiple Meaning Words and Specialized Vocabulary long as the words
they are trying to
From about fourth grade on, school vocabulary items become more abstract and decode are in their
cognitively demanding. This represents a significant challenge to English language oral language.
learners (Dressler & Kamil, 2006). Activities that deepen vocabulary learning in English-language
this book include exploring words with multiple meanings and specialized words learners may lack
for description, comparing and contrasting, and summarizing. oral counterparts
Directions are often specialized words that are disconnected from content, for the words
have little context (such as in tests), and can be more difficult to read and they decode;
understand than words in grade-level texts. As you use the activities in this under such
circumstances,
book, teach children the language of directions, such as choose, find, and mark, by
the impact of
demonstrating their meaning. Highlight these words whenever children encounter
phonics on text
them in the interview activities and in class work. Sample words follow.
comprehension will
be more variable
words for directions and less certain”
(Shanahan & Beck,
ask cut letter(s) spell 2006, p. 436).
blank draw (a line, list talk
box a circle...) make a/an ____ tally
bubble estimate mark unscramble
chart fill in name use tally marks
checkmark find picture word
choose glue read write
color information record yes/no
complete interview rewrite
Making Classroom Language Accessible
Helping English language learners understand what you are saying takes a
conscious effort. You can use your body language, the way you speak, planned
demonstrations, and the way you set up the classroom environment to promote
comprehension (Cary, 2000; Enright, 1986; Enright & McCloskey, 1988).
Demonstrations and other students are additional supports.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
] Gestures
] Facial expressions
] Body motions
Planned demonstrations:
] Pantomimes
] Role playing and acting out
] Using manipulatives
] Modeling assignments step by step
The students:
] As partners, demonstrators, tutors
] Bilingual students (or others) as bridges to understanding English
10
Strategies That Help ELLs Develop
Academic Language
Learning strategies that help ELLs
acquire academic language and
skills are divided into three broad
categories: metacognitive, cognitive,
and social/affective strategies
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Metacognitive Strategies
These involve processes that
encompass “executive functions,”
such as anticipating and planning
for tasks, organizing, and evaluating
the success of these processes.
Activities suggested for scaffolding
interviewing experiences (pages 12–
13), such as those under planning
and debriefing, incorporate
metacognitive strategies.
Social/Affective Strategies
These facilitate positive feelings about self, as well as successful interactions
with others, and are important and even essential strategies for English language
learners. These strategies include asking questions for clarification, positive self-
talk (to reduce anxiety), and cooperating with others. Throughout this book,
teachers are urged to explicitly instruct students in how to ask questions for
clarification. In addition, students are given numerous opportunities to work with
partners and in small groups. Finally, when students report to teachers, they are
asked to reflect on their own learning, to determine what is working well for them.
11
Getting Started
teaching
O nce you’ve selected a topic, it is important to prepare both the whole
class and your ELL students for the interview activities. Guidelines
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
successful classroom interactions during interview activities.
for activities
such as daily 1. Explain the purpose of the interviews and that all students will
writing, interview have opportunities to participate as interviewees or interviewers.
summaries, Enlist everyone’s cooperation and support as students prepare for and
note taking, conduct the interviews.
and vocabulary
2. Set up an area for students to work.
lists. Additional
suggestions specific 3. Together, develop rules for interviews and role-play appropriate
to activities are behaviors.
offered throughout
this book. Together
4. Provide English language learners with additional support before
with your students, introducing an activity. Following are suggestions for doing so.
review their work ] Ask a bilingual tutor or volunteer to help you get started with
and show them beginning ELL students. Explain to the children the purpose
that the notebooks of the interview activities and make it clear that it will be part of
can be a resource
their weekly work.
for their learning.
English journals ] Have students clip writing paper together into notebooks to be
also provide used as English journals.
concrete examples
] Help students acquire and use strategies for asking for clarification
of student progress
when they don’t understand. Throughout the year, introduce and
at parent-teacher
encourage students to use a variety of ways to ask for clarification.
conferences.
Excuse me, what did you say?
I don’t understand. Can you repeat that, please?
Sorry, could you say that again?
You said…? (Voice rises, then tapers off.)
Scaffolding Learning
S caffolding is a term that is used to describe support given to students to enable
them to do something they otherwise would be unable to do. “It is a special
kind of help that assists learners to move toward new skills, concepts, or levels of
understanding. Scaffolding is thus the temporary assistance by which a teacher
helps a learner know how to do something, so that the learner will later be able to
complete a similar task alone” (Gibbons, 2002, p. 10).
12
The following chart is adapted from components of a scaffolded reading
experience for ELLs described by Graves and Fitzgerald (2003). Use this chart
as a reference when teaching with the activities to guide and create a supportive
learning experience for your groups of English language learners.
Pre-Interviewing
Teacher Students
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Motivate students and set the purpose (tying Plan what is needed
the activities into the curriculum) Get materials ready (interview page,
Prompt and elicit responses, lead a pencil, etc.)
brainstorming activity, write dictated lists Find resources and aids (dictionaries, teaching
Tip
Introduce new vocabulary (see Vocabulary charts, pictures)
Development in units) Rehearse how to use materials
Demonstrate how to ask for clarification Learn new vocabulary (Partner Work)
Introduce interview page Fill out interview page with name, etc.
Model asking questions, intonation Some of these
Rehearse (show comprehension)
Demonstrate how to record information tasks involve
direct instruction
from you, others
During Interviewing require students to
take over. As your
Teacher Students students become
Observe Approach interviewee (request interview, explain purpose)
facile and confident
with new skills,
Coach when needed Ask to repeat when answer is not understood
you may gradually
Use selective attention
expect them to do
Record information
more of these tasks
End interview (thank interviewee)
independently.
Post-Interviewing
Teacher Students
Debrief: How did it go? What was easy/difficult? Respond, participate, discuss
Do you need to learn or practice something? Compare-contrast, summarize (use fill-in
What did you do when you didn’t understand blanks, if needed), create/interpret graph
something?
Rehearse and report orally
Review information gathered by asking,
Write (using guides, if needed), revise
pointing, gesturing, and writing key words
Rehearse and share
Demonstrate: comparing-contrasting,
summarizing (oral, written), graphing
Model oral report
Model related written activities; provide
writing guides, if needed
Set up and model sharing: pairs, small
group, large group
Demonstrate examples 13
Connections to Goals and Standards
T eachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL, 1997) has
developed three goals and nine standards for ESL instruction. The goals and
standards are comprehensive and meant to be applied to academic instruction in
all content areas of the K–12 curriculum. They do not supplant the content area
standards but rather support them. ESL goals and standards are built around three
main areas of language proficiency development.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
1. Language used in social settings
2. Language used for academic tasks
3. L anguage used in “socially and culturally appropriate ways”
(TESOL, 1997)
This book addresses many of the goals and standards developed by TESOL. As
indicated above, one of the important uses of language is social communication.
