Using Photos With English-Language Learners

"A picture is worth a thousand words." -- Unknown Though the origin of this popular adage is unclear, one thing is clear: using photos with English-Language Learners (ELLs) can be enormously effective in helping them learn far more than a thousand words -- and how to use them. Usable images for lessons can be found online or teachers and students can take and use their own. The activities presented below connect to multiple Common Core Standards including the following ELA Standards: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. Picture Word Inductive Model The Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM) is one of our favorites. The PWIM uses an inductive process (in which students seek patterns and use them to identify their broader meanings and significance), as opposed to a deductive process (where meanings or rules are given, and students have to then apply them). Thought Bubbles Picture Dictation Bloom's Taxonomy

Strategies for Teachers Upon completion of this section, you will Acquire general recommendations for the classroom that enrich learning for beginning readers and writers Identify tips for the different parts of the reading process that enrich comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary Have ideas to use when teaching children with visual deficits Sparking new ideas for your classroom Malcolm Alexander, the acclaimed dyslexic sculptor, tells a story about one of his teachers who made a difference. According to Malcolm, that teacher said, "When I teach, when I look at a student's work, I always try to find something nice in it. And then go into the rest of it." This is a gift you can give all students, but particularly those who are dyslexic: find something positive, something they have done well, and acknowledge it. As a teacher, you most likely already have a print-rich environment in your classroom. The following suggestions may spark a new idea for your classroom. General recommendations Before reading Oral reading

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