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Research on Teaching English Language Learners 

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Research on Teaching English Language Learners 

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As a classroom teacher, I was largely ignorant of, and definitely suspicious of, research. I believed that researchers could make their studies come out any way they wanted them to, and that a good teacher who reflected on her own teaching knew much more about how to be effective with her students than any researcher did. Later, as a university professor, I learned how important good research can be, and how difficult it is to do really good experimental research in a field such as education, where it is impossible to control all the variables.

For that reason, I was pleased in 1997 when Congress funded the National Reading Panel (NRP) to evaluate research about teaching children to read. The panel's charge was to review existing studies, choose those that were well designed and well implemented, and synthesize their findings. The results were published in 2000 (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000), and became the basis of the Reading First grant program included in the No Child Left Behind legislation of 2001. Although there was initially a good deal of controversy about the findings of the report, all U.S. elementary school teachers were soon very aware of the five "essential elements" of reading instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension).

Teachers of English language learners (ELLs), however, were left to wonder if and how the findings of the NRP applied to their students. How do you teach phonemic awareness and phonics in English to students who can't yet hear and distinguish the sounds? How do you teach fluency to students whose control of the structures of the English language is still limited? How do you teach them grade-level vocabulary when their vocabulary knowledge starts so far behind that of their English-speaking peers? How do you teach reading comprehension in English when they don't yet comprehend the English language?

Now there appears to be help. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education funded the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority and Youth to survey, select, and synthesize research on teaching language-minority students to read and write. Their report was published recently (August & Shanahan, 2006).

How much help will this report provide for teachers of ELLs? A preliminary review of the Executive Summary (August, 2006) and the section of the full report on "Educating Language Minority Students" reveals these four potentially important general recommendations:

Literacy in the native language is an advantage.

We already knew this (see, for example, Collier & Thomas, 1997), and it doesn't help teachers working in situations where literacy instruction in the native language is not possible.

Substantial coverage of the five essential elements of reading instruction helps.

However, this finding is based on only 14 studies that looked at instruction of the essential elements of reading with ELLs. Because of the small number of studies, this recommendation is based on the fact that there is nothing in these 14 studies that contradicts the findings of the numerous studies of native speakers that were reviewed by the National Reading Panel. Also because of the small number of studies, no specific practices could be advocated for teaching the essential elements of reading to ELLs.

Reading programs for ELLs should include intensive language development as well as instruction in literacy strategies and skills.

This recommendation is not based specifically on the research, because there were no studies that addressed the inclusion of intensive language development in reading instruction for ELLs. It is instead a hypothesis drawn from several other findings: (1) native speakers benefit more from instruction in the essential elements than do ELLs; (2) ELLs with greater language proficiency benefit more from instruction in the essential elements than do those with less proficiency; and (3) instruction in the essential elements with ELLs has a greater effect on decoding and fluency than on comprehension.

Instruction needs to be adjusted to meet the needs of ELLs.

The report, however, states that there is not enough research to be able to identify specifically how those adjustments should be made. I could find only seven specific suggestions that would be useful to teachers of reading classes that include ELLs:

Provide additional work on English phonemes that are not present in the students' native language.

If students are literate in their native language, focus on differences between that language and English, with less attention given to elements that will transfer.

Provide extra practice in reading words, sentences, and stories.

Use cognate words in the native language as synonyms when teaching vocabulary.

Identify and clarify difficult words and passages.

Consolidate knowledge of the text through the use of summaries.

Find appropriate ways to use the native language.

These seven findings do not constitute a reading program for ELLs. We obviously need much more research. However, given the fact that teachers cannot wait until research catches up with their needs in order to implement effective practices with their ELL students, I think it is important to look not only at the research that is available, but also at what experienced, reflective teachers of ELLs (and observers of those teachers) consider to be best practices. The rest of this article will discuss the implications of available research on instructional practices in the teaching of the five essential elements of reading to ELLs, based on the findings of the National Literacy Panel as much as possible, but also drawing on information from reliable sources such as The Knowledge Loom: Spotlight on Elementary Literacy (The Education Alliance at Brown University, n.d.), as well as my own experience.

Phonemic awareness

Phonemic awareness is difficult for ELLs because they may not yet have enough experience with English to be able to distinguish sounds that differ from those of their native language. There are three aspects of phonological awareness when learning to read in a second language that are important for teachers of ELLs to remember and incorporate into their instruction:

ELLs cannot develop phonological awareness in English until they are familiar with the sounds of English.

This means that before explicit instruction in phonological awareness begins, children should have extensive experiences with fun and appealing songs, poems, chants, and read-alouds that will allow them to hear and reproduce the sound patterns of English.

Once explicit instruction has begun, modifications must be made to allow for more practice with sounds that can potentially cause confusion.

These are sounds that either don't exist in the native language (most of the short vowel sounds of English don't exist in Spanish, for example), or sounds that are perceived as different in English but the same in the native language (such as /r/ and /l/ for speakers of Japanese, or /b/ and /v/ for speakers of Spanish). Because these differences vary from one language to another, teachers will have to become familiar with which sounds of English will need extra practice, depending on the language backgrounds of their students.

Once phonological awareness has developed in any language, it transfers to other languages that are learned.

Therefore, students who are literate in their native language will not need to develop this skill again in English; they will only need to become familiar with the sounds of English and to learn to discriminate sounds that are different between their native language and English.

Phonics

Phonics can be problematic because ELLs often have difficulty discriminating between similar sounds, and because the English language does not have a regular system of correspondence between letters and sounds. Here are some issues related to phonics instruction for ELLs, with discussion of their implications:

Systematic phonics instruction can be very effective in helping ELLs, even those at fairly low levels of language proficiency, learn to decode words.

However, this skill does not facilitate reading comprehension if students' oral language proficiency is not developed to the level of the texts they are expected to read. For this reason, reading instruction should be combined with intensive development of the oral language needed to understand the text.

The most effective reading programs for ELLs combine systematic phonics instruction with a print-rich environment that provides exposure to appealing reading materials in varied genres.

Skills practice that is embedded in meaningful texts helps ensure that decoding skills don't progress beyond students' ability to comprehend the text.

Many of the components of phonics instruction need to be modified to meet the particular needs of ELLs.

For example:

Before phonics instruction begins, students must have the phonemic awareness skills they need in order to perceive individual sounds in words. This is particularly important for sounds that are problematic because of the native language.

Teachers must be aware of whether a students' native language uses a non-Roman alphabet or is non-alphabetic. Even if ELLs have had no instruction in reading in the native language, environmental exposure to a different writing system can negatively affect the ease with which they learn to recognize the letters of the English alphabet.

ELLs must be able to hear and reproduce English sounds with a degree of accuracy commensurate with their pronunciation abilities, before they are taught to make associations between those sounds and particular letters.