Activities and tasks in this book are designed to give English language learners and
their classmates opportunities to develop language used for social communication.
ELLs will meet and get to know their peers and others, and learn how to express
themselves by using greetings appropriately, asking questions, requesting
clarification, using resources, and so on. Such purposes for interactions takes
pressure off the new students to be the ones to reach out, and helps them adjust to
their new environment.
Below is a small sampling of some of the “descriptors” (behaviors children
exhibit after they participate in instructional experiences that are shaped by the
standards) found in the TESOL ESL Standards for Pre-K–12 Students (1997).
14
Using language effectively in social and cultural contexts:
] using appropriate degree of formality, depending on whether
talking with adults or peers keep in mind
] using tone, gestures, and body language appropriately
] using one’s home language at appropriate times
S uggestions in
the teaching
materials may
involve explicitly
Final Notes
teaching some of
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
T he first weeks of school are stressful for new students, especially if they speak comparing and
very limited or no English. Plan to buffer the stresses by addressing concerns contrasting
they may have, and providing them with useful information. Below are some items information,
combining sentences,
to consider as part of your welcoming checklist.
interpreting graphs,
] Help students learn your name etc.). “Though much
and classmates’ names. vocabulary and syntax
] Assign a helpful “buddy” may be acquired
during this orientation period. through informal
interaction, the
] Help newcomers meet other range of academic-
students who speak their language skills . . .
home language. must not be left to
chance encounters;
] Get students acquainted with
it must be developed
the school support staff and
continuously and
other helpful individuals.
taught explicitly
] Tour the school, locating across all subject
important rooms and offices (such as the bathroom, lunchroom, library, areas” (Dutro
computer lab, main office, nurse’s room). & Moran, 2003,
p. 231).
] Explain bathroom and lunchroom procedures.
] Acquaint students with places for arrival and departure; review
bus numbers.
] Teach school and classroom rules/routines.
] Acquaint newcomers with classroom schedules.
] Make sure newcomers know how to use the phone.
] Go over emergency procedures and exits, including for fire and other drills.
] Explain how to check for school closings.
] Teach students what to do when ill (tell a teacher, go to the school nurse).
15
Strengthening Home-School Relationships
A recent review of research on language-minority parents and their views about
literacy revealed two important findings. The first is that ELL parents value their
children’s education and are willing to do what they can to help their children. The
second finding, however, revealed that “schools tend to underestimate language
minority parents’ interest in and ability to contribute to their children’s literacy
development” (Goldenberg, Rueda, & August, 2006, p. 295).
teaching A classroom environment that welcomes and affirms home cultures and families
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Tip
will set the stage for positive home-school relationships and student success.
Consider the following suggestions to strengthen these connections.
] An accepting attitude toward different cultures goes a long way to promote
Enlist the help of
an atmosphere where diversity is valued.
bilingual tutors ] Tap into your school’s and district’s resources, including bilingual tutors
or volunteers to and volunteers. They can assist you in bridging communication with your
work with these English language learners and their families.
newcomers. They
can serve as ] Seek out family members, older students, and others in the community
communication who are resources in home cultures and languages. They can be a valuable
bridges both for support system for you and your English language learners.
you and the new
] Learn as much as you can about the cultures represented in your
students.
classroom. Make these cultures a part of school life through classroom
displays of maps, photos, posters, books, and other materials in the
home languages.
] Don’t overlook the power of home languages. You want to encourage
parents to deepen their children’s skills by reading to them and having
meaningful conversations. Students can often transfer their knowledge
base from their home language to English, and later draw on this
knowledge to make new connections.
] Encourage parents and other caregivers to talk with their children about
schoolwork. Even if parents cannot offer specific help in English, their
interest and expectations will influence the children’s attitudes.
16
Classmates and Friends
unit skills
W hen childr en cross
cult ur es , one of their primary
concerns is “Who will be my friend?” They
_ r ole playing to
demonstrate
word meanings
want to fit in and belong. Providing them _ u
sing
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
_ writing a
paragraph
Vocabulary Development
Who Is a Friend? What Do Friends Do? Invite the class to work in
cooperative groups to create short skits about the word friend that demonstrate
characteristics and vocabulary such as sharing, taking turns, and being helpful. Write
key words and phrases on chart paper.
Book Friends: Create a graphic organizer and fill it in during group discussions
of character development in reading assignments. Keep all year, and add to it as
appropriate. (See sample, below.)
17
Greetings Around the World: What are some of the other ways people greet
each other? Do they kiss each other on the cheek? Shake hands? Bow? Hug? Ask
bilingual family members to demonstrate and explain their customs. Talk with
students about how different behaviors may be appropriate in one culture, but not
in another.
Partner Work
teaching Descriptive Word Pairs: Have capable beginners and low intermediates
Tip work on pairs of descriptive words for people such as tall/short, small/large,
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
and young/old. Invite them to make charts with illustrated opposites, such as
curly hair/straight hair, and display them in the room for future reference.
As students
complete partner Draw My Picture: Teach students how to play a guessing game. One partner
activities, be sure draws a very simple monster head (for example, three eyes, a large mouth, and
to rotate them as messy hair), but doesn’t show it to others. The other partner must ask only
partners. They may
yes/no questions to try to draw the same head. When time is up, partners
quickly become
compare pictures. Early beginners will struggle to formulate questions, so write
fatigued or lose
some patterns on the board to guide them.
interest in helping
Is it small?
if it feels like a
burden. Keep Does it have two eyes?
students’ motivation Does it have a long nose?
high by noticing Does it have one mouth? Is it big?
and reinforcing Is the hair long? Is it messy?
good work.
18
Using the Reproducible Pages
Name: Date:
Do You Want to . . .? (page 20)
20
Interview Question
raw a picture of an
D
activity in each circle.
Name
1. Yes No Yes No be your helpers and will find out which activity
2. A sk four classmates the
4. Yes No
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
Yes No
that it is okay if some students say no (or yes) to
both questions. Model the questions, using an
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name:
My School Friend
Date:
My School Friend (page 21)
Directions 1.
2.
Interview a classmate.
