ELL News Headlines

Observation, exploration, and discovery are three main skills that young children (kindergarten to second grade) generally develop when they interact with their surroundings. Some children prefer to take time to observe the environment before moving around to explore, while others choose to immediately start actively discovering the wonders within the environment. Nurturing an environment that ignites curiosity and facilitates exploration, therefore, is paramount.

Staff and students at Yates Elementary in Schenectady, N.Y., rarely end a conversation without uttering two words: "Choose Kind." The phrase, written on signs throughout the school and spoken at the end of daily loudspeaker announcements, has become a motto for staff and students after nearly a decade of implementing social-emotional learning, which teaches students how to manage their emotions, cultivate healthy relationships, and foster empathy.

From poems about planets and trees to poems about LGBTQIA+ heroes, young readers from elementary through high school will find something to enjoy here. Share these titles for National Poetry Month and all year long.

We collected simple ideas for teachers and students to educate, empower, and build a connection with nature so that they may be inspired to respect it and protect it. Classrooms can be the perfect greenhouse to grow future stewards of the environment.

Whether it be through internships or opportunities to speak with representatives, do community service, or propose new school policies, real-world civics activities make what students learn in social studies “much more tangible and meaningful,” according to Spencer Burrows, a secondary school equity and civic engagement coordinator.

When Jenny Kist's students walk through the classroom door every morning, they take out their 'little safe place' boxes. Made to be a portable version of a calming physical space in Kist's early childhood education classroom, these small plastic pencil boxes hold e'erything Kist’s students need throughout the day to practice self-regulation and emotional identification.

Can you feel it? The school year is drawing closer to an end. I’ve previously published a number of posts with ideas on how to finish the year strong (see Best Ways to End The School Year). Today’s post shares additional suggestions from teachers.

We must never lose sight of the fact that until reading instruction serves all students equally, we are shortchanging everyone and society. Most importantly, we must advocate for teacher preparation programs that send educators out into the world with the skills they need to ensure success for every child in every classroom, regardless of “the language they are loved in” (to quote my mentor, Dr. Moats).

An expert in special education shares strategies for building strong and enduring relationships with students’ families that every teacher can use.

In the past few months, I’ve walked the halls of more than 100 Denver schools and met with many of our new-to-country students, their families, and the educators dedicated to serving them. I’ve seen fear and sadness in these students’ eyes transform into sparkle and joy. I’ve watched thousands of teachers and school employees level up supports and services — hosting winter clothing drives and information sessions about the American school system. In the process, our leaders have grown, and our district has been enriched.