It is helpful to explicitly point out different letter combinations that have the same sound, and provide extra practice with them. Multiple spellings of the same sound can be very confusing for ELLs, particularly if they have had some reading instruction in a language such as Spanish, which has almost completely regular sound-symbol correspondences.

Teachers must pay attention to the meanings of the words used to teach phonics skills. Teaching students to decode words they don't know only reinforces the idea that "reading" is pronouncing sounds out loud rather than creating meaning.

Automatic recognition of frequent words is very important for ELLs, whether the words follow phonics rules or not. Although ELLs may develop good decoding skills, their lack of total proficiency in the English language will always slow them down somewhat. Automatic recognition of words can help mitigate this difficulty.

Most ELLs will need additional time to master phonics. Given the need for extra practice to learn to hear and produce the sounds of English, to learn the meanings of the words used in phonics instruction, to learn the multiple combinations of letters that make the same sound, and to learn many more sight words than English speakers need, additional time for phonics instruction should be built into reading programs for ELLs.

Fluency

Fluency is difficult for ELLs because their lack of proficiency in English slows down their ability to decode words and hinders their ability to understand the meanings of the words and how the words combine to produce meaningful sentences and discourse. These suggestions will help teachers adapt fluency instruction for ELLs:

ELLs cannot achieve fluency in oral reading before they have achieved fluency in speaking.

Repeated readings of texts that contain unfamiliar vocabulary and sentence structures will not increase fluency. When working on developing fluency, be sure that students are reading texts that they are familiar with and can understand. Students' own language experience stories are a very good choice, as are read-alouds that students have heard several times and discussed.

ELLs' normal self-consciousness about accents and errors can affect their reading fluency, especially if they are asked to read aloud in front of the entire class.

This effect will be magnified if students are openly corrected or criticized. Fluency practice for ELLs can be facilitated by having them read along with the teacher, or by reading chorally with a group. If individual oral reading is necessary, provide an authentic purpose for the reading (such as a theatrical performance, or delivering information that the rest of the class needs), and let students practice first with a partner.

Decoding skills, fluency in oral reading, and reading comprehension interact in various ways.

The ability to decode words easily is obviously necessary for fluency, and it also facilitates comprehension by allowing the reader to pay more attention to meaning. Comprehension, in turn, facilitates fluency by making it easier to recognize new words. Effective instruction for ELLs integrates these three elements of reading (plus vocabulary learning) into the same lessons using the same text, as each element helps build and reinforce the others, producing a multiplier effect.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is difficult for ELLs; even for quite proficient learners, the extent of their knowledge of vocabulary is only a fraction of what it is for native speakers of English, and the failure to understand even a few words of a text can have negative effects on comprehension. There are many things teachers can do to help ELLs improve their reading vocabulary, including the following:

ELLs need more vocabulary instruction than their native-speaking peers.

If a native-speaking child enters kindergarten knowing about 5,000 English words, and an ELL with no previous exposure to English enters the same class knowing no English words, it's obvious that the same instruction for each of them will not produce the same results. Everything a teacher of ELLs does should revolve around vocabulary acquisition-explaining, demonstrating, drawing, repeating, reading, writing, and playing with words throughout every aspect of instruction.

ELLs need instruction in different vocabulary words than their native-speaking peers.

ELLs lack many of the basic words that native speakers know, so just teaching the vocabulary words that are suggested in the reading materials you are using will not be sufficient. Here are some of the many types of words that need to be explicitly taught:

words that are crucial for understanding a text;

words that are encountered in a wide variety of contexts;

frequently used words that contain word parts (roots, prefixes, suffixes) that can help students analyze other unknown words;

words with multiple meanings, whether spelled differently (homophones such as to, two, and too) or spelled the same (such as a dining room table and a multiplication table);

figurative language and idiomatic expressions;

academic words that indicate relationships among other words (such as because, therefore, and since to indicate cause and effect).

ELLs need different vocabulary teaching techniques and strategies than their native-speaking peers.

Handing out a list of definitions or asking students to put the words into sentences won't help ELLs learn the meanings of the words. Here are some things to keep in mind:

ELLs who are literate in a language that has many words that are similar in meaning and form to English words should be taught to recognize these cognates and use them to create meaning.

The meanings of words are acquired through multiple opportunities to hear, say, read, and write the words in slightly different meaningful contexts. Teachers will have to create these contexts in the classroom, since incidental learning of vocabulary cannot be relied on for ELLs.

Explicit explanations of unknown words should include contextual support through real objects, pictures or drawings, gestures, examples, demonstrations, or experiments that accompany the verbal explanations.

The use of context clues to infer meaning is not always successful with ELLs because they may not understand the context well enough to infer an accurate meaning.

Having to explain what a word means to other students helps develop comprehension of the full meaning of the word.

Comprehension

Reading comprehension is more difficult for ELLs than for native speakers for various reasons. Three of the most important reasons are discussed here:

ELLs are more likely than native speakers to lack the background knowledge necessary for understanding texts.

ELLs' prior educational experiences may have been substandard or interrupted, so reading texts that assume certain prior knowledge becomes difficult. Even for students with good educational backgrounds, cultural differences and culturally based assumptions can result in a lack of background knowledge and thus loss of comprehension. Whatever the reasons for a lack of necessary background knowledge, before asking ELLs to read a particular text, teachers must identify information that is prerequisite for understanding the text, evaluate students' prior knowledge of these prerequisites, and fill any gaps that are found. The best kinds of activities for building background knowledge are those that get students involved in manipulating language and concepts, rather than just receiving information from the teacher. These include experiential activities such as science experiments, classification activities, role playing, previewing a reading and generating questions about it, and sharing predictions about the answers to those questions.

The language level of the text to be read, compared with ELLs' language proficiency, is a major factor in how much they will understand of the text.

Even advanced ELLs and those who have been redesignated as fluent in English will experience difficulty with unusual vocabulary, figurative language, very complex sentence structures, or unfamiliar styles and genres (just as many native speakers of English do). For this reason, the integration of intensive language development with reading instruction is highly recommended for ELLs at all levels of language proficiency.

Reading comprehension instruction for ELLs needs to be modified to address their needs.

Asking ELLs to read the same texts and do the same activities as everybody else will only result in frustration for teachers and failure for students. This is not a matter of "dumbing down" the curriculum or applying different standards. It is a matter of implementing the curriculum at a language level that makes it accessible to ELLs, while at the same time working to develop their oral language so they will be able to comprehend texts at higher levels. Here are some general principles for modifying reading instruction for ELLs:

Provide as much nonverbal support for reading comprehension as possible, including pictures, diagrams, real objects, gestures, acting, and graphic organizers. The support can be used both for helping students understand a reading passage and for assessment, so students can show what they have understood in ways that are not entirely dependent on verbal ability.

