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Adult ELLs Featured Post Lesson Planning Secondary ELLs Teaching Tips

  • Tips for the First Day of School

    Author:

    Mishelle Kehoe-Seamons

    Starting a new year or semester can be nerve-wracking for any teacher. I remember in my first few years of teaching, I’d get all sorts of butterflies in the days and weeks leading up to my first day of class. However, over time, I began to learn what did and didn’t work in those first few days, and now I feel equipped to set up my language classroom for success every year! So what do I recommend?

    1. Show up early and greet students at the door. It’s so important to set a positive tone for your class by greeting students at the door with a smile and an introduction. This gives you the chance to learn names, begin gauging personalities, and make critical one-on-one contact. (I suggest doing this every day if you can! If that’s not an option, make it a priority for the first week.)
    2. Jump into language learning. Going over the syllabus, setting clear rules and expectations, and teaching routines are all important aspects of the first week of school, but do you know what students don’t expect? And what they love? Jumping into language learning! Imagine your students come to you for the last class of the day. They’ve already sat through numerous classes where teachers have talked at them for an hour, explained rules they’ll probably forget, and gone over the syllabus. Now, contrast that with your students coming to your classroom where instead of doing the same thing, they jump right into language learning with an engaging lesson plan or activity. By doing this, you’re getting students excited for your class, and you’re boosting their confidence by giving them immediate ways to improve their English! Save the routines and expectations for later; instead, start with fun language learning!
    3. Do diagnostic testing. I know–I said the “T” word… but it’s not what you think. Diagnostic testing doesn’t have to be formal! Remember how I suggested a fun language learning activity on the first day of class? That can be a part of your diagnostic testing! Shhhhhh, don’t let your students know! Diagnostic testing can be done whenever a student is required to express or interpret English. If they have to write an answer to a question, pair up with a speaking partner, or simply follow audio directions, you can start to get a feel for where their proficiency is at and what skills are their strong-suits! While a more formal diagnostic test may be appropriate for your class, you can always consider more creative ways to determine where your students are at. Diagnostic information will guide your whole semester/year, so be sure to do it in some form or fashion!
    4. Build community. Learning any language requires a lot of confidence. You need confidence to fail over and over and to not give up. You need confidence to make mistakes in front of your peers. You need confidence to speak up even when you don’t know all the words or grammar structures. Confidence, confidence, confidence. It is really hard to be confident when you don’t feel safe; thus, it’s incredibly important that as teachers, we are facilitating a classroom where students can feel safe and develop their confidence. What are some ways we can do this? By building community. Small group work, silly learning activities, icebreakers, and normalizing mistakes are all some of the ways that you can build a safe classroom. In your first week of class, find ways to build community so that your students feel confident showing up everyday to learn.

    Looking for a fun activity to do in your first week of class? One that incorporates all the language skills, gets students interacting with one another, teaches you more about your students, builds community, and can be used as an informal diagnostic? Check out my All About Me Zine project! It’s perfect for novice, intermediate, and advanced 7th-12th graders and adults in their first or second week of class.

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  • Free ESL News Articles Websites

    Author:

    Mishelle Kehoe-Seamons

    As an ESOL teacher, I’m in constant search of free and effective websites to help streamline my planning process. One of my favorite reading activities to do with students is reading news articles. Lucky for me, there are multiple free news article websites for ELLs. Here, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of three different sites that you can use in your ESOL classroom. (These are also great for social studies/history teachers with ELLs in their class!)

    1. Engoo
      • Pros:
        • Clean layout
        • New articles almost daily
        • No ads on the site
        • Audio available for each article
        • Discussion questions for each article
      • Cons:
        • Only has new stories for mid-intermediate to high-advanced
        • Only has speaking questions associated with the article (as opposed to reading comprehension questions, vocabulary questions, grammar questions, etc.)
      • Suggestions when using this site:
        • Use generative AI (or your brain) to develop your own activities for each article.
    2. News in Levels
      • Pros:
        • Every article is differentiated into three levels which is great for multi-proficiency level classes
        • New articles almost daily
        • Audio available for each article
      • Cons:
        • Lots of ads
        • No questions or practice associated with the articles
      • Suggestions when using this site:
        • Use generative AI (or your brain) to develop your own activities for each article.
    3. Breaking News English
      • Pros:
        • Every article is differentiated which is great for multi-proficiency level classes; there are four levels for the “easier” articles and three levels for the “harder” articles
        • New articles almost daily
        • Dozens of activities associated with every article (speaking, writing, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, punctuation, etc.)
      • Cons:
        • Lots of ads
        • Kind of a messy layout
        • No audio available
      • Suggestions when using this site:
        • Copy and paste the activities you want to use into Word or Google Docs so that you and your students aren’t bombarded with ads or with too many activities. Select the activities that would be best for your students and your classroom.

