5 Fun ESL Strategies for Language Development

Are you feeling like you might be stuck in a rut with some of the strategies you are using in your classroom for your multilingual learners or English learners? Try out some fresh ideas for language development tomorrow to use in your ESL class or content-area classroom. All of these strategies integrate the four language domains- speaking, reading, writing, and listening- to get them SWRLing!

The language domains are all connected, so it makes sense to make sure we are covering them all in our lessons. According to The Center for Literacy and Learning,  "initially, reading and writing are dependent on oral language skills. Eventually, reading and writing extend oral language." The more we get our students using all of the language domains, the more language is developed.

Think Write/Draw Pair Share
In this extended version of Think-Pair-Share, students will think about a proposed topic, write or draw their response, and share with a partner using sentence stems or frames if needed. Students can also read their responses after they speak.

Step-by-step:

1. Present a topic or question. Break it down for understanding.
2. Allow wait time for students to think of their response.
3. Students write their response using sentence frames or stems and a word if needed. If students are in the emerging level, they may draw their response. Allow drawing for expanding students but provide stems and frames. Bridging students may draw to supplement their writing if they wish.
4. Students share their responses using academic discourse stems.
5. Share out ideas whole group.
   
   

Four Corners
Four Corners is a great strategy for both listening and speaking.

Step-by-step:

1. Pose a statement to the class whole group. The more controversial the better!
2. Have students respond to the statement in a quick-write.
3. Post a piece of paper/chart paper in four corners of the room. Write a statement or opinion on each one that corresponds to the original statement.
4. Have students choose which corner or statement/opinion that most closely matches their response. Students stand by that corner.
5. Students discuss why they chose that corner using academic discourse and sentence frames or stems if needed.
6. In their small groups, students decide on a summary of why they chose it and write down their summary to share out whole group.
   
   

Dictated Drawing
Dictated drawing is great for speaking and listening, and it’s also a lot of fun! Students give directions on what to draw and must use specific words to get their ideas across. The other partner practices using clarifying academic discourse while asking questions. If you want to try this out, I have a lesson plan for you here!

Step-by-step:

1. Put students in pairs and tell them what to draw. It should be connected to your content you are teaching.
2. Students spend 5 minutes drawing and cannot let their partner see.
3. Next, turn papers over. The first person tells their partner what to draw, but they cannot tell them what the object is. For example, if it is a flower, they might say, “Draw a circle in the middle of the paper. Then, draw five half circles around the circle.”
4. Partners can ask clarifying questions or for them to repeat something, but not what the object is. 
5. Switch partners.
6. After both have dictated and drawn and all pairs are finished, the teacher tells everyone to reveal their drawings and see how close they are to the originals.
7. Bonus- have students write their process to integrate writing, and have students share to get some reading in! Let them evaluate each other's writing with a rubric.
   
   

Text Rendering
Text rendering is a great low-stress strategy for reading and also speaking. It really helps them synthesize the information they are reading. To integrate writing, have students write a short summary about what they read.

Step-by-step:

1. Put students in small groups.
2. Have students read a text or part of a text. Smaller chunks are beneficial for emerging and expanding proficiency levels.
3. Students think about what they read and then highlight an important or meaningful word, phrase, and sentence.
4. Students then share out their word, then phrase, and lastly sentence. 
   1. Use sentence frames and stems as needed: A word that caught my eye was…, An important phrase I read was…, A sentence that was meaningful to me was…
5. Students reflect on the process together.
   1. Possible sentence stems: I noticed some of our similarities/differences were…,This helped me synthesize the text better because…, This helped me because…
      
      

Inside Circle, Outside Circle
​Inside Circle, Outside Circle gives students the opportunity to discuss information with different classmates in a structured way. As with dictated drawing, they can write about their process or any take-aways and things they learned during the process. Have students read each other's writing and evaluate them with a rubric.

Step-by-step:

1. Form two concentric circles with student’s desks, or have students stand.
2. Split the class into two groups and assign each to the inside or outside circle.
3. Pose a question or statement and allow time for students to think of their answer.
4. Ask students in the inside circle to share their response with the classmate facing them in the outside circle. 
5. When finished, the classmate in the outside circle will share.
6. On your signal, have the outside circle move one seat to the left or right.
7. Repeat the process.
   
   

For more strategies, check out this ESL Language Domains Strategies Guide!

What other strategies do you use to get your students SWRLing everyday?