Explicitly teach comprehension strategies, such as reader-generated questions, summarizing, and monitoring comprehension. Remember, however, that teaching strategies is not enough; students must practice them with texts that are accessible at their level of language proficiency. If students don't experience successful application of the strategies, they won't even try to use them with other texts.

Plan interactive activities around reading and interpreting texts. Sharing ideas, comparing perspectives, and coming to agreement (or agreeing to disagree) are all ways that students use the language of the text in meaningful ways, and thus progress to higher levels of language proficiency and reading comprehension.

Conclusion

The original intention of this article was to provide specific suggestions for modifying reading programs to meet the needs of English language learners, based on the findings of the National Literacy Panel. Because of the paucity of appropriate research studies, however, the recommendations made in the NLP report are not extensive enough to help teachers build appropriate reading programs for ELLs. I therefore looked beyond the NLP findings and included theory and experience as well as research.

I hope that readers will take this synthesis of research, theory, and experience and integrate it into their ongoing examination of what they do in their classrooms, what happens as a result of what they do, and why it happens. Research can tell us which kinds of practices are effective in general, but ultimately only individual teachers can determine what is most effective for them and the particular group of students they are teaching at the moment.

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What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners?

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As a classroom teacher, I was largely ignorant of, and definitely suspicious of, research. I believed that researchers could make their studies come out any way they wanted them to, and that a good teacher who reflected on her own teaching knew much more about how to be effective with her students than any researcher did.

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"Counting the words in a sentence may seem simple. But when we speak, we run words together. It’s important for young children to learn that the stream of speech is composed of  individual words. For children with low language skills or children learning English, this activity is especially crucial. It is perfectly fine to take sentences from a story. The language should be close to common speech.

Steps:

1. Give each child a manipulative or manipulatives with which to count the words in a sentence.

2. Dictate a sentence. The sentences should be articulated clearly but not in a halting, artificial manner. The words should run together as in natural speech.

Avoid dictating haltingly: “Mom [pause] went [pause] to [pause] the [pause] store.”

Be careful when dictating phrases such as ‘going to’, ‘would have’, ‘used to’ to pronounce two words. Avoid saying, ‘gonna’, ‘woulda’, ‘useta’, and so on.

1. All students repeat the sentence.

2. One student uses the manipulatives to count the words.

3. All students use the manipulatives to count the words in the same sentence.

Repeat these steps with as many as 10 sentences.

Following these steps, students have individual turns and group practice to ensure the maximum amount of practice in a brief activity.

One manipulative that has been used is a paper bunny cut out and attached to a wooden stick. Students ‘hop the bunny’ for each word in the sentence. Other manipulatives are bingo chips or bottle caps which are counted out for each word.

Sentences should start at two to five words in length, then should get a little longer, but generally should not exceed eight words."

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Silly Names Song: Building Phonemic Awareness

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50 Educational Brain Breaks and brain break related ideas

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I really like idea #30 where it shows you how to make a wheel you can spin to choose a brain break. This gives some excitement and unpredictability to the concept. If I did this maybe I could have it be a student job to come up with new brain breaks to put on the wheel each week.

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I don't know about you, but when I sit through a faculty meeting or professional development session of any sort, I start getting antsy by the 30-minute mark. If you can relate, just imagine how your students must feel when they've been sitting for too long. Educational brain breaks are the perfect way to help your students redirect their energy and focus when they start to fade.

I find it super-beneficial to incorporate quick mindful, physical, and mental check-ins with my students as a regular part of my classroom routine. These breaks include all types of movement, yoga and breathing exercises, as well as jokes, quick videos, and more. The activities I use have helped me throughout my lifetime, so I love sharing them with my students. Here are my favorite educational brain breaks that are sure to increase productivity and give your kids a much-needed way to unwind before the next lesson.

Mindful Educational Brain Breaks

1. Use transition times for mental check-ins

Transitions are a big part of the elementary school day. When I first started teaching 19 years ago, I was surprised by just how much time it takes to get ready for specials or to bring students back from centers. It's hard not to feel like that's lost time. That's why using transition time for mental health check-ins is such a game changer. Mental health check-ins can help students get in touch with their emotions, refresh and recharge, acknowledge and cope with negative thoughts and overwhelming feelings, and be more focused throughout the day.

2. Pretend to breathe like an animal

Source: Stephanie Sanders

This video shows students how to pretend to breath like some of their favorite animals. The snake breath involves hissing while slithering from side to side, while the whale breath has students pretend to breathe out through a blowhole! Tap into creativity by picking other interesting animals and acting them out through breath.

3. Do a 10-minute guided meditation

These guided meditations are educational and are perfect to use as brain breaks whenever you and your students just need to breathe. Catch your breath with any of these 20 guided video meditations.

4. Practice "focus ball" breathing

Walk your kids through the following exercise: Stand or sit with legs and feet together. Bring your palms together in front of your chest. Keep your fingertips touching as you pull your palms apart, forming a ball with your fingers. Press your fingertips together until you feel the muscles in your hands and arms activating. See if you feel your core tighten too. Now close your eyes and as you breathe in, inflate your ball, and as you breathe out, flatten the ball by pushing your palms together. (Repeat these instructions for 60 seconds).

Learn more: Mindful.org

5. Try the old ear-nose switcheroo

This is a quick and easy challenge to reset the brain. Instruct kids to touch their left ear with their right hand and at the same time touch their nose with their left hand. Then have them switch their hands and touch their right ear with their left hand and their nose with their right hand. Switch back and forth a few times. Then have them close their eyes, take a deep breath, and blow it all out.

Learn more: YouTube: Ear-Nose Switch

6. Take a yoga break

Source: The Pyjama Foundation

Inspire kids to move, stretch, and practice mindfulness with yoga. These printable yoga cards make it easy to incorporate yoga into your educational brain breaks. Each page includes a picture and description of the pose, and each page includes poses of increasing difficulty from level 1 to level 5. And don't worry, it's not a huge time commitment. The sequence on each card is designed to take only a few minutes.

7. Stretch it out

It's never a good idea to spend too much time sitting in one position. Allow kids to take a break and bring some flexibility back into their spines. Have them stand with their feet shoulder-distance apart. Put their left hand on their hip and raise their right hand overhead. Lean to the left and stretch their arm as far as they can to the left. Repeat on the right side. Then stand tall and slowly roll down one vertebra at a time until their hands reach the floor (or at least their shins). Have them take a deep breath then slowly roll back up. Repeat as necessary.

Learn more: Mom Junction

8. Focus on sound

Have kids sit quietly with their eyes closed. Ring a chime or gong. Have them listen carefully to the chime, feeling the vibration in their body as the sound reverberates and then slowly fades. Tell them to breathe slowly and deeply as they focus on the sound.

