What Supplies Do English As A Second Language Students Need For School?

To make lessons truly enjoyable for English as a Second Language (ESL) students, teachers usually explore varied learning tools and activities. Interactive learning activities result to more skill improvement in and better attendance from ESL students. The activities boost the students' enthusiasm to continue the study of English.

Instead of just letting the students sit down and write on their notebooks like robots, ESL teachers utilize interactive activities that allow students to explore the English language in a fun and productive way. Given this new way of learning the English language, what supplies do English as a Second Language students need for school? Will the supplies be any different from the traditional school supplies used by students?

The answer is no.

The following general supplies are essential year after year, no matter what level the student is in. It is wise for a student to invest in these:

Flash or thumb drive to store computer data that may be provided by the teacher or gathered from the internet. There are a lot of learning resources in the internet so it is practical for students to keep a flash drive handy.

3-ring binder or spiral notebooks, as preferred by the student or required by the school

Pens, pencils, pencil sharpener and eraser

Highlighters or markers to make reading easier

The above school supplies are the supplies needed for the traditional classroom activities like reading and writing. But as ESL students try to understand the points of grammar, they are able to absorb more when the lessons are linked to real life experiences. This is the reason why ESL teachers usually involve creative or art activities in their lesson plans.

The following school supplies are usually needed by ESL students to be able to join and enjoy the art activities:

Colored pencils and pens

Colored papers

Poster paper

Scissors

Glue stick or paste

Old magazines and newspapers also become handy for cutting out pictures during activities that revolve around real-life subjects. Including subjects like jobs and ambitions, cars and driving, money and shopping, movies and TV shows in the lesson plan greatly piques the interest of ESL students. Simply following a course book and asking the students to repeat after the teacher really is a far cry from an interactive activity.

But not all school supplies needed to learn the English language has to be bought from the store. There are a lot of other learning materials that can be acquired for free. A creative learning activity can revolve around local maps, timetables, leaflets, and even product labels. These items will not only help the students learn English but will also help them in their real life. Role playing using real life objects is one of the most effective methods in learning English. The students will be able to relate their day to day activities with the English lesson so they are able to participate more and practice speaking and relating in English.

On top of the above school supplies, every ESL student should have a pocket dictionary. Maybe, this is the most important tool for any student who wants to learn the English language. The ESL teacher should be able to emphasize to the students the importance of using the dictionary even outside the classroom. When students get into the habit of using the dictionary to look up words that they don't understand, they not only develop their vocabulary but they also learn how to work independently and consistently.

Learning English can be a fun and fulfilling activity for both the teacher and the students. Being prepared with the supplies needed by an ESL student for school is worth the effort.

Places For Unique ESL Supplies

  1. Alta Book Center Publishers and Distributors
  2. Ballard and Tighe
  3. The English Resource
  4. Master Spoken English
  5. Oxford University Press English Language Teaching
  6. Volando-Flying
  7. What's the Word?
  8. Wonder Disc Publishing