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Do your students struggle with that time in the morning when you are taking attendance, listening to students' stories, and getting them ready for the day? If so, this 10 slide Power Point is just the thing for you!

We have created this resource so each day of the week there is a relevant task the students have to do. Here are the daily choices: Monday Memories (journal writing), Trivia Tuesday, Wednesday's Words (famous quotes), Thinking Thursday (logic puzzles), and Fact Friday (math fact practice). The great thing about this resource is that there is room to add on once you collect trivia, quotes, and logic puzzles. You could add a slide right to the Power Point that you could use for the following year!

We have found that our students look forward to these each morning and love the routine that so many students need to start their morning! Click here to find this amazing resource for FREE now!

Classroom photo credit here.

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Morning Routine Activities: Getting Your Students Energized for Learning - Wise Guys

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Do your students struggle with that time in the morning when you are taking attendance, listening to students' stories, and getting them ready for the day? If so, this 10 slide Power Point is just the thing for you! We have created this resource so each day of the week there is a relevant task the students have to do.

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Activities to Calm Students Down After Lunch/Recess

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Activities to Calm Students Down After Lunch/Recess

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10 ways to calm a class after lunch or recess

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Here are 10 great tips to help you settle students down after lunch or recess: 1. Allow only a few students to enter the room at a time. · 2. Set a calm ambiance

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Classroom Strategy

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The jigsaw technique is a cooperative learning approach that reduces racial conflict among school children, promotes better learning, improves student motivation, and increases enjoyment of the learning experience.

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Use this discussion strategy to help students practice being contributors and listeners in a group conversation.

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Ideas, Inspiration, and Giveaways for Teachers

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Checking for Student Understanding- Four Techniques

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Do you have parents who claim they feel "out of the loop" when asked about their child's progress? Sometimes, I used to get an angry call when interim report cards came out because parents didn't understand why their child had earned a "C." Of course, they had access to online grading systems 24 hours a day, and had supposedly seen the work coming home, but I knew I had to do something different.

I decide to create a folder that would go home every other week, and which would require a parent signature. This way, I knew that a parent would not be able claim they were not informed. My folders also require the student to do a self-reflection, which aides in the discussions at home about the current grades. Lastly, I wanted a way for the students to track their own progress with graphs and charts - hence the name Data Folders was born!

Parents are introduced to the Data Folders at Open House, on my teacher website, as well as in the Parent Handbook which is sent home. I try to cover all the bases so that parents are well-informed. They are told that it is a folder that contains data from their child's progress and that it should be looked at, discussed, signed, and returned back to school by the end of the week. They are always free to jot additional comments too!

While many examples of data folders can range from one or two pages, others can be extreme, consisting of 10-20 pages. Personally, I prefer to keep my data folders at about 5-6 pages max, with a cover sheet, a parent signature sheet, 2-3 graphs, and a student reflection page. Inserting a printout of the child's current grades form your gradebook is always easy and handy too! Creating your class set of data folders may be easier than you think!
Setting Up Your Data Folders
* Begin by purchasing a class set of two-pocket folders that have brads in the center (this is very important). Make sure all the folders are the same color, as this will make the management of passing out and turning in that much easier for you. Look for 1- or 5-cent folder deals during the back-to-school sales in August to get your class sets and always have additional folders on hand for lost or damaged folders, or new students that will need one as well.

* Next, create and print out shipping labels with "Data Folder" as the title, and maybe add some clip art, if you prefer. Make additional labels that have each child's name on it. Place the title label in the center of your folder, and the name label in the upper right corner.
Create Your Data Folder Content
* Inside the data folder, I create a welcome page for the parent, which explains that the data folders will be sent home every other week, and will need a parent signature upon returning to class. After the cover page, I then create an additional template, which has a column of blank lines to input the date, and a column of blank lines for a parent signature. Keep it very simple and you will find the best results.

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* I create graphs from a simple grid template for the students to track progress. I like to use one bar graph style, and one line graph style. This not only helps students to see their progress, but also to practice graphing skills for a real-life application! I usually choose two graphs from the following: spelling scores, Accelerated Reader stats, math test scores, math facts learned, or homework returned. Whatever you feel is most important for your parents and students to be made aware of are the best choices for your data graphs. Stick to your top two or three so that it does not become overwhelming.

