non-English speakers

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2001 : August : 18

non-English speakers
By Joell

I have one or two students every year who enter my class knowing little or no English at all. I have the other kids help them out by tutoring. They also kind of watch what's going on and follow along the best they can.
Since so much of the first of the year is basic stuff--alphabet, basic counting, colors, shapes the non-English speakers learn many of those things right along with the other kids as we review.
Often these students are very scared so I try to give them lots of smiles and seat them near me so I can watch them and help show them what to do when they can't follow what the other kids are

doing.

I have many flashcards and papers with pictures on them that I will have other students use to help practice English words. Also, I do know how to count in Spanish, so if there is a Spanish speaker I will have the class count in Spanish when we count in English.

One thing I've found very useful if what we're doing in class is too difficult and I can't spare another child to work with the non-English speaker I have that child work on the computer. I have reader rabbit software on it that has a matching game with pictures and the program says the word as the pictures appear. I've found that many of my non-English speaking students pick up a lot of word knowledge and phonemic awareness of English just from that.

At first it can be very frustrating for both you and the child, but I think you will be amazed at how much that child will learn.

Joell