Episode 73 - The 3 ESSENTIAL Components of the Long Summer Break for Teachers
As I was planning my summer episodes for The ESL Teaching Podcast, I hit a wall. In the spring I was on a roll…sharing tips and resources for EL and regular education teachers. In June you heard episodes all about lesson planning. But then I thought to myself…I am on summer break and I would love to chat about other things that are a huge part of the teacher’s life. And that is the long and glorious summer break. It can be so open-ended that it can be dizzying, but there are some things that ...
4 Juli 202312min
Episode 72 - 4 Easy Ways to Differentiate the Same Lesson
In this episode, I will be sharing all about differentiating for varied proficiency levels in your classroom. You will hear about the four ways you can differentiate, as well as concrete examples of how it might look for you and your students. This episode is part of this month’s series where we are talking about lesson planning as part of our short and actionable summer professional development podcast episodes. In episode 70, I shared three mistakes many teachers make when it comes to ...
27 Juni 202315min
Episode 71 - How to Write Content and Language Objectives for EL Lessons
Why is it important to have an objective in the lesson? Well, number one, it helps the students and you, the teacher, focus attention on what's most important in the lesson. In this week’s episode, I talk all about content and language objectives for your EL students. Last week, we kicked off our short and actionable summer professional development podcast episodes with an overview of mistakes many teachers make when it comes to lesson planning. We talked about time management or rather misma...
20 Juni 202311min
Episode 70 - 3 Lesson Planning Mistakes That Can Keep You in the Rut
There are two types of teachers. Those who close their computer for the summer and only open it to begin checking their work email a week or so before school starts. And there are teachers who combine their fun activities and relaxation with learning and catching up on professional development during the summer. If you are in the second category, this episode is for you. I know how important it is to take some time to disconnect and I sincerely hope you do that. I also know how f...
13 Juni 202312min
Episode 69 - How to Engage English Learners with TPR with guest Meeghan Carter
Let's talk about movement and engaging your whole body in language learning using TPR, or Total Physical Response. Meeghan Carter is an ESL teacher in Delaware and brings a vast experience from being a classroom teacher to even owning her own business. She has worked with students primarily in grades pre-K to 8th. Meeghan and I talk about topics that are so relevant to so many ESL teachers. What you will hear about in this episode: Planning lessons for multiple age groups and gr...
6 Juni 202328min
Episode 68 - 5 Things to Do BEFORE Leaving for Summer Break
As the summer is nearing, I want to talk about planning and time management. Not for the students, but about what we, as teachers, should do before we leave on summer break. You may be tired, and the desire to put things off until next year might be very strong. But over my years of teaching, I have learned that there are some small, but very important things that are so much better completed before you leave for the summer. The school year is such a whirlwind that we don’t have t...
30 Maj 202316min
Episode 67 - 3 Ways to Finish the School Year Meaningfully
May is one of those months that is long and fast at the same time. Somehow everything falls into this month as a teacher and in our personal life. As the school year is nearing its end, there are a lot of moving parts for us teachers to consider. From grading, to paperwork, to somehow engaging the students who are seeming to get a bit antsy. It is easy to get lost in all of it, so in this episode I want to share a few ways that can make those last few weeks of school meaningful. All of th...
23 Maj 202313min
Episode 66 - 3 Activities For a Mixed-Proficiency EL Class (re-air)
A lot of teachers work with mixed-proficiency classes where they have newcomers and higher level students all at the same time. This makes for challenging planning, classroom management, and everything in between. With the school year winding down, it gets even trickier. In today’s episode, I wanted to revisit an episode I shared quite a while ago where I talk about three types of activities that work really well in a mixed-proficiency classroom. I will also share how to implement these activ...
16 Maj 202323min
