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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Beach Unit for Elementary ESL Learners

As I have researched not all the book series that you work with have this unit, but I think it can be done at the end of the school year for those last days when the book is finished or it can be added when you are doing the Sea Animals.

Here’s the link to all the resources:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beach-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-Learners-4075972

Watch the video with the resource:

The resource is also available here:   https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/beach-unit-for-elementary-esl?variant=37224677245092

Beach Unit Flashcards. Vocabulary enriches the students’ language. Flashcards are a good strategy to start with. Display all the flashcards on the board. Point to each beach item and have the students name them.

Teacher: What is this?

Students: It's a beach ball.

Have the students sort the beach items and the nature items.

Do Spelling with students. Start spelling a word and the students name it and point to that specific flashcard.

Teacher: s-h-o-v-e-l

Students: shovel !

Then there are Beach Verbs Flashcards. 

Use them to make sentences.

Teacher: He can eat a popsicle.

Student: He can play with a beach ball. 

Beach prepositions. Draw a beach scene on the board. Place the cutouts in the scene.

Teacher: Where is the chair?

Students: It is under the umbrella.

On the same beach scene, place the children on the beach and review Verbs.

Teacher: Where are the children?

Students: They are at the beach.

Teacher: What is he doing?

Students: He is playing with a beach ball.

Teacher: What are they doing?

Students: They are swimming.

Students will create their own scene and write a text to describe it. Children can use the objects and /or the children. The sentences will be on actions or on prepositions. Then have them show their work.

Have children work in pairs with their beach scene and ask questions without seeing each other paper.

Student 1: Is there a beach ball?

Student 2: No, there isn’t.

The student who can guess the most items wins.

Students can also do more writing on these templates and then create a classroom garland for all the students to read.

Beach and Numbers. Use the number cards to review numbers and plurals.

Teacher: What is behind Number 2?

Students: The sun!

Place several Number cards on the board and have the students draw the items.

Teacher: How many shells are there?

Students: There are 5 blue shells.

Beach and the alphabet. Same cards as the numbers to review the alphabet.

Teacher: What is behind letter A?

Students: a beach ball?

Teacher: Where is the crab?

Students: It is on letter B and W.

Book: The penguins are going on vacation. I happened to run into this book from when my kids were in Kindergarten. I thought it be a start for my blog post. If you want the book on pdf  request it : (ei98srl@gmail.com)

Here are all the cutouts to use on a flannel board. I made mine out of a floor cleaning cloth. Use it for retelling the story. I placed Velcro to all the pieces and it sticks perfectly.

I always wanted a flannel board but making one was a where do I start. I researched and saw this idea of using a mopping cloth. I went to the supermarket and bought this pink one. Yes, pink, the other one was gray. I have bought a yellow one and I am trying to catch a blue one. They are cheap where I live and they are good quality. I went to the tailor and had a border sewn on it and a little hanging hoop.  If you make one either for your classroom or home, it is easy to hang and easy to put ways since it is not very big. You don’t have to add the border.

Pick a cute book. I used this book that my kids had at home. I have the pdf for free by request (ei98srl@gmail.com)

I also made a similar book to review the grammar and vocabulary from the original book, instead of penguins going on vacation I used frogs. The black and white version has traceable sentences.

And koalas can also go on vacation. I made puppets to retell the story.

Teacher and students: The koalas are going on vacation. The koala is going to surf. The koala is going to play with a beach ball. The koala is going to make a sandcastle. The koala is going to scuba dive. The koala is going to drive. The kola is going to drink lemonade.

The mouse is going on vacation but on a worksheet.  Students complete the scene of all the things that the mouse is going to do on vacation.

Some Monsters are going on vacation but I made spinners. One spinner has numbers and the other one has the monsters. The number spinner stands for the amount of sentences to say or write and the monster is central character of the sentences.

A simple game: word and picture association.

                           And a free file! Go to the link and download it.    https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beach-Numbers-for-Elementary-EFL-4079286

Print the beach numbers cards and use them for speaking opportunities in the classroom.

And print the Sentence association game for the Beach unit Numbers review.

or use as a notebook activity.

                       There is a bundle with this resource included.                                                     Here is the link to check it out.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beach-Unit-BUNDLE-for-ESL-6889239

Transportation Theme for Elementary ESL

Link to all the resources for the Transportation Unit:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Transportation-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-4049752

Sort the  55 flashcards by land, sea, sky.

Transportation and adjectives: big, small, long, short, old, new, cheap, expensive. Review the adjective words using your arms and hands. Stretch your arms for long and hold your hands closer for short.

Write the opposite words on the board. Hand in all the flashcards and have them place the vehicle where it belongs. Students must identify the vehicle, the size, length, old or new and price.

Student: This is a school bus. It is big and long.

There is a worksheet to review the describing words for car. Have the students listen to the instructions and color the cars.

Teacher: Point to the small car. Color it blue. Continue in the same manner. When the students have finished, have them place the adjectives that identify each vehicle.(LABELING)

Or have the students paste a vehicle on a sheet of paper and write adjectives to describe it.

Explain that you use the preposition by to express ways to travel.

Teacher: I am going to the library.

Students: How are you going?

Teacher: By subway.

Continue asking and answering questions. Have the students write sentences.

I am going to the island by ship.

Place the number flashcards around the room. Tell the students that each number is a garage or parking place for some vehicles.

Hand in the flashcards and give instructions.

Teacher: bus, go to garage number seven.

Transportation and verbs.

Tell the students that we use these three main verbs for the vehicles. Place them on the board and create a mind map.

Teacher: I can ride an elephant.

Students: I can ride a bike.

I can ride a motorcycle.

Give more examples using drive and fly using all the flashcards.

A worksheet to wrap this up.

Have the students sort the pictures into ride, drive and fly. Then using the bubbles provided, the students write sentences. ( I can drive a blue car.)

There are more flashcards to review “ How do you get to work ?” “ How do you get to school ?”

Community Helpers drive vehicles.

Have the students sort the flashcards in drive, ride or fly.

Model a sentence.  Teacher: The fire fighter drives a fire truck.

Students make more sentences.

And worksheets for writing. Students write in the bubbles sentences such as: I am driving a school bus.

 I made several worksheets for different skills. 

Listening. Students color as indicated by the teacher.

 Teacher: It is a pink blimp.

Speaking. Students point and say a sentence.

Student: It is a yellow submarine.

Have the students cut the cards and grab their favorite. At your signal have them get together in groups of the same favorite vehicle.

Teacher: These are trucks. (pointing close to you)

                Those are cars. (pointing far from you)

Students give more examples.

Write the words on your notebook. Providing multiple exposure to the vocabulary words help with learning and meaning.

Road game. I was looking for a game and found an interesting one on Pinterest, I adapted it for ESL. Simply print out as many roads you need and write the vocabulary words on each side of each road piece as in dominos, there must be 2 or more of the same word. Print the people in their vehicles and the signs. Have the students play as in Domino but the pieces will be the road items.

Prepositions cards. Use them for writing purpose or to play sentence association game.

More ideas,activities and printables at my other blog post.

http://eflpreschoolteachers.blogspot.com/2016/03/transportation-review-unit-for-ell.html

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