    While Breaking News English is my personal favorite, there are definitely good things to be found in each of these websites. I love how News in Levels and Breaking News English both differentiate their articles. As someone who teaches mixed-level classes, it’s really nice to be able to teach the same content but have the content pre-scaffolded for my students! I also like how Engoo and News in Levels offer an audio recording for their articles. This is great for if you want to practice listening. All in all, if you’re looking to shake things up in your classroom, these free, no login required websites are sure to be a hit!

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  • ESOL Teaching Methodologies

    Author:

    Mishelle Kehoe-Seamons

    There are a lot of different approaches ESOL teachers can take when teaching their English language learners. While some teachers stick to just one method, many teachers use a more eclectic approach in order to meet the diverse needs of their students. Here, I will discuss four different teaching methodologies for ESOL teachers.

    1. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
      • I love CLT and use it often in my classroom. The main purpose of CLT is to focus on real-world experiences and contexts. Teachers give students practical, everyday tasks such as analyzing advertisements, ordering a pizza over the phone, or filling out medical or job application forms. These types of activities allow students to learn more organically and in contexts that will translate directly to their everyday lives. One of the key philosophies behind CLT is that language is best learned through meaningful communication rather than isolated grammar drills or memorization, thus, it emphasizes fluency over accuracy. Group work, pair work, and role-playing are all common features of CLT.
    2. Total Physical Response (TPR)
      • This method is often used with novice learners or young learners. With TPR, language is taught through physical movement. For instance, instead of just showing a picture of the verb “to cut,” the teacher models the action using hand gestures, and students are encouraged to mimic it. This active participation helps create strong associations between words and actions which makes it easier for students to recall vocabulary and concepts. TPR is also helps keep student attention because it taps into their natural need for movement and engagement. It can feel more like a game than a lesson, which helps reduce anxiety and increases enjoyment in learning. While it’s often used in the early stages of language learning, it can be adapted for older learners as well, particularly when introducing new vocabulary or giving classroom instructions.
    3. Direct Method
      • This method is slightly more dated but is still used in some classrooms (and often when doing online tutoring). The Direct Method emphasizes total immersion. That means teachers speak in English from day one, and students are expected to do the same as much as possible. There is little to no translation going on in these classrooms—English only. Because I value multilingualism, I don’t use the Direct Method very often, but the idea is that by hearing and using the language in context, students will begin to internalize grammar and vocabulary naturally, much like they learned their first language. Lessons are usually very interactive, with lots of speaking and listening practice. Grammar rules are not usually taught but are meant to be learned inductively through repeated exposure and correction. While it can be a challenging method for beginners, especially those who feel more comfortable with translation or scaffolding in their native language, it does push learners to rely on English and develop stronger speaking and comprehension skills more quickly.
    4. Project-Based Learning (PBL)
      • PBL is not a TESOL-exclusive approach, but it has a lot of great applications for ESOL classrooms! PBL is similar to CLT in that it values real-world application, but the emphasis here is on inquiry, exploration, and student ownership of learning. In a PBL classroom, students work on extended projects that are often interdisciplinary and connected to real-world problems or scenarios. For example, students might research local environmental issues and present a plan to the class, or they might create a neighborhood guidebook for newcomers in their community. The teacher’s role is more of a facilitator than a lecturer—guiding students through the process, providing language support, and helping them reflect on what they’re learning. It’s a student-centered approach that focuses on not just language skills, but also critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

    While this is not an exhaustive list of ESOL teaching methods, it’s a start! Each of these methods has its own strengths and can be incredibly effective when used with intention and flexibility. What works for one group of learners might not work for another, which is why many ESOL teachers blend multiple approaches depending on their students’ needs, language levels, and learning styles. Whether you’re helping a beginner mimic vocabulary through movement, facilitating deep inquiry through a student-led project, or immersing your class in all-English discussions, the ultimate goal remains the same: to help students become more confident and fluent in the English language.

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