Write your friend’s answers on the blanks. Review the interview questions with My Friend
your intermediates. Discuss follow-
Interview Questions
What is it?
Interview Questions
My answer:
My classmate’s answer:
19
Name: Date:
20
Interview Question
Do you want to . . .?
Do You
Want to . . .?
Directions Name
1. Yes No Yes No
1. raw a picture of an
D
activity in each circle.
2. sk four classmates the
A
interview questions. 2. Yes No Yes No
3. C
ircle Yes or No for
their answers.
3. Yes No Yes No
4. Yes No Yes No
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name: Date:
My School Friend
Directions 1. Interview a classmate.
2. Write your friend’s answers on the blanks.
Interview Questions
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
What is it?
21
Name: Date:
I will interview .
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Interview Questions
1. What is something that you do well?
My answer:
My classmate’s answer:
22
Birthdays and Months
unit skills
Y oung or old , birthdays m ark important milestones in
our lives. How we celebrate them is influenced by our culture
and values. In this unit, the entire class learns how the cultures
_ naming months
of the year
_ using a
represented in the room celebrate birthdays. English language learners
calendar
interview others about their ages, create a bar graph of classroom
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
_ giving personal
birthdays, and compose shape poems.
information
_ understanding
comparatives
Vocabulary Development
_ reading an
Months of the Year Audiotape: Give beginners many opportunities to learn invitation
the names of the months of the year. Invite a proficient student to audiotape him- _ creating a bar
or herself reading the months sequentially two or three times. Have this student graph
pause after each month, giving the listener time to repeat. Have beginners follow a _ interpreting
yearly calendar, or a list of the months, as they listen to the tape. a graph
_ creating a
Home Languages and Cultures shape poem
Invite children to share how their families celebrate birthdays. Encourage ELLs to
share photos of birthday celebrations, if possible. If your students are reticent or
unable to share, enlist bilingual adults or older students to visit your class and tell
about how birthdays are celebrated in their cultures.
Partner Work
Monthly Calendar: Have ELLs fill in a copy of a monthly calendar and clip it
into their English journals. Students fill it in with notes about routine activities
and special events. For example, with the help of their partner, they can identify
weekends, gym days, field trips, and holidays. Refer to the calendars often
throughout the month to help beginners understand calendar-specific vocabulary,
and how to use calendars as a planning tool.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
ideas and make a list of words
related to birthdays or a specific
month. Demonstrate how to write
a shape poem and invite students to create their own. Tell children to choose their
best effort and transfer it to a large sheet of construction paper. Provide colored
pencils or markers for illustrations.
Tip
Name: Date:
All About Me
1. What is your name? In advance of using this page, prepare index cards
with students’ addresses. Teach children the conventions
2. What language do you speak?
26
• Dates can be with you to fill in their answers. Remind them that in
confusing! In English one’s personal given name comes first, and the
some countries
family name is last. Explain that their birthday will be
dates are written
written month/day/year. Remind them that months of the
day/month/year.
year are always capitalized.
At a later time, have children take turns reading
questions for a partner to answer. Encourage them to
memorize some of their personal information so that
they can feel comfortable speaking about themselves.
For example, you might have children role-play mini
introductions, such as: “Hi. My name is Carlos Blanco.
I am nine years old and I am in fourth grade. I come
from Ecuador. I speak Spanish.” As children gain
experience, be sure to give them real-life opportunities for
introducing themselves to classroom visitors.
24
Name:
2.
3.
rite the names of the classmates
W
you’re interviewing.
Read the interview question.
A sk your classmates the question.
Have students repeat the question “How old are you?”
to interview several classmates. Model how your voice
4. Record their answer.
Name Age
rises at the end of the question. Students record their
1.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
2.
classmates’ names and ages. Use the data from interviews
3.
to develop language, such as for using comparatives:
4.
5.
] Who is older than Roberto?
] Who is younger than Roberto?
27
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name: Date:
Happy Birthday! (page 28)
28
Birthday!
Directions
What will you do on your next birthday?
Discuss how some families celebrate birthdays
1. Write four
friends’ names
on the chart
under “Name.”
Name Have a
party.
Eat
birthday
cake.
Have a
special
dinner.
Open
presents.
Other
while others don’t. Customs will vary among
2. rite your name
W
3. sk your
A
classmates the
question. Use 2.
a 3 for their
4. ake an 7 for
M
4.
your answer(s).
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name:
Months 3.
names on the cake for their birthday month.
Write your name on the cake for your birthday month. What month is your birthday?
Children conduct a survey, asking, “What month is
January February April
All About Me
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
3. Where are you from?
26
Name: Date:
Name Age
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
27
Name: Date:
28
Interview Question
Happy
What will you do on your next birthday?
Birthday!
Directions
1. rite four
W
friends’ names Name Have a Eat Have a Open Other
on the chart party. birthday special presents.
under “Name.” cake. dinner.
2. W
rite your name
on line 5. 1.
3. sk your
A
classmates the
question. Use 2.
a 3 for their
answer(s). Write
different answers 3.
under “Other.”
4. M
ake an 7 for
4.
your answer(s).
Write different
answers under
“Other.” 5.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name: Date:
October December
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland
29
School Activities
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
_ observing and to name common daily and weekly school activities. Intermediates
explaining interview classmates about school subjects they enjoy.
activities
_ writing
captions
Vocabulary Development
_ using a
schedule Photo Posters: Provide students with photos of classroom activities. Have them
write drafts of informative captions to accompany the pictures, then check their
_ sequencing
work before they combine captions and photos to create posters. During the week,
_ summarizing refer to the posters to show students how to use them as a resource.
_ creating a bar
graph Home Languages and Cultures
Understanding Schedules and Activities: Have bilingual tutors check your
beginners’ understanding of schedules and activities. Children who are literate in
their home language can create bilingual weekly schedules in their notebooks.
Sign Support: Ask bilingual tutors to make signs in both English and children’s
home languages to label classroom areas and supplies. Students who are literate in
their home languages may be able to make these signs with a tutor’s assistance.
Partner Work
On Monday, we at .
Sentence Strip Schedules: Prepare
sentence strips for beginners to use
with their partners. Write a cloze-pattern sentence for each school day of the week.
Draw the face of a clock after the word at. (See sample, above.) Partners refer to a
classroom schedule, fill in the blanks, and draw hands on the clock to indicate the
time. Use these sentence strips for reading and sequencing practice. ELLs can copy
the sentences into their English journals.
Pair beginning ELL children with more proficient Did you see someone . . .
Bank for help.
Who? Where?
singing?