9. Do a quick mindfulness activity

Mindfulness activity cards provide great educational brain breaks. Stash a pack in your desk and pull them out whenever you need them. Each card will give a prompt for kids to try that will let them refocus and recharge. Perfect for moments when you need to bring down the energy in the room.

Buy it: Mindfulness Cards for Kids at Amazon

10. Chill out with this cross-body exercise

Have kids stand tall and cross one leg in front of the other while pressing the outsides of their feet together. Now have them cross their arms over each other at the wrists. Clasp their hands and curl their arms into their chest. Take a few breaths, and uncross and cross the opposite way for a few more breaths.

11. Float with jellyfish

When you really need to take the energy in your room down a notch, turn off the lights, set a timer, and put on a calming video. For example, Cat Trumpet put together a jellyfish aquarium video where kids will find themselves under the brilliant blue sea in the middle of a swarm of jellyfish. They'll be mesmerized by the slow, fluid motions and lulled into calmness by the soothing music.

12. Break out the hot hands

This is a good break when you sense a weariness in the air. Have kids rub their hands together vigorously until they warm up. Tell them to close their eyes and place their hands over their eyes. Instruct them to breathe deeply as they clear their minds and refocus.

13. Try cat and cow poses

Source: Flow and Grow Kids Yoga

Have kids start on all fours and then give them the following instructions to complete the cat and cow yoga poses: Place your shoulders over your wrists and hips over your knees. Arch your back to the sky and tuck in the tailbone (cat pose). Let your head fall between your arms. From there, sink the belly towards the ground, and lift the chest and chin (cow pose). Gently alternate between the two poses while breathing deeply.

14. Do nothing for two minutes

Never underestimate the power of stillness. When the energy gets a little ramped up, and it's time for the entire class to take a pause, have them drop everything and glue their eyes to the screen as you show this countdown. The gentle lulling of the waves and the sight of the sun sparkling off the water will reset their nervous system in a jiffy.

Learn More: Calm

15. Spread your wings (in slow motion)

Walk your kids through this winged movement: Sit cross-legged on the floor. Stretch your arms down by your sides with your palms facing inward toward your body. Slowly raise both arms while rotating hands forward. When your arms reach shoulder level, your hands should be facing forward. Continue raising arms, slowly rotating palms so that by the time hands are overhead, palms are facing each other. Slowly lower arms, repeating the rotation (palms facing each other, palms facing forward, palms facing sides) until they are once again resting at your sides. As you raise and lower your arms, stretch them as long as you can, as if you are scraping the sides of the room and the ceiling. Repeat slowly three times, breathing deeply.

Physical Education Brain Breaks

16. Play Silent Ball when you have downtime

You can play a quick game of Silent Ball anytime, anywhere. Play a quick three-minute game right before dismissal or before transitioning to a new activity. All you need is a small squishy ball. The rules are simple: 1) stay quiet and 2) don't drop the ball when passing it around. This activity is one of those educational brain breaks that builds a positive classroom community, fosters friendly competition, and boosts nonverbal communication. Enjoy the silence.

17. Line up in unique ways

Kids are very social and curious beings. Most of them love to chat with one another at any chance they can get. Lining up to leave the room for anything is the perfect chance for them to mix and mingle. Make a more productive use of this time by having students line up in special ways. Some fun ideas include lining up in alphabetical order by name, by birth date, or by height order.

18. Just jump!

Sometimes kids just need to bounce their energy out. Have them pretend they are bouncing on a mini-trampoline (this will keep their movement on a vertical plane instead of all over the room), and give them a couple of minutes to let loose!

19. Take a cue from the stadium

Here's one for a group of kids-start the wave! Beginning at one end of the room, kids stand up and throw their arms overhead, bringing them back down as they return to their seats. Each row follows until you reach the other end of the room. Amp it up by encouraging your kids to tap their feet or tap their hands on their legs so that they are in constant motion. This activity works great on Zoom too!

20. Stir the pot

Have kids visualize they are standing in front of an enormous cauldron. Inside the cauldron is an ooey-gooey pot of caramel. Take hold of a large stirrer and plunge it to the bottom of the pot. Slowly begin to stir in a clockwise direction. Have them use their whole body to help get a full range of motion in their wrists and shoulders. Instruct them to throw their hips into the action. After a minute or two, reverse the direction.

21. Make it rain

Conjure up a rainstorm! Sitting or standing at a desk or table, have kids tap one finger on the desk, then two, then three, then four, then their whole hand until you all feel like you're in the middle of a deluge. Work your way backward from five down to one as the storm ebbs away.

22. Energize with these

First, instruct kids to touch their left elbow to their right knee, then touch their right elbow to their left knee. Switch back and forth, going slowly at first, building speed until they are going at a vigorous pace. Next, do some windmills by standing tall with their feet shoulder-width apart and their arms stretched out. Bend at the waist and touch their right hand to their left toes, then their left hand to their right toes. Switch back and forth.

23. Make X's and O's

Walk kids through the following exercise: Sitting in a chair with your feet on the ground and legs together, curl your body into your lap, folding yourself into a tiny O shape. Next, open your arms and legs wide, forming an X shape with your body. Pull back into an O shape, then back out to an X shape. Repeat three times.

24. Energize in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Get hearts pumping with a quick sequence of exercises. Call out five actions for your students to do as quickly as they can. For instance, five jumping jacks, four push-ups, three sit-ups, two squat jumps, and one tree pose.

25. Take a cruise on an imaginary skateboard

Have your kids line up next to a wall and place one hand on the wall. Tell them to plant the foot closest to the wall and swing the other leg, as if pushing off the ground on a skateboard. Start slowly, with tiny swings, moving up to power pushes. Repeat on the other side.

26. Take a break to groove

Music is a great way to reset the mood in a room and raise the energy level. Put on a fun song and have a 30-second freestyle dance party. Here's a big list of school-appropriate songs for kids.

27. Or take it to the next level

Teach your kids the steps to popular dances such as the Cha-Cha Slide, the Macarena, or the Kidz Bop Shuffle.

28. Ramp up with a round of cherry pickers

This easy activity will get your students' hearts pumping and give their brains a boost. Have them jump up off the ground, then down to the floor into a push-up position. From there, instruct them to hop their feet up into a frog position, then pop up to a standing position.

29. Clap on, clap off

When you say "clap on," kids clap their hands vigorously together. When you say "clap off," they stop as quickly as they can and freeze. Or follow along with this a fun video.

30. Skip it out

When the energy is fading and kids need to get their blood flowing, put on a peppy song and pull out the imaginary jump ropes. Have kids skip or jump rope in place until the song ends.

