Equipping ELLs

As Summer approaches for both students and educators, it's time to reflect on our journey of equipping ELLs for success. Join us as we celebrate the valuable topics covered in the past months and focus on the small steps that make a big difference. We'll guide you through the "Three, Two, One" method of reflection—acknowledging growth, addressing frustrations, and setting a single action step for...

Writing is one of the biggest challenges for ELLs and teachers of ELLs. Too often, writing is viewed as a product , when it should be viewed as a process . A foundational step in the process is understanding and mastering syntax, or sentence structure . We welcome back to the show Sara Marye, from The Stellar Teacher Co. as we delve into the fundamental role of sentence writing in shaping students...

We all know that teachers are constantly seeking new ways to enhance their students' reading skills. That's why in today's episode, we have special guest, Susan Patterson ( My MLL Mentor ) who shares her expertise on reading support for ELLs . With proven reading strategies to add to your teacher toolkit, this conversation will equip you with valuable insights and practical tips to boost your stud...

Do you find the following statistics alarming? A recent study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that only 27% of U.S. eighth-graders were proficient in writing. In the same year, a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics found that only 24% of high school seniors were proficient in writing. Writing can be difficult and often frustrating, even in a person's nat...

Do you want to know why our episodes centered on reading seem to get the most downloads? Because teaching reading to ELLs is HARD ! We've been taking a deeper dive into each of the 4 domains of language. In this episode, we break down the reading domain. Being hooked on phonics may not be the best approach with your ELLs. We hope you'll listen in to research-based support on how to best implement...

Over the course of 4 weeks, we are breaking down the 4 language domains:  Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing . In today's episode, we'll discuss the 4 stages of development in the speaking domain. You'll learn practical strategies to get your students speaking . We'll share tips for your lesson planning so that you purposefully carve out time for speaking. And you'll leave with a list...

It is important to be aware of each of the different areas of the brain that are activated as your students learn English. We need to help our students view their brains as a muscle they are strengthening ! Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down the 4 language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing . In my opinion, the listening domain is the most important domain to focus o...

At Equipping ELLs, we pride ourselves on giving practical strategies to our listeners in every episode. Along with this, we want to make sure our listeners have the foundational understanding for why these strategies work and how our students learn. In this episode, we go deeper into understanding language theory . The key terms for today are language acquisition and comprehensible input . If you'...

Does the term longterm language learner apply to any of the students in your classroom? What can we do to keep our ELLs moving forward? I am my own humble inspiration for today's episode, simply because I am a longterm Spanish language learner. Having studied Spanish for 10 years, and now having lived in a Spanish-speaking country for 10 more, why am I not fluent?! Listen in for 5 things you can d...

Differentiate instruction. Every teacher has heard these familiar words given a million times.  We strive to accomplish this goal both for the success of our diverse learners and also for the evaluation that follows a dreaded classroom observation. In this episode, you'll learn numerous strategies you can use to make differentiation easy! And you'll leave with a fantastic freebie that you'll...

Modifying is part of the day-to-day for any teacher of ELLs. Sometimes it comes as second-nature. Other times, we wrack our brains: “How do I make this particular content unit accessible to my ELLs?” or “How do I meet the needs of the majority, while still giving adequate attention to the newcomer?” The fact is, you probably don’t have the time to plan OR teach a separate lesson to each of your st...

Are you currently co-teaching, preparing for co-teaching, or maybe just hoping some day your school will adopt this effective model for reaching ELLs? In this episode, Beth interviews guest, Leslie Tomanovich. Leslie is an ENL (English as a New Language) teacher in New York. After years of teaching with the pull-out method, the state of New York changed their ENL laws and required instruction for...

You've learned the pros and cons of a variety of program models, but which is the most effective for reaching your ELLs? While one school may have students in a full immersion program, other schools are using the pull-out approach. It is important to know the different methods available when teaching ELLs, and you may have more power than you realize when it comes to choosing an instructional mode...

Are you a paraprofessional, wondering how best to support your ELLs? Or are you a classroom teacher that knows you are underutilizing the paraprofessionals in your building? We are right in the middle of a series called Small Steps to Success for ELLs! Throughout this series, we are encouraging every person in our schools, from the front office to the cafeteria, to take vital steps to help support...

If you’re a homeroom teacher, the thought of figuring out how to support ELL students in your classroom may be completely overwhelming. I know this because I’ve been there. When I was a homeroom teacher, I didn’t support my English language learners very well. As we are working on taking small steps to make a big impact on our ELL students, I want to share four shifts that homeroom teachers can ma...

There are so many important positions in every school but sometimes it can be challenging to understand just what each person does and does not do. As ESL teachers, we may have come across some misconceptions that other staff members have about us and our role. We all want to work together as best as possible so that we can help our ELL students be successful. In order to do that, we may need to h...

We know how important it is for us to make our new ELLs feel welcome and comfortable but how can we help their families feel supported? There can be so much confusion for families as they are adjusting to living in a new country, learning a new school system, and understanding different offerings and options that are available. Our guest, Janna Adams, is sharing ways that we can help our ELL famil...

Understanding where our students come from and who they are is so important to ensuring we are providing them with an environment where they feel welcome and respected. This may mean dismantling some assumptions we have about different countries and really trying to understand the countries they are coming from and the specific areas they are coming from. Margarita Pearce is joining us today to sh...

As ESL teachers, we are especially aware of how important it is for our ELL students to feel welcome, respected, and safe. Because of this, creating a culturally competent school environment is so important. Our guest today, Jocelynn Hubbard, is sharing how all teachers, admin, and staff play a huge role in creating this culturally competent environment for our students. Creating a culturally resp...

Have you been asked to provide training to the staff on supporting ELLs but have no idea what you could present on? I see people asking all the time what they can do to provide training or PD to their school staff on supporting ELLs. If you’ve been there, I’ve got you! I am sharing 12 ideas for PD training you can feel confident sharing with teachers. You may be thinking that you are still trying...

Do you ever feel like you are solely responsible for supporting your English language learners? That responsibility is NOT just yours. We are continuing our Small Steps to Success series by looking at what role administrators play in supporting ELLs. Today we are joined by Maria Montroni-Currais who is sharing her insights on how administrators can impact English language learners. In this episode...

Have you ever stopped to really think about what success looks like for your ELL students? Are you only gauging the success of your students based on if they are proficient in English or not? Defining what success looks like for your students is critical to ensuring your students experience successes and feel confident throughout their English language journey, not just when they are proficient or...

Coming back from winter break is the perfect time to restart and refresh things in order to make the most of the second half of the year. I know this year, and the past few years, have been incredibly stressful and exhausting and the thought of doing a refresh may be overwhelming. I totally get that! I want to help you finish the year strong so I am sharing five easy things for you to restart to m...

We all want to support our ELLs as best as possible but some of the things we are doing could actually be inhibiting their growth. As teachers, we are doing our best to figure out what our students need in order to be successful. Unfortunately, some of our efforts could be an unnecessary waste of time. If you’re confused about what ELLs actually need and what they don’t, you’re not alone! We want...

Are you trying everything you can think of and your ELLs still aren’t making progress? When I talk to teachers whose students aren’t making growth, there is one common thread across the board. Doubt. The good news is that doubt is a reflection of our mindset so if we can fix our mindset, we can help out ELLs make more growth. If you’ve ever doubted that you are doing what’s best for your ELL stude...