Recent Posts
Revolutionizing ESL Education: A Transformative Wish-list for Secondary Levels
Navigating the landscape of secondary level ESL education, my wish-list is anchored in a vision of comprehensive support that empowers students at every stage of their language acquisition journey. At the top of my list is the dream of a dedicated one-year Newcomer program, a foundation that focuses on honing essential skills such as reading, grammar, and speaking. This initial year serves as a linguistic springboard, ensuring students are equipped with the language proficiency needed to thrive in subsequent academic endeavors.
Unlocking Language: Engaging Vocabulary Activities for English Language Learners
Learning a new language can be an exhilarating journey, but it's no secret that building a rich vocabulary is a crucial stepping stone on this path. For English language learners (ELLs), the process of acquiring new words can be both challenging and rewarding. In this blog, we'll explore various vocabulary activities tailored to engage ELLs and accelerate their language acquisition.
Enhance Your ESL Instruction: Top 6 Essential Tools and Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners
Do you ever wonder what it takes to be a successful ESL ESOL teacher? What are the essential items that can help make your classroom run more smoothly? As a 14-year veteran of teaching English Language Learners, I’m here to share with you the top six things I can’t live without. From providing students a fun learning environment to engaging activities, these items are key to my teaching success.
Teacher Summer
This has been a particularly contentious end of school year season. Our contract expired last year. Our union (United Federation of Teachers) has been in negotiations with the city. Rumors abounded. The mayor will refuse to negotiate a fair contract, our healthcare will change, they’ll offer 0% raises, etc.
Testing Season: I Have Opinions!
Each year, I struggle to balance my teacher moral compass with administering test prep lessons. This is particularly consequential for the English Language Learners because if they “pass out” they are not entitled to any support services. I have students who can barely put a sentence together yet are not entitled to any additional English language support. In New York State, students who score beyond the high beginner level are not entitled to direct English language instruction. This is ludicrous.
Bucket List #1 Done
I usually stay home during breaks. Boring me! This spring break I decided to fulfill one of my dreams and visit Italy. I have a passion for all that is ancient and have had a visit to Pompeii on my mind for a long time.
Three Stages of a Newcomer English Language Learner
We hear so much about immigration these days. No matter what we feel about our current immigration policies, we all need to remember that there are children caught in the middle. As a teacher of adolescent English Language Learners, I would like to share my experience in working with middle and high school ESL students. For the sake of simplicity, I divided the newcomer years into three stages. Please remember that each child is different and time-frames may vary.
Teaching Academic Vocabulary - An Actual Teacher’s Experience
I have a bone to pick with the phrase “research shows.” Whenever I see this phrase, it always brings me back to a quote popularized by Mark Twain - "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” I think of this quote every time I’m forced to watch a rehearsed video during PD depicting a class of ten kids having an engaging conversation about a vocabulary word. That’s great, but what about the real world?
Fall - My Second Favorite Season
My favorite holiday happens to be in the fall. Halloween is my favorite holiday because it is purely for fun. There is no family pressure on Halloween. I don’t have to cook anything. I don’t have to buy gifts. I don’t even have to make phone calls! Pure bliss.
Labor of Love
I have an obsession with the ancient world. I particularly am drawn to Ancient Rome. I don’t know why. Perhaps I was Emperor Ceaser in a past life.
Hello Spring!
It’s been a long winter. I say that every year. It seems the older I get, the longer the winter. I saw my first Robin a couple of weeks ago. It always puts a smile on my face when I see my namesake for the first time.
Vocabulary BINGO
Vocabulary BINGO is hands-down the favorite ESL activity in my beginner level ESL class. I get so many requests for BINGO you would think I’m running a geriatric facility.
I think one reason for my Vocabulary BINGO’S popularity is that everyone can do it, even a new student who has no or very limited English. Anyone can win. It puts everyone on a level playing field. It’s fun, engaging, easy to learn, and enhances vocabulary development. What more could one ask?
Setting Goals for the New Year
A hundred years ago, when I was a new and naive teacher, I had this great idea for an after New Year’s activity. I would have my students set goals! “What a great opportunity for my students to take ownership of their learning,” I thought. Eureka! Was I brilliant or what?