31. Make like a blender

Tell kids it's time to make fruit smoothies. Ask them to pretend they are in a blender and they are strawberries (or blueberries or bananas, etc.). Dramatically pour orange juice or yogurt into the air in front of you. Tell kids when you flip the switch that they need to wiggle and jiggle (separately, not together) until they are each individually blended up. Start with a slow speed, moving up to medium speed, fast speed, and finally turbo speed. And then reverse it! Start at turbo speed and go back to slow speed.

32. Celebrate with a silent cheer

This activity is perfect for the end of an activity or a sustained amount of work time-especially for kids who are learning remotely. Let kids stand up and silently cheer and gesture in celebration. How animated can they get?!

33. Do a full-body workout

This kid-friendly exercise video is great for your body and brain! Kids can follow along through a set of workout moves that will get their blood pumping.

34. Play popcorn

Students will all be sitting in their chairs, and at any time, a student can jump up and say, "Pop!" Once they do, that student remains standing. If two students pop up at the same time, everyone takes their seats, and the game starts over. How quickly can the entire class pop without having to start over?

35. Hit the wall

Pushing against a solid object is a good way to displace extra energy from your body. Have kids stand facing a wall with their arms stretched out in front of them, palms on the surface of the wall. Push the wall away with all their strength for a count of ten. Relax for five seconds, then push again. Other activities they can do at the wall include calf stretches and wall push-ups.

36. 3, 2, 1 blastoff!

Instruct kids to stand and then squat down with their hands on the ground in front of them. All together, count down 3, 2, 1. When you get to zero, they should push up like a rocket, jumping as high as they can-letting all of their energy burst from their center.

37. Quick as a snap, wink

This is a quick and easy refocusing activity. Tell kids to snap their left fingers while they wink their right eye. Switch to snapping their right fingers while winking their left eye. This activity is particularly effective for younger learners who may find both activities challenging.

38. Balance break

A great way to get kids out of their chairs is to practice balance. Have them hop on one foot. Then up the ante by having them stand on one foot and bend their other knee out in front of them.

39. Tabletop push-ups

Kids can use their desk, a chair, the side of their couch-anything really. Have them place their hands on the table and focus their eyes in the center, moving down slowly and pushing back up.

40. Try some facial gymnastics

Have kids get their silly on for 30 seconds. Tell them to wiggle their eyebrows up and down as fast as they can. Then try to raise one eyebrow at a time.

Mental Brain Breaks That Are Educational

41. Take a comedy break

Comedy is a great release when the atmosphere is feeling a little intense. Show a funny video clip or have kids volunteer to tell a joke or pose a few silly riddles. We have compiled a number of jokes by theme on WeAreTeachers for kids of all ages for guaranteed laughs. For example, your students will love one of our most recent additions, 34 Cat Jokes for Kids. From there, you can find dog jokes, seasonal jokes, food jokes, and much more.

42. Share fun facts

In addition to joke compilations, we have plenty of fun fact lists on our site with themes that will thrill your students. Plus they're an educational way to teach your students new information during brain breaks. Get started with these fun feline facts to accompany the jokes above. Meow!

43. Practice another language

Source: startasl.com

Teach your kids the alphabet in sign language. Use brain breaks to practice by singing the ABCs while signing the letters. Then practice vocabulary words by spelling them out loud while signing the letters.

44. Find out how it's made

Remember that classic Sesame Street video about how crayons are made? We watched in awe as crayons rolled off the assembly line, wrapped in paper, and then slipped into those familiar cardboard boxes. Kids today are just as fascinated by how things are made! Here are our favorite videos about how things are made-from fireworks to LEGO.

45. Take a doodle break

According to researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, downtime is essential for brain health. Kids need time for their growing brains to integrate and process the vast amount of information they receive each day. In other words, it is actually beneficial to give our kids time to allow their minds to wander. Try this: Set a timer for three to five minutes and let kids silently doodle with pencil and paper or a dry-erase board and marker while soft, calming music plays in the background.

Learn more: Sage Journals

46. Try a directed-drawing activity

Directed drawing activities walk your students through the process step-by-step so anyone can create their very own masterpiece. Teachers can lead the session by drawing on the whiteboard or chart paper while students follow along. Even better, there are plenty of videos on YouTube that lead the lesson, giving you a little break too. We have done the work and gathered some our favorite free directed-drawing activities for kids. Grab your favorite art supplies and get creative!

47. Gather your favorite GIFs

Make a slideshow of your favorite GIFs and have your kids act them out. Funny animals are a good place to start!

48. Find the object

Kids don't even have to get out of their seats for this one, but they can! Have one student start by finding an object and saying, "I see something beginning with the letter [fill in the blank]." The first person to guess the item correctly gets to choose the next object. This can be a fun one to play on Zoom too! You can have kids add in additional clues to help.

49. Clap for a little call-and-response

Pep things up with a little call-and-response clapping. It's simple to do and is often used in the classroom to get students' attention. Simply clap out a pattern that your kids will repeat back to you. Switch out the pattern a few times until everyone is focused and engaged. Alternatively, try a vocal call-and-response. Sing out a few riffs and have kids echo the tune back to you.

50. Color yourself mellow

Even grown-ups have picked up on the coloring craze as an excellent way to calm down and zone out. Put on some nice mellow background music, set a timer, and pass out some of these free mandala coloring pages.

51. Try a brain-break spinner

One way to make sure educational brain breaks are effective is to change up activities. Check out these online movement spinners for Wheel of Fortune-type games that help you add variety to brain breaks!

53. Would You Rather?

Students of all ages love participating in Would You Rather? videos, which can be found all over YouTube these days. Each video is approximately 8 minutes long, and students are given two scenarios where they choose which one they would rather participate in. Topics range from food items to activity choices to places to visit and more. As students choose the scenario, they move to either the right or left side of the room. Students then perform 30-second rounds of a specified exercise before repeating the process with another choice. Some of our favorite Would You Rather? channels include PE with Mr. G, Phonics Man, and Fix and Play. Students love when their teacher participates with them in the fun!

Learn more: PE With Mr. G

52. Write it out

Don't underestimate the power of journaling or creative writing. Give your kids a 5- or 10-minute break to open up a page of their notebook and write about anything they'd like. They don't have to share it with the class or do anything else with it; just use the quiet time to focus on something they love and want to write about.

Educational Video Brain Breaks by Grade Level

54. Brain-break compilations by grade level

If you are looking for a sample of brain breaks suitable for your students by grade level, look no further. We have created separate links of 25 videos each for individual grades at the elementary level. Go down the list and find your favorite!
Kindergarten Brain Breaks First Grade Brain Breaks Second Grade Brain Breaks Third Grade Brain Breaks Fourth Grade Brain Breaks Fifth Grade Brain Breaks
What educational brain breaks do you love? Share them in the comments!

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Quick, easy educational brain breaks that will help students re-energize, refocus, and give their brains a much-needed boost.

