What does a high school ESL class in the US look like?

Question

I've taught ESL both in the US (to adults) and abroad(to kids). I've been wondering what the environment of a high school ESL class is like back in the US. Do you cover all of the subject material that they get in school and teach new words needed for those subjects (science, math, history etc)? Are you just teaching them grammar and converstation while they get content in their native language for the other classes?
Sorry if my questions sound ignorant, I'm really curious.

Answer 1

Our students come to ESL class every other day as an elective. The classes are divided first by grade and then by a combination of ability level and mother tongue. A typical class might have three students from Korea, two students from Iran and one from China, all of whom speak very little English and all of whom are in the same grade. The time in the class is used to support them in their other academic subjects, which is why the teacher-student ratio is never more than 1:8 (and it's usually closer to 1:5). Students use the tutorial time to do their classwork (which takes longer because of the linguistic barriers) and get help from the teacher (who has to be familiar with both the English language and the curriculum in each class at that grade level). The types of things you would teach in an EFL course (abroad) like grammar and pronunciation appear infrequently and usually in one-on-one instruction, not whole-class instruction.

Approximately 25% of the students in my school are ESL, and all academic subjects (save foreign language immersion programs) are taught exclusively in English.

Answer 2

Hello

I teach a class of SADIE (ESL) Modern World History. I use a lot of visuals, props, pictures,etc.

We study the same material as a regular MWH class, just slower and more to the point. We focus on just the most important issues.

We study a great deal of vocabulary, since many of the words are repeated from one chapter to the next. We read allowed quiet a bit. We do a lot of arts and crafts stuff, like maps, posters.

I teach a short 15 minute lecture each day, using most of the huge white board to show things and ideas.

All work is done in English EXCEPT for those students who are at level one, or very basic language even in their native tongue.

Music is also a good tool to learn English. We started off with children's songs, and progress to Abba!

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