We have been responding to the question: What will the weather be like today? Students have gone outside to observe the weather, and researched the weather forecast on the computer. Some of the sentences we created as a class are below.
Students also pointed out that sometimes the weather changes during the day. Sometimes it is cold in the morning, but gets warm in the afternoon. If you have access to a weather app, a weather forecast on TV, or a weather section from a newspaper, you can ask your student each morning: What is the weather going to be like today? After looking at a weather forecast, your student can respond using the future verb tense. You can also ask them to explain the clothes they will wear based on the weather.
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During ELD class on Mondays I like to have students talk and write about what they did over the weekend. I begin the lesson by asking student what today's date is, and then what yesterday's date was. Writing about their weekend gives students a fun opportunity to learn about past tense verbs (went, played, watched, cooked, bought, rode, etc) while sharing about their family's weekend activities. Some past tense verbs follow a familiar -ed pattern (walked, listened, jumped, visited, talked, etc.). Some other past tense verbs are called irregular because they don't follow an easy spelling pattern. Students will have to memorize these past tense verbs (went, brought, told, ran, made, won, slept, drove, said, etc.). Other verbs don't change when used in the past tense:
You can help students at home by asking them to think about what they did on Saturday and Sunday so they have some ideas of what to write about. I usually ask students to tell me one thing they did on Saturday and one thing they did on Sunday. As the school year continues, I ask students to include more details about their weekend. Students will have a chance to read their writing and ask each other questions about their weekend. Students can practice their past tense verbs by clicking on the "Past Tense Game" button below. In English Language Development, we have been talking about the importance of calendars, how to use them, and how to read them to gather information. Students have been practicing asking and answering questions, using ordinal numbers (first, second, third...eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, etc), the days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.), and using computers to research school related dates that they wanted to include on their calendars.
Students can add information to their calendar about family activities when they bring these home. Parents can encourage student learning by asking what today’s date is, when an activity is happening, or what information they want to add to their calendar. Examples of questions to ask students:
(Note: This calendar activity was inspired by Mrs. Sonnen at Hiteon Elementary School) The first few weeks of school can be a challenge for students, and especially students that know multiple languages. It can be exhausting for students to be back in an English speaking school environment for 6+ hours a day. It is normal if students have forgotten some of their English and literacy skills over the summer, and we understand that. Their brains are working very hard when they are at school and it is normal for them to feel exhausted by the time they get home. To help your child through this transition it is important to make sure they have a good breakfast in the morning and get plenty of sleep at night. They may also need some down time after school to play outside, relax, or eat a snack before starting any homework they might have. You know your child better than anyone though, and if you're worried about their transition back to school this fall, don't hesitate to send myself or their classroom teacher an email. We are here to help! Warmly, Mrs. Burton Bethany ESL |
AuthorWelcome to Mrs. Burton's ELD blog! Come learn about what we're doing in the classroom and get suggestions on how you can support students at home. Archives
November 2016
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