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New to Teaching ELLs?

• Building relationships with students
  • Get to know your ELLs.
  • Spend time with students in small groups.
  • Learn how to say and write students' names correctly.
  • Use hands-on learning with ELLs.
  • Share information about student activities.
  • Get to know ELLs' interests.
• Creating a welcoming classroom
  • Welcome ELLs’ languages.
  • Welcome ELLs’ cultures.
  • Assign a buddy for new students.
  • Ask the class for ideas on welcoming new students.
  • Help ELLs understand classroom routines.
  • Prevent the bullying of ELLs and immigrant students.
• What you need to know about your students
  • Learn about ELLs' home languages.
  • Learn about students' English language proficiency levels.
  • Learn about ELLs' educational backgrounds.
  • Learn about students’ home countries.
  • Incorporate students' cultures and countries into lessons.
  • Avoid assumptions about students' backgrounds.
• Tips from veteran ELL teachers
  • Don't forget to smile!
  • Be mindful of the “silent period.”
  • Try one new thing at a time.
  • Give students information in different ways.
  • Avoid asking, "Do you understand?"
  • Put yourself in language learners' shoes.
  • Get familiar with ELL terminology.
• Building your ELL network
  • Network with colleagues.
  • Learn about your district's ELL resources.
  • Learn about ELL resources in the community and region.
  • Learn about ELL resources in your state.
  • Join ELL networks online.
• Learning about special populations of students
  • Special population: Students with interrupted education
  • Special popluation: Refugees
  • Special population: Unaccompanied minors
  • Special population: Farmworker families
  • Special population: Long-term ELLs
  • Special population: Indigenous students from Latin America

Connecting with ELL Families

• Building relationships with families
  • Let families know they are welcome.
  • Introduce the idea of school-family partnerships.
  • Get to know families' strengths.
  • Ask families for their insights.
  • Eliminate barriers to family engagement.
  • Partner with community organizations.
• Providing language access for ELL families
  • Provide information in families' home languages.
  • Identify your district’s language access resources.
  • Try different formats of communication.
  • Reach out to family liaisons or interpreters.
  • Try an app like TalkingPoints.
  • Ensure families have information about special education in their home language.
• Communicating with multilingual families
  • Help families keep contact information updated.
  • Ensure families know how to contact the school.
  • Learn how families want to communicate.
  • Learn when families want to communicate.
  • Find out if families have their own networks.
  • Create social media platforms for families.
• Connecting families with community supports
  • Connect families with basic services when needed.
  • Learn about your school’s community partnerships.
  • Share mental health supports with families.
  • Share information about student activities.
  • Tell families about local early childhood programs.
• Special education and multilingual families
  • Ensure families have information about special education in their home language.
  • Help families understand their rights around special education.
  • Collaborate with an experienced interpreter.
  • Remember that families can provide valuable insights.
  • Keep in mind that immigrant families may be new to the U.S. special education system.
  • Keep in mind that families may be reluctant to sign paperwork.

ELL Teaching Strategies

• Content-area instruction for ELLs
  • Use scaffolds to support students' comprehension.
  • Draw upon students’ background knowledge.
  • Pre-teach background knowledge and concepts.
  • Differentiate instruction for ELLs.
  • Think about how students need to use language in your content area.
  • Use hands-on learning with ELLs.
  • Use project-based learning (PBL).
• Teaching academic language and vocabulary
  • Select vocabulary words to pre-teach for your lesson.
  • Use sentence frames to build academic language.
  • Teach students to use cognates.
  • Practice writing language objectives.
  • Learn about the difference between social and academic language.
  • Use prefixes and suffixes for learning word strategies.
  • Look for ways to develop students' academic oral language.
• Peer interaction for ELLs
  • Give students lots of practice with peer work.
  • Use peer learning to develop students' oral language skills.
  • Encourage use of students’ home languages in peer learning.
  • Consider how culture might play a role in peer interaction.
  • Be intentional with your grouping.
  • Use “turn and talk” activities to engage students.
• Using informal assessment with ELLs
  • Use visual cues for quick comprehension checks.
  • Look for different ways to use formative assessment.
  • Use entrance/exit tickets.
  • Ask students to report what their partner has shared.
  • Use project-based learning (PBL).
  • Avoid asking, "Do you understand?"
• Drawing upon students' home languages
  • Welcome ELLs’ languages.
  • Use tools such as bilingual dictionaries and glossaries.
  • Look for classroom materials in students’ home languages.
  • Look for books in students’ home languages.
  • Look for different ways that students can use their home language.
  • Encourage use of students’ home languages in peer learning.
• Learning about special populations of students
  • Special population: Students with interrupted education
  • Special popluation: Refugees
  • Special population: Unaccompanied minors
  • Special population: Farmworker families
  • Special population: Long-term ELLs
  • Special population: Indigenous students from Latin America

Social and Emotional Support

• What you need to know about student responsibilities
  • Students may be caring for siblings or relatives.
  • Students may have household responsibilities.
  • Students may have jobs outside of school.
  • Students may be translating for their families.
• Learning about special populations of students
  • Special popluation: Refugees
  • Special population: Indigenous students from Latin America
  • Special population: Students with interrupted education
  • Special population: Farmworker families
  • Special population: Long-term ELLs
  • Special population: Unaccompanied minors
• Classroom strategies for social and emotional learning
  • Make time for student updates in circle time or advisory.
  • Teach vocabulary related to emotions.
  • Teach phrases needed for classroom discussions.
  • Consider using breathing and mindfulness exercises in the classroom.
  • Create a calm corner.
  • Create an appreciation station.
  • Offer students ways to share updates with you privately.
• Connecting families with community supports
  • Learn about your school’s community partnerships.
  • Connect families with basic services when needed.
  • Share mental health supports with families.
  • Share information about student activities.
  • Tell families about local early childhood programs.