| ESL teachers (English as a second language) need to | | | | For example, if you are teaching colors and parts of |
| use activities that activate as many ESL students as | | | | the body for example, you could have students open |
| possible for as much of the time as possible. This | | | | their textbook and point to the item (in this case, body |
| article provides an overview of activities that can be | | | | part or color) that you mention. If you are reviewing |
| implemented with fairly large mainstream ELL classes | | | | vocabulary using pictures, number the pictures. |
| within differentiated instruction. | | | | Students then have to hold up the number of fingers |
| Why open-ended activities? | | | | according to the picture. |
| In a mixed-ability ESL class, teachers should aim for full | | | | End-of-the-lesson activities |
| class participation rather than single-student activations | | | | 1. Students can recap new Lexi learned during the |
| such as calling one student to the board, or having one | | | | lesson using the picture-number sequence (listed |
| student write a response on a single paper going | | | | above) or simply by pointing to the pictures in their |
| around the class. One way teachers can facilitate this | | | | textbook. |
| process is to offer a variety of open ended exercises. | | | | 2. Dictation. Students can write down single-letter or |
| Using open-ended activities in differentiated instruction | | | | even nonsense-words. Middle students can write the |
| An open-ended activity allows students to work at | | | | word and more advanced students can write down |
| their own pace and allows for a variety of responses. | | | | the phrase or sentence. |
| For the purposes of full class participation however, | | | | 3. Command games - simply telling students to do |
| teachers should aim at activities that ALL students can | | | | things or Simon Says. |
| do together. During this time, the teacher visually | | | | 4. Quick guessing games - based on a rough sketch |
| checks students answers, correcting wherever | | | | on the board. |
| possible. | | | | 5. Brainstorm: how many things can students think of |
| This kind of interaction gives the teacher more control | | | | that... begin with a certain letter, have a certain letter in |
| with regard to classroom management and classroom | | | | them, are animals, are colors, are in this room, or |
| organization. The teacher can use open-ended | | | | whatever you like. Give them an ambitious but possible |
| activities during various segments of the lesson | | | | target such as let's get to 10 / 20 / 30 words, and try |
| particularly in the first twenty minutes of the lesson | | | | to reach it. or:...we have 3 minutes left in the lesson, let's |
| where students are either learning or reviewing | | | | see how many words we can get to. |
| important lexical (core) vocabulary. | | | | Final words |
| Open-ended ideas for the beginning of the lesson | | | | It is crucial that both the teacher and the students |
| 1. Raise the number of open-ended brainstorming | | | | understand that students will progress at different |
| activities (many answers to one teacher cue) | | | | rates. The emphasis on involving full class participation |
| 2. Encourage students respond all together, by pointing | | | | using open-ended activities takes effort. Students |
| to things, raising hands or fingers, answering in chorus, | | | | should understand that they are working at the level |
| moving their bodies, ticking off items or writing | | | | that will take them one step forward. This is the heart |
| responses. | | | | of the principles of differentiated instruction. |