How I Prepare Students to Welcome New ELL Peers

If we know we are getting a new student beforehand, I will actually go into that classroom where that newcomer is coming and in tandem with the teacher explain the situation, talk a little bit about what is appropriate with a newcomer and what is not that we do not need to raise our voice because speaking louder in English will not help them understand the English any more. And about simple ways that they can actually help the student. They can actually help their acquisition of English. Small things like constantly using small bites. For example, if you get your book out, you say, "Hey, here's my book," and you make sure that you're pointing to the book and that over time that child will figure out that the word "book" means that thing. That's what that is. And it is amazing the little teachers that you can create within a classroom just by giving kids a few strategies that they can help with their new peers.