When I think about teaching pupils with English as an additional language (EAL), I remember how many times I’ve heard refrains like: “How do I teach a class where almost everyone speaks a different language? I’m stuck! I don’t know where to start!”

Some class teachers in primary schools in the UK are faced with teaching in multilingual classrooms where almost everyone speaks English as an additional language.

But even if your school has only one or two EAL pupils, the challenges can be similar.

Those EAL learners, however many of them there are, need to learn English both to be able to make friends and socialise in the playground, and to be able to access the curriculum content.

So how can we best support them? 

Use this example lesson plan and planning sheet to help you organise your teaching to best support pupils who speak English as an additional language.

Iva Miteva is an EAL teacher and EAL specialist with Learning Village and Across Cultures.  

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