Classroom Strategies
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ESL Teacher Self Care
I can remember staying until 6pm every school day trying to cram in as much work as I could. I was even waking up on Saturday and Sunday working hours on end with lesson planning. Finally, it all blew up in my face. I was at a breaking point and I knew what I was doing wasn’t sustainable. My husband had started to ask me …. “Why are you working till almost 6 everyday?” He was starting to see that I was exhausting myself. In the middle of my third year teaching, I started to notice teachers quitting because they were so overwhelmed with the workload. I also started hearing…
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ESL Teacher Collaboration with Mainstream Teachers (Strategies & Tips)
Building relationships with mainstream teachers is essential! Having a strong professional relationship with mainstream teachers makes advocating and supporting your English Languages so much easier. Here are some tips and strategies you can implement in your efforts to building relationships with mainstream teachers. Building a relationship with the mainstream establishes trust and mutual respect. By building a relationship you start see how the mainstream teaches and operates his/her classroom. You will also develop a mutual respect for the teacher that will be reciprocated if nurtured throughout the school year. This will help tremendously if you are co-teaching/pushing in for the school year. You can start off by building a relationship…
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Here’s what I loved and would want to change about my 2018-19 school year
Every year (with the exception of my first year teaching) I develop a plan over the summer. This plan is tailored for the needs of my ELLs for the school year. In the past years I have planned every aspect of my classroom. For the 2018-19 school year, I decided to do things a differently. I had some great moments, and some “what in the world was I thinking” moments. Here is what I loved and what I would change about my 2018-2019 school year: I loved how my students entered the classroom! Every day my students would clock in, pick up their materials, and start on their assignment. At…
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Creating Independence in an ESL Classroom
We all love independence! Independence is weaved throughout our lives and with us everyday. How do you bring independence into your ESL classroom? In my first year of teaching that was one of my biggest struggle. I was literally running all over the place! All I heard during class was “Teacher!” After my first year , I vowed to search for the secret. I knew it had to be a complicated formula. What was the secret? The answer is so simple. Routines and consistency is they key to bringing independence in your classroom. Here are some tips that you can use in your classroom. Establish Expectations The first step…
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Getting My ESL Class Funded on Donors Choose (My Ups and Downs)
In the beginning I struggled with getting funded on Donor’s Chose. My students in my ELL classroom needed technology and new books. I would post a project for $1200, and let it sit there hoping it get funded. I didn’t realize at the time that I need to put in some elbow grease to get the project funded. Within a year I have had a total of 10 projects funded with Donor’s Chose! I have included some tips on how you can get your project funded on Donor’s Chose. Reach out to all your family and friends first. I always make them aware that I am trying to fund a…
- Language Objectives:
A Step by Step GuideDo you want to know how to write language objectives? Download the Language Objective Guide to use the graphic organizer with this process. This guide will walk you through how to write language objectives step-by-step. You may be thinking what is a language objective? You might not be sure about content objectives. Teacher talk can get a little overwhelming. I know when I first started I had no idea what all these words mean. Here is a list of commonly used words with their definitions. A content objective tells the student what they will be learning during the lesson. For example, I can analyze the connections and distinctions between individuals,…
