Supporting ELD Learners with Picture Sorts

It is no surprise that my lowest reading groups are also my ELD learners. How can we best support these students? They need so much.

The past few years I have been building phonemic awareness and vocabulary at the same time. using my Beginning Sound Sorting Cards. I begin by placing the letter in the center of a circle. Then we practice the sound for the specific letter. Next I will give a clue about the picture card. Usually a student is able to guess the card, if not then K give them the word. This where this activity really benefits my ELD learners often they do not have the vocabulary for all of the words we are using. We say the word, practice the sound, then glue the word in the circle.

The next day we review the words. Then the students are given think time to make up a sentence using at least two but no more than 4 of the words. I just love how creative they can be.

My students have always loved this activity, guessing what the picture is and making up the story to go with it. I think what they really like is the chance for me to record them.Even my shyest students are willing to give it a try. This works great for whole class or small groups. I would often find my students just standing at the chart making up stories.

You can find this activity in my TpT store