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How to Tutor a Young New Immigrant in the English Language

1 September 2015 by Reginald Long

New young arrivals to the United States from non-English-speaking countries should become conversant in English as quickly as possible if they are to thrive in a normal classroom setting. Tutors are regularly employed to give these immigrants special attention as they learn how to speak and write in English. If you are a new tutor teaching a young, non-English-speaking immigrant, here is how you can develop a lesson plan to help them learn English quickly.

Create a Baseline

You should develop an understanding of how much your student knows about English. The easiest way to do this is to have them write an essay. The topic can be anything the student chooses to write about since the purpose to the exercise is to give you the opportunity to see what strengths (if any) they currently have in using the English language.

You should also have your student read passages from a book written in English for various grade levels. You should start with simple books meant for young children. If the student can read at that level, continue with higher grade-level books until they have difficulty reading passages.

The essay and reading exercises will give you a baseline you can use to create your lesson plans based on the current English ability the student has already achieved.

Establish Goals

You and the student should have clearly defined goals on what the student is expected to achieve over time. For example, you can set a goal at the beginning of the school year that your student will be able to read and write at the grade level expected at their age (provided they are young and catching up to their grade level won't be too hard).

Gather Teaching Materials

Once you have an understanding of your student's English capabilities and know what goals you have defined, you can purchase books and worksheets that you can use during your lessons to give your student the opportunity to gain a better understanding of English.

The key thing is to not start the lessons with books and worksheets that are beyond the capabilities of your student to understand them. If you push your student too hard, they may become frustrated and this can impede their willingness to learn. Use easy-to-read material and worksheets and increase the difficulty of the material as your student increases their comprehension of the English language.

Teaching English to new young immigrants will take time and effort, but you'll have increased success with a well-thought-out plan based on the actual abilities of your student to read, write, and speak English. For more ideas, contact a representative from an establishment like Motivational Educational Training Company Inc.

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