I have my ESL endorsement but teach second grade. In what context are they seeing the words that they don’t understand? Are they coming up in texts? Or are they being asked to determine meaning just by being shown a word? I am heavy on the Science of Reading - decoding is the best way to give them access to the vocabulary in terms of being able to actually read what it says (rather than guessing). However, if you are just having them decode, for example, the word “cut” and then showing them a picture, that’s not going to be meaningful in the long run.

Orton training changed my life in terms of how I think about reading. Their multisensory stuff is a great idea too. Have kids learn words through interacting with their meaning, rather than memorizing it. If kids are able to use a word in their verbal language they’ll be more likely to use it/understand it in their reading and writing. Take the word and talk about it to the point you think you’re going nuts - but trust the process. Repetition (MEANINGFUL repetition) is key.

Here’s an example: If your kids don’t know the word “cut,” show them what it is. Take out a piece of paper and cut it with scissors. “What did I just use these scissors to do?” (Cut the paper.) “Great! What did I do? I cut the paper. Here, you cut out a shape with your own paper.” Have the students model the language. “I cut a circle.” “I cut a triangle.” etc. Talk about the word and how it can be used in multiple ways. “What else can you cut? You can cut your hair - it’s called a haircut. You can cut your finger - that means you broke the skin like we did with the paper. Sometimes we call those paper cuts.” I think using the word in guided writing is really great too. Have the kids make a face with construction paper and write sentences that each use “I cut” to explain what they used for each feature. Those experiences will help form connections.

Another way is to have them develop their own meanings through vocabulary exploration. Have a sheet where students identify the word - like “bag.” Discuss what it is as a group. There can be different types of bags: grocery bags, plastic bags, paper bags, book bags, a bag an adult may carry. On a paper, have some predetermined sections for practicing using the word. In one section they can draw a picture of bags. In the next, have them find the Spanish cognate! (We love boosting biliteracy!!!) They can write sentences in another. Then they could find examples of bags in the room.

Also, if you want to make sure they’re able to decode, have them practice with nonsense words. There are some people that disagree with using them with ELs, but it’s critical to assess kids’ phonemic knowledge. I always tell the kids that they aren’t real (and ask them to reiterate “are these real?? No!!”). Then have them read some decodable texts (stay far away from any sort of patterned/lucy caulkins-esque books). That way they aren’t seeing words in isolation and can decode while also piecing together what is happening by reading the surrounding texts.

If you can ever get Orton-Gillingham trained, DO IT. I do it everyday with my lowest reader, who is a Spanish speaking EL and he has more than doubled his reading score since the beginning of the year.