Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Resources for First-Year ELL Teachers
This section includes:
The first year of working with English language learners (ELLs) can be full of challenges. Fortunately, there are a number of resources to help! Colorín Colorado has compiled this list to help new ELL teachers navigate their experiences in the classroom. These resources may also be helpful for veteran teachers who are new to teaching ELLs.
ELL Instruction
ELL Starter Kit for Educators
This booklet from Colorín Colorado offers informal assessment and monitoring forms, a bilingual glossary, and a list of English-Spanish cognates. The booklet can be downloaded for free as a PDF.
You can find more great ELL instruction resources in our For Educators section!
About ELLs: Guides for Instruction
These professional books written by experts offer a great introduction working with ELLs of all ages. Each guide covers a number of helpful topics, including:
- Getting to know your students
- Teaching reading to ELLs
- Homework and assessment for ELLs
- Working with parents of ELLs
Monthly Newsletter for ELL Educators
The T.ELL.E-GRAM is Colorín Colorado's free monthly e-newsletter for ELL educators offering research-based strategies, book and resource recommendations, and news from the ELL field.
Twenty-Five Quick Tips for the ELL Classroom
Judie Haynes is a veteran ELL educator and creator of everythingESL.net, an excellent website filled with tips, strategies, and great ideas! This particular list offers a number of tips that will be particularly helpful for new ELL teachers as they plan for instruction and classroom management.
Teacher Diary: Chronicle Of A First-Time ESL Teacher
Meet Jacqueline Gallo, a young teacher who took the time to share her experiences with ELL Outlook as a first-year ELL teacher when she first entered an ELL elementary classroom in Lynn, Massachusetts. Learn more about that first year from the following articles on the ELL Outlook website.
Reflections: Understanding ELLs and Ourselves
This group of teacher-researchers met and became friends during the graduate school program (MAT in teacher education) at Lewis and Clark College. Their shared goal was to learn about the strengths and needs of their ELL students through the power of conducting and sharing case study research. This article shares a glimpse of their conversations and reflections about their ELLs.
Video: What advice would you give new ELL teachers?
Whether you are brand new to the teaching profession or are a veteran educator who is just starting to work with ELLs, you'll find these tips from other ELL educators helpful!
Featured educators include:
- Janet Davis, ELL Professional Development Advisor
- Clara Gonzales-Espinoza, ELL Educator
- Kristina Robertson, ELL Educator and District Director
- Ginny Thomas, ELL Educator
- Dr. Joanne Urrutia, U.S. Department of Education
More Resources for First-Year Teachers
Teaching Reading
- First Year Teacher Course: This self-paced, self-study, free online course consists of ten modules that explain how to teach reading. First Year Teacher was developed by our sister site, Reading Rockets.
- First Year Teacher Column: Written by Reading Rockets staff experts, this First Year Teacher Column answers questions submitted by upcoming first year teachers.
Recommended Resources
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This is great! I have been looking for a resource for my ELL parents for open house. Thanks for creating this site.
~ Susan S.
