5 iPad Apps for ESL/ ELL Students

As a teacher at an International School, many of my students are English Language Learners. Even my native English speakers are living in a non-English speaking country. Due to my unique teaching position, I have had some readers ask for tips on teaching English Language Learners. Here is this week’s Tuesday TESOL Teaching Tip:

ELL Teaching Tip of the Week: Use iPad Apps

Technology can be a great way of providing English Language Learners with additional language models and vocabulary activities.  In my classroom, my English Language Learners are each designated 15 – 20 minutes a day of iPad English time, where they take the iPad and work on designated apps to improve their vocabulary and listening skills.  Here are 5 of the apps we use:

1.)  Action Words - This app provides students with 4 pictures and a tells them an action word to tap.  It has a great variety of different action words including things like: stretching, exercising, climbing etc.

 

2.)  USA Learns – There are actually 4 apps in this series.  Each app has 5 units, which progress through a variety of topics that are important to English Language Learners.  Students get introduced to the vocabulary words and then get quizzed on the same vocabulary.

 

3.)  ListeningMasterLite – In this app, students spin the wheel to choose a topic.  After they choose a topic, they will listen to a brief listening section on that topic.  Then, they will be asked questions about their topic. 

 

4.)  Comparative Adjectives - This app provides students with 2 or 3 pictures and a tells them to touch the _____ object, using a descriptive adjectives. It has a great variety of different adjectives including things like: angrier, thicker, straighter etc.

 

5.)  TalkPath Listening – This app works on objects and sentences, using pictures and words to describe and quiz students.

 

What apps do you use with your English Language Learners?

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