Butterfly and Bugs Unit for ESL Learners

Get the Bug and Butterfly resource here: 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Butterfly-and-Bugs-Unit-for-ESL-Learners-4328441

or here:https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/butterfly-and-bugs-unit-for-esl-learners?variant=14382235189297

I always begin the lesson introducing the vocabulary with flashcards. These are half letter size.

Place them around the classroom and have the students run to bug that you mention.

Teacher: Run to the bee!

Make an accordion book.

Add Math to your ESL Lesson planning.  Experts agree that teaching Math improves the English language learning. I found these butterflies that I made out of fun foam many years ago.

And I thought that you could make some butterflies like mine. I am adding a template but you can get any other from google. The numbers are from a package that I found at a store years ago. I also included some numbers if you want to make them out of fun foam. So you are all set.

Make a number sequence or Number Line. Students are already familiar with the number sequence in their own language. Use the props or visuals. Do as much speaking as you go through the Number Line. Ask questions.

Teacher: One, two, three…!

Teacher: What color is number 3?

Students: red!

Teacher: green!

Students: Number 6!

Number sense or counting. Math is based on number sense and can be practiced through hands on experiences. Students can build their own strategy to come up to glue all the bugs to make a number. In case Number 10 and 10 bees that the students cut and paste on the butterfly.

Or Students cut the printable bugs and glue them to add up to the number on each butterfly.

Teacher: Look at Butterfly number 6! How many snails are there?

Students: two!

How many butterflies are there?

Students: two!

How many flies are there?

Students: two! 

Match butterflies with colors either do it with a pocket chart or on the desk. Pocket charts are a supplement to your getting your students involved in the lesson.

Or it can be a whole sentence.

I traced the butterfly on paper and had the students glue all piece and write the word a or an. Have the students to color the butterfly and trace the word butterfly. I cut all the butterflies and made a ring book.

Match bug words to the picture. This can be done as independent working time. Students cut out the pictures and glue them under each bug on the butterfly previously traced and cut.

You can also have the students write phrases on their notebooks.

I also added worksheets! Check on Pinterest all the ideas that I came up with for the worksheets. LINK: https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl/esl-animals/esl-insects-unit/

And a printable book!

Take a look! 

A file folder game is included as well.

Take a look!

This resource is part of the Insects Bundle resource. Check it out to expand the language syllabus:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Insects-or-Bugs-Unit-for-ESL-BUNDLE-6571592

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Numbers teaching resources for the Preschool ELL

Link to the resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Numbers-Teaching-Resources-for-Preschool-ELL-3006812

The resource is also available here:https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/numbers-unit-for-kindergarten-ell?variant=37344475611300

Very young learners need to understand math vocabulary and have the opportunity to use it with every theme. Math is linked to language. I make resources keeping in mind to bring math to the theme or unit.

Number Flashcards:  Here are the numbers 1 to 10 in a different color each. Have the children identify the number and the color.

Teacher: What number is this?
Students: Two!
Teacher: What color is number two?
Students: Orange!
Then say a color and students say the number.
Teacher: purple!
Students: five!
Do it all the way around.
Teacher: nine!
Students: Black!

I included black and white flashcards just in case you want to use only black ink or you can color each number in 10 different colors and have a wider variety to play Bingo ! .  And I included a number only flashcard for more activities, such as writing the number or drawing objects.

Many manipulatives can be used to review counting. I used pompoms, mini erasers, yogurt bottle caps, clothespins, magnetic numbers and fun foam pieces. If you use anything else please leave a comment for other teachers.

This is a body and number game that I found in an old book and that changed a little bit and added more features. My children said it looked like Twister, it might be. Place all the numbers in order or random order on the floor.

Teacher: Hand on number 4!  (You can use right hand or left hand) Show the hand flashcard.

Teacher: Arm on number one!

For many teachers a worksheet doesn´t mean that hands on learning can occur, but if you use a different strategy, a worksheet can be a way of a student taking control over learning. 

Model and show how the worksheet has to be done. It will make students motivated to do it. I always make mine beforehand, just to make sure that the worksheet is right and many ideas can come up on how to use it effectively.

Worksheet 1.  Assign a color to each number for the children to color.

Teacher: Number 1 is red.

After cut them out and use as flashcards. Play Show me!

Teacher: Show me number 3.

Students: Three.

