How I Use Thematic Units to Teach Elementary ESL Students

 Teaching English Language Learners in elementary school can  feel overwhelming to plan meaningful, language-rich lessons every week. That’s exactly why I use thematic units in my classroom with all you need to write your lesson plan.

 You can explore the 10 thematic units here:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Elementary-ESL-Teaching-Units-EXPLORE-Bundle-10-Thematic-Units-14383276

My Elementary ESL Teaching Units- EXPLORE- Bundle, which includes 10 ready-to-use with minimal prep thematic units are designed specifically for elementary-age ELLs (typically grades 2–5).  These units are: transportation, town,farm, beach, routine verbs, weather, seasons, time,community helpers, adjectives.

This Bundle Supports Mixed Ability Levels. In one class, you might have newcomers alongside students who are ready for richer tasks. Thematic units allow you to differentiate easily—with visual supports, simple worksheets, and extension activities all in one place.

 Each unit includes:

Flashcards vocabulary cards for visuals and frequent review to introduce vocabulary. They are included in every unit to give students clear visual support, and make language practice interactive, hands-on, and easy to reuse throughout the lesson.

Transportation unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2024/12/transportation-flashcards-for.html

Small cards are included in each unit for hands-on practice, games, sorting, and sentence-building activities that encourage active student participation.

 town unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/03/town-small-cards-for-elementary-esl.html

Cutouts are included to promote hands-on learning through matching, sorting, and interactive language activities. Adjectives blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/06/adjectives-craft-stick-puppets-sorting.html

Worksheets help students reinforce vocabulary and language structures through guided, independent practice and review. Farm Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/04/hands-on-farm-vocabulary-activities.html

Engaging games for production in group or partner interaction.They are important in this resource because they keep students motivated while providing meaningful, repeated practice of language skills in a low-stress, engaging way.

Beach Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/05/beach-unit-games.html

Spelling activities are important because they help students connect sounds to letters, reinforce vocabulary, and build confidence in reading and writing English words.

Seasons Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2020/03/seasons-and-nature.html

Printable books to support thematic literacy. They give students a meaningful way to practice reading, vocabulary, and sentence structure while creating a take-home product they feel proud of. 

Transportation Unit Blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/02/transportation-layered-book-for.html

Holidays: Christmas.  The bundle includes themed units for popular holidays, helping students practice language through familiar, engaging celebrations and seasonal vocabulary.

Weather Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/12/christmas-snowglobes-numbers-120.html

Use the unit materials in centers where students can practice vocabulary through:

Matching games.  Telling the time blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2019/04/telling-time-for-esl-learners.html

Memory cards. Community helpers Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/07/community-helpers-jobs-and-occupations.html

Sentence Association. Routine Verbs unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/07/routine-verbs-small-cards-for-eslefl.html

Students rotate through activities.

There are add ons:

Activities focusing on numbers 1–20 help students develop counting skills, number recognition, and number vocabulary through visual, hands-on, and engaging practice that supports early math and language development. Farm Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/10/counting-120-cows-numbers-activities.html

Prepositions of location is also found in several units. It will help students understand how objects relate to each other in space (in, on, under, next to, etc.) through visual and hands-on practice. This is especially important for ELLs, as prepositions are challenging to learn and are best taught in context, supporting clearer sentence building, better comprehension, and more confident oral language use.

Beach Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/09/beach-prepositions-activities-with.html

Finally, Teaching tips to make planning easier and more effective. The 3ps lesson plans are ready to follow.

Follow me on Instagram for creative activities, classroom tips, and exclusive sneak peeks of my teaching resources! There Hands-on games and activities for young learners, freebies and more:   https://www.instagram.com/rosamelia_eslteacher/

How I Teach Numbers 1–20 to ELL Students

 Teaching numbers from 1 to 20 to English Language Learners is more than just counting. For ELL students, numbers must be taught through visual support, repetition, hands-on practice, and meaningful language use. Over the years, I’ve found that a structured, multi-step approach helps students truly understand numbers by reviewing them along the school year in each unit possible.

1.   Start with Visual Number Recognition

I always begin with clear, visual number flashcards that show:

The numeral, A matching quantity, The number Word

This helps students connect what the number looks like, how it sounds, and what it represents. We practice by:

·         Pointing to numbers as we say them

·         Matching numerals to quantities

This step is essential for ELLs because it builds vocabulary and confidence before moving into worksheets or games.

2.    Move to Hands-On Small Cards

Once students recognize the numbers, we practice with hands-on counting

activities, among others:

·         memory

·         Order in Number sequence and writing activities

·         Bingo

 3.   Use Worksheets for Independent Practice

After plenty of oral and hands-on practice, students are ready for worksheets. I use them to review with students:

·         Listen and color the number 1 to 20 and then fill in the blank

·         Read and color following the code.

·         Match numerals, words, and writing the number.

Because students already understand the concepts, worksheets become reinforcement, not a struggle.

4.   Reinforce Learning with Games

Games are one of the most effective ways to review numbers 1–20.

I include:

·         Simple board games

·         Matching games

·         Coloring with the cards

Games allow students to repeat numbers naturally, practice classroom language (“My turn,” “I got number 10”), stay engaged while reviewing key skills.

