Garden Theme Resources for the Preschool ELL

Link to Garden or Nature Unit resources:
 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Garden-Resources-for-Preschool-ELL-2793718

“Spring into Language! 5 Garden-Themed ESL Activities for Kindergarten Learners”

Here are the flashcards perfect for teaching garden and nature vocabulary :

 Watch the video:

Worksheet 1. For coloring the flashcards I found leaf fun foam and glued it onto a yogurt bottle cap. I used it to make prints on the tree.

Dictate the color for each item:

Listening and coloring worksheets.  Cut out the cards and make a garden crown.

“What’s in My Garden?” worksheet. Have the students at each table count all the flowers, leaves, trees and water cans. They can sort the items by color or by item. I glued an item to little plastic cups.

Worksheet 2. Students color and build a flower.  I glued a bamboo cooking skewer on the back so it could stand up and tall. I used an empty egg carton to place the flower.  It would be a nice table decoration.

Worksheet 3. Children color the leaves as in fall or autumn. I used 5 colors. Then they have to glue all the leaves and count how many colored leaves  are in their trees.

Teacher: What are these ? 
Students: They are leaves.
Teacher: What color are the leaves ?
Students: They are green.
Teacher: How many green leaves are there ?
Students: one, two, three, four, five. Five !

Teacher: five green leaves.

Worksheet 4. Create a number line with the flowers on the egg carton.

Teacher: Look at flower Number 1. What color is it ?

Students: It´s red.

Teacher: It´s a red flower.

Students: It´s a red flower.

Tree book: use a picture book for every theme you teach. Students can recognize language patterns in my book.

I included an extra page for extending the story and creating another class book, as children look outside, drawing and creating their own tree. Collect all the drawing, bind them and make a class book.

Tree class decoration: this time I created bigger tree as classroom decoration for the walls or the door. Students can decorate their own tree and display their art work. 

Tree counting : this game is for  giving the English Language learner the opportunity to use math vocabulary because math reasoning is linked to language production. The file has different kind of trees, I made mine out of fun foam and used flower punch out, bottle taps, fun foam pieces and mini erasers to simulate flowers for the trees.

Letter arts and crafts. LINK: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Letter-arts-and-crafts-collection-3378536

Lacing: another lacing item made out of fun foam, using the same pattern. It can help  build  small motor skills.

Patterns: patterns should be encourage in the English class. Provide moments  to practice them that  will  also enhance language. This is from a series book that I was using. If you want the file, please write to me ( ei98srl@gmail.com)

This is a big tree, small tree pattern.

I made these out of fun foam.

These are made out of toilet paper roll and a kitchen paper rolls to make them big and small. I cut a small slit on the paper roll to insert the tree top.

There is a Garden Unit BUNDLE resource here: 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Garden-Unit-BUNDLE-for-Kindergarten-and-Elementary-ESL-6969853

Toys Thematic Unit for ELL

Children learn by doing fun activities in significant situations. Children learn by playing and interacting.
        Link to the resource: 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Toys-Thematic-Unit-for-Preschool-ELL-1866381

 Or get the resources here: 

https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/toys-unit-resources-for-preschool-ell?variant=2201837142028 

    

Toys Unit Flashcards stimulates language development and increases children´s  reading abilities by the oral repetition and visual association.       

 Game 1: pass a toy flashcard to a student.

               Teacher: This a drum.

        Student:  This a drum. ( passes the flashcard to another  student)

             Continue with all the flashcards.     

            

Game 2:  Distribute all flashcards to some students in the class. Name a toy and have that student stand up and say the name of the flashcard and show it to the class.
Student: I have a ball.  

Game 3:  Bring 6 students to the front, hand in a flashcard to each one. Call out the toys in random order. Students line up. The class says if it is correct.

Game 4 : Place the flashcards around the classroom. Say a toy word. Students have to run to the toy flashcard. The first student to get to the toy flashcard says STOP! And will be the caller for the next toy word.

A short video on how the flashcards can be sent to the students to view on their tablets.

