New ELD Resource

As an ELD (English Language Development) teacher I am always looking for resources. While sitting in a meeting I was introduced to this new website created by the US Department of Education.  Check it out! It's still in the works but it appears to be a great tool.

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/english-learner-toolkit/index.html

MAISA

It's the same struggle each year...what to teach ESL students in the small amount of instructional time provided. What is effective and purposeful?!? So much has changed. The WIDA Access Test, Common Core and our resources available are limited. The good news for ESL Teachers and ALL teachers is MAISA. Log onto Oakland Schools MAISA and filter your search for Elementary ESL.  Oakland Schools  MAISA offer curriculum maps for teachers to follow.  These maps align with Common Core.  I look forward to using this resource throughout the school year to drive my instruction for my level 1 and level 2 English Learners ( EL's).  Check it out!

Utilizing your Resources

Some of us teach in districts with an abundance of resources and some of us need to get creative. Some districts offer a curriculum and others give teachers a chance to explore their options as long as they follow certain criteria such as WIDA Standards in my district.

Knowing what to teach can be a struggle. If you are like me, you only see your students a few times a week and it's only for 30 minutes at a time. How much can one really cover in this amount of time? With limited time, we need our lessons to be as purposeful as possible.

Below I have listed some ELL teaching resources to consider when planning.  There is no one size fits all method. Please add any resources you may find useful in the comments column.  The more options we have the better. Together we can create lessons that are purposeful and meaningful.

1. Kagan Structures
2. Picture Cards
3. SIOP Model
4. Bilingual Books
5. Graphic Organizers
6. Common Core 
7.freerice.com
8. Picture dictionaries
9. Visuals
10. Vocabulary support


There are many more resources. Please share your ideas and what resources you find to be useful.  The more we share, the better we can teach!