Vocabulary · Tier 1: everyday words
Realia and gesture
Show real objects or pictures and use consistent gestures alongside new words, so the meaning is clear without translation.
- Bands
- 1 to 2
- Stages
- Early Years, Lower elementary, Upper elementary, Middle school and High school
- Settings
- Mainstream class, Push-in support, Pull-out support and Small group
- Prep
- Low prep
How to do it
- Before the lesson, list the everyday words students will meet.
- Gather real objects or pictures for as many of them as you can.
- Show the object or picture as you say the word, and use the same gesture every time.
- Ask students to point to, hold up or match the objects as you say the words.
- Keep a small box of objects for the topic so you can use them again.
In a lesson
Humanities (upper elementary)
In a unit on markets, the teacher brings in a paper bag, coins, a receipt and kitchen scales. When the class text says “The trader weighed the rice”, she lifts the scales and mimes weighing. New arrivals point to the scales when they hear “weigh” later in the reading.
What commonly goes wrong
- Gestures change from lesson to lesson.
- Objects are shown once and put away before students use the word.
- Objects are used for abstract words, where a picture or an example would work better.
Adapting it
For a lower band
Let students handle the objects and repeat the word as they do.
For a higher band
Ask students to describe or compare the objects in full sentences.