Reading can be a challenge for many students and it can be especially difficult for our ELL students. That’s why it is so important to systematically work on sight words with our students. Leslie Tomanovich is joining us today to share her experience and wisdom on teaching sight words to our ELL students. When it comes to reading, we want to find ways to reduce the cognitive load and frustration for our students. Sight words play a huge role in that. In today’s episode, Leslie and I are discussing the importance of sight words for our ELL students, the difference between sight words and high f ..read more

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're a teacher of ELLs, you won't want to skip this one. Related Resources: ⁠Join the Equipping ELLs membership⁠ ⁠Shop TpT resources for ELLs --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spo ..read more

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 do to keep your ELLs moving forward! Related Resources: Join the Equipping ELLs membership Shop TpT resources for ELLs --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equi ..read more

Do you dread prepping your students for Access testing every year? I think it’s safe to say we all do. What if I told you there is a way to prep without taking precious time away from giving students the support they actually need? Toss the test prep packets because I am sharing 5 fun ways you can prepare for Access testing starting right now. We want to prepare our students for Access testing in a way that is beneficial to them outside of just the test. How can we do that? We embed preparing for Access testing into our lessons and daily routines! In this episode, I am sharing the importance o ..read more

We all know that classroom management is crucial for a smooth school year. But where do you even start with classroom management, especially when you aren’t a homeroom teacher? Today, we are diving into how to get started with easy-to-implement strategies to help you have great classroom management this year! Classroom management begins with building relationships and trust with your students. In this episode, we are talking about the importance of having clear expectations, how to get your students to really buy into the classroom rules, why you should explicitly teach expectations, and how t ..read more

How can you successfully support your K-4 ELLs in a very large district? Our special guest is sharing some insight! In this episode, Jen Ferreyra is giving us a glimpse into what her role as an ESL teacher looks like at her school. Today, Jen and I are talking about how she works with other teachers to provide the best support possible for her students. We are covering the challenges and benefits of teaching ELLs using a co-teaching model in the classroom, how she gets set up for the school year during the summer, and the importance of relationship building with teachers and families. Jennife ..read more

Summer is flying by and we are finishing up our summer series, Successfully Setting Up for the School Year this Summer, by looking at how to prepare for our intermediate students. We want to be prepared so our classroom environment is one of trust, safety, support, and high standards. Today, we are looking at how to set up routines that help our intermediate students feel comfortable and confident in our classroom. In this episode, I am breaking down what to have set up to best support your intermediate ELL students so you aren’t burning out and working on lessons all the time. I am covering 5 ..read more

We all want to rest and enjoy our well deserved and much needed summer break! But if we can spend a little time preparing for next school year, it will have a big impact on how the school year will go. We are continuing our Successfully Setting Up for the School Year This Summer series and this is an episode you don’t want to miss! Today, we are going to look at our scope and sequence and break it down into smaller target goals for each quarter. I give you tips on how to set these quarterly goals, maximize the days you have with your students, and determine the foundational skills you are goin ..read more

Are you feeling overwhelmed and on the brink of burnout? We understand the challenges you face, and that's why we've brought in the amazing Jamie Sears, author and educator, to address the pressing issue of preventing teacher burnout in this episode of the Equipping ELLs podcast. Jamie Sears creates curriculum and delivers professional development for elementary educators through The Not So Wimpy Teacher Company. She has also authored the book How to Love Teaching Again: Work Smarter, Beat Burnout, and Watch Your Students Thrive. In our conversation with the Not So Wimpy Teacher, Jamie share ..read more

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 the summer break. Let's empower ourselves to become better educators for our ELLs and taking small steps that make a big impact! Related Resources: ⁠⁠⁠Join the Equipping ELLs membership⁠⁠⁠ ESL Pro ..read more