Supporting ELLs in Social Studies
Social Studies was always one of my favorite subjects. I loved hearing and learning the history of others. However social studies can present a challenge to many of our English Language Learners. I think it is the perfect connection to English Language Arts, and to extend some of those same strategies in Social Studies.
Take time to build background knowledge
Social Studies requires a lot of background knowledge for English Language Learners. It is key that you take time to build background knowledge about the topics that they will be encountering. For example, if students are learning about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, you would want to build background knowledge about what is the Civil Rights. ESL teachers can do this by doing book chats, gallery walks (with visuals), and read alouds of the events that were happening in that period. My personal favorite is doing a read a loud with a book packed with visuals. I don’t want you to think that just because it’ a picture book that it is easy. There are tons of complex picture books, and they are so beneficial to use with your ELLs. Videos also are a great way to build background knowledge for your students. Some of my favorite places to get student friendly videos are PBS and CSPAN.
Use graphic organizers and timelines whenever you can in Social Studies.
Social Studies is a lot of events that may be difficult to keep track of for students. Using graphic organizers is a visual way for students to organize the information. Timelines are also helpful for students in organizing information. Notetaking is also key in social studies. Use graphic organizers for students to take notes and record key events. This school year I am going to be using Cornell Notes for note-taking. On the Cornell Notes there will be visuals for the students.
Chunking (Breaking Down into smaller pieces) the text
Social Studies is a text heavy subject (especially in the upper grades. )It might be tempting to level the text or provide the students with a summary. Remember your goal is to promote comprehension so the students can read and understand the text independently. One way to support the students in doing so is chunking the text. Chunking the text is taking portions of the text so it is not overwhelming for the students and breaking it down so it is more comprehensible. It is important that you take time to read and do this in advance. There will be times when you might have to do it on the spot. By chunking the text you can have the students summarize, identify the key points, annotate, etc. This is a great strategy to use with ALL students at ALL levels.
I would love to hear how you are supporting your ELLs in Social Studies. Also if you have tried any of these strategies and they have worked for you I would love to know more about it. ESL Adventurers I want you to know that you are a FANTASTIC ESL teacher! You got this!
See you next week!
