Focusing on Functional Vocabulary
For emerging bilinguals, skip the abstract or highly specific domain collections initially. Focus heavily on collections like "Classroom & School", "Food & Cooking", and "Occupations." These provide functional language they need immediately to navigate their environment.
Providing Contextual Scaffolding
Never give a pure scramble worksheet to a Level 1 or 2 ELL student. Provide a word bank at the top of the page, or include an image next to each scramble. The goal isn't to test their memory of the English lexicon, but to help them map the specific spelling of a word they are currently acquiring.
Avoiding Cultural Bias
Be cautious of words that rely on specific cultural contexts. "Touchdown" or "Marshmallow" might mean nothing to a newly arrived student, making the scramble impossible not because of language, but lack of cultural context. Stick to universal concepts in the early stages of language acquisition.