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* Finally, the last page in the data folder is a student reflection sheet in which the student must fill in the date, and one thing that he or she was proud of since the last update, as well as one thing he or she feels can be worked on. This reflection piece is one of the most important in the process because students begin to see that grades are not given by the teacher, but rather earned by themselves.

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Holding Students Accountable
Data folders are simple to get started, and if maintained every two weeks, do not consume valuable teaching time. Parents will comment on how they feel more in tune with progress being made in your class, and students will have an opportunity to reflect and improve their effort based on their reflections in the data folder. All in all, data folders are a win-win for everyone!
How could you use data folders in your classroom? Share it in the comments section!
Charity L. Preston, MA is an author, teacher, and parent. Most importantly, she is an educator in all roles. The ability to teach someone something new is a gift that few truly appreciate. Visit her now at http://www.theorganizedclassroomblog.com or at her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/TheOrganizedClassroomBlog to sign up for a free newsletter that offers free downloadable classroom resources every month delivered right to your inbox!

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Do you have parents who claim they feel "out of the loop" when asked about their child's progress? Sometimes, I used to get an angry call when interim report cards came out because parents didn't understand why their child had earned a "C."

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Editor's Note: Oakland Unified School District's ongoing partnership with Teaching Channel has involved producing videos, building capacity on Teaching Channel Teams, and creating interactive video for #TchVideoLounge.
Recently, the Oakland Unified School District partnered with Teaching Channel to launch a three-part video series on Engaging ELLs in Academic Conversations. We were at the beginning stages of using classroom discussion as a district-wide strategy to more explicitly integrate language development into content area instruction.

A little over a year later, our learning continues! Oakland teachers are still hard at work, exploring the ways they can best support both language development and content understanding through whole-group and peer discussions. We know from research that language learners need regular opportunities to rehearse new language and apply it in authentic contexts. We also know that teachers need to be intentional about engaging all students, especially our ELLs, so that no one can hide and everyone can experience success. And anyone who has spent time in the classroom knows fostering authentic conversation among ELLs is no easy task.

In this new series, we visit or revisit Oakland elementary and high school teachers taking on the challenge of integrating language instruction for their ELLs in content instruction. You'll see them trying new strategies, fine tuning old ones, and reflecting on student learning to hone their craft.

Using Number Talks to Develop Mathematical Thinking

At the elementary level, we have two teachers using Number Talks - a strategy used in math classrooms across the district - to help students orally share and justify the strategies and reasoning they use to mentally solve a math problem.

In Dot Talks: Building Fluency with Numbers, Julia Gelormino uses carefully planned, open-ended questioning to support her first grade language learners to articulate and expand on their thinking. Open-ended questions can be scary because they often lead to unpredictable results, especially in a first grade classroom. While it's true that the lesson may get messy when students go off script, these moments can be wonderful opportunities for learning. We see Julia use her students' responses to adjust her instruction in the moment towards articulated learning needs. Her video reminds us that open-ended questions are important for language production, but also represent a way to pull out student thinking to inform instruction.

In Engaging in Productive Struggle: Number Talks, Monique LaCour shows how she uses sentence frames in her second grade class to empower her ELLs as active learners and mathematical thinkers. By unpacking and rehearsing sentence frames before a Number Talk, Monique gives ELLs at all proficiency levels an opportunity to show off their mathematical thinking. Notice how she leverages students as resources for each other as they collaboratively and productively struggle in problem solving. This is a great skill for learning and for life!

Enhancing Reading Workshop

We often hear that instruction for ELLs is just "good instruction." While it's true that solid core instruction will support our language learners, there are teacher moves that can make all the difference for ELL success. In Reading Workshop in Kindergarten, we see kindergarten teacher Emma Coufal enhance Reader's Workshop with strategies to meet the language needs of her students. One of the many ways she does this is through paired conversations and partner work. Students have frequent, structured opportunities to discuss ideas in pairs, ensuring that at least half of all students are engaged in talk at a time. Emma also provides both independent and partner reading time for students. Partner reading with intentional, heterogeneous grouping provides both the social interaction and modeling of language that is great for all kids, but essential for ELLs. Additionally, during independent reading time, Emma confers with students as a way to gather data and differentiate instruction. See more of how to support ELLs in this guiding document.

