Birthday Unit Resources for Elementary ELL

  LINK to the Birthday unit resource that can be used with first graders: 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Birthday-Theme-Resources-for-Elementary-ELL-2101105

There is more for the Birthday unit here:

https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2020/02/birthday-unit-for-esl.html

Birthday Flashcards. Flashcards are still effective tools for the class. Plan motivating games with the theme for independent learning or for groups.

Place the flashcards on the board. Point to the cake.

Teacher: Cake. It’s a cake.

Birthday has Flashcards. A set of boys and girls going to a party with a gift and party hat or balloons. Place them on the board and write any set of numbers that you want to review. I choose from the 20’s to the 40.Ask as many questions as you can.

Teacher: What does number 21 have?

Students: He has a hat.

Teacher: What color is the hat?

Students: It is red, purple and yellow. 

Birthday Vocabulary Spelling.

Use the cupcake letter tiles to build the theme´s vocabulary words and review the ones from previous units. Each student of group of students can have a set of letters.

·       Children can line up the tiles in alphabetical order. Make it a contest.

·       Place the flashcards in a visible place and have students build the words.

·       Have children build new words in an allotted time. See which group has built the more correct words.

Birthday Cupcake small book.

Creating their own books will develop a positive attitude towards reading. In the doing, it will involve that children will be motivated as they will own a book that they will be able to read at home. It will enhance their narrative skill by telling the story to their parents.

Birthday cutouts for introducing prepositions.

Print and cutout the birthday cutouts to introduce prepositions. Place the table cutout in the middle of the board.

Teacher: What is this?

Students: It’s a cupcake.

Teacher: Where is the cupcake?

Students: It’s on the table.

Continue asking questions using all the prepositions.

Birthday cake and Numbers tracing cards.

For the lower elementary students, these tracing cards are good for reviewing. 

Birthday cake and Numbers tracing cards.

For the lower elementary students, these tracing cards are good for reviewing.

 Birthday Worksheets.

Worksheet 1. Students read and color the balloons. The worksheet can be turned into a notebook activity. Have the students glue the sentence next to each balloon.

Worksheet 2. Students read and color the boys and girls. Then they have to cut out each person and glue them next to the correct paragraph on their notebook.

Worksheet 3. I couldn’t help it when I saw these Party Animals clip art and created this worksheet that can be done in several steps or in different ways.

First, have the students color the animals as you dictate them to practice listening. It also helps to keep the pace as students have to color on the time that you give them such as a minute for each animal.  Teacher: Color the giraffe orange!

There is the cake that students color as in the paragraph that you hand in. It can be done as a diorama. Students read the paragraph and place the animals where it corresponds. I placed an opened clip behind each item. Students can take turns reading each sentence and another student has to place the animal.

It can also be done as a poster . I glued everything as in the paragraph.

or a notebook activity.

Birthday Pocket Charts.5 words and colors to make pocket charts of use them on the desk to make phrases.

There is a BUNDLE resource for the Birthday Unit. LINK: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Birthday-Unit-for-Kindergarten-and-Elementary-ESL-BUNDLE-5652069

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Insects Unit for Elementary ESL- part 2.

This is part 2 for the Insect unit. Here is the link to the product.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bugs-or-Insects-Unit-Resources-for-Elementary-ESL-4136295

The resource is also available here:   https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/bugs-unit-for-elementary-esl?variant=13633060667441

                                    

How many bugs are there? I made some cutouts to be used as a diorama or permanent exhibit for speaking opportunities. I placed a clip behind each animal to make a diorama on a desk.

Teacher: Look ! a bee hive! How many bees are there in front of the bee hive ?

Student: There are four!

Teacher: How many bees are there behind the bee hive ?

Student: There are three!

Teacher: How many bees are there in the bee hive ?

Student: There are seven!

Or use the cutouts on the board.

Teacher: What are they?

Student: They are spiders.

Teacher: What color are the spiders?

Student: They are brown spiders.

Teacher: How many spiders are there on the spider web?

Student: There are five blue spiders! There are five brown spiders!

Or students can make their own posters and write their paragraphs!

I made these small cards for several games. Review prepositions with the students. Students listen to the directions and place them where they belong.

Teacher: There is an ant on the chair. There is a bee under the chair. There is a spider behind the chair. There is a ladybug in front of the chair.

 Review colors. If you have dictated the colors.

Teacher: What color is the worm?

Students: It is purple!

If they colored as they wished the bugs. Have them make groups of the same color bug.

