Show and Tell for ESL Classrooms

Teaching Strategies for Extended English Language Practice

Dec 4, 2008

These instructional strategies give English language learners the opportunity to practice their developing language skills through guided Show and Tell experiences.

English language learners need opportunities to practice speaking and listening skills in a dynamic, yet guided, setting. Show and Tell provides such opportunities. However, ESL students are often shy about using their English in front of a group. ESL teachers can structure the Show and Tell experience to provide a framework that allows students to feel comfortable and eager to participate.

While Show and Tell is typically associated with early primary grade classes, this model can be used with students of any age. A simple name change, to something like Community Sharing Time, can turn this important lesson opportunity into an experience to look forward to.

Asking Questions vs Making Connections During Show and Tell

To make Show and Tell most effective as a tool for language practice, it is important to encourage dialogue between the presenter and the audience. For a dialogue to be productive, the instructor must explicitly teach the difference between asking questions and making statements or telling.

“Asking a question” is a concrete concept and generally easy to understand. However, the idea of “telling” or “making a statement” is often confusing, especially for young students. Using the terminology of “making connections” can help to clarify the difference.

Young children and ESL students of all ages can learn the language of “making connections.” When students listen to a book read aloud or engage in a group discussion, they can be guided to “make connections” between the content of the book or discussion and their own lives, events going on in the world, or other books.

“Making connections” can also apply to Show and Tell. The ESL teacher can ask, “Does anyone have a question or a connection about what [the student] just said.” When listeners raise their hand to offer a comment, the teacher can ask, “Do you have a question or a connection?” If the student mislabels their statement, a simple “That was an interesting connection” or “That was a good question” can help to clarify these concepts.

Targeted Show and Tell Ideas

Many students, especially those who are insecure about their English skills, hesitate to share during Show and Tell. They become passive listeners, unwilling to take risks with their developing language. To encourage students to share with the class, the teacher can offer targeted Show and Tell options – open-ended suggestions for items to bring to share and talk about with the class.

An example of a targeted Show and Tell topic is to ask the students to bring “something in a box.” Students always have fun with this suggestion and are eager to have others guess what they brought. This topic provides a prime opportunity to teach how to ask “clue questions” rather than engaging in random guessing. For older students, this topic suggestion might be tweaked to say, “Bring something in a box that represents you, your life, or your interests.”

Learning English as a second language takes much guided practice. One strategy to engage students in practicing effective communication skills is to structure a targeted Show and Tell experience. Teaching students how to engage in dialogue through questioning and making connections, and providing students with specific, but open-ended topic suggestions can turn a traditional Show and Tell experience into a language-rich opportunity for English language practice.

The copyright of the article Show and Tell for ESL Classrooms in ESL Programs/Lessons is owned by Margaret M. Williams. Permission to republish Show and Tell for ESL Classrooms in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.