T.ELL.E-gram

This month's highlights

Featured articles

Back to school: Ideas to start the year off right

Sometimes a slight change in teaching style or classroom organization can make a big difference for an ELL student. 10 Things Mainstream Teachers Can Do Today provides simple tips that can help make school more welcoming and more successful for the English language learners in your class.

English language learners represent a vastly diverse group. Learning about Your Students' Backgrounds will show you how to find out about the language, culture, values, family, and home environment of your ELL students so that you can better support them in the classroom and receive more support from home.

Research and Reports

What do schools need to do to make sure English learners succeed? Ensuring Academic Success for English Learners highlights nine elements of a strong program, based on three decades of research. Recommended best practices include accessible preschool programs, support for newcomers of all ages, and a focus on English language development.

In the Classroom

Bright Ideas That Work

Starting a new school year positively is very important. It is likely that most teachers will have newly enrolled students in their classrooms, as well as students who do not speak English as their first language. For this reason, there is a lot for teachers to think about as they start the new school year. Here are some resources to help you gear up for a new school year! Includes A School Year Start Up Checklist and Hot links to useful websites.

Frequently Asked Questions

As you think about structuring your classes and designing lessons for the fall, you may want to consider the following:

• I have a variety of levels in my ESL class. How do I differentiate instruction?
• One part of my lesson planning is to develop lessons with a multicultural perspective. Are you aware of a rubric or questionnaire that evaluates texts based on multicultural qualities?

Find the answers to these and many other Frequently Asked Questions About Teaching ELLs.

Achieving Success: From the Heart

Find out how Ginny Thomas, a High School teacher in Texas, faces the challenges of teaching content to English Language Learners. Also: some advice on how to get the school year off to a good start!

Beyond the Classroom

Book of the Month

Moony Luna: Luna, Lunita Lunera

Read more about this and other books in our Celebrate Reading in Two Languages booklist! It's the perfect place to start looking for a gift for young readers of all ages: from birth to high school.

In a Word: Semantic Organizers

This month's glossary term refers to graphic organizers that look somewhat like a spider web where lines connect a central concept to a variety of related ideas and events.

This is an excellent site! I look forward to using the ideas in the activities section next school year. My favorite section of your site is the activities section because they are practical and can be implemented by teachers and parents. I also love that everything is available in Spanish so that I can easily share ideas with parents.

- Rebecca L.

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