     Toys Unit Paper Bag Puppets: children have fun placing 4 fingers inside the flap of the bag, moving the flap up and down making the puppet speak, they are so easy to operate. Start your puppet collection. I just created a new PUPPET board on Pinterest, with many links to make your own puppets. If you like mine they are free upon request at ei98srl@gmail.com

Review all the face and or body parts with toys. If you are using the coloring page.

Teacher: Show me the doll´s hair. Color her hair brown.

Continue with all the body parts. 

There are labels if you want to use them.

If you are using the blank face.

Teacher: Draw the doll´s eyes. Her eyes are green.

 Continue with all the face parts.

Draw the face on the toy. Drawing precedes writing. The two toys´ faces are blank so you can dictate the drawing.

Teacher: draw the eyes. (continue with more body parts)        

A video on how I do the dictation for the worksheet.

For extra practice bring in a doll or any other toy that has a face and review the parts of the face. If you are teaching online, do it and then have the children run to get their own toy and do the same, or have them make a video of themselves showing the parts of the face of their favorite toy. Check the video.

Another video interacting with the students even online. You an do your own example and have the students point to their  teddy bear's  face parts. Check the video.

For homework and more for online teaching,have the students create a teddy bear using play dough. I made mine as an example for the students and asked them to crete their own videos.

Review all the singular flashcards before presenting  the Plural Toys Flashcards. Place them on the board. Introduce the Plural form of the toys by holding the flashcard.

Teacher: How many balls ? One, two. Two balls.

  Students repeat the plural toy word. Emphasize the final s of the plural. Contrast the singular and the plural form. Place them all on the board.

Point to the flashcards at random order. Students say the toy words emphasizing the final S.

I created a S puppet for the birthday theme. I made mine out of fun foam. Use it to point out the final S and emphasize the sound.

Point to the robot.

Teacher: What is this ?

Students: It´s a robot.

Point to the 3 robots.

Teacher: What are they ?

Students: They´re robots.

Continue with all the flashcards.

Teacher: How many robots are there ?

Students: Three.

  

Toys Kindergarten Worksheets. Find the vocabulary cards.

Play the Show me game after the students have colored and cut all the cards. Check the video.

Worksheet 2: Cut the cards for the students. Have the students choose a card from the 6.

Teacher : How many ? (Point to a student in class)

Student: three ( Holds up his/her card)

Teacher: Three dolls. ( Prompt all the students with the number 3 card to stand up)

Students: Three dolls. (stand up holding the card)

Continue with all the other cards.

Make groups of 2.  Students practice asking the questions How many ? and answering  using the cards.

Teacher: How many teddy bears ?

Students: two.

Students cut all the cards and line them up on their desks. Call out the cards in random order.

Teacher: Three dolls !

Students hold up the cards. Give them a piece of paper and have them glue all the cards.

Worksheet vocabulary/4: matching singular and plural

Teacher: How many robots are there ?

Students: Three.

Students cut all the cards. Have the students match the singular and plural cards on their desk.

Play Show me !

Teacher: Show me a kite and kites!

Teacher: It´s a doll. ( Students hold up the appropriate card)

               They´re kites. ( Students hold up the appropriate card)

Once all the cards are matched on their desks. Give them a big construction paper and have them glue each pair.  It could be optional if they circle in red all the letter s in each pair.

Worksheet 5: Children color each ball in 2 colors.

Give an egg carton discard to each student in a table. Children can paint the carton in green to represent the grass. Cut a slit in each egg holder. Children glue their balls to craft sticks. Instruct them to insert their balls into the slit.

Teacher: How many balls are there ?

Student: 6

Teacher: What color  is this ball ?

Student: It is red and green.

Classroom Toys word decoration: use the ceiling, the cabinet, a door to give extra energy to the class and to use them effectively by memorizing the words in a fun routine. Engage students into practicing with the words.

Toys Letters arts and crafts.

 Teachers have used it for decoration or for an art activity for their students. I used capital letters for the toys. You can either trace or print each letter onto colored construction paper. Create a letter gallery in your classroom.

Toy Domino: a game  to  reinorce vocabulary words by matching the pictures. There are 28 tiles.

Memory cards: improves student´s short-term memory and cognitive skills to match the cards. There are also color words to match to each picture.