Word Bank
playing?
teaching
Who? Where?
Girls
Boy
Gym
Main office
Classroom
using a computer?
swinging?
Playground
Tip
Library talking on a telephone?
Boys and girls
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
example, “Mark
Interview a friend.
2. Make an 7 under Yes or No to show your friend’s answers.
Yes No
question for this page (“Do you enjoy…?”). Encourage enjoys art. He does
not enjoy music
Do you enjoy reading?
class.” Provide
Do you enjoy writing stories?
many opportunities
Do you enjoy singing?
Name:
Class Subjects
Date:
Class Subjects (page 34)
Review the words good and better. Remind students that
Class
Directions Subjects
1. Read the Class Subjects list. Add three more.
Mathematics
2. hoose two class subjects. Use them to fill in the interview
C
Reading
question. Write them in the blanks on the chart.
Interview Question
or ?
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
Subject: Subject: inflection and a slight pause after the word better. Make
sure they understand that they will interview girls and
Girls
Boys
34
tally table. As an extension, students can display their
data in a double-bar graph. (See sample, right.)
31
Name: Date:
32
Directions 1. Work with a partner. Walk around the school.
What Do You See? 2. F ill in the boxes with what you see. Use the Word
Bank for help.
reading?
singing?
Word Bank
playing?
Who? Where?
Girl Gym
using a computer?
Girls Main office
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name: Date:
Do You Enjoy . . .?
Directions
1. Interview a friend.
2. Make an 7 under Yes or No to show your friend’s answers.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
I will interview:
Interview Questions
Yes No
33
Name: Date:
Class Subjects
Class
Directions Subjects
1. Read the Class Subjects list. Add three more.
Mathematics
2. Choose two class subjects. Use them to fill in the interview
Reading
question. Write them in the blanks on the chart.
Social Studies
3. Interview the girls and boys in your class. Mark their answers
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Music
with tallies. Write the total for each subject.
Writing
Interview Question
or ?
Subject: Subject:
Girls
Boys
Total
34
Foods
unit skills
F ood , w ith all its sensory richness , evokes memories
and reactions from all of us. It is one of the most visible aspects
of culture, and among our most basic needs. Classes such as science,
_ naming foods
_ stating likes
and dislikes
physical education, and literature use the topic of food as part of
_ stating
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
_ labeling
_ comparing and
Vocabulary Development contrasting
Food Pantry: Make learning memorable by setting up a food pantry. If _ using graphic
appropriate to your school, students may bring contributions for the display. As organizers
an alternative, use empty boxes, labels from cans, food pictures, or plastic models. _ making
Ask students to label the items. summary
statements
Concentration: Have beginners help make a game of concentration. Cut out
food pictures and glue them on index cards. On separate cards, write corresponding
words to label each food item. To play, mix up the cards and place them facedown.
Students take turns flipping two cards to see if there is a match. They name the food
items pictured. If the cards match, they keep them. If there is no match, they place
the cards facedown, and the game resumes.
35
Partner Work
Is it a fruit?
Yes or No? Play a vocabulary-building guessing game. Using cards made for
Is it yellow? Concentration, under Vocabulary Development, one student selects a food card
(but does not disclose what it is). The partner may ask up to eight yes/no questions
Is it long?
to try to guess the food item. (See sample questions, left.) Yes/no questions can
be used successfully with beginners, as only a one-word answer is required. The
question itself allows the student to hear vocabulary and internalize it.
Is it round
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
like a ba ll? Reading and Writing Connections
Describing Words: Gather a variety of food items in a bag or box. Take each
item out one at a time and together fill out a chart (see sample, below) to describe
this food. Later, choose one food from the chart and show the students how to
write sentences using the attributes described in the chart—for example, “An apple
is a fruit. It is yellow, red, or green. It is round and small. It grows on trees. We can
eat it raw or cooked in a pie.” Have students choose a different food from the chart
and write sentences about it in their English journals.
Do You Like . . .?
Date:
Foods
Do You Like . . .? (page 38)
Directions 1.
2.
3.
Read the Foods list. Add three more foods.
Choose four food words. Write them on
each chart under Food.
Interview two friends. Use a 3 to
green beans
ice cream
eggs
Model the intonation pattern for the interview question.
show their answers.
Interview Question
Do you like ?
36
Name:
or ?
word best is used when there are three or more items. Have
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
2.
3.
pictured in each row. Teach students to pause after the first
question (What do you like best?) and have them practice
4.
5.
39
the inflection of the second question (Do you like __, __, or
__?), noticing that the voice drops after the word or.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
1.
Directions
Interview 10 classmates. 2.
1. Introduce or review the meaning of the word prefer. Model
the intonation pattern for this interview question, pausing
2. Use tallies to show their answers.
3.
3. Count the tallies and write the total.
4.
5.
6.
Interview Question
7.
8. after the word pizza, then continuing with the question.
9.
Remind students that the voice drops after the word or.
What do you prefer on your pizza:
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
Total
Toppings Tallies
Number
40
Name:
or
,
?
about school lunches? Which do they like best: chicken
strips, hamburgers, or sloppy Joes (or other choices
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
37
Name: Date:
Directions 1. Read the Foods list. Add three more foods. green beans
2. hoose four food words. Write them on
C
ice cream
each chart under Food.
3. Interview two friends. Use a 3 to eggs
show their answers.
rice
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Interview Question
Do you like ?
38
Name: Date:
Interview Question
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Do you like , ,
or ?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
39
Name: Date:
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Interview Question
9.
What do you prefer on your pizza:
pepperoni, mushrooms, or broccoli?
10.
Total
Toppings Tallies
Number
pepperoni
mushrooms
broccoli
40
Name: Date:
or ?
41
Abilities
unit skills
_ stating abilities
_ understanding
E nglish l anguage le ar ner s want to be seen as capable
individuals and to feel part of the group. Classroom activities
that involve ELLs stating their abilities often serve to buffer
multiple
insecurities created by language and cultural barriers. In this unit,
meanings
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
children think, talk, and write about their abilities while also learning
_ using a Venn
diagram about their classmates.
_ comparing and
contrasting
Vocabulary Development
_ making
summary Multiple Meanings: Explain to beginners the multiple meanings of the word
statements can. Show children a can of pop or a can of soup. Then, explain that the word
can is used informally for asking permission (Can we go outside?) and also for
expressing ability (I can play the piano.) Later in the week, introduce the word
cannot. Use some outrageous examples to make the lesson fun—for example,
“Can Mrs. Miller eat this table? No, she cannot! What can she eat?” Some of your
students may want to make up funny questions or statements, too.