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Michigan Assoc for Computer Users in Learning

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PBIS World | A Complete Tier 1 Through Tier 3 Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports System

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PBIS World is in no way affiliated, associated, or connected with any other website, entity, organization, or federal, state, local, or other government agency, department, program, policy, organization, or initiative.

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This is similar to Zoom, but has more options for things to do to help with teaching.

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Record quick videos of your screen and cam. An essential tool for hybrid workplaces.

For Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android

Instantly ready to share and watch - at home, in the office, or a bit of both.

A more efficient, expressive, effective way to communicate.

Nothing to schedule. Nothing to type.

Send quick videos when calendars won't line up and you don't have time to type a wall of text.

Be yourself.

As fun or formal as you want. As many takes as you need.

More than words.

Fun fact: people retain an order of magnitude more information via video than text.

Great for any team. An absolute must-have for distributed teams.

Loom allows me to more personally connect with people without having to do 75 different one-on-one calls, which is just impossible at scale.

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Record quick videos of your screen and cam. An essential tool for hybrid workplaces. For Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android Instantly ready to share and watch - at home, in the office, or a bit of both. A more efficient, expressive, effective way to communicate.

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This is a URL shortner that can be very helpful to share links with your class.

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URL Shortener - Short URLs & Custom Free Link Shortener | Bitly

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Bitly’s Connections Platform is more than a free URL shortener, with robust link management software, advanced QR Code features, and a Link-in-bio solution.

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This is a Google Slides add on. It is the most popular Google Slides add-on. There are some free features as well as additional paid versions.
This add-on allows you to add extra interactive activities to a slide.

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This book has been translated to Spanish and Japanese. It is told in the first person about the achievements of Humanity. This author has also specifically written on other space achievements including landing on the moon and satellite launches. It is an award winning book.

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What is our place in the universe, and how do we know? Written in the first person from the viewpoint of a narrator who represents the human race throughout history, I, Humanity answers these question in a simple, clear, and visual way.

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This is a program that adjusts to students to help them learn Math.

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View the research behind our ESSA Tier IV evidence

XtraMath worked with LeanLab Education to document the connections between using XtraMath and improving outcomes for students primarily in grades K-6.

Download our Logic Model to discover the research and evidence that demonstrates how using XtraMath enhances students' learning and performance, leading to better outcomes for both students and teachers.XtraMath worked with LeanLab Education to document the connections between using XtraMath and improving outcomes for students primarily in grades K-6.
Download our Logic Model

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XtraMath - 10 minutes a day for math fact fluency

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XtraMath is a free program that helps students master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.

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Another similar website for pictures specifically would be Flicker.
These are places to find material that you can screen share

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See the website as well as their YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfxyYZQ1CVpLJoHgX17zrZw

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Whole Brain Teaching - The fastest growing education reform movement in the world!

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You must be a member of our Super Improver group to access all trainings. These are Facebook Live events where you can comment live to ask questions and join in the fun. Recordings of past trainings will also be available to view anytime using the same link above.

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Congratulations to the National Winners!

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https://classroomscreen.com/

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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"A screencasting platform on steroids."
- Sean Lancaster

Free to use, but can only make 3 videos at a time. For $25 you can have a teacher version.

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Supporting millions of teachers, students, thinkers, and everyone who wants to express themselves better.

Teach and learn remotely

Explain Everything is a one-stop whiteboard for remote teaching. Find the best fit for your own personal brand of distance learning in a single solution.
Learn how you can use it

Animate and share in no time

Explain Everything's infinite canvas and recording tools make creating whiteboard explainer videos a breeze.
Easy-peasy video creation

Powerful whiteboard, online and offline

Draw, present, animate, create videos and collaborate. Explain Everything is a feature-rich powerhouse.

Tell your story with any kind of media

From sketches, through PDFs, to videos, Explain Everything lets you turn an infinite canvas into a mixed-media playground that captivates and inspires.

Engage with screencasting whiteboard videos

Record everything to create explanations, media-rich presentations, provide feedback, follow-ups, and meeting takeaways. Share them as videos in no time.

Work with others without boundaries

Connect and collaborate with students, colleagues, or clients, on any device, anywhere. Both in real-time and asynchronously.

On the blog

Recent posts with tips, tricks, and inspiration.

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Explain Everything | Interactive Whiteboard with Real-Time Collaboration

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Supporting millions of teachers, students, thinkers, and everyone who wants to express themselves better. Explain Everything is a one-stop whiteboard for remote teaching. Find the best fit for your own personal brand of distance learning in a single solution. Learn how you can use it Explain Everything's infinite canvas and recording tools make creating whiteboard explainer videos a breeze.

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This is a resource with temples for making worksheets and answer keys.

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Wordwall - Create better lessons quicker

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Need a fresh teaching resource that fits your class and teaching style? Create a customized pack of interactive and printable activities in just one minute.

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An easy and free resource to make rubrics.
Has autofill options for different aspects you may be grading on.

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RubiStar is a tool to help the teacher who wants to use rubrics, but does not have the time to develop them from scratch.

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Like Google Slides, but has tons of ideas, template, and other interactive things.

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Recent Templates

Looking for how to videos and tutorials?

Are you too a #SlidesManiac?

Shout out to SlidesMania for creating so many unique and fun templates! I especially love the virtual notebooks!

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SlidesMania | Free Google Slides themes and PowerPoint templates.

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The best 100% free Google Slides themes and pptx templates. Your PowerPoint and Google Slides will never be the same. No registration or download limits!

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A fun way to learn phonics and how to use the computer. Younger students find it really fun. Can do a lot for free.
Free for all teachers. This program adjusts to where students are at.

lexialearning.com

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Lalilo | Online Phonics program for Distance Learning

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Sign up and invite parents remotely for home access to phonics and reading lessons.

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A learning tool for math. Similar to Lalilo, but for math.

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Online Math & Reading Programs for Students | DreamBox Learning

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Discover Engaging Online Math & Reading Programs For Students With DreamBox Learning. Foster Academic Growth & Success With Our Interactive Platform Today!

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https://storylineonline.net/

If students can't read it will read the books for the students.

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Evaluating Websites   (for Elementary students)

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Facing History aims to "[foster] empathy and reflection, improves students’ academic performance, reinvigorates teachers, and builds safe and inclusive schools."

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The Facing History model is flexible and responsive, meeting the needs of individual teachers, whole schools, and entire districts through our regional offices, and online campus. In addition to our general program activities, we also support specific settings and initiatives.

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The Facing History model is flexible and responsive, meeting the needs of individual teachers, whole schools, and entire districts through our regional offices, and online campus. In addition to our general program activities, we also support specific settings and initiatives.

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A neat website with a tool to help you understand students with different problems.

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How can we help?

