What do you do when you have a love/hate relationship with technology but you know there are amazing tools that will help your ELLs learn? You find simple tech tools! I am sharing 5 of my favorite tech tools that provide students amazing support that will help them succeed and soar. In this episode, we are covering really simple but powerful ways we can better support our ELL students through the use of technology. There are amazing tech tools out there that we can utilize without having to worr...
Dec 02, 2022•23 min•Ep. 51
Do you dread prepping your students for Access testing every year? I think it’s safe to say we all do. What if I told you there is a way to prep without taking precious time away from giving students the support they actually need? Toss the test prep packets because I am sharing 5 fun ways you can prepare for Access testing starting right now. We want to prepare our students for Access testing in a way that is beneficial to them outside of just the test. How can we do that? We embed preparing fo...
Nov 25, 2022•19 min•Ep. 50
Thanksgiving in the U.S. is right around the corner which means it’s the perfect time to look at why we should be thankful that we get the privilege to teach our English language learners. At this point in the year, you may be feeling tired and overwhelmed so I want to remind you why we are so fortunate to be able to work with amazing ELL students. Teaching is not easy and there are so many things that are put on teachers, especially these past few years, that make some days really hard. If we c...
Nov 18, 2022•17 min•Ep. 49
Have you heard about the new, hot topic, translanguaging? If not, don’t worry! Today we are talking all about it! Tevia Tovares is joining us today to share her experience with translanguaging and how she encourages translanguaging in the classroom. We know how important it is to create a safe, comfortable, and inclusive atmosphere for our ELLs. In order to do this, we must allow our students opportunities to express themselves both in English and in their native language. This is exactly what o...
Nov 11, 2022•42 min•Ep. 48
Do you know what stage of language acquisition your ELL students are in and how to support them in that stage? Understanding the stages and knowing where your students are at is so important in helping them successfully learn the English language. Cris Howard is joining us today to share her extensive knowledge on language acquisition and its importance. Keeping the stages of language acquisition in mind when we are teaching our ELLs is key to helping them understand and retain the language. Cri...
Nov 04, 2022•33 min•Ep. 47
Holiday season is upon us in the U.S. which means it’s a great opportunity to improve our ELLs’ English language using seasonal vocabulary. We can take advantage of the season and use the excitement of the holidays to engage our students and really work on their English skills. Today, I am sharing some activities I wish I would have done to take full advantage of the holidays with my ELLs. We’ve all tied the holidays into our lessons by teaching vocabulary, playing seasonal vocabulary games, or ...
Oct 28, 2022•19 min•Ep. 46
Are you looking to create a culture of reading at your school and with your ELLs? We all know that reading opens so many doors for our students but getting them to read can be a struggle. Today I am joined by high school librarian Terrie Sharp, who is sharing how she helped create a culture of learning in her school. There can be many obstacles in getting ELL students and emergent bilingual students to read but it is so important that we help them become readers. Terrie saw there was a need to m...
Oct 21, 2022•32 min•Ep. 45
I’m sure you’ve heard about the Science of Reading and maybe your school is pushing to incorporate it more into literacy lessons but you aren’t quite sure how to do that. You’re in luck! Today, we are continuing our conversation with Sara Marye about how to create skilled readers through literacy instruction and the Science of Reading. If you haven’t checked out last week’s episode , be sure to do that so you don’t miss out on the incredible information Sara shared with us! In this week’s episod...
Oct 14, 2022•35 min•Ep. 44
The new “hot topic” in education this year is the Science of Reading. You may have heard about it or looked into it but aren’t sure how to incorporate it into your work with ELL students. Maybe you aren’t really sure what all the buzz is about. Sara Marye from The Stellar Teacher Company is joining us today to share her expertise about literacy and the Science of Reading. Sara has so much knowledge to share that we had to make this a two part episode! In this week’s episode we are talking about ...
Oct 07, 2022•32 min•Ep. 43
Disclaimer: the audio for this episode is not the best, but the content is so great that we still want you to hear it! There is a huge shift in how schools are teaching reading. They are moving away from Guided Reading and moving towards Science of Reading with a focus on phonics and phonemic awareness. Today, Aylin Claahsen is joining us to share her expertise on teaching younger students early literacy skills. Ensuring that our ELLs are receiving the best literacy instruction we can give them ...