Partner Work
A cat can fly.
Silly Statements: Ask more proficient students to work with beginners to
play a speaking game. The partner makes statements and the beginner responds
Our class by saying “yes” or “no.” Silly or outrageous statements make this a fun activity.
can jump on You may want to prepare a list of sentences to help students get started. (See
desks.
samples, left.)
42
Reading and Writing Connections
Sharing Talents: Invite all the children in your class to share about their
abilities. They may draw a picture and use it to tell about one of their talents.
This is a good opportunity to explore abilities and attributes that may be non-
physical (such as telling funny jokes, speaking two languages, doing quick mental
computations). After this discussion, elicit single statements about students’
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
abilities—for example, “Mandy can play the piano.” Experienced English speakers
will have more elaborate language, while beginners will use simple patterns. Write
their dictated sentences on a large chart.
Be sure to reread the chart several times with students. Call on groups of
volunteers or individuals to read, as well. Point out conjunctions and other features
you want to highlight. Later, use the chart in follow-up activities. Ask questions,
and have beginners or struggling readers scan the chart to find answers. For
example, ask: “What can Marta do? How many languages can Tomás speak? Who
can tell jokes?”
Can You . . .?
Date:
Can You . . .? (page 45)
Directions 1.
2.
Cut out the pictures. Glue one picture in each box.
Choose four friends to interview. Write their names in the spaces. Teach beginners the rising inflection for the
Jorge interviewed five
3. Circle Yes or No for their answers.
Name
Yes No Yes No
ascending motion to show how your voice goes
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
Yes No Yes No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
up at the end of the question. Next, review the Three of five students can
pictures on page 45, and help students identify ride a skateboard.
the actions. Direct them to choose two pictures,
45
cut them out, and paste them on the interview One of five students can
form under “Can you . . .” Let them practice play the piano.
asking one another the questions before you have
them interview four classmates. (You may also show students
As a follow-up, work with children on sharing how to express “None of the
oral reports. Model the language needed by writing students . . .” and “All of the
a sample on chart paper. (See sample, right.) students . . .”)
Children can repeat this activity, using different
pictures to create new interview questions.
43
Name: Date:
I Can, You Can, We Can (page 46)
46
I Can, You Can, We Can
1.
Directions
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
both can do. Explain that “both” means the two people
I can (but my You can who are working on the activity. It is important to model
partner can’t) We can (but I can’t)
this activity by role-playing with one or more students.
speak use the play guitar Record answers on a Venn diagram you have drawn on
Portuguese computer chart paper (see sample, left) so all can see your example.
play chess
play the piano ride a bike To get started, help children think of items to discuss
swim (such as rollerblading, skiing, playing soccer).
As students complete this interview activity, circulate
among them, asking them questions such as: “What did
you learn about your classmate?” “What can both of you
do?” “Brian, what can you do that Shana can’t do?”
As a follow-up, encourage students to create and conduct their own surveys.
First, discuss with them what they would like to know about another group
(such as another same-grade class). They might decide to ask if students play an
instrument, play a team sport, or speak a second language. Will they ask a follow-
up question, such as which sport, instrument, or language? After they decide on
the subject, have them formulate the question or questions. Next, they need to
decide how they will record the answers.
Be sure to make arrangements for the children to visit another classroom.
Prepare your students as to how to greet the teacher and request to interview the
class. Later, the interviewers should work together to interpret their data and put
together a summary. They can publish their findings in the class newsletter or on a
bulletin board.
Name: Date:
At Home, Outside, At School (page 47)
At Home, Outside, At School At Home
1.
Directions
At School
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
44
Name: Date:
Can You . . .?
Directions 1. Cut out the pictures. Glue one picture in each box.
2. Choose four friends to interview. Write their names in the spaces.
3. Circle Yes or No for their answers.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
? ?
Name
Yes No Yes No
Yes No Yes No
Yes No Yes No
Yes No Yes No
45
Name: Date:
46
I Can, You Can, We Can
Directions
I Can You Can
1. T alk with your (but my partner can’t) (but I can’t)
partner about
the things he or We Can
she can do.
2. n the left side,
O
write the things
that you can do
but your partner
can’t.
3. n the right side,
O
write the things
that your partner
can do but you
can’t.
4. In the center,
write the things
that both of you
can do.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name: Date:
Outside
At School
47
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Favorites
unit skills
_ using a picture
dictionary
C hoosing “ favorites ” plays a part in developing
long-term interests in life. It can sharpen students’ knowledge
and skills on a subject and lead to expertise. In this unit, children
_ stating
personal
are given opportunities to make decisions and state preferences. They
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
preferences learn to state reasons for having specific favorites.
_ giving
information
Chain Game: Play a “chain drill” game. Have children sit in a circle with their
flip charts. Ask questions that everyone has addressed in their flip charts. Say,
“My favorite color is blue. What is your favorite color?” Proceed around the circle,
giving everyone a chance to speak and to lift the flap, revealing his or her answer.
Then start with another favorite, such as animal or food.
His and Her Favorites: Use the favorites flip charts to demonstrate possessive
pronouns. For example, use a girl’s chart to say: “Maria’s favorite color is red.
Her favorite animal is a dog. What is her favorite game?” Lift the flap, and let
students look for the picture clue. Repeat with examples to model use of the
pronoun his. Then use the flip charts of several children with a common favorite
to teach use of the pronoun their. (“What is their favorite animal? Their favorite
animal is a horse.”)
48
Home Languages and Cultures
Invite ELL parents to share a favorite story or picture book in their native
language. You may want to encourage them to bring pictures or artifacts to make
their lesson come alive. Give them guidelines (keep the story under five minutes,
or summarize long portions from the picture book instead of reading every word).
Remind them they can point, gesture, draw sketches on the whiteboard, and so on
to make themselves understood.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
This kind of experience will help your native English speakers appreciate
the effort it takes to understand another language. They may begin to sense the
struggles beginning ELLs face every day in school.
Partner Work
Bingo: Have proficient students partner with beginning ELL students to play
bingo and lotto games. There are many commercially prepared games that involve
colors, numbers, foods, animals, and so forth.
Share Favorites: Encourage beginners to share their favorites flip chart (see
page 48) with their partner. Partners can name their favorites, as well. To make
themselves understood, they can use a picture dictionary, pantomime, or draw
quick sketches.
2. On chart paper, draw a large triangle. Inside it, tell about one of your
items using a phrase such as “My ______ is special because . . ..”
