ELL/ESL Support
We asked ELL/ESL teachers what extra supports their students needed to read our novels. Their first response was this: a list of slang and non-standard vocabulary for preteaching or student support during reading. Here are those lists for two of our most popular ELL novels.
Caught in the Blizzard
ELL Expressions and Vocabulary
General concepts:
Arctic, "
the land," hunting, poaching, rifle (gunsite, barrel, etc.), snowmobile, caribou
Chapter 1
6,13 ... Note the use of italics for unexpressed thoughts
7…omen, skinning
9 ...calf
Chapter 2
15…Just my type (attractive to me)
19...Ski-Doo
20…beanbags (an expression of derision)
21…lighten up, hanging out
23…really got to you (bothers you), cool it, Inukshuk
Chapter 3
26….blizzard, frostbite
30….quick-frozen
32…good money (lots of money), angry sky
Chapter 4
34…falling away
36…lottery
37…shooting your mouth off
40…word got back
Chapter 5
41…coming up
42…pin down
caught out
45…search and rescue
48…wait up
Chapter 6
50…komatik (sled)
51…strike home
56…Polaris (brand of snowmobile)
Chapter 7
61…made a face
63…wouldn't let up
Chapter 8
66…roaring out
68…doing drugs, dropping out of school
71….to hack at the frozen snow, igloo
Chapter 9
75…legs felt numb, kudlik (oil lamp)
79….messed up, stand by, hang out
80….in shock
81…scared stiff
82…face of death
Chapter 10
84…keep him going, soon enough
Scarface
ELL Expressions and Vocabulary
Chapter 1
3……. pound his fist
his voice booming
mouthed off
4……. fuming
pick on
tower over (to be much larger, taller)
6…….bust his head
7…….clean up their act
9……. private school, public high school, ............give you a break
10 …...smirk (a derisive smile, explained in the text)
taking the bait
Chapter 2
13…….get ahead
15…….no problem, sure thing, piece of cake
18…….your duff
gooks (slang expression for recent immigrants)
Chapter 3
24…….have a fit
25…….bonehead (term of derision)
28…….laugh it off
Chapter 4
33…….out front
36…….chick
cut it (shortened from “cut it out”)
meatball
slugged
38…….clean it up
45…….look good (approval in the eyes of others)
fit me in
push, push, push (to show demanding attitude, i.e. Bemis’ parents)
46 bounced out of (to be expelled from a school)
hack it (deal with it)
47……right off the deep end
49……disadvantaged
Chapter 6
51……Outward Bound
teach these kids a thing or two
56 ..... awesome
57…….a jerk
58…….under the Charter (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms)
63…….come a long way
Chapter 7
64……..Parallel turns, Stem Christies (ski terms)
65……..ski-buff(y) (pun on ski-buff)
67……..take a hike
68……..beat the moguls (to ski down a very bumpy, difficult course)
chicken
69…….chickened out
Chapter 8
72…….can’t stand it
75….....old man
77…….piece together
Chapter 9
82…….Goodwill
go suck an Egg-McMuffin
85…….sailing over
85…….screwed up in the head
bug (to bother or annoy)
86…….underachievers
87….…off my back
88….…washed over him
