Teaching English learners in middle and high school can feel overwhelming — but you don’t have to do it alone!
Free ESL Resources for Secondary Teachers
Grab Your Free Resources
Click any cover below to go straight to the freebie. Each link will take you to that teacher’s site so you can download and use it right away.
30 Days Gratitude Journal Challenge
Build positivity and mindfulness with this 30-Day Gratitude Journal Challenge. Daily prompts encourage reflection and gratitude, helping students and teachers foster well-being, resilience, and a growth mindset in minutes a day.
The Top 10 ESL Language Objectives for ELA Standards
Save time planning ESL lessons with this guide to 10 language objectives aligned to ELA standards. Eliminate guesswork, support content learning, and collaborate confidently with ELA teachers.
Full Week of Differentiated Reading Bell Ringers
Start your ESL class strong with a week of differentiated bell ringers for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels—available in print, digital, and audio. Perfect for warm-ups, routines, and daily practice.
The Ultimate List of Writing Mentor Texts
Feeling overwhelmed with writing instruction? This resource shares a massive list of mentor texts to model lessons, organize units, and guide students—ready to download, print, and use all year.
Weekly ELL choice board
Focused on all four language domains and with activities that spark interest, choice boards for ESL allow you to see where your students are at and tailor your instruction to their specific needs. slides with a month's worth of choice activities Activities for all four language domains links to ready-made worksheets for some activities slides with resources that can be used in your lessons speaker's notes with teaching ideas for your ESL/ELL class
Frequently Confused Words Escape Activity
Make practicing frequently confused words fun with this digital escape room! Students solve questions, collect codes, and unlock six challenges in an engaging review activity.
Franklin Chang Díaz Mini Lesson
Inspire your middle and high schoolers with our Franklin Chang-Díaz Mini Lesson! Perfect for grades 6–12. This free resource includes engaging reading passages, comprehension activities, writing prompts, and even a rocket company design challenge. With fun extras like word searches, “Would You Rather?” activities, and recommended videos, your kids will explore the life and work of a groundbreaking astronaut and rocket scientist while sharpening literacy and critical thinking skills