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How to balance multiple level ESL students: 3 Strategies for your ESL Classroom
ESL teachers around the world all have the same question….”How do I teach when I have 4 or 5 different levels of ELLs in my classroom?” This may seem overwhelming at first, especially when you first start teaching. Even if you are a veteran teacher you can still feel overwhelmed by having various levels in your classroom. Here are some strategies in how you can balance multiple level English Learners in your classroom. Keep it Simple You are probably thinking that is easier said than done, but I promise you this is a strategy that can transform how you teach and support multiple level English Language Learners. You can teach…
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Setting up your ESL class for the new school year
My first year of teaching I had a lot of random items all over my room. Posters in my room were not hung, and the who area was in a disarray. I tried “decorating” my room, but I was told by veteran teacher in what’s the point of doing that when you have more important things to be doing. However that view took a drastic turn when my teacher mentor came in and explained to me why the thinking and statement of that teacher was incorrect. My mentor teacher explained that students see the classroom as a safe space. If a teacher has a disorganized classroom and items have no…
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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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Six Strategies to Do Now for Your ESL Classroom
As an ESL teacher you may be wondering what can you do RIGHT NOW to prepare for the upcoming school year. Before the school year starts is a great opportunity to get prepared and gather yourself for the upcoming school year. I would like to share with you six strategies that you can do right now to get your school year off to a successful start. Taking time for self-care The past school year has been so hectic for me as a teacher. I tried to prepare for EVERYTHING and in doing so I simply overwhelmed myself. There were also some instances where it was the exact opposite. I should…
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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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How to Support English Language Learners in Math
Something magical happened at my school three years ago that opened my eyes to one of the true needs of English Language Learners. Our school piloted a program that was completely unheard of in our school district. I had the honor of being a part of this life changing experience. Our school took part in the first newcomer program. During the day 50 newcomers in grades 6-8 we a part of sheltered instruction. In our school setting, newcomers had a science, social studies, and an ESL class from an ESL teacher. Math was taught to by grade level math teachers, who had an interest and desire of supporting English Language…
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Increasing the Rigor in an ELL Classroom (Plus a Giveaway)
Increasing the Rigor What is rigor in a classroom? Rigor is challenging your ELLs in their work and thinking. Even with our ELLs we want our work to be rigorous. There was once a time in my classroom when I had students rushing through assignments and not taking the time to give me their best work. I thought the problem could be solved with an early finishers assignment. I quickly realized that no matter how many early finisher assignments I put in place, my students were not being challenged enough with their assignments. Here is what I did to increase the rigor in my classroom. Mindset Change I realized my…
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My Favorite ELL Resources
There are some tools that I simply cannot live without in my classroom. They make my life in classroom so much easier, and creates independence with the students. Here are a few of my favorite things (in my Sound of Music voice)… Anchor Charts Oh the power of anchor charts in a classroom. I simply love anchor charts. An anchor chart is a tool that you can use in your classroom to support instruction. This is important for English Language Learners because it provides a visual for learning. Recently my students were struggling with writing conclusion sentences. I created an anchor chart that they used throughout the school year to…
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How I Became More Intentional with My ELLs
I was waiting anxiously to see how my students had performed on the language proficiency assessment. I knew after a year of hard work my students were the best in the state. After looking at the data from ELLs I knew I needed to make an immediate change. I was teaching my heart out, but the data was not in line with it. I could not figure out what in the world I was doing wrong. Was it my instruction? Was I not being intentional with the data? Was I analyzing the wrong data? I spent half the summer breaking down the data, but I still did not understand where…
