Vocabulary Studies For Social Studies for ELL Students

When looking at an upcoming Social Studies unit and the vocabulary that might be challenging for my ELL students, I chose our unit on Martin Luther King Jr. This holiday is not focused on as much as Thanksgiving and Christmas, and students seem to be much more familiar with these holidays because of the focus on family and holiday rituals. They hear the terms more often used with Thanksgiving and Christmas. While at the beginning of the school year we do discuss being respectful, truthful, and showing self-control, it is based more towards following the rules at school. We can focus more on the meanings and go more in depth when completing our unit on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the perfect holiday to discuss how people should be treated in our society and it begins with the teaching of young students in kindergarten. However, they need to understand the terminology used. They witness things on television and do not understand the whole concept because the words and meanings are unfamiliar to them. When teaching both of these units, I always begin with technology. I have the students watch Brain Pop Jr. This introduces vocabulary on their level. Depending on time, this may be the only thing I do the first day. I may also complete a KWL Chart just using 1 word comments. What word do you think of when I say Martin Luther King Jr.? Think about the video you just watched.
The next day, we will review the terms respect, being truthful, and showing self-control because these are words we may talk about on a daily basis. I will do this through a story or even role playing. I think words like civil rights and violence might be too challenging and too hard for them to understand. I believe that these words, acceptance (patience and respect), leadership (courage, bravery, heroism), peace (friendship and forgiveness), and generosity (helpful, friendship, respectful) would be more appropriate for younger students to