Benefits of Teaching Thematically and Integrating Content Areas in the ELL Classroom One of the joys—and challenges—of teaching English Language Learners is the incredible variety of experiences and abilities they bring into the classroom. In a sing…

First Day, First Week in ESL K-1 Pull-Out Group Have you ever looked at your K–1 pull-out group on the first day and thought: “Okay… I’ve got a first grader who barely speaks English, a kindergartener who’s never been in school before, a first grade…

I Have a Group of Mixed Proficiency Levels and Mixed Grades ELL Pull-Out Group… HELP! There was a point in my teaching career where I was the only ENL teacher in a K–8 school. I was overwhelmed and overworked, trying to plan for so many different gr…

Empowering ELL Through Immigration and Heritage Projects One of the most powerful ways to help English learners grow as writers is by giving them the chance to share their own stories. When students get to explore their culture, family traditions, a…

The Sentence-Building Challenge for ESL Students For many ELL students—especially in grades K–8—grammar and vocabulary can feel abstract, disconnected, and confusing. Even general education students in grades K–2 often struggle to put words in the c…