- Lesson Planning ·
How to create clear, meaningful, and impactful lessons during a 30 minute session.
It was always the worst feeling: My group of eager students was gathered at my bean table, calling my name over and over, and I’m…
The Blog
- Classroom Community ·
10 Books to Read at the End of the Year
Are you trying to figure out how to send your students off for the summer in an encouraging and motivating way? The best way is…
- Lesson Planning ·
A 4 Step Framework to Simplifying Your Lesson Plans
The reality is, you can’t do it all. I know many times we try, but after awhile the burn out begins, the stress rises, and…
- Classroom Community ·
5 of my Favorite Books to Welcome ELLS Back to School
Books are one of the most powerful ways to have discussions and bring up topics that build community. Below you will find 5 of my…
- Newcomers ·
5 Ways to Welcome Newcomers
In all the teaching experiences I have had, I have always had a student in my classroom that was an ELL Newcomer. What is a…
- Classroom Community ·
5 Ways to Welcome ELL Parents
Living in a foreign country has been challenging in so many ways, but at the same time, it has helped me walk in the shoes…
- Classroom Community ·
The One Thing Keeping you From Better Supporting Your ELLS
Over the past few years, I have done a lot of research on what is preventing teachers from better supporting their ELLs. There’s a lot…
- Newcomers ·
What To Do When They are New, Part 2: Laying the Foundation
If you are new to working with ELLs, then you might quickly become overwhelmed by the number of acronyms used when referring to students who are learning English. Today, I am going to walk you through many different acronyms you may come across in the field of teaching English Learners along with a cheat sheet you can put in your lesson plan book! Just a disclaimer, this list is continually changing, and new terms can always be added, but this is meant to be a starting place for you! So let’s jump right in! Check out the infographic below of the most common terms used for ELLs. For some reason, the most common term used to describe our English Learners continues to change frequently. There are even…
- Newcomers ·
What to do When They are New! Part 1: Before They Arrive
I can still picture her face today… her name was Elizabeth, the same as mine, and we went to school together from elementary all the…
- Classroom Community ·
6 Truths I Didn’t Know Until I Lived Abroad
Summer is the time for traveling and experiencing new cultures, and even though I would consider myself a pretty experienced traveler, there were a few…
- Newcomers ·
What to do when they are new, Part 3: Taking a closer look at who are ELL students.
A few years ago I found myself sitting at a church potluck with some older women from my church. I’m not sure how we got…