Our ESL Adventures

I haven’t written in a while, and yesterday, we left for a 10-day trip, so I may not post for a while yet again! In the meantime, I thought I would update you on our ESL adventures.

Right now, I’m trying to help the girls develop their literacy skills. Here are some of the main activities we are engaged in:

Having Fun!

A person’s ability to acquire language is highly dependent on their motivation and emotions. Effective activities are always affective—that is, they influence the learners’ emotions. Consequently, having fun and bonding may be the most important thing we do!

Read, Read, Read!!!

Actually, in this picture, we aren't reading in English. Saci was teaching me to read in Hungarian!

Even Attila has taken up an interest in reading! I brought several books from home, and we found more here in the library. Some of our favorites include Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Amelia Bedelia, and Madeline. I just finished reading Charlotte’s Web to Saci and Juju. I’m amazed at how much some kids can pick up just from print exposure. Saci has never received reading lessons in English, and the Hungarian Alphabet is very different. You can imagine how surprised her parents and I were when she picked up Amelia Bedelia and read it to me one evening!

Dialogue Journals

We had fun decorating!

I learned about dialogue journals in an ESL/Bilingual Literacy class that I took last semester. I wasn’t sure how the girls would respond, but they seem to really like it! Juju has already written several stories, and Saci likes to draw pictures and label them in English. Dialogue journals also give the girls an opportunity to practice their reading; they like to see what I’ve written in response.

Story Cubes

I’m pretty sure that these are some of the best toys I’ve come across. We use story cubes in a variety of ways. Most frequently, we simply roll the cubes and take turns telling stories. Recently, I wrote stories down as the girls dictated. Saci practiced reading her story, and Juju copied hers in her own handwriting. You can read their stories here.

Mad Libs

To keep them special, Mad Libs are reserved for car trips. I wasn’t sure that the girls would be ready for grammar and the parts of speech, but they surprised me. The older girls love creating wacky stories, and as I explain the different parts of speech, they are usually able to think of the corresponding Hungarian title.

Irregular Verbs Go Fish or Memory Game

This game is my own invention. As I’ve listened to the girls speak, I’ve noticed that they really struggle with irregular verbs. I think that with exposure to a native speaker, this problem will probably correct itself over time. Nevertheless, I decided experiment with additional exposure and more direct instruction. I looked up a list of the most common irregular verbs, and I printed the first twenty verbs and along with their simple past tense. At first, I placed the cards face-up and had Saci and Juju match the present tense of each verb with its simple past tense. When they got stuck, we talked about the words and found the match together. We then used the cards to play a variation of Go Fish, which required the girls to request the other form of the verb they were holding. For example, when someone was holding thought, she asked for think. When she was holding think, she asked for thought. This game was a bit challenging for the girls, but they cooperated well. I have yet to see if the emphasis on irregular verbs makes a difference.

Spelling Games

Juju is spelling with a movable alphabet that I made in one of my education classes.

Rainbow writing! I practiced writing my Hungarian numbers, and Juju wrote some words from a story in her journal.

Because we are trying to keep everything informal, I’m not putting much emphasis on spelling. Nevertheless, I’ve selected words from the girls dialogue journals, and we have done a few spelling activities like rainbow writing. I brought a moveable alphabet that I made in an education class at LeTourneau, and we’ve spelled words with that as well. We’ve also played with Bannagrams, which help with spelling development. The girls love technology, so I’m hoping to use online spelling games to strengthen their skills.

Reader’s Theater

Reader’s Theater is our most recent endeavor. Juju, Saci, and I have just started practicing The Wizard, the Fairy, and the Magic Chicken. We gathered costumes before we left for our trip, and I'm hoping to finish we'll perform when we return. Maybe we’ll upload a video later this summer!