  Number card puzzle: use them to develop mathematical communicative competence from an early age.
Teacher: Number 3.  
Students: PurpleToy Bingo: The bingo will reinforce the vocabulary words and the children will have fun. Instead of making bingo cards for each student, I made the teacher´s board cards and a blank page for the students to draw their 4 toys. The cards can be used to create a word wall.

Puzzles: use them to entertain and to learn patience, perseverance and play fair with other children. It will also develop problem solving techniques.

       Favorite toy. Have children draw and color their favorite toy. They can cut out a picture from magazines, brochures, etc. A picture can be brought from home.

Do a show and tell activity as volunteers show their favorite toy to the class and say the name of it and describe it.

Get some real toys to introduce  the words. Relate each toy to an action.

Ball (throw a ball)

Yo-yo (move the yo-yo up and down)

Doll (cuddle a doll)

Teddy bear ( hug the teddy bear)

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Thanksgiving 4th edition

 Link to the resources:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Packet-for-the-English-Language-Learner-971469

                                    
I am a huge fan of cutouts. Just glue on a craft stick and they will become stick puppets. They can be used to sing songs.

Place the cutouts on the board using masking tape. Point to each cut out and name it. Have students repeat. Use your Thanksgiving pointer.

   Put the cutouts around the classroom. Give a pointer to each student , name a cutout and have the students point to it. Make as many pointers as you can.

As for the cutouts, please write an email to: ei98srl@gmail.com and I´ll send them to you.

Coloring Books can strengthen oral communication because students have to practice giving and following directions. Tell them if there are choices or options to color each page, such as using any color or you instruct them to color each part. Get their attention by showing your own book and use it as reference. Explain specifically and in a clear way what to do on each page, that they are going to color only what is read to them. Display your coloring book so the students can compare to yours. This hands-on activity will enhance color awareness. Many other materials can be used such as  brushes, cotton swabs, or fingers. You will be reviewing body parts and clothes.  I created a turkey, Indian Boy, Indian Girl, Pilgrim Boy and Pilgrim Girl.

Here is the turkey book to review the parts of the body and introduce new bosy parts that are specific for animals such as wattle, wings, beak.

Read with them the sentences, have the students point  to the body part and color as you say.

Teacher: Color my beak! Point to the beak.

Color the beak orange!

Put up a turkey on the board, you can enlarge mine and start coloring as the students to make your own model.

When finished, start asking questions.
Teacher: What color are the wings?
Students: They are brown.
 I binded my own book.

Flashcards:  The implementation of a flashcad system is unique; in that, it can be used in almost any setting and it teaches specific skills quickly (Van Houten & Rolider, 1989). Furthermore, flashcards can be implemented in almost any setting and teaches specific skills quickly and easily (Becker et al., 2010). Flashcards can also be easily implemented within a classroom with the classroom teacher or other classroom personnel (Kaufman et al.,2011)

Here are flashcards included in the resource:

As with Halloween, I created another set of dominos. Introduce it to the class and have them name each domino word they play.

Show them how to play and how  to take turns matching either end of the line. I made a big set to explain on the board.

Math plates. I used plastic plates to create the activity. I glue the feather onto plastic clips. Using  manipulatives  help their learning of numbers and colors. Always include a math activity in your lesson planning .

A Necklace. I made this one by painting the noodles firstin Thanksgiving colors, that threading them in a patterned sequence using a twig. I made the charm that can be either colored by the students or used the colored version. I glued it onto fun foam to make it studier.

 The super turkey crown. This is an inexpensive and easy to make positive reinforcement . Set the criteria for earning the crown. Give it to the student right after the desired behavior has been exhibited in class. Use it in every class during the week so many students can be the Super Turkey Student.   “The way positive reinforcement is carried out is more important than the amount.”      —B.F. Skinner

Get it here:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Super-Turkey-Student-Crown-970967

Paper bag puppets:

 Link: www.freepaperbagpuppets.com

Use a standard lunch bag and print the templates onto white or colored cardboard.

The paper bag puppets are often used by speech therapist on building language ,for eliciting sounds and for word repetition. It can also promote listening to others .

Classroom decoration:

Print out the templates and have the children color all the pieces. Use it to review body parts. I stuffed it using recycled newspaper. Here´s the free link:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Stuffed-Turkey-970975

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