Social studies can be one of the most challenging subjects to teach in a sheltered English as a Second Language environment. While to a certain extent students can rely on numbers in a math class or hands-on activities in science, the unfamiliar content and reading demands involved in social studies learning can be overwhelming for those with limited English skills. Teachers can help students meet content standards with strategies that emphasize language acquisition and help students make connections to their own experiences.
Activate Students’ Prior Knowledge
Every social studies unit should begin with some activity in which students have an opportunity to show what they already know. The teacher could draw a word web on the board or overhead and students can volunteer names, facts, and other information around a topic, or students can brainstorm this information in groups or pairs.
Teachers can also ask students about similar developments in their home countries. For example, when introducing a unit on the American Revolution, students can provide details about independence events from their countries’ histories. Activating prior history knowledge not only helps students make personal connections to concepts and vocabulary, but helps teachers assess their students’ strengths and weaknesses and incorporate this information into lesson planning.
Emphasize Key Vocabulary
Given the growing, yet limited amount of vocabulary English language learners have mastered, teachers should determine which content words are most essential for communicating about the subject matter and use a variety of strategies to increase exposure to and practice with those words. Previewing the vocabulary before reading a text can help increase comprehension. Displaying the words in the classroom, generating original sentences with the words, and playing games are a few other ways students can become engaged with vocabulary.
Use Texts Written at the Students’ Level and Scaffold Content
More and more social studies textbooks and other materials that are geared toward English language learners have been published in recent years, so it’s worth checking out what ESL publishers have to offer. Teachers and administrators can order and try out sample copies to determine if the texts are appropriate and aligned with the district’s standards.
When only more difficult materials are mandated or provided, teachers need to scaffold the content to make it more accessible to students. In some cases, that may mean rewriting some of it to provide students with a text they can better understand, but in others, an emphasis on reading strategies such as using pictures and subtitles to grasp the main ideas or having students scan for specific information can be effective. Completing graphic organizers such as time lines and organizational charts help students sort out important facts and events and understand how they relate to one another.
Use Visuals
Pictures representing key vocabulary and historical events help students visualize the concepts being taught and should be provided and displayed as much as possible. Documentaries and other videos reinforcing the content can be found in district or public libraries. Some are available with closed-captioning, which can be beneficial to students with limited listening comprehension.
Include Activities to Increase Personal Engagement
It can be difficult for students from different backgrounds to feel any connection to events that they feel don’t reflect their own experiences. They should be given opportunities to engage with the issues or events to better understand how the history was shaped. For example, through role playing, students can experience how people with different ideas compromise to write laws or treaties. They could also assume the identity of a soldier, colonist, or other individual and write letters to a friend or relative describing their struggles.
Effective instruction helps students understand the relevance of social studies content to their lives. It also promotes language development by targeting key vocabulary and providing students for opportunities to use English to demonstrate knowledge of what they have learned.
Sally Bunch - Sally Bunch is a Boston-based writer whose areas of interest include parenting, gardening, education, writing, and health and wellness. ...
