The beginning of the school year is a great time to read books about starting at a new school, culture, respect, names, and identity. Books with a diverse range of characters allow students to see their own and other cultures represented. It is especially important for ELLs to read and listen to books where they see characters similar to themselves represented. Here are some great books to use a read aloud at the beginning of the school year. Many of…
I have benefited from Donors Choose projects many times over the years. I have even gotten funding to purchase materials on Teachers Pay Teachers. To request a project you first need to set up an account. Then the site will walk you through writing a project. Click HERE to get started setting up an account.(I also get a referral bonus). Tips for Funding a Donors Choose Project Be Strategic About When You Post Projects Back to school is a popular…
TPT Back to School Sale Teachers Pay Teachers is having a back to school sale and I am taking part! Everything in my store will be 25% off on August 1st & 2nd. Use the promo code: #BTSFRESH. Now is a great time to stock up on beginning of the year activities or those that you plan on using throughout the school year. Check out these materials to help get your school year off to a great start. Language Goal…
Sight Word Puzzles Sight words are incredibly important for students to learn how to read, yet can be challenging to learn. Many of them do not follow phonics patterns and do not have a picture associated with them. One of the best ways for students to learn them is in context. My sight word puzzles do just that. Learn additional Strategies for Teaching Sight Words to ELLs. I am introducing a new set of Sight Word Puzzles to help students…
Benefits of Using Task Cards with English Language Learners Task cards are a great tool for teaching English Language Learners. They present information in small chunks and increase student engagement. Task cards are easy to provide diferientian and target skills. They are also ideal for partner activity. Task Card Benefit- Student Engagement Task cards help students to stay engaged. My students loved using task cards, especially when they got to work with a classmate. You can use them in many…
COMPARING ADJECTIVES FILE FOLDER GAMES File folder games are a fun way for students to practice vocabulary concepts. They are a simple way to store game pieces and allow students to independently practice skills. Once students learn how to play a file folder game they can become part of a center. My Comparing Adjectives File Folder Games offer two levels of puzzles for students to practice with. They are a fun way for students to practice vocabulary and learn about…
10 ESOL Teacher Must Haves As an ESOL teacher I worked with students in a variety of settings. Here are my 10 ESOL teacher must haves that I have found to be valuable tools for working with students in a wide range of ages and levels. Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase. This does not cost you any extra money. Teaching…
Tips for Starting the School Year with ELLs All students have a range of emotions when they start a new school year. Often they are excited to meet their teacher and see old friends. They can also be nervous about having a new teaching, learn new classroom procedures, and having to get to know new classmates. This is especially true for English Language Learners. These students can also have the added stress of not entirely understanding the instructions from their…
Diverse books are a vital part of any classroom. This is especially true when there are English Language Learners in the room. Students need access to books that have characters that look like them and come from similar backgrounds as them. They also need to read about places and characters that are different from them. Take a look at these lists of diverse books for ELLs. Students benefit when the books that teachers use as mentor texts and real alouds…
Speak then Write: Supporting ELLs Writing through Listening and Speaking For many children learning a new language they go through a similar progression of language acquisition. Listening skills come first, then speaking, then reading, finally writing. With this information in mind, I find it helpful to integrate language skills. This also has the added benefit of helping students generate ideas in multiple ways and helping children that learn in different ways to be successful. Here are some ideas to help…