Celebrating Diwali in My ESL and Multicultural Classroom Every year, I love bringing a little extra light into my classroom — and Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is the perfect opportunity to do just that. As an ESL teacher, I’m always looking for m…

How I Use Halloween Games to Teach Vocabulary and Grammar in My ESL Classroom Every October, my ESL classroom transforms into a whirlwind of pumpkins, costumes, and laughter — and yes, a whole lot of language learning! Over the years, I’ve discovere…

6 Culturally Sensitive Halloween Activities That Teach Language and Content to ELLs Halloween is one of the most exciting times of the year in American schools — but as ESL teachers, we know that not all of our multilingual learners celebrate it at …

Using Our Home Languages Respectfully in Class: A Quick Lesson for ELLs If you’re an ELL teacher like me, you’ve probably run into this problem more than once: I love hearing my students use their home languages. It’s a beautiful sign that they feel…

How to Teach Heart Words to ELLs Using Visuals, Phonics, and Daily Routines Have you ever taught your students the word "said" on Monday, only to hear them confidently write "sed" on Tuesday? If you work with English learners, yo…