Classroom, Elementary, High School, Junior High, school

How to Make the Most Out of Class Study or Work Periods

As teachers, we know we can't spend all of our time lecturing students and then have them complete all their work at home. Having work or study periods is just part of the job. We've all been in classes where "work periods" is just slang for "hanging out" or literally doing anything expect for work.… Continue reading How to Make the Most Out of Class Study or Work Periods

Advertisement
Classroom, Elementary, Fun Stuff, school

13 Awesome Ideas for Class Body Breaks

Not only do kids need body breaks, so do we! I find the best way to get kids really invested in moving (especially when they start thinking they're too cool for awesome stuff like exercise) is to make it fun. I also always participate myself; if you don't, it makes it seem like only kids… Continue reading 13 Awesome Ideas for Class Body Breaks

Classroom, Curriculum, Elementary, school

10 Tips for Teaching a Split Grade Class

When I was still teaching in elementary, June and September always held a lot of stress for me. How many students are registered? How many will register over the summer? Do we have enough for straight grade classes? Is the universe on my side, or does it feel like throwing a stressful wrench into my… Continue reading 10 Tips for Teaching a Split Grade Class

Classroom, Elementary, Junior High, school

8 Tips to Set-Up Your Classroom with Different Teaching and Working Areas

If I was not a teacher, I think my dream job would be to design teacher classrooms. I swear, I could spend hours and hours at a time perusing Pinterest for different decor ideas, and I just love creating desginated spots in my own classroom for different activities. When you have designated areas in your… Continue reading 8 Tips to Set-Up Your Classroom with Different Teaching and Working Areas

Classroom, Curriculum, Elementary, ell, High School, Junior High, school, Uncategorized

7 Tools, Strategies, and Tasks for Bridging English Language Learners

Bridging English Language Learners are almost at the level they’re completely fluent in English. In fact, many native English language speakers never get to this level! This is great, because these bridging ELL students are basically completely integrated in your classroom and can complete work quite seamlessly with their peers. WORK INDEPENDENTLY At this point,… Continue reading 7 Tools, Strategies, and Tasks for Bridging English Language Learners

Classroom, Elementary, ell, High School, Junior High, school

6 Tools, Strategies, and Tasks for Emerging ELL Students

I’ve written about the things teachers can do specifically to support emerging English language learners. Here, I want to specifically focus on the tools, strategies, and tasks we can provide emerging ELL students with to help find success. These are great activities for them to access in a variety of classes and grades. Check them… Continue reading 6 Tools, Strategies, and Tasks for Emerging ELL Students

Classroom, Elementary, ell, High School, Junior High, school

6 Things Teachers Can Do To Support Emerging ELL Students

Working with emerging English language learners is hard work, but there are a lot of things teachers can do to support these kiddos. Unlike beginning ELL students, emerging students are a bit more settled and have a higher vocabulary. They’ve especially become more comfortable with slang and everyday language. This can be a tricky level… Continue reading 6 Things Teachers Can Do To Support Emerging ELL Students

Classroom, Curriculum, Elementary, ell, High School, Junior High, school

11 Things Teachers Can Do to Support Beginning English Language Learners

Having students in our classes who are brand new to the English language can be tricky. However, we teachers are a crazy smart bunch, and we can definitely find effective ways to support these kiddos! I always try to keep in mind how nervous these students must be; they probably won’t ask for help. Not… Continue reading 11 Things Teachers Can Do to Support Beginning English Language Learners

Classroom, Curriculum, ell, Junior High, school

6 Ways to Assess and Build ELL Reading Skills

Reading skills are generally easier to assess than something like listening skills, but there are a lot more ways to build and assess them than simply using standardized tests. In fact, reading skills can be some of the most fun to build and grade because there are a ton of ways for teachers to be… Continue reading 6 Ways to Assess and Build ELL Reading Skills

Classroom, Curriculum, Elementary, ell, High School, Junior High, Resources, school

Understanding English Language Learning Levels

If you're new to teaching students whoa re learning English, it can be daunting to figure out all the levels and what students are expected to do at each. Most school boards recognize five distinct levels for English language development and assess and level students accordingly. I'll be using the following terms to break down… Continue reading Understanding English Language Learning Levels