Teacher: Who has blue butterfly? Stand up and make a group.

Continue with all the cards and count how many students are in the same color bug group.

I had this book from my kids. You can read the book and then use the flannel board to retell the story using the cutouts in the product. I made mine out of floor cloth for mopping. I added Velcro to all the pieces, it stays on the flannel board and does not come down. It is easy to take off and relocate. If you want the story to retell it, request it: ei98srl@gmail.com

Watch the videos!

Math vocabulary has to be introduced in all units to increase language production in this area. Use the cards to play games. Give a group of students the butterflies, another the number words and the next group the number cards. At your signal have them walk around and find the match of the three cards. The first three students to do so calls stop! And hands in the cards to you. Place them on the board.

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Insects unit for Elementary ESL

Very few books have units related to insects, so this could be a unit to include for those extra lessons that you want a quick unit to review basic grammar structures and add new words.
Here is the link to the resource.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bugs-or-Insects-Unit-Resources-for-Elementary-ESL-4136295

 I would love that you leave me some feedback at the comments section of this blog post.

The resource is also available here:    https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/bugs-unit-for-elementary-esl?variant=13633060667441

And yes, I always start with flashcards as my visual aids to avoid translation and stimulate speaking.

What color are the bugs? Place all the flashcards on the board and ask questions.

Teacher: What color is the butterfly?

Student: It’s pink and green.

Teacher: name two red bugs.

Student: ant and ladybug.

There’s a worksheet to review colors and prepositions.

 Teacher: What color is the ladybug?

Students: The ladybug is black and red.

Teacher: Where is the ladybug?

Students: The ladybug is on the tree.

Have the students write a paragraph about the picture.

Bugs are everywhere. I researched a little to make the flashcards to indicate where I can find the bug and their habitat. I also added the sun to imply that the bugs like warm weather. I made an example with a butterfly and a ladybug and created a mind map.

Teacher: Where can I find a butterfly?

Student 1:  On the rock.

Student 2:  On the leaf.

Student 3:  In the garden.

Student 4:  On the flower.

Place a habitat or place flashcard on the board and ask which bug is most likely to be found there. I suggest that you research about bugs and the students as well.(mind map)

Teacher: Here is the mountain. Which bug can I find there?

Students: spiders !

Teacher: yes! More examples!

Students: mosquito!

Teacher: NO!!

Place an insect and a habitat or place flashcard, one next to the other. (mind map)

Teacher: Is there a grasshopper on the plant?

Students: Yes, there is.

Teacher: Is there a scorpion in the farm?

Students: No, there isn’t.

And the cutouts are a good visual for prepositions.

Place the habitat or place and a bug. Ask questions and have them write the answers on their notebooks and they can even draw a picture.

Teacher: Where is the caterpillar?

Students: The caterpillar is on the leaf.

You can also give the printed bugs and habitat to the students. They can create a poster and a text. Do a show and tell. Have the students ask questions.

Student1: Is there a worm?

Show and tell student: No, there isn’t.

 Student1: Is there a fly?

Show and tell student: Yes, there is. It is in the house.

Hang the posters around the class.

Bugs feed themselves! Use the flashcards to show what a specific bug eats.(mind map)

Teacher: Look at the bee? What does it feed on ?

Student: watermelon, nectar from flower, soft drinks.

Or, use the flashcards to compare an item and which bugs eat them.(mind map)

Teacher: Which bug feeds on grass?

Student: worm and grasshopper!

Assign a bug to each student. They should investigate what does that specific bug eat or feed on. Then make a writing craft. I saw a similar one on Pinterest and I will recreate mine. Then have individual students come and show their bug.

A simple worksheet to review big and small. Have them sort the bugs and glue them. Model sentences.

Teacher: A big red ant.

Students: A small red ant.

Place the bugs flashcards on the board and have the students organize them by size. 

Teacher: The big red ant is small.

Students: The green grasshopper is big.

Teacher: The black fly is bigger than the ant.

Students: The black fly is smaller than the butterfly.

Ask questions.

Teacher: Which is bigger, the butterfly or the cockroach?

Students: The brown cockroach is bigger.

Bugs have a body. Use the flashcards to introduce the body parts. The students are familiar with eye, head, leg but the other words are new and are the same for all the bugs: thorax, abdomen. (LABELING)

Use the worksheets for the students to do the same to review body parts. Students can use the labels or write thier own words.

A game to wrap the unit up. Place all the flashcards on the board and start saying facts for the students to guess which bug is the one you are talking about.

