And here is the link to the resource with ESL/EFL Classroom Activities + Vocabulary Center Ideas:
Make learning English exciting and meaningful with a Nature & Garden theme designed for elementary English language learners (ELLs)! These activities help students build vocabulary, explore science concepts, and use language through visuals, games, and hands-on tasks. Ideal for spring units, vocabulary centers, and cross-curricular lessons.
Why Use a Nature/Garden Theme in the ELL Classroom?
Nature is relevant, visual, and full of concrete vocabulary—perfect for young learners who need context and meaning. Using real-world themes helps students:
✅ Connect English to familiar environments
✅ Practice reading and speaking with visuals
✅ Build confidence through interaction and games
Teachers can use this theme for vocabulary centers, warm-ups, partner practice, and cross-subject activities.
Flashcards
Introduce the vocabulary with picture flashcards. Students can match words to images, sort into categories (living/not living), or play memory games.
Teaching Tip:
Ask questions like:
“What is this?” → “It’s a flower.”
Place several flashcards on the board and write a
number above each one and ask questions.
Teacher: What is number 3 ?
Students: It´s a plant.
Teacher: Is number 4 a cactus ?
Students: No, it isn´t. It´s a tree.
Have students make sentences.
Students: Number 1 is an acorn.
Have students draw the nature items and write sentences on their notebooks.
This is an acorn. This isn´t a stick.
Students can talk about numbers. Write the numbers 1
to 6 on the board. Have 2 students come
to the front and place the flowers flashcards under the corresponding number.
Teacher :How many flowers are there ? Pointing to
number 1
Students: one. One flower.
Have the students continue counting.
Students: Two flowers, three flowers, four flowers,
five flowers, six flowers.
Teacher : What color is flower number 1 ?
Students: red.
Teacher: It´s a red flower.
Students: It´s a red flower.
Continue with
all the other flowers.
I found these great clip art for There is and There are sentences.
Place one or more on the board and model the
sentences.
Place more flashcards on the board for the students to say what they
see.
Then hand out all the other flashcards and have them
make sentences on their notebooks and share with the class.
Review prepositions
with the flashcards. Write the prepositions on the board and have the students
sort the flashcards.
Ask questions:
Point to the first flashcard,
Teacher: Where are the flowers ?
Students: They are on the cactus.
Point to the second flashcard,
Teacher: Is the butterfly on the flower ?
Students: Yes, it is.
Have students make and write a sentence for each
flashcard.
And some Verbs
related to the theme. Select the flashcards that you want to students to come
up with phrases. Place them on the board and start from the picture.
Teacher: What is he doing ?
Students: He is planting a tree.
Suggest that he can plant any kind of trees. Have
them think of other trees and write their answers.
Students: an apple tree, a big tree.
They may come up with diverse answers.
Here are the Verb related flashcards.
With the flashcards you can have the students classify
them into verbs or nouns.
Label the Garden
Give students the flashcards to label parts of a garden. This reinforces vocabulary and builds reading confidence.
Place a flower flashcard on the board, review the
parts of the plant that the students remember, if not, place the flashcards on
one side of the board to remind them.
Draw an arrow with the words for each part of the plant. Ask them which parts are missing, they might have to say the roots and the seed. Draw them under the flower. (LABELING)
If
you want to go further with the verb planting. I suggest you
do, because you can introduce the words, first,
then, next and finally that can be used for writing a text in the future.
Teacher: First, get the flower seeds.(
emphasize the word first, use your finger as in number 1)
Then, bake the seeds with a little salt .(
emphasize the word then, moving your hand or finger forward)
Next, put the seed in the soil.(
emphasize the word next) Ask students, what does the flower need to grow. Show
them the flashcards of soil, sun and water.
Finally, watch the plant grow.(
emphasize the word finally by showing with your hands the end.)
And the trees change within the seasons. Remember that some countries don´t have all the Seasons.
It is good to review the Seasons with the trees and see how they change.
Some games to end the theme.
First, a board game. I made
one with the most common words and a blank one for your or the students to fill
out with the words that will be playing.I added 8 game pieces. The students can
select who or what they want to be at the game. I make the pieces stand by
placing them in a binder clip.
And the other game is the traditional Bingo. I added
the Bingo grid but you can do the Bingo List on their notebooks. I like this kind
of game to practice Spelling.But for a twist I got a flower pot which I turned
into a pocket. I used the flower template to make the flower words and glued
them onto a craft stick for Bingo calling.
The Nature & Garden theme is perfect for spring but can be used anytime you want to connect English learning with the world around students. These activities help build vocabulary, encourage interaction, and make learning fun!
This Garden Unit bundle is packed with hands-on, engaging activities that make learning about gardens fun for young English language learners. With vibrant visuals, simple language practice, and activities that work in centers, small groups, or whole-class lessons, it’s perfect for spring themes, science connections, and vocabulary building.
Whether you’re introducing garden vocabulary, practicing prepositions, counting flowers, or reading simple sentences, this unit has you covered.
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