| Every ESL classroom has multilevel students, but in | | | | Multilevel ESL strategy games include such favorites |
| most cases the students are comparable enough in | | | | as Battleship which involves trying to guess where |
| ability to all benefit from the same activities and lesson | | | | your opponent has hidden his fleet and bomb it before |
| plans. A truly ESL multilevel classroom consists of | | | | he bombs your own. Word games such as Pictionary |
| students who vary so widely in regard to language | | | | and scrabble are also good. Role playing cards can be |
| skills that they cannot all participate in any single game | | | | handed out to students and acted out as a group - this |
| or activity. | | | | works best with adult classes as children may |
| This causes a dilemma for the dedicated ESL teacher. | | | | become excited and distract the other groups. |
| Considerable extra work and planning must be done in | | | | ESL Listening Center |
| order to prepare lesson plans to cover extreme | | | | A listening center should be supplied with multiple |
| differences in language levels. Fortunately, many | | | | headphones plugged into a CD or tape playing device. |
| activities can be successfully broken down into | | | | This permits each student to listen to and / or read |
| different levels of participation, allowing all students to | | | | along with recorded non-fiction articles or stories. |
| progress. | | | | Response activities are needed for comprehension - |
| When choosing a plan for organizing your ESL | | | | worksheets or journals to record answers to preset |
| classroom, the size of the class should be a | | | | questions, or art materials to complete a |
| consideration. A relatively small class of only 3 - 9 | | | | representation of a scene described in the story. |
| students will lend itself to on set of approaches, while a | | | | Large Multilevel ESL Groups |
| large class of 10-20 students may require another set. | | | | For larger groups, an approach known as |
| Small Multilevel ESL Groups | | | | "Whole-group-to-leveled groups" is often easier to |
| Small classes allow teachers to split their time and | | | | implement. A short introductory activity can be |
| efforts between individual students and still be | | | | conducted for the whole class, after which the |
| effective. After one or two classes, it is easy to | | | | students may be broken up into pairs or groups for |
| determine a student's level, and more complex | | | | student-to-student activities. This choice is perfect for |
| questions can naturally be directed at the more | | | | ESL classrooms with limited resources, and instances |
| advanced members of the group. | | | | when the gap between proficiency levels is large |
| Small groups are also well suited to role playing or | | | | (beginners mixed with advanced students). |
| drama centered activities. Advanced students can | | | | ESL multilevel activities can be created from almost |
| assist in creating scripts and taking onl lead roles while | | | | any curriculum - simply set up system within your |
| beginners can still participate fully at their own level | | | | classroom where each activity has several levels of |
| with simple lines. | | | | testing. A story can be shared with the group, then the |
| Guided Reading and Centers | | | | different levels assigned different activities based off |
| The model known as "small groups and centers" is | | | | the same material. For example, a story or non-fiction |
| ideal for multilevel ESL classroom use. A 20-30 minute | | | | article can be read aloud to the class during 'whole |
| Guided Reading lesson should be prepared for each | | | | group' time. After the class is split up into 'leveled |
| level. During each group's assigned reading time, the | | | | groups', the advanced students can be required to |
| other groups will participate in independent work at | | | | write a page long essay, intermediates requested to |
| centers. These centers should be pre-stocked with | | | | complete a multiple choice quiz or a word definition |
| appropriate activities that can be used more than once, | | | | test, and beginners merely asked to fill in the blanks on |
| so multiple lessons can be planned. | | | | a vocabulary worksheet. |
| In the case of a classroom with three levels (beginner, | | | | The buddy system can be employed to allow higher |
| intermediate and advanced), the following schedule | | | | level students to assist lower level ones; advanced |
| could be followed: as each group is having their Guided | | | | students can pair up with beginners during reading time |
| Reading lesson, the other two groups are assigned to | | | | to help ensure words are being properly pronounced |
| separate centers. As each group finishes reading, they | | | | and can formulate questions to check comprehension. |
| rotate to one of the centers, bumping the next group | | | | Peer editing can also be done within leveled groups, |
| to the second center and the last group into the | | | | with students checking each others work and returning |
| reading circle. The two most popular types of centers | | | | it with corrections and comments. This builds |
| are the Gaming Center and the Listening Center. | | | | classroom unity, and lets each student feel like a useful |
| ESL Gaming Center | | | | part of the group. |