Encouraging Equitable Participation of ELLs in Class Discussions

Our ELLs, particularly those at emerging levels of English proficiency, are often reluctant to share. Next, we'll see how two teachers in two very different classrooms set high expectations while creating a safe space for students to share.

Watch Evidence-Based Academic Discussion: Getting Started to discover fourth grade teacher Sarah Horowitz using a myriad of strategies to ensure equitable participation in a content-based conversation. She leads her students in a whole-class discussion in which they're sharing and exploring claims on an environmental issue they're researching. Through probing questions, students push each other to provide supporting evidence and clarify their ideas. In Listening & Speaking: Formative Assessment, Sarah explains how she uses the discussion as an opportunity to collect assessment data on their speaking and listening skills to inform her next instructional moves.

Patricia Segura teaches ninth grade immigrant students in their first months - sometimes even their first weeks - of schooling in the U.S. Many are students with interrupted formal education, have suffered significant trauma, and have gaps in their numeracy and literacy skills. In Supporting Language & Content Learning in Math, Patricia creates space for them to use their home language to make sense of the mathematics, while also supporting and encouraging them to communicate their ideas in English. She uses a protocol called a Participation Quiz to provide just-in-time feedback to students on their engagement in group work and mathematics discussion.

Preparing Students for Socratic Seminar

We saw Johanna Paraiso in last year's series as she facilitated a Socratic Seminar in her 12th grade English class. Many viewers have asked us how she gets students ready for such high levels of independence and quality discussions. In Scaffolding for Socratic Seminar, we see what Jo does in the beginning of the school year to build students' skills, language, and confidence. Her use of controversial topics provides students a compelling reason to communicate and justify their thinking. In the accompanying video, Using Technology to Boost Confidence, Jo demonstrates how she uses technology to provide differentiated supports to students and bring communication to a whole new level.

By creating a safe and productive space where our ELLs are invited into the intellectual process of constructing meaning through language, these teachers are empowering students as thinkers, communicators, and independent learners. Where are you in the journey of supporting ELLs in content instruction? I welcome your comments on what you're seeing and also the ideas and strategies that are working for you.
Nicole Knight is the Executive Director of the English Language Learner and Multilingual Achievement Office at Oakland Unified School District. She has served Oakland students as a teacher, teacher leader, and instructional leader at the site and district level. A National Board Certified Teacher in English as a New Language, Nicole has expertise in language and literacy development of English Language Learners, curriculum development, and professional development for teachers and principals. She is also the mother of two bicultural and bilingual children, both students at a dual-language Oakland public school.

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Content Conversations: Strategies for ELLs

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Editor's Note: Oakland Unified School District's ongoing partnership with Teaching Channel has involved producing videos, building capacity on Teaching Channel Teams, and creating interactive video for #TchVideoLounge. Recently, the Oakland Unified School District partnered with Teaching Channel to launch a three-part video series on Engaging ELLs in Academic Conversations.

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Seating arrangement of desks in a classroom can have a big impact on the environment and student behavior. Here is one seating arrangement idea that works great for group learning and instructional time.

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How students should be seated in a classroom is a question for every teach. See why one teacher allows students to choose where to sit versus having a structured seating arrangement.

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Quick Reference Handbook for Adapting Lessons for English Learners

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Recognizing that the number of language diverse learners has increased in schools and that researchers predict this trend to continue for at least the next two decades (Thomas and Collier, 2002), classroom teachers are looking for ways to improve instruction so English learners benefit, while aligning their instruction to the state and local academic content standards.

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Does your staff need ELL/ESL training ? The K-12 Teachers Alliance can help you plan your in-service professional development at no additional cost.

English-Language Learners are one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States: in fact, the percentage of ELL students grew 60% between 1995 and 2005, according to the New York Times .

Many teachers worry about effectively teaching English learners while still meeting the needs of their other students. Here are some classroom strategies are actually good for both types of students.