I want help with behaviors , learning , and everyday skills

We are Understood.
We are the lifelong guide for those who learn and think differently. In the past year, we've helped more than 20 million people discover their potentials, take control of their lives, and stay on positive paths.

We support the 1 in 5 Americans who learn and think differently.

Learn more

We believe difference is our greatest strength.

Learn more

When we shape the world for difference, we all thrive.

Learn more

Discover what's possible when you're understood.

We'll email you our most helpful stories and resources.

We just launched our "Be the Reason" stigma campaign. Learn more here.

Helpful guidance from Understood

Essential resource spotlight

Are you wondering why your child is struggling?

We're here to help if you're feeling overwhelmed. Take N.O.T.E. (Notice. Observe. Talk. Engage.) is a simple step-by-step tool that can help you figure out if the struggles you're seeing might be signs of a learning and thinking difference.

"I have a hard time focusing, mostly in school. When I do my homework, I kind of feel stressed out because it feels like so much even though it's not too much."

Emperor Kaioyus, Grade 4

Copyright © Understood for All, Inc.

Understood is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax identification number 83-2365235). Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Understood does not provide medical or other professional advice. The health and medical related resources on this website are provided solely for informational and educational purposes and are not a substitute for a professional diagnosis or for medical or professional advice.

Use of this website is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Copyright © 2014-2023 Understood For All Inc.

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Understood - For Learning and Thinking Differences

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Understood.org is the resource that helps the 70 million people with learning and thinking differences anticipate the challenges, barriers, or opportunities in life and confidently reach their potential.

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This has blogs to help you teach with different people groups in mind.

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Teaching for Change and Rethinking Schools collaborate to bring people's history to the classroom.

A dedicated website to encourage and support teaching about Central American history.

The best selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, YA, and educators.

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Building social justice starting in the classroom.

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Learning for Justice is a community education program of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that centers civic and political action education for everyone.

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CJ Reynolds has been a classroom educator for 15 years, teaching high school Literature and The History of Hip-Hop in West Philadelphia. He is also the author Teach Your Class Off: The Real Rap Guide to Teaching and the creator of the Real Rap with Reynolds YouTube channel. Reynolds’ book and YouTu…

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Love and Logic makes the science of raising and teaching kids fun and practical

Imagine a calmer, happier home or classroom that's free from power struggles, yelling and nagging, and filled with joy and mutual respect.

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Positive Parenting Solutions & Educational Resources | Love and Logic

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Positive parenting and teaching techniques to build healthy relationships with kids. Since 1977 we've helped make parenting and teaching fun and rewarding.

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National Council for the Social Studies is pleased to offer a limited number of registration scholarships to educators who have never been able to attend the NCSS Annual Conference in the past for lack of financial support. Teachers from across the United States and its territories are welcome to apply.

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CEE Position Statement
Revised November 2017

The field of English language arts teacher education is made up of three dimensions, each firmly grounded in a commitment to issues of justice, equity, and diversity: (1) the teaching and learning of English language arts (ELA), broadly and inclusively defined; (2) the preparation and professional support of English language arts (ELA) teachers at all levels of education; and (3) the systematic and interdisciplinary inquiry into both the preparation and support of ELA teachers and the teaching and learning of ELA. We in the field of ELA teacher education understand that ELA teaching is a complicated endeavor, encapsulated by the understanding of, facility with, and passion for content, curriculum, instruction, and students. Moreover, we understand that issues of justice, equity, and diversity are complex and fraught concepts affected by their structural, political, and representational intersectionality that are further complicated by multiple layers of systemic oppression. We also recognize that issues of justice, equity, and diversity are central to the teaching and learning of ELA, shaping approaches to curriculum creation and assessment, literacy and language practices, the professional lives and identities of ELA teachers, and research about ELA teaching and learning. At the heart of ELA education is teacher education, i.e., the preparation and support of ELA teachers who embody the qualities we seek to develop in all learners: creative, literate, agentive, compassionate individuals; contributors to the cultural, social, and economic health of their communities; critically aware, participatory citizens in a complex, diverse, and increasingly globalized world.

What follows is a brief explication of the three dimensions of English language arts teacher education with a listing of essential core values.

Dimension 1: The field of English language arts teacher education is the teaching and learning of English language arts, broadly and inclusively defined.

English language arts teacher educators recognize that the study of ELA should develop in students, at any age, interest in, and facility with the literacy and language skills necessary to comprehend, create, respond to, and engage with diverse texts while fostering an understanding of self and others that supports engaging with and effecting change in the world around them. ELA teacher educators understand that the teaching and learning of ELA is a contested subject that must embrace a wide variety of literacy practices, inclusive approaches to language use, intellectual and cultural diversity, and diverse ideological perspectives addressing issues of justice, equity, and diversity. As such, ELA teacher educators create, promote, and facilitate understandings of the teaching and learning of ELA that are grounded in reliable research and emphasize literacy as meaning-making that fosters language competence in a variety of authentic texts, genres, contexts, and situations continuously mediated by a plurality of social, cultural, and ideological factors.

Core Values:
As English language arts teacher educators, we

identify and address students' ELA learning through the appropriate creation, selection, and use of instructional methods, curriculum, materials, assignments, assessments, and technologies;

promote and facilitate the effective teaching of ELA content and skills, which include the reading, comprehension, analysis, viewing, and authoring of various types and genres of texts by and about individuals representing diverse groups in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, culture, class, sexuality, and historical period;

develop, support, and enact classroom curricula and pedagogies that encourage all students to read, respond to, and compose texts that express messages central to their home cultures and in their home languages;

recognize the creative and critical literacy abilities of all students in order to foster within them a sense of agency and critical engagement with issues of justice, equity, and diversity in the world;

model and strive to foster the mastery of personal, civic, communal, and cultural literacies for all students;

develop understanding of the intellectual, historical, and political traditions, debates, and critiques that inform the fields of ELA and education; and

seek to establish, develop, and support these same core values in pre- and inservice ELA teachers.

Dimension 2: The field of English language arts teacher education is the preparation and professional support of teachers of English language arts at all levels of education.

English language arts teacher educators develop and support ELA teachers at all levels of education who inquire into, critically assess, reflect on, and adjust their own teaching practice as well as curricula, standards, assessments, and current practices in the field. ELA teacher educators instruct and mentor pre- and inservice teachers as they develop curricular, pedagogical, and content area expertise and establish their professional identities. As reflective practitioners ourselves, ELA teacher educators exemplify and utilize teaching practices that promote issues of justice, equity, and diversity in the classroom and entail the active use of language to construct, examine, and communicate knowledge in a world of diverse, and often contested, ideas and values.

