Here’s an example of the EAL content I’m putting together these days. Last year, I was teaching a group of A1-A2 level multilinguals (Year 8, aged 13) in a support group. We were looking to introduce them to authentic literature…. Read More ›
Lesson Ideas
EAL response to literature displays
I recently mentioned how our learners created a final display board in response to a unit on poetry. Here’s a screenshot of what our common assessment checklist looked like for the final product: I could scrutinize here – there’s room… Read More ›
EAL INSET: Reviewing vocabulary
I put together three different EAL INSETs this year. Two were delivered to the whole high school, and one was an in-department session. Here’s a summary of the first session. Session 1: Reviewing academic vocabulary Why this session? I usually… Read More ›
Low-prep EAL: what’s the answer?
End of term. Rocking the classic ELT games with genuine purpose. Lesson time: 40 mins. Context: Year 10. Three learners. Biology. We’ve been reviewing such topics as… cell structure, specialized cells, the circulatory system, the components of blood. Game prep:… Read More ›
DogmeEAL: ‘maths teachers’
Context: Year 10 support class, only three learners, 1 hour Materials: whiteboards, pens Lead-in: What lesson did you just have and how was it? Learner responses – maths, so-so because we had a test. We discussed some of the test… Read More ›
DogmeEAL: From the heart
Context: Year 10 EAL support slot, approx 1 hour. Materials: board pens (at least two colours) and a table to write on. Scrap paper. Lead-in: General chat with the learners. See what they want to study (now this is bold… Read More ›
EAL support for disciplinary writing
I’ve been writing a bit about disciplinary literacy this week. If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s *basically* how people communicate, share knowledge, etc within a particular discipline. For the purposes of teaching EAL, think about how we teach… Read More ›
Useful resource: Comics Uniting Nations
Comics Uniting Nations aims to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals more accessible through comics. You can learn more about the partnership and its collaborators on their website. It looks like the project is inactive these days, but the site… Read More ›
Using the Global Gender Gap Report in EAL
I’ve been writing a module on gender equality recently. As part of the research, I’ve read (chunks of) the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2022: You can view/download the report here. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t come across… Read More ›
EAL support for mainstream English
What does ‘EAL support’ look like in (or alongside) mainstream English lessons. Here’s an example of some support I provide to help with literature. It was with a Year 7 class (all learners on the EAL register). They were studying… Read More ›
ELT Planning 