Additional ELD strategies

8I) Small groups with English proficient peers

Provide children opportunities to work in pairs or small groups with English proficient peers who can serve as language models.

Video: Build on Opportunities to Promote English Language Development

This video shares the importance of using routines (circle time, clean up time) in the classroom to build rich language environments and help expand English language development for young Multilingual Learners.
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Video: Barrier Games

This video shows PreK students engaged in barrier games, a fun activity that builds speaking and listening skills.
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Video: A Boy and His Puzzle

As a boy plays with a puzzle, both an English-speaking peer and the teacher help him develop and practice English learning.
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Video: Soyul & Teacher Yvette—Sandcastles

This video is an excerpt of the intentional work Teacher Yvette makes to help Soyul, a Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner, ask a friend to build a sandcastle. It is an example of providing support to help build peer interactions so children can practice language in an authentic context.
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Resource Guide: Barrier Games

This is a list of resources for barrier games to use in the classroom. These games are designed to encourage oral language practice since one student is given information that another student needs.
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Digital Book: Developing Oral Language with Barrier Games

Barrier games are designed to promote oral language since one student is given information that another partner student needs. The lesson design encourages students to ask information of one another. This resource provides many example barrier games.
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Video: Model Curriculum for English Learners – Historical Perspectives (3rd grade)

An ELD teacher shares how she uses language objectives to design instruction for intermediate-level Multilingual Learners.
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Video: Oral Language Development Through Integrated & Designated ELD

This video showcases a series of ELD lessons in a kindergarten class, aimed at preparing Multilingual Learners to orally give and write an opinion. The teacher incorporates both direct instruction and multiple opportunities for students to work with peers.
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Video: Integrating ELD Instruction Using Text Reconstruction

This is a 2nd-grade lesson of the text reconstruction ELD strategy, designed to provide access and practice in both English and content instruction. This strategy encourages Multilingual Learners to communicate as they engage with informational text.
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Strategy Overview: Strategic Grouping for Home Language Supports

Small group instruction is a key part of instruction for Multilingual Learners. In this resource, teachers find guidelines and rationale for different strategic groupings.
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Website Article: 8 Strategies for Preschool ELLs’ Language and Literacy Development

This resource provides a list of research-based strategies to support Multilingual Learners in their language and literacy skills. Strategies include: providing systematic instruction, providing children with opportunities to use language with adults and peers, and designing instruction that integrates all early literacy skills.
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Website Article: Promote Peer Support and Interaction

This website article describes how teachers can intentionally structure social opportunities for Multilingual Learners (MLs) and explicitly teach children communication strategies. This article is one part of a multi-page resource about supporting MLs and ML children with disabilities.
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Video: Conferring with Young English Language Learners

In this short video, a teacher discusses strategies that support one-on-one conferring with Multilingual Learners, even when she does not speak the home language of the student.
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Video: Shared Research Project- 3rd grade

In this video, the teacher provides guidance on how to conduct research projects with Multilingual Learners to investigate a topic children are interested in. The shared research project provides a hands-on, inquiry-based experience to help give content meaning and develop academic language and literacy skills.
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Strategy Overview: Collaborative Practice

This set of resources guides teachers in developing the structures and supports that learners need to engage in effective group work. This thoughtful setup can enable Multilingual Learners to engage in positive social and academic interactions with peers.
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Strategy Overview: Cooperative Strip Paragraph

This shared writing technique structures support for Multilingual Learners in content-based, academic writing. The cooperative learning structure offers students the chance to engage in the writing process in small groups with same language or English proficient peers.
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