Choice Lit Topic: English Language Learners
Whether you have one English language learner in your classroom, or hundreds in your school, there is little doubt meeting the needs of these students will be at the top of most schools' agendas for professional development for many years to come.
Results
Book Matchmaker: 5th Grade English Language Learners
Robin Heist is an elementary ELL teacher. She is thinking about her older English language learners who are reading below grade-level expectations. She is hoping to find books...
A Poetry Cafe Celebration
Every April National Poetry Month is celebrated here in the United States. I love that poetry has its own place in the calendar, a whole month dedicated to increase awareness...
An ESL Poetry Cafe Celebration (Part II)
In Part I of this feature, I shared some projects, expectations, and activities for our Poetry Café celebration. This is an event where families enjoyed listening to their children read poems,...
Raising Readers: Independent Reading, Choices, and Intentional Reading Practices
I am one of those teachers who fights a constant battle to balance students' reading time with just-right books with letting them choose freely from many books that interest them....
Classroom Gifts from Carlos: Helping Young Students Learn Academic Language and Routines
Many students in Melissa's Head Start classroom discover academic language for the first time here. One of these students is Carlos. Quick to smile and make a joke, Carlos enjoys...
Book Matchmaker: Texts for 5th Grade English Language Learners
Kelly is a fifth-grade teacher with two English language learners in her class who have trouble finding books. These students are reading at a level 16 independently, and...
Digital Handouts: An Alternative to More Paper and Meetings
"I want to contribute, I would just rather do something different than a presentation," Jane shared with me after one of her district meetings on English language learners (ELLs). She...
Preschool Book Browsing Time
This five-minute video from Kelly Petrin's preschool classroom shows the value of book browsing time. Kelly explains the skills children develop in language, book handling skills, and literacy independence during...
Drawing to Words: Conferring with Luis
In this four-minute video, Andie Cunningham confers with Luis during writing workshop. Luis is a six-year-old English language learner whose passion is drawing.
Preschool Writing Center
In this video from Melissa Kolb's preschool classroom, children work in the writing center. Melissa explains how she routinely changes the supplies in the center to spark interest in students...
Seven Minutes of Listening
Four-year-old Isabele pulled out the large alphabet puzzle, a big 2' by 3' wooden one that so many preschool and primary classrooms have. With her right hand holding the letter...
Getting to Know Multilingual Learners at the Start of the Year
As you get ready for the school year, you'll hear this classic and fundamental advice: Get to know your students. What does this mean when it comes to meeting and...
Quick Take: Awkward Beginnings with English Language Learners
In this short video, Ruth Shagoury gives two pieces of advice to teachers who feel awkward while trying to communicate with young English language learners.
Quick Take: Conferring with Young English Language Learners
In this short video, Ruth Shagoury gives advice to teachers conferring with young English language learners, explaining how other English language learners can be surprisingly helpful in conferences. Â
Drawing to Learn: Conferring with Kyle
In this conference with six-year-old Kyle, Ruth Shagoury listens to him explain the stories and meaning behind his drawings during writer's workshop. Kyle's first language is Vietnamese, though English is...
Preschool Morning Message
This five-minute video from Melissa Kolb's preschool classroom shows the value of morning message for teaching literacy skills. Melissa explains the skills children develop during this brief whole-class lesson and...
34 Languages
This year they come to me speaking English, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Lao and Chuukese. They come to me from different worlds of experience. Some full of light and sound and...
Books and Activities from Around the World to Celebrate the Holiday Season
We're in the midst of the holiday season here in the United States. Often when I visit schools or teacher blogs, or get a peek at other classrooms this time...
Choosing New Books for Comprehension Strategy Studies with Young Children
The books I have chosen for reading comprehension have been amazing journeys that we've taken as a class. I thought I would use the books just to help to learn...
Bilingual (English/Spanish) Books that Celebrate Language, Family and Culture
By late summer, I am looking forward to so many things -- meeting students and their families, getting a sense of how they will come together and form a new...
Animals as Ambassadors: Using Class Pets to Reach an English Language Learner
Teachers collect a variety of usual and unusual items for their classrooms and students. You just never know when and why you'll need these treasures, but you know you will...