Core Values:
As English language arts teacher educators, we

teach in ways that are grounded in and extended from understandings of research and theory, practice in the field, and intellectual traditions and debates in the field of ELA teacher education;

teach and research in ways that address issues of justice, equity, and diversity and value the ethnic, racial, linguistic, gender, sexual, class, and cultural identities and needs of all students;

model and promote meaningful engagement with our work and ongoing professional selfrenewal and development through a variety of means;

serve as leaders in and advocates for the field in order to address educational issues, heighten political awareness, and contribute to educational policy at the local, state, and national levels;

foster understanding of the tensions and contradictions inherent in curriculum and content as well as in the complex and sometimes competing institutional, cultural, political, and ideological contexts of teaching and learning;

create connections and serve as liaisons between higher education and the K-12 schools through teaching, learning, and research activities; and

seek to establish, develop, and support these same core values in pre- and inservice ELA teachers.

Dimension 3: The field of English language arts teacher education is the knowledge gained from systematic inquiry into the teaching and learning of English language arts.

English language arts teacher education, as a unique field of study, is grounded in educational theory and research concerned with the teaching and learning of ELA, particularly as it translates to questions about who, what, when, why, and how in educational settings from preschools to universities. ELA teacher educators engage in various forms of qualitative, quantitative, and mixedmethods research in order to answer questions, create theories, and enact practices instrumental in understanding, critiquing, and improving the teaching and learning of ELA and ELA teacher education while interrogating and supporting issues of justice, equity, and diversity.

Core Values:
As English language arts teacher educators, we

create, build upon, and provide access to knowledge about ELA teaching and learning and the issues of justice, equity, and diversity inherent in ELA teaching and learning;

know, contribute to, and expand upon generative intellectual, moral, and aesthetic theories of literacy and language teaching, learning, and development;

value, foster, and engage in collaborative and classroom-based inquiry involving ELA educators in all educational settings;

engage in reflective practice and support its use by ELA educators in all educational settings;

conduct, publish, and disseminate research about the teaching and learning of ELA in various venues to diverse audiences;

prepare and mentor all those in the fields of ELA and ELA teacher education; and

seek to establish, develop, and support these same core values in pre- and inservice ELA teachers.

This document was revised by a CEE working committee comprised of the following:
Melanie Shoffner, Chair - James Madison University
Janet Alsup - Purdue University
Antero Garcia - Stanford University
Marcelle Haddix - Syracuse University
Michael Moore - Georgia Southern University
Ernest Morrell - University of Notre Dame
David Schaafsma - University of Illinois at Chicago
Leah Zuidema - Dordt College
This position statement may be printed, copied, and disseminated without permission from NCTE.

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What Is English Language Arts Teacher Education? - NCTE

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CEE Position Statement Revised November 2017 The field of English language arts teacher education is made up of three dimensions, each firmly grounded in a commitment to issues of justice, equity, and diversity: (1) the teaching and learning of English language arts (ELA), broadly and inclusively defined; (2) the preparation and professional support of English language arts (ELA) teachers at all levels of education; and (3) the systematic and interdisciplinary inquiry into both the preparation and support of ELA teachers and the teaching and learning of ELA.

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Currently, there are many free courses available due to COVID.

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A platform for interactional online meetings

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Slido is the ultimate Q&A and polling platform for live and virtual meetings and events. It offers interactive Q&A, live polls and insights about your audience.

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Many songs for content areas

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"learning songs" "hopscotch educational songs" "elementary school songs" "hopscotch songs" hopscotch "hopscotch learning songs"

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Catchy educational songs for all ages. Created by Joanna and Matt Pace (Educator & Songwriter, respectively).

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Teachers can borrow many books at the library. Consider borrowing books for each unit you do.

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This has many non-fiction books. Has readers theatre scripts for nonfiction.

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Copyright 2001- Melissa Stewart. All rights reserved. All materials on this site may be copied for classroom or library use but may not be reprinted or resold for commercial purposes. This website is COPPA compliant. If you are a child under age 13 and wish to contact Melissa Stewart, please use the email address of a teacher, librarian, or parent with that adult's permission. Webhost Privacy Policy.

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Copyright 2001- Melissa Stewart. All rights reserved. All materials on this site may be copied for classroom or library use but may not be reprinted or resold for commercial purposes. This website is COPPA compliant. If you are a child under age 13 and wish to contact Melissa Stewart, please use the email address of a teacher, librarian, or parent with that adult's permission.

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You can find an article on content and it can change the reading level of the text. Can be used to help EL studnets or any other students. Really easy and fast way to differntiate instruction.

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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Writing short poetry is often something that makes writing approachable.

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I can explain how plants have parts that MOVE, helping plants grow, behave, and reproduce.

4-LS1.1, Lit.R1.3.7, Lit.W.4.2.D.

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Boddle transforms K-6th education with engagement. Unlock your confidence to learn.

Create a free account as a:

Boddle transforms K-6th education with engagement. Unlock your confidence to learn.

Create free account as a:

Curriculum-aligned, Secure, and Fun

Curriculum aligned to standards such as CCSS, TEKS, Florida B.E.S.T., and many more!

KidSafe Certified and compliant with COPPA, FERPA, and SOPPA

Fun and engaging learning experiences available on web, iOS, and Android

What's the Word?

2nd Grade Teacher

We love Boddle in our 2nd grade classroom! We use it as part of the technology station during math. My students love customizing their Boddle and the games. I love being able to give assignments on our standards, or assign challenges or extra practice if needed, too! Boddle is so engaging and fun. We love it!
‍

Parent

The best part is that my son doesn't get frustrated. With other programs, he'd quit from being overwhelmed by questions he can't answer. That never happened with Boddle!

After School Director

The program is amazing and the students can't get enough of it! They look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays which happen to be our math days.

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For Teachers

Time-saving tools, curriculum-aligned content, and the perfect balance of learning and fun for your students.

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For Parents

Healthy screen time that
helps your child
level up in math and ELA.

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Blog & Case Studies

A proven learning tool to help kids stay engaged and improve performance.

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Boddle Learning | 3D Math Game for K-6 Kids

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Boost math engagement and close learning gaps with the most interactive 3D math game. Tackle learning loss and help your kids catch up and excel in K-6 math with Boddle's adaptive learning platform!

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Programming for kids

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Programming for kids, made with love. Easy to follow lessons focused on student outcomes so you can teach your students to code.

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You can put a YouTube video in, and it will create a quiz based off of it.

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The IM K-5 curriculum provides teachers with coherently sequenced materials based on the standards and research-based learning trajectories to support students' learning in these early years. IM K-5 Math is rigorous, problem-based, and fully aligned to the standards, with coherence across grade bands.

Launch Curriculum

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The IM K-5 curriculum provides teachers with coherently sequenced materials based on the standards and research-based learning trajectories to support students' learning in these early years. IM K-5 Math is rigorous, problem-based, and fully aligned to the standards, with coherence across grade bands. Launch Curriculum