3. On each side of the triangle write a reason the item is special. To help
children think of specific reasons, provide prompts, such as “What is
your item used for? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What do you
think about when you see it (hold it, use it)?”
49
Using the Reproducible Pages
Name: Date:
What’s Your Favorite? (page 51)
What’s Your Favorite?
1.
Directions
Choose a word from theWords list to
What’s your favorite
Favorite
Dog
Cat
animal/pet ?
Tallies
llll ll
Number
7
Although this is a simple question, the interviewer must have a large enough
llll
complete the interview question. 5
a reference tool. To make students’ preparation easier, you may have them narrow
animal/pet
music
Interview Question
the scope of the question—for example, modifying “What’s your favorite animal?”
What’s your favorite ?
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
51
items from most favorite to least favorite. They may also use the same interview
question with a different group of students (such as students in a different class or
grade), and then compare their results.
Name: Date:
Favorite Story (page 52)
Favorite Story
Directions 1.
2.
Interview a classmate.
Write your friend’s answers on the lines.
Give intermediates a more challenging task by asking them to quiz classmates
about a favorite story. Prepare them for the activity by modeling the questions
I will interview:
Interview Questions
with them and discussing possible ways to answer them. To make this activity
1. What is your favorite story?
Why?
less difficult, you might limit the possible choices to recent books or stories read
2. Who are the characters?
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name: Date:
Treats (page 53) Interviewer Cookies Fruit Chips Cheese Other
Treats
Directions
1. Complete the interview question by writing one more treat.
Work with your intermediate Timour 5 1 0 0 1
2.
?
the intonation for the interview Maria 1 1 2 2 0
Tomoko 3 0 3 1 0
like the best: cookies, fruit, Total 11 4 5 3 2
chips, cheese, or _______?”).
53
Teach them to pause after the word best, and show them how your voice drops
after or. To make the activity less time-consuming, divide the class into groups
that correspond to the number of interviewers. Together, the interviewers decide
what the fifth treat will be and write it on their interview page. Once interviewers
have completed their surveys, help them compile all the data onto an overhead
transparency. (See sample chart, above.) They total the results for each category,
as shown. Display the information and have the class create a bar graph using
this data. (See sample, left.) Be sure to have students explain or interpret their
completed graph.
50
Name: Date:
Interview Question
51
Name: Date:
Favorite Story
Directions 1. Interview a classmate.
2. Write your friend’s answers on the lines.
I will interview:
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Interview Questions
Why?
52
Name: Date:
Treats
Directions
1. Complete the interview question by writing one more treat.
2. Write each treat on the chart.
3. Interview your classmates. Use tallies for their answers.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Interview Question
53
Having Fun
unit skills
_ naming action
words
H av ing fun is an essenti al
part of life, and it also facilitates
language acquisition. Fun activities motivate
_ categorizing us and add sparkle to our lives. Children
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
enjoy talking about the activities that
_ creating scales
interest them. It is one way to engage them in meaningful interaction,
_ summarizing
and it can serve as a useful springboard to learning.
_ illustrating
and writing
captions
_ using a
graphic Vocabulary Development
organizer
Action-Word Wall Chart: Invite all your students to bring photos from home
to write
showing what they do for fun. Have access to a camera in the classroom to take
sentences
photos of students who are unable to bring one from home. Use these photos for
_ writing poems language development. Pair newcomers and beginners with partners who can
help identify the activities, which might include swimming, painting, and skating.
Encourage ELLs to bring photos that show examples of favorite activities in their
home countries, which might be different from activities here. Make a wall chart
with action words based on students’ photos (and other words for activities they
enjoy). Throughout the week, add words to the chart, and let students illustrate
them with quick line drawings.
Adding Endings: Teach intermediates that action verbs change meaning (to
become nouns) when -er or -r is added to the end. For example, skate changes to
skater, or someone who skates. On chart paper, create a graphic organizer. (See
sample, below.) Have
children reproduce it in
their English journals Action Verb + er/r
and add to it during
the week. Go over the a person who
walk walker
spelling rule for doubling walks
the consonant when a person who
run runner
adding an ending to short runs
vowel words such as swim a person who
drum drummer
(swimmer), run (runner), drums
and drum (drummer). a person who
skate skater
skates
54
Home Languages and Cultures
Invite family members to show the entire class how to play a game from their
culture (such as circle games, simple board games, or an activity with a simple toy).
If there are several guests, let them work with small groups. Later, ask children to
compare and contrast games from their own backgrounds with those they learned
from the family members. Were there any similarities? Any differences? Did
knowing about a similar game help them understand the new game?
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Partner Work
Guess My Action: Have beginners choose words from the Action Word Wall
Chart (see page 54), and copy one word per index card. Have pairs of students play walk
a pantomime game with another pair of partners. They take turns drawing a card, run
reading the word silently, then miming the action for a teammate. If the partner
guesses, he gets the card. The team with the most cards wins. Make this more
challenging by timing the game. s k a te
Free-Time Word Sort: Give students who need more language reinforcement
pictures to sort. Choose pictures that represent free-time activities, such as those
on page 45. Help students identify each picture. Then, have them fold a separate
sheet of paper in thirds to create a three-column chart. (They can draw lines if
desired.) They write a heading for each section: By Myself, With a Friend, and As a
Team. Next, they sort the pictures on the chart and glue them in place. Later, ask
them to share the page with a partner.
55
Using the Reproducible Pages
Name: Date:
Having Fun (page 58)
Having Fun Activities
Directions
play baseball
read
dance
play soccer
Model how to ask the question (“Do you
1. Read the Activities list. Add three watch TV
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
4. Do you like to
5. Do you like to
?
?
Yes
Yes
No
No
they need help finding other activities. Once
58
they have completed the interview, they
use the information to make a simple chart
about their friend. (See sample, right.)
Name:
Classmate 1:
Classmate 2:
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
My answer:
there any interesting or surprising responses?
Classmate 1:
Classmate 2:
Later, have students choose a fun activity as a topic for a cinquain poem.
3. What do you do to have fun with your family?
My answer:
Classmate 1:
Brainstorm words related to an activity,
Classmate 2:
59
and list them on chart paper or a Soccer
whiteboard. Use words from the list as Move fast
you demonstrate how to write a cinquain Throwing, running, passing
poem. (See sample, right.) Revise and
Hurry, kick the ball!
edit as you go along, so children see the
Goal!
process. Provide students with a template
for writing cinquain poems.
Line 1: title
(a subject or noun)
or ?
