3 Ways to Save Time Preparing for your ELLs
I truly understand how preparing for your class can take so much time. That is why I want to share with you some strategies that you can use to save time in your planning and prep. It is easy to get lost in the details, so use these tips and strategies to guide you.
Implement Novel Studies in your Lessons
Novel studies allow you as a teacher to introduce so many topics. You can have non-fiction articles to build background knowledge. There is also the opportunity to incorporate projects and other engaging activities for your ELLs. Novel studies also have tons of supporting materials already made for the book. You can usually find these on websites such as CommonLit, TPT, and as a companion with the novel. You will still have to create an overarching plan for the novel, but will not have to worry a lot about finding supplementary resources. Some of my favorite novel studies I have done over the last two years are, A Long Walk to Water, Esperenza Rising, Inside Out and Back Again, and Unbroken (Young Adult version).
Plan using standards, not levels
Sometimes we as teachers can get caught up in the levels that are in our classrooms. You should consider your students levels, but don’t let that decide if you should do an activity. That is why using standards to plan is so much easier. For example, a common middle school learning standard is citing evidence. I am planning on teaching citing evidence to ALL the levels in my class. To reach all the students, I might use leveled text and additional scaffolds to support their learning. Planning with just levels in mind can cause you to lose focus on the overall goals. When you are preparing lessons for your ELLs keep this at the forefront of your mind.
15 minutes at the end of the day
At the end of your school day, before your leave, take 15 minutes to do a quick prep for the next day. Commit to just 15 minutes and set a timer if you need to. You can quickly make a to-do list for the next day, get your board setup, and set out the materials for the next day, Therefore when you come in the next day with you are ready to with your ELLs. If you do want to take that risky walk down to the printer then you wouldn’t have to worry about getting your room setup. You can create a simple end of the day wrap-up list to make sure when you come in the next day you are ready to start.