Why You should Use the Numbers 1–20 Bundle

To make teaching easier and more consistent,  that includes:

·         Visual flashcards

·         Hands-on games

·         Worksheets for guided and independent practice

·         Teaching tips

Everything is designed to be ELL-friendly, low-prep, and flexible, so teachers can use the materials for whole group, small groups, centers, or intervention.

👉 You can find the Numbers 1–20 for Elementary ELLs bundle here at my   TPT STORE:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Numbers-120-ELL-BUNDLE-Math-Centers-Games-Counting-Recognition-Writing-14393741

Final Tip for Teachers

When teaching numbers to ELL students, remember:
✔️ Start visual with your flashcards
✔️ Add movement and hands-on with the small cards
✔️ Use Worksheets for practice
✔️ Reinforce with games for production
This approach builds real understanding, not just memorization—and it helps students feel successful from the start.

Visit my blog for preschool teachers here: EFL Preschool Teachers Blog. You'll find practical activities, tips, and resources designed to make learning fun and effective for little ones!

 

Christmas Snowglobes Numbers 1–20 Activity Pack

 This resource is included in the complete resource, ready to download:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Weather-Flashcards-for-Elementary-ESL-EFL-3664474

This resource provides hands-on activities that support number recognition, reading number words, and sequencing. For teachers, it offers ready-to-use, low-prep materials that can be used across centers, small groups, and whole-class lessons. For students, the visual themes and interactive tasks, reinforce essential math concepts in a meaningful way.

Christmas 1 -20 Flashcard Activities & Games: Use these for repeated, hands-on exposure in a playful and non-threatening way.

 Christmas Flashcards Snowglobe Hunt & Count (Movement Game). Hide the snowglobe flashcards around the room. Students walk with mini number collectors (printable sheet with a blank snowglobe). When they find a card, they: Say the number out loud and then, write the number in the snowglobe printable. Give the students a Time challenge — find numbers 1–20 in 2 minutes.

Students will place the flashcards in number order on the board. use for Chrtistmas centers or circle time.

The small cards are a flexible and essential tool for any lesson plan focused on numbers 1–20. They’re easy to reuse for centers, fast finishers, and teacher-led reviews—making them a practical and versatile resource.

 Snowglobe Number Build & Write Activity

  For this winter math center, students choose a Snowglobe Number card, use foam letters to build the number word, and then write it on their recording sheet. It’s perfect for literacy + math integration.

 Snowglobe Number SequencingThe teacher calls out a short number sequence (like 15, 16, 17, 18), and students search for the matching snowglobe cards, then work together to place them in the correct order on the table. It’s perfect for visual learners.

Christmas Matching Numbers 1-20

Cut the number word out of the card and have students play match. Students will count the snowflakes. Have them use the expression: 

There are twenty snowflakes in the snowglobe.

 The worksheets in this resource provide structured, purposeful practice that reinforces the skills introduced during hands-on activities.

Follow the Code on the Snowglobe Number -Christmas Math worksheet.  These help students build number recognition 1 to 20 and color word skills. Students follow the color code to color the snowballs correctly. It’s a great independent activity.

Listen and Color the Snowglobe Number Christmas worksheet esl. This interactive winter worksheet combines number recognition with listening skills! As the teacher calls out colors for each number (e.g., “Color number 12 yellow”), students find and color each number inside the snowglobe accordingly. It’s perfect for whole group instruction.

Match the Number Words Worksheet

  Learners draw lines to match each snowglobe’s numeral to the correct written word, strengthening both literacy and math skills in a holiday-themed format.

Write the Number Word Worksheet

 This handwriting practice worksheet invites students to write number words for numerals 10 through 20.

Complete the Number Sequence Worksheet

 Learners reinforce numbers 1 to 20 sequencing as a Christmas language review.

 These games and activities are flexible for centers, small groups, or whole-class use, and they support multiple learning styles—visual, kinesthetic, auditory.

Christmas math and Literacy Board Game. 

This game is a fun way for students to practice number recognition. With playful twists like “Miss a Turn” and “Go Back One Space,” learners stay engaged while reinforcing early math skills.

In the matching mats activity, students reinforce number and word association by placing number cards and snow globe illustrations on a matching mat  as a fun Christmas activity.

Snowglobes Counting File Folder Game

Transform your printable cards into a reusable Christmas Counting File Folder Game that makes number practice fun throughout the holiday season!  

 Choose from the numeral board, number word board, or Christmas snow globe picture board. Store the remaining cards inside the file folder pockets for matching practice.

Students count the snowflakes in each snow globe and match the picture card to the correct numeral or number word. Since the boards are interchangeable, you can easily create different matching combinations to keep the activity fresh and engaging.

This reusable file folder game is perfect for  literacy centers.

Glue the colored template onto a toilet paper roll to make it stand.  Give the students the words in snowballs to match in a hands-on way to reinforce word reading.

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I use Creative Fabrica for the covers. Here is my affliate link: 

https://www.creativefabrica.com/product/christmas-gingerbread-digital-paper-3/ref/2670802/?sharedfrom=pdp