Author(s): Alexandra Rudkins

How Can Coding Support ESL Learning?

This resource is part of a larger website that incorporates multiple coding tools into a larger resource for teaching ESL with coding; this specific part of the resource has students using Scratch in multiple ways. Aside from the actual coding, it makes things like creating an account and navigating tutorials objectives for students. This is a really good method to have ESL students work with the language, as well as practicing things that they will have to do in English (make accounts on websites, understand tutorials). So, even though you’re ostensibly using it to teach coding (which it is a good resource for too) the creators made sure that every single part of Scratch would be used to help teach ESL students important skills.

How is it used in a classroom setting?

You could use this resource as part of a larger lesson on a topic like the Imperative verb tense/giving instructions. You can spend the first part of the lesson going through the process of creating accounts in English, understanding the relevant vocabulary, and then spending time going through the tutorials and the vocabulary necessary to use scratch. The resource has students go through minimum 3 tutorials, and you can go through one as a class before releasing them to work through 3 on their own.

To start up with the resource, students will need devices that can use scratch, and having a projector would also be useful. The instructions are all on the Scratch resource page.

To use the larger website as a resource, it lists different coding tools at the top. For example, micro:bit is there. If you click on those, you will find other guided activities for other grade levels.

Further resource information:

Cost: Free

URL Link: https://sites.google.com/view/roboticscoding/scratch-jr-and-scratch/scratch

Tags: ESL, coding to learn, learning to code, scratch