I've been framed! - By Lindell Long

The criminal declares, "I've been framed."  The word has other uses besides planting evidence to incriminate others. We can frame a picture or frame a house. A frame can give structure to build upon. Have you thought about framing a sentence? 

Many of my ESOL students need a framework to form a proper sentence, especially in the early stages of English acquisition. The order of our words within sentences is often different from the order of words in sentences in a student's home language and a frame is an easy support for helping the student express himself.

Many times a student is required to write about cause and effect. This assignment could be for science, health or a literature assignment.

Giving the student a framework helps flesh out the sentence so the student can concentrate on the words that make a cause and effect sentence.

I was ____(sick)__________so I ____(stayed home)___.

I feel ____(sick)___because____(I ate a lot of candy)____. 

The ___boy_____ did/did not ____pass___ because he did/did not study.

In order to ____(win)_, you might have to ___(train harder)_______.

Because of _( high winds)__,the roof came off during the ________

(hurricane)_.

The words inside the brackets are examples of words students might use to fill in the blanks – the framework. Notice that the sentences are all framed to provide cause and effect examples.

Frames can be used in any subject. Think of social studies and the causes and effects of war. Frames help express the results of science experiments or the motives for the protagonist and antagonist and the results of their actions. Frames are very versatile.  

To aid an ESOL student or any struggling student, a word bank could be added to the sheet with the terms of the lesson.

Lindell Long teaches ESOL at Clover Middle and High Schools in Clover, South Carolina, a position she’s held for the last 18 years. She’s married with 4 children and so many pets her family fears she’ll bring home a stray yak one day.

Should I Use This Frame or That One? - by Lindell Long

How do you decide between two things? Usually you weigh the advantages and disadvantages of one over the other. In other words, you compare and contrast. Is this one better than the other, looks expensive, fits better, I look good in it, I can afford it, while this one looks cheap, makes me look fat, I look awful in it, I can't afford it. 

Students are often asked to compare and contrast findings on research, ideology, characters in a novel or historical incidents the list is extensive. An ESOL student may find this to be a daunting task. Sentence frames to the rescue!

By comparison it is ___(a good choice)__. 

They are similar because ____( both are from  Norway)________________.

Both are the same/different because ___(they are in the tropics).

The differences between ___(the antagonist)____ and the_(protagonist)__ are_(selfishness/ selflessness)_.

A distinction between ____(Kim)__ and __(Dave)___ might be ___(intelligence)___.

It is the __(big)-est of all of them.

They are different because ___(Ellie)__ is __(cautious) and _(Janie)__is _( a daredevil)_____.

Neither __(France_)___ nor__(Spain)___ have/contain/demonstrate/show ___(elephants)__.

Depending upon the subject and level of language acquisition, these frames can be expanded upon to make more complex sentences. Comparative vocabulary such as big, bigger, biggest can be taught prior and then worked into the frame. Once again, word banks may be added to help the student demonstrate understanding of the terms or simply supply the vocabulary necessary to complete the assignment.

Lindell Long teaches ESOL at Clover Middle and High Schools in Clover, South Carolina, a position she’s held for the last 18 years. She’s married with 4 children and so many pets her family fears she’ll bring home a stray yak one day.