60
Name:
Hobbies
Date:
Hobbies (page 61) teaching
Intermediates in your class can work in pairs to
Hobbies are fun things people do when they have free
Tip
time. Some examples are: collecting stamps, building
model airplanes, collecting dolls, and writing songs.
Directions
I will interview:
Interview Questions
Remember that
4. Does anyone help you with your hobby? them proofread their work. Give them an opportunity to
Who?
more open-
share their reports with small groups of children.
ended questions
5. Why do you like your hobby?
the children in your room. With permission from home, interview activity
students may bring, for instance, a piece of equipment Hobbies) require
to share about their sport, samples of their collections, a sophisticated
examples of their crafts, or photos. Be sure to ask students level of language
to label the displays with key words. because the
To go further, invite students to interview school answers can be
staff about what they do for fun. What does the school freewheeling
principal, custodian, or secretary do for fun on the and may contain
weekends? Volunteers may work in pairs to interview unknown elements.
school workers. Students formulate the question or At the same time,
more challenging
questions and practice with each other before conducting
exchanges will help
their interviews. They should also practice requesting an
the intermediates
interview, and stating a reason for doing so. Give students
take risks and
time to report back to the entire class.
develop their skills.
57
Name: Date:
play baseball
read
dance
Directions
play soccer
1. Read the Activities list. Add three watch TV
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
more activities. draw pictures
2. Choose an activity to complete each go shopping
interview question.
3. Interview a friend. Circle “Yes” or “No”
to show your friend’s answers.
I will interview:
58
Name: Date:
Interview Questions
My answer:
Classmate 1:
Classmate 2:
My answer:
Classmate 1:
Classmate 2:
My answer:
Classmate 1:
Classmate 2:
59
Name: Date:
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
4. Interview your classmates. Use tallies riding a bike
to show their answers. Count the tallies
and write the total. playing with friends
Interview Questions
or ?
1.
2.
3.
60
Name: Date:
Hobbies
Hobbies are fun things people do when they have free
time. Some examples are: collecting stamps, building
model airplanes, collecting dolls, and writing songs.
Directions
Interview a friend about his or her hobbies.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
I will interview:
Interview Questions
Who?
61
Routines and Schedules
unit skills
_ telling time
_ categorizing
S chool and cl assroom routines eventually become
automatic, freeing teachers and students to concentrate on
content. Schedules help organize the day and learning tasks. In this
_ using a unit, children will work on functional skills such as telling time,
calendar
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
reading schedules, and using calendars for planning and organization.
_ using a
timeline
_ reading a
schedule
Vocabulary Development
_ giving personal Telling Time: Help beginning ELLs develop language for telling time. Have
information them make paper-plate clocks and practice showing and telling various times.
_ sequencing
Calendar Words: Use the class monthly calendar to teach words such as
_ analyzing data yesterday, today, tomorrow, weekday, weekend, every day, every other day, and once a
_ creating a week. Practice two or three words at a time, and introduce new ones as appropriate.
pictograph
Home Languages and Cultures
Ask bilingual tutors to discuss several useful meanings for the word time
or times, such as:
] what the clock shows (What time is it?)
] multiplication (5 x 3; five times three)
] not late (as in “on time”)
] repeated actions (clap three times)
Partner Work
Give students long sheets of construction paper. Have them design a timeline of
their daily activities. (See sample, left.) Next, partners interview each other with
questions such as “When do you do your homework?” Model the language patterns
as needed to get them started.
62
Reading and Writing Connections
Daily Activity Fill-Ins: After the partner work, have beginners make entries
in their English journals about their daily activities. Give less experienced students
teaching
sentence starters such as “I wake up at ______. I eat lunch at ______.”
Time Sort: Students write daily activities (such as “eat lunch”) on separate index
Tip
cards. Beginning students may sketch pictures to help them with comprehension. Many cultures use
Later, have students sort the pictures according to four time categories: In the military time (the
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
63
Using the Reproducible Pages
Name: Date:
Do You . . .? (page 65)
Do You . . .?
Directions
A B
After students have demonstrated an understanding of time words, let them
1. To make an interview question, write an
Do you
Interview Question
?
their inflection, and offer help with the dips and rising inflection in the
A B
Name Answers
1. Yes No
2. Yes No
information they collected—for example, “I interviewed five students. Two
3. Yes No
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
4. Yes No
5. Yes No
65
movies on the weekend.”
Name: Date:
After School (page 66)
After School
1.
Directions
Interview Question
eat a snack
take a nap
play outside
do homework
their graph a title, and list
call a friend
watch TV
the categories of after-school
66
other
Name: Date:
What Did You Do...? (page 67)
What Did You Do…?
Directions
Time
Help ELLs choose a time word to complete the survey question. Then they
1. Read the Time Words list. Choose one to complete Words
2.
3.
the interview question.
Use this question to interview five friends.
Write their names and answers on the lines.
last night
last Monday
yesterday after
interview five friends using that question. Have them write five sentences
school
?
on your last
birthday
last weekend
with the information they learned. Remind students to pay attention to the
past tense, and ask them to check their work when finished.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Activity
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
67
64
Name: Date:
Do You . . .?
Directions
1. T o make an interview question, write an
A B
action word from the A list on the first blank
(A), and time words from the B list on the play soccer every day
second blank (B). watch TV at night
go to movies after school
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Interview Question
Do you ?
A B
Name Answers
1. Yes No
2. Yes No
3. Yes No
4. Yes No
5. Yes No
65
Name: Date:
After School
Directions
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
4. Count the tallies and write the totals.
Interview Question
eat a snack
take a nap
play outside
do homework
call a friend
watch TV
other
66
Name: Date:
yesterday after
school
last weekend
What did you do ?
Name Activity
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
67
Using Numbers
and Numerals
unit skills
It is e asy to ov er look the large part that language plays in
_ identifying our ability to develop and use mathematical concepts. In this unit,
numerals
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
English language learners work on hearing number words with
_ counting
understanding, using them in answering questions, comprehending
_ identifying oral and written problems, and developing basic math vocabulary.
coins and their
worth
_ making change
_ reading
Vocabulary Development
number words
Vocabulary for math is specialized. Almost any lesson in math will have concepts
_ writing number with accompanying specific language. If your students have prior knowledge
words of mathematics concepts, they may be able to transfer many of these skills into
_ estimating working with English. If, however, the math concepts are new, your students
will be faced with demanding cognitive skills and language development at the
same time. Carefully developing the concepts through manipulatives, concrete
experiences, and relevant examples will provide support for learning. Using math
terms and procedures consistently will create the predictability and redundancy
necessary to internalize new language.