 Teacher: It has two antennae. It has six legs. It is small. It doesn’t have ears. It never sleeps. It red or black. Some people can eat it. It can crawl. It lives in colonies. It eats sweets.

Students: The ant!

It is good that you research about the insect facts to play the game, or students can research and play as the teacher and the class has to guess.

Bugs have predators. Explain about predators. I placed as an example the ladybug which is eaten by spiders, dragonflies, birds and frogs using the flashcards. (mind map)

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Farm Unit activities for Elementary ESL

Link to the resources:   

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Farm-Unit-Resources-for-the-Elementary-ESL-3790548

The resource is also here:   https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/farm-unit-for-elementary-efl?variant=37064574369956

Farm Scene. Display the barn and the silo cutout on the board. Ask the children if they can identify the scene.

Teacher: Look at the pictures. What can this be?

Students: a farm.

Then start placing the animals on the farm and say the name.

Teacher: This is the cow. What color is the cow?

Students: black and white.

Write the word next to each animal.

Teacher: Is this a hen ?

Students: yes, it is/ No, it isn´t.

As a review, say the name of an animal and have a student go to the board and remove it.

Teacher: Martha, Bring me the rooster.

Have the students write the farm animals words using the printable green letters and the cutouts, or dictate words and the first student or group to finish wins.

Sort the animals that live in the barn and the ones that live out of the barn.

Favorite  farm animal graph. Place the flashcards on the board.

By using the flashcards students get more speaking practice ,you get them talking as they describe, compare or answer questions.

Separate each animal with a line and start writing the student´s name after asking each student which is their favorite farm animal. Then have the students talk about the results.

Teacher: Which is Emily´s favorite animal?

Students: rooster!

Teacher: Who likes the cow?

Students: Will and David!

Possessive nouns. Place the farmer flashcard in the middle of the board and all flashcards that belongs to the farmer as in a mind map. Model a sentence.

Teacher: Who is she?

Students: the farmer.

Teacher: This is the farmer´s tractor.

Teacher: What is this?

Students: It's a barm.

Teacher: Whose barn is this?

Students: It's the farmer's barn.

I made this interactive book to review the possessive nouns.

I wanted the book to be interactive. I saw this idea on Pinterest and gave it a try. It is not hard to do, I would suggest that you use a lightweight yarn instead of twine like I did. Place a tape to each cutout behind the book.

First the students have to trace all the sentences and color the scene. Then as they read, they pull a string to the picture that the sentence is talking about.

Student: This is the Farmer´s tractor. (pulls the string that has the tractor).

Or simply, the students paste each picture where it corresponds.

Count the farm animals. Place several fences on the board.

Make several copies of each farm animal. Place them in each fence.

Teacher: How many horses are there?

Students: one, two, three. Three horses.

Teacher: What color are the horses?

Students: They are brown. 

Continue with the rest of the animals.

Have the students say which letter make the plurals for the farm animals.

Teacher: One cow. Two cows.

Students: letter S!

Point to each animal and have them say the plural. When you get to goose, tell them about the difference which is geese.

Students make craft stick corrals. Have them put their animals into each corral using the dice.  Go by each group and ask questions.

Teacher: How many hens are there?

Students: one, two, three. Three hens.

Then individually have the students place only four animals in their corrals. Play Bingo! If the student has the animal named then that animal has to be taken out of the corral.

The winner is the student that has their corral empty first.

Make the crown headband and use them for a simple game.

Make different amount of farm animals crowns to wear.

Place the barn, fence, trees or any other cutout around the room. Students listen to your instruction.

Teacher: Hens, walk to the barn! Horses ,gallop to the fence! Cows, stomp to the trees !

When the students are in groups at their destination. Count the number of animals.

Teacher: How many hens are at the barn ?
Students: one, two, three, four, five, six. Six hens.

Make a grid with the flashcards.

Teacher: B2 ! What are they?

Students: They are roosters!

Teacher: How many roosters are there?

Students: There are  two roosters!

There is/There are. Make a farm scene on the board using the cutouts or flashcards.

Point to each animal. Teacher: There is a cow.

Teacher: There´s a hen and a horse.

Teacher: Some animals are not here. There isn´t a pig.

Have the students give more examples of the animals that are missing.

Teacher: Is there a duck on the farm ?

Students: No, there isn´t.

 Do the same with there are/ there aren´t.

There is a Farm Unit BUNDLE at the Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Farm-Unit-BUNDLE-for-Kindergarten-and-Elementary-ESL-6710655

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