Sep 30, 2022•33 min•Ep. 42
Reading can be a challenge for many students and it can be especially difficult for our ELL students. That’s why it is so important to systematically work on sight words with our students. Leslie Tomanovich is joining us today to share her experience and wisdom on teaching sight words to our ELL students. When it comes to reading, we want to find ways to reduce the cognitive load and frustration for our students. Sight words play a huge role in that. In today’s episode, Leslie and I are discussi...
Sep 23, 2022•36 min•Ep. 41
Working with our ELL students on social emotional learning is so important now more than ever. Between virtual learning, the pandemic, and any traumatic experiences they may have been through, they may need help with coping skills and that is where SEL comes in. Today, we are getting some wonderful insight about the importance of SEL from our guest, Rachel Davis. Rachel is sharing all about social emotional learning. We are talking about the importance of SEL, easy to implement tips for incorpor...
Sep 16, 2022•23 min•Ep. 40
Have you ever thought about trying out a different lesson planning process? Planning units and lessons based on language forms and functions may be a method that could really benefit your ELLs! Today, I have special guest, Kristen Vibas, joining us to talk about how she plans her lessons around different language functions and forms. In this episode, Kristen is giving us an inside look at what her role and lesson planning process looks like. She is sharing what her role in a very large district ...
Sep 09, 2022•34 min•Ep. 39
It seems like our ELL students are constantly taking assessments. They take them with us, for core classes, benchmarks, and the list goes on! But are these assessments helping to drive our instruction or are they just wasting time? Today, we are diving into how to better assess students authentically so that we can adjust our instruction to meet our students’ needs. We want our assessments to be more than just the mandatory state assessments. We want them to give us great insight so we can turn ...
Sep 02, 2022•28 min•Ep. 38
We all know that classroom management is crucial for a smooth school year. But where do you even start with classroom management, especially when you aren’t a homeroom teacher? Today, we are diving into how to get started with easy-to-implement strategies to help you have great classroom management this year! Classroom management begins with building relationships and trust with your students. In this episode, we are talking about the importance of having clear expectations, how to get your stud...
Aug 26, 2022•30 min•Ep. 37
As we head into the start of another school year, we want to make sure that we are creating a welcoming place for our ELLs and newcomers right away. There always seems to be pressure to get started with assessments and lessons but it is so important to slow down the first few weeks of school. Sindy Bonilla is joining us today to talk about how she starts the school year so her students and families feel welcomed and safe. Today, we are talking about slowing down and creating a place of safety an...
Aug 19, 2022•31 min•Ep. 36
The first day of school is filled with so much excitement but can be full of stress and anxiety for our students. We all try to start the year off right by building relationships and community and often do this by using get-to-know-you activities or icebreakers. Unfortunately, these can cause unnecessary stress and create fear in students, especially ELLs. Today, we are looking at what we can do on those first days of school to build a safe and welcoming environment for all students. In this epi...
Aug 12, 2022•23 min•Ep. 35
Do you feel like you are spending so much time planning lessons or that you’re on a hamster wheel of lesson planning? If that sounds like you, this episode is one you don’t want to miss! I am diving into three common problems I see when it comes to ESL teachers and lesson planning. In today’s episode, I am talking about one of the biggest stressors for ESL teachers - lesson planning. I am breaking down the three types of lesson planners and how to avoid spending all your time lesson planning, ho...
Aug 05, 2022•31 min•Ep. 34
Have you been curious what ESL teachers’ roles look like in other districts? We are joined by special guest Jina Wood who is sharing what her role as the K-8 ESL teacher looks like in her district in Iowa. Jina gives us a look at her challenges and shares her tips on how she ensures her students’ needs are being met. In this episode, Jina talks about how she groups and supports her ELL students, how she prepares for the school year during the summer, why it’s important to advocate for both your ...
Jul 29, 2022•37 min•Ep. 33
How can you successfully support your K-4 ELLs in a very large district? Our special guest is sharing some insight! In this episode, Jen Ferreyra is giving us a glimpse into what her role as an ESL teacher looks like at her school. Today, Jen and I are talking about how she works with other teachers to provide the best support possible for her students. We are covering the challenges and benefits of teaching ELLs using a co-teaching model in the classroom, how she gets set up for the school year...
