In my blog posts, I have been focusing on teaching strategies for English learners, especially those who are at the beginning level. By now you probably know that visuals, short meaning-packed sentences, background building, and repetition are key in reaching those who are just starting out on their English learning journey. When we incorporate the…
Last month I published a post about the best textbooks for ESL beginners in middle and high school. It received tons of appreciation and a few people asked me if I could create a similar list for elementary level ESL beginners. In a way, I’ve always found that it is easier to find materials for…
We’ve all heard the adage: being organized is essential for a teacher. It is true – the amount of papers, emails, classroom supplies and books seems to either triple or completely disappear over the course of the year. While being super organized comes easy to some and is a constant struggle for others, I am…
A while back, I wrote a post about 6 Life Saving Resources for Your ESL Classroom, where I mentioned websites and apps that you can readily use in the classroom. Today, I am diving into one more resource, which, in my opinion, deserves separate attention – Adobe Spark. Adobe Spark is a free program/app, which…
Working with beginner English learners in middle and high school is an amazing experience. At the same time, so many hours are spent looking for materials that would suit both their age and the necessary skills that a handy list of resources – either when you are just starting out or when you want to…
In my previous blog post, I introduced the SIOP approach and how it can help us reach our English learners. Today, I’d like to focus on the actual components of an effective lesson plan and incorporate SIOP supports (and to invite you to my Lesson Planning Masterclass!) So what are the steps to be taken…