68
Home Languages and Cultures teaching
As part of the learning process for all, invite ELLs to create charts (for example,
1–20) of their country’s numeric systems. When they share their charts with the
Tip
class, they can count to 10 in their home language, or by tens to 100. Some may be How many? How
willing to demonstrate how to write non-Arabic numerals. much? Students
may need to
practice identifying
Partner Work
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
69
Using the Reproducible Pages
Name: Date:
What’s Your Estimate? (page 71)
What’s Your Estimate?
Directions
Fill a small jar with pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Ask ELLs, “How
much money is in the jar? What’s your estimate?” Suggest a minimum and a
1. ake an estimate of how much money
M
is in the jar. Write it on the line.
2. A sk five classmates the interview question.
3. Write their answers next to their names. My estimate is .
Interview Question
guesses. You might also restrict answers to the nearest dollar. Let students
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
1.
2.
write their own estimate on the worksheet. Next, they interview classmates
3.
and record their answers. When completed, have ELLs group the coins and
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
4.
5.
71
count the money. Show them how to make a frequency diagram using the
data they gathered. First, draw a horizontal line, marking off values. Place
x’s to indicate the respondents’ estimates. (See sample, below.)
Together with the whole class, discuss strategies for estimating. Provide a
variety of estimation problems for further practice.
As an extension, estimate distances and time. For example, have children
estimate the distance from the classroom to another place in the building,
such as the gym. They can then check their estimates by counting the paces.
Some paces are different than others. Can distance be measured another
way? To estimate time, ask questions such as: “How long does it take to
count to 100?” Give students a stopwatch so they can check themselves.
1.
Directions
respondent for an estimate of hours. The tally table has a range of hours as
practice a musical instrument
the interview question.
work on homework
3. Interview at least 15 classmates.
Use tallies for their answers. play a sport
4. Count the tallies and write the totals. play video games
responses. Give examples and let students practice before they conduct the
Interview Question
interviews. Have them report the data they gather to the entire class.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
each week?
72 example, guessing how many beans, hard candies, or counters are in a clear
container. Challenge other classes to make estimates, and send students out
to gather their answers. As an incentive, announce a small reward for the
best estimate.
70
Name: Date:
Interview Question
Name Estimate
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
71
Name: Date:
Activities
1. Read the Activities list. Add one more.
2. Choose one of the choices and complete practice a musical instrument
the interview question.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
work on homework
3. Interview at least 15 classmates.
Use tallies for their answers. play a sport
4. Count the tallies and write the totals. play video games
Interview Question
each week?
Tallies:
Total:
72
Family
_ using a
member to learn about, develop, and share a family story. graphic
organizer
_ describing
one’s family
Vocabulary Development
_ writing a
Family Names: Invite families to send family photos to school. As an paragraph
alternative, children may draw or sketch pictures of their families or other _ telling a story
important people in their lives. Encourage children to share about their pictures.
Reinforce vocabulary with beginners by pointing to people in the photos and
asking questions such as “Who is she? Is she your grandmother?” Have children
make a chart for names of family members (grandmother, brother, and so on). They
may expand this activity by writing captions for their photos.
Partner Work
Who in your Mother Father Sister Brother Grandma Other
Family Activities: Give beginners family . . .
73
Reading and Writing Connections
Word Clusters: Model
how to create word Strong Tall
clusters related to family
members. (See sample,
right.) Students can then Speaks
Mechanic Dad Spanish
create their own word
clusters about someone
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
in their family.
Likes to Likes to tell
barbecue jokes
Family Album
Date:
Family Album (page 76)
Directions 1.
2.
Fill in the blanks to write about your family.
Take turns with a partner asking questions about your families. Invite children to write about their families by filling in the blanks of this
1. My family is
(what size: small, medium, or big?)
.
worksheet. Next, they create a paragraph by rewriting the sentences without
2.
my
(number)
people are in my family:
3. My
4. My
(family member)
’s name is
’s name is
.
.
worksheet and may create their own paragraphs about their families. Later,
(family member)
76
place them in a listening center for all to enjoy.
Name:
Family Story
Date:
Family Story (page 77)
Most families have their own unique stories—for example, about funny or
Who?
Directions 1. F ill in each bubble with words or a
picture to tell a family story.
2. T ake turns with a partner asking
questions about each other’s story.
Where?
scary incidents. Share one of your family stories, modeling how to fill in the
When?
story map. Emphasize the parts of a story by answering the questions. Point
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © 2009 by Katherine Maitland Scholastic Teaching Resources
What Happened
First?
out that many stories have a problem for the character to solve. Brainstorm
a list of possible problems. Children will then interview a family member to
What Happened
story maps to answer the questions. (You may enlarge page 77 to provide
more space.
77
Name:
My Friend’s Family
Date:
My Friend’s Family (page 78)
Directions 1.
2.
Ask a classmate the
interview questions.
Write the answers
I will interview:
Role-play with your intermediates how to use follow-
on the lines.
Name:
to do together?”
4. Who else is in your family?
1. ’s family is (small/big).
(friend’s name)
3. has a , , and .
(He/She)
Name: Date:
Helping Your Family (page 79)
Helping Your Family
Directions 1.
2.
Read the interview questions.
Write your own answers for them.
Help your intermediates understand chores as jobs or
3. sk a classmate the same questions.
A
Interview Questions
My answer: My answer:
My answer:
4. What do you like about helping?
My answer:
responses into categories. What were some common
My classmate’s answer: My classmate’s answer: chores? Were there any unusual chores?
79
75
Name: Date:
Family Album
Directions 1. Fill in the blanks to write about your family.
2. Take turns with a partner asking questions about your families.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
1. My family is .
(what size: small, medium, or big?)
my .
(list the people in your family, such as mother, brother, sister)
3. My ’s name is .
(family member)
4. My ’s name is .
(family member)
6. My helps me .
(family member)
76
Name: Date:
Family Story
Who?
Directions 1. F ill in each bubble with words or a
picture to tell a family story.
2. T ake turns with a partner asking
questions about each other’s story.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Where?
When?
What Happened
First?
What Happened
Next?
My Friend’s Family
Directions 1. sk a classmate the
A I will interview:
interview questions.
2. rite the answers
W
on the lines.
Literacy-Building Interview Activities for English Language Learners © Maitland, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Interview Questions
78
Name: Date:
Interview Questions
My answer: My answer:
3. What other chores do you do? 4. What do you like about helping?
My answer: My answer:
79
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