Describing, explaining and giving examples

How do you teach your students to describe and explain concepts?

 We spend a lot of our time describing, explaining and giving examples, but it is also important to teach our students the language they need to do this.  We can help students learn how to describe things by giving them a written model, with the language they can use to describe similar things.

For example:

Monte Bianco is in the Alps.  It is 4809m above sea level.  It has glaciers on the summit.  Monte Bianco is a fold mountain.

 Black = verbs (present simple of to be and to have)
 Green = specific vocabulary to describe mountains.

Using different colours or underlining in the text can help the students identify the language they need to use to describe mountains. 

When asking students to explain concepts or processes, diagrams and graphic organisers can support them in their explanations. 

For example, a diagram of the water cycle will help students remember the processes they need to explain:

 

Again, it may be useful to provide the students with a written model of an explanation.  Normally, when we describe processes, we use the present simple passive:

When the water in the sea is heated, it evaporates. 

With younger or lower level students it may be necessary to avoid the passive form:

The sun heats the sea.  The water evaporates. 
  Black = present simple


 Here is an example of a graphic organiser to help students explain how hills are formed:

 We can provide language support in a simple gap-fill:

Mount Etna is in _____________ . It is 3,350m _________ _______ __________.
It has a ________ at the summit.  Mount Etna is an active ________________.

Or with sentence starters:

Most mountains in Italy are _____________.
Here farmers produce/ grow ______________.
Other activities on mountains include ____________.

Or with substitution tables:

                                 evaporates                                it's cold
Water                               condenses        when
                                        freezes                                       it's hot

Do you use these methods for describing, explaining and giving examples?

How do you help your students acquire the language they need to describe and explain concepts?