Teacher: What color is number 3?

Students: Blue.

Use the worksheet to make 10 flashcards. Just cut them. Have the children make a number line on the floor.

And also make a book. I made mine using fun foam pieces. But it´s your call, use anything you want.

WS 2. Color by number. But after the worksheet is done, draw some lines and cut it. Children will have to put it back together and can even glue it on a piece of paper.

Ws 3. Domino means numbers…There are two ways of doing it. One is that children fill in the dots and make up the number. The other is that children cut the dominos pieces and glue them where it corresponds.

Ws 4. Puzzle. I found the puzzle pieces clip art and created this worksheet.

Teacher: Glue Number 3, Number 8 and Number 4.

Invent more!

A very old blog entry about numbers with some ideas.

http://eflpreschoolteachers.blogspot.com/2010/04/math-numbers-1-to-10.html

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ALPHABET

Try to squeeze in even a 10 to 15 minute alphabet lesson. Use alphabet songs, books and coloring pages, crafts to make it fun.
 I created my own flashcards letters and are available fat www.teacherspayteachers.com
Here are links:
Full sized letters: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Letters-for-EFL-Learners

Half size letters: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-cards-two-letters-on-one-page

Four letters on a page: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Small-Flashcards

As always, great material can be found at www.makinglearningfun.com, I love using clothespins, these are wooden with the Capital letters written with a sharpie.

 Alphabet games are great to plan for your lesson.Designate a letter for each week, using a particular order or not, depending on your syllabus.

File folder games: you can use basic file folders, but I loved colored ones. it is very easy to storage, so you can make lots of them and take up little space in your classroom. This file is from www.kidssoup.com, you need to pay a suscription fee. I have the file if you need them.

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I love fun foam, it´s so nice the material and so many possibilities. I found these letters and placed them on flowers which was the theme I was working on. 

Using craft sticks, make some letter pointers.

Or using these fun foam mats, make more pointers and recycle a can.

Work on fine motor coordination, even if you get to see your students only once or twice a week.

Lacing can be done with boys and girls, both of them will wear shoes with laces.

I use traditional colored laces of cord, but leather,vinyl ,plastic, suede laces are used as well.

 More alphabet ideas, activities and downloads in other blog posts.

Birthday Theme Resources for ESL

Get the Birthday Unit resources here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Birthday-Theme-resources-for-ELL-1236379

             I created printable Birthday certificates to give to the Birthday child.  Just print and have them ready.

 And make some birthday pencils and have them handy. I bought some black pencils for my set and got an old can to work as a vase.  Cut the slits with an exacto and push the pencil. It also makes a nice decoration for the class. 

I like to teach reading in the same way native speakers are taught to read, using these book that are available on the web. I lost the file for this book. I always make them big to read in class.

This cute activity is from www.makinglearningfun.com. I just made all the cake out of fun foam and painted the wood clothespin yellow to make the candles. 

As for Grammar, present the structure HOW OLD ARE YOU ? Make some  badges, necklaces  or blow some balloons with a number on each.  Have some children come up  and ask them their age, showing the number on the balloon. here´s the link , and print them on cardboard.

   

This is a good theme for reviewing the numbers from  1 to 10. Make the  numbers out of  fun foam.I made nine sets of numbers in different colors. 

Here are some games to play from the book Jigsaw  3

·         Show me game: hand out all the numbers to the students in a ramdom order. Say a number and have those students stand up and show it to the class.
·         Call out different numbers and the children hold up the corresponding numbers of fingers.

·         Draw numbers in the air, making sure you are facing the same direction as the children. Have children say that number aloud.

·         Place or write numbers on the board in ramdom order. two children come to the front of the class. Give both of them a fly swatter.Call out a number. The winner is the first child to hit the number with the fly 
swatter. ( My favorite game, the best gadget for the class)

·         Print the numbers from the template and place the numbers around the room. Call out a number. The winner is the first child to find the correct number. 

                 Teacher: Find number seven.

·         Write the  numbers backwards on the board, pointing to the numbers, starting with number 10, read them aloud.

·         Draw numbers on the board, but with your finger wet with water. Have them guess the number asking questions: What number is this ?

Birthdays mean a lot to children and it is a good idea to celebrate in a simple way each student’s birthday.

It´s easy to make a crown for the birthday child to take home.Use a store bought template like the one that I have here.

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