Surprised? It may not sound like an ELL strategy, but it really helps.

Imagine an ELL student in your classroom - does she know where you post important reminders? Does he understand when to turn in his homework? If you use recognizable procedures to handle these tasks, you allow English learners to save their concentration and energy for the content you're teaching - plus, your whole classroom will run more efficiently.

Think of teaching a concept in three steps: introduce it, teach it, review it. This gives students - especially English learners - three opportunities to understand the material.

Offer a few guiding questions or "headlines" to help students identify the most crucial information, then teach the lesson as you normally would. Allow a few minutes at the end of class to go over the material once more to solidify their understanding. Bonus points if you can provide the introduction or review section in ELL students' primary languages (for example, have a bilingual aide review the material or have a handout translated to help students with homework).

To help English learners and hold all your students' attention, just add images.

The Internet makes it easy to find photographs, maps, drawings, or diagrams for any subject or grade level. Make a PowerPoint presentation of images, add them to a handout, or just post them around the room. As you teach, point to the images so that students connect your words with the picture or diagram. This helps ELL students, who may understand the image more easily than the words, and activates all students' multiple intelligences.

Some teachers dread vocabulary. What do you do besides tell them to memorize and then give them a test? They forget the words as soon as the test is over, anyway. But increasing vocabulary is crucial to students' future success, and it's especially important for English learners.

A rubric, or tool used to evaluate student work, is useful in multiple ways: grade a complex assignment, ask students to evaluate their participation levels, or even have them identify how much help they needed on their homework. Rubrics help students and teachers define what a "good" assignment looks like.

For English learners, rubrics can be translated into their primary languages or even created with images (smiley faces, number of thumbs up) to help them understand what good work looks like. To design your own rubrics, try the free tool at .

Teach the "Stop and Think" strategy to help students evaluate their own learning. If you observe a student having difficulty in class, ask them to stop their work and think about the following questions: What am I struggling with? What can I do differently? What questions do I have? Who can help me answer those questions?

Translate these questions into English learners' primary languages, if necessary. This self-evaluation process can help every student in any course, with any homework assignment, and for years after they leave your classroom.

Students with limited English proficiency may benefit from having reading materials in their primary language, but a classroom library is helpful in many ways. Collect books and magazines at a wide range of reading levels.

These can be used for extra credit assignments, for silent reading time, or in-class projects. Having books at multiple reading levels allows you to differentiate instruction for students by assigning them a book that suits their skill level. Here are some tips on creating an inviting classroom library .

Communication is clearly one of the biggest challenges for English learners, but all students can benefit from exercises that teach appropriate and effective communication skills. Visit , a listserv moderated by Columbus State University, or check out this for good communication exercises.

Even native English speakers may not have good models of how to speak properly, how to read effectively, or how to work through a problem. English learners face additional challenges, as many classroom activities that are common in the U.S. may not be used in overseas schools.

Taking a few minutes to provide a model for students by "thinking aloud" through an activity or assignment instructions. What do you do when you read an unfamiliar word? How do you approach a complex set of instructions? Show your students and encourage them to copy your process.

ELL students benefit from speaking practice and by hearing their peers using the academic language they are struggling to learn. But students who don't speak good English may "lurk" rather than participate. So use structured discussion approaches like the or Socratic Seminar to ensure broader student interaction.

To encourage participation, give students questions or talking points to prepare in advance, or have students work in pairs or groups to share their answers with the class. This allows English learners to practice their answers in English and increases their chance of success.

Many students need help making sense of what they are learning. For ELL students, an organizer also helps them to understand how information in organized in English. Use graphic organizers and writing frames to provide students with the structure for their content.

Think of it this way: first, give them a structure and let them fill in the information (for example, give them a cloze paragraph or fill in the blank activity). Then have them repeat the same information, but create their own structure (for example, ask them to summarize what they learned in their own words).

English Language Learners face many challenges. They may be adjusting to a totally new culture or may feel excluded because they can't speak the language well. They may face discrimination, and may hear one set of attitudes and values at home and a different one at school.

You can't solve all these problems, but making an effort to celebrate