Starting a secondary ESL class with no curriculum and no resources? Here's exactly what to do first — from getting to know your students to building routines that make planning easier all year long.

Your ESL students do not need a magic formula. They need daily practice, the right activities, and a teacher who believes in their progress. Here are 7 writing activities that actually work in secondary ESL classrooms.

If a newcomer just walked into your classroom and you’re not sure where to start, you’re not alone. In this post, I’m sharing simple, effective newcomer ESL activities for middle and high school so you can focus on what students actually need in those first few days.

If your ELL students are struggling to write, the problem probably is not their writing. Here is what is actually going on and the strategies that help.

Test prep for ESL students does not have to wait until spring. Learn how to build year-round reading skill practice into your secondary ESL class without adding more to your plate.

Ease your students back into learning after winter break with simple, low-prep ESL activities for beginners, intermediate, and advanced learners. Reconnect, reset, and re-engage your class with meaningful language practice.

Five ready-to-use December activities that make planning easier in the ESL classroom. Simple routines, minimal prep, and ideas for all language levels.

Teaching ESL without a curriculum? Learn simple, practical steps to plan effective ESL lessons, build routines, and engage every level with ease.

No curriculum? No problem. Learn how to plan meaningful ESL lessons fast with a simple 3-step structure—perfect for busy teachers with limited time and mixed-level classes.

Struggling to get your ESL students to write more than one sentence? Learn why writing is so hard for ELLs—and 4 simple strategies that actually help them write with confidence.

Teaching ESL students at different proficiency levels doesn’t have to mean planning five lessons. Discover 3 simple differentiation strategies that save time, reduce stress, and help you reach every learner—without burning out.

Struggling to teach newcomers and long-term ELs in one class? Try these 3 differentiation strategies that actually work in mixed-level ESL classrooms.

This blog post is meant to do just that. You’ll find 24 exciting activities to boost your ESL students’ reading comprehension that your students will love. The best part is that they won’t take too much time out of your day and can be used with any text, including fictional stories and informational text.

These 10 vocabulary activities are great tools to engage and internalize language for our secondary ESL students. Implementing fun and interactive activities is the key to a strong vocabulary foundation. By using these activities, we'll not only build a strong vocabulary foundation but also keep our students engaged and loving every moment of learning.

Make reading test prep fun and engaging with these 6 creative activities for ESL students! From turning passages into comic strips and scavenger hunts to escape room challenges, these strategies boost reading comprehension while keeping students motivated. Ideal for middle school ESL classrooms, these interactive ideas help students build essential skills for standardized tests in a way they’ll enjoy.

Supporting ESL students is easier with the right strategies! This blog post shares 5 practical ways to help English learners thrive in your classroom: from using visual aids and sentence starters to clear instructions, scaffolding, and graphic organizers. These techniques create an engaging, supportive environment. For time-saving resources, my ESL Teacher Membership provides differentiated reading passages, sentence frames, visual aids, and more to make implementing these strategies easy.

Looking for ways to re-engage ESL students after winter break? This blog post shares 3 fun, differentiated activities to help your students reflect, set goals, and practice English. Designed for beginning, intermediate, and advanced ESL levels, these activities include a Winter Break Slideshow for beginners, a ‘One Word’ goal-setting exercise for intermediates, and a Vision Board creation for advanced students. Each activity promotes language growth, self-reflection, and confidence for a strong start to the new year!