Jul 22, 2022•42 min•Ep. 32
Are you wondering what teaching ELLs looks like in other schools or districts? Today, I am chatting with Karen Hartke to get some insight into what being an ESL teacher looks like for her and her district. Karen serves as both the only ESL teacher and the EL coordinator in her K-12 district which brings on unique challenges. In this episode, she is sharing with us what her role looks like, some tips and tricks for teaching ELLs, and the importance of building strong relationships with administra...
Jul 15, 2022•32 min•Ep. 31
Summer is flying by and we are finishing up our summer series, Successfully Setting Up for the School Year this Summer, by looking at how to prepare for our intermediate students. We want to be prepared so our classroom environment is one of trust, safety, support, and high standards. Today, we are looking at how to set up routines that help our intermediate students feel comfortable and confident in our classroom. In this episode, I am breaking down what to have set up to best support your inte...
Jul 08, 2022•24 min•Ep. 30
We are seeing more and more newcomers join our classrooms in the U.S. every year. It can be both exciting and challenging when these students first join our classrooms but today, I am walking you through tips on helping both you and them be successful those first few weeks of school! We are continuing our Successfully Setting Up for the School Year this Summer series with an episode dedicated to helping you help your newcomers. Being prepared to help your newcomers when they walk into your class...
Jul 01, 2022•18 min•Ep. 29
How great would it be if you could “plug and play” your lessons and resources next school year? Well, you can and I’m here to show you how creating templates can save you precious time! Planning lessons, creating activities, tracking data, meetings, duties - the list of tasks for teachers goes on and on! Good news! I’m sharing a way to save time and energy in your prep and planning. Today, I am talking about 4 templates you can create this summer to streamline your lesson planning, make creating...
Jun 24, 2022•14 min•Ep. 28
Are you looking for something easy to do to help you prepare for next school year? I am giving you something you will want on hand at all times to help you support your ELL students. We are continuing our summer series, Successfully Setting Up for the School Year This Summer, with a tool that requires little prep but will be a big help! We have already been working on setting up our scope & sequence for the year and setting our quarterly goals. In this episode, we are talking about how to ma...
Jun 17, 2022•13 min•Ep. 27
We all want to rest and enjoy our well deserved and much needed summer break! But if we can spend a little time preparing for next school year, it will have a big impact on how the school year will go. We are continuing our Successfully Setting Up for the School Year This Summer series and this is an episode you don’t want to miss! Today, we are going to look at our scope and sequence and break it down into smaller target goals for each quarter. I give you tips on how to set these quarterly goal...
Jun 10, 2022•22 min•Ep. 26
What should I be doing with my ELL students? What are the targeted goals I should be keeping at the front of my mind, and how do I make sure that I’m hitting those goals? If you find yourself asking these questions, you are definitely going to want to tune into today’s episode and join in as we begin this summer series called Successfully Setting Up for the School Year. Each week this summer, we will walk through the foundations to getting set up now so you can start the year ready to go. These ...
Jun 03, 2022•17 min•Ep. 25
As a teacher, you’ve worked hard and earned your much-needed summer break. I hope rest, relaxation, and recharging are at the top of your to-do list this summer. As wonderful as summer is, we know it will come to an end. Before you know it, it’ll be August. You’ll hit the ground running with very little time to reflect. It’s important to take a little time now at the very end of the school year to do a brain dump. Reflecting for even just 15-20 minutes while the school year is fresh in your mind...
May 27, 2022•21 min•Ep. 24
What are your favorite things to do during the summer? I try not to do a lot during the summer, but I do love finding good books to read by the pool. While not all the books I read are related to teaching, I enjoy reading a couple of PD books each summer that spark ideas, give me inspiration, and renew my love for teaching. In today’s episode, I’m sharing my top 6 books that I believe will help you build a foundation in supporting your English Language Learners or will challenge traditional view...
May 20, 2022•23 min•Ep. 23
The two words all teachers dread…summer slide. You’ve worked so hard with your students all year. The last thing you want is for them to go for the next 2 months without applying the skills or practicing English. You know if they don’t use it, they’ll lose it. It can be tricky with our students who live in homes and communities that mainly speak a different language. Today, I’ll give you 3 easy ways to encourage your students to keep practicing English during the summer, and some of them may sur...
May 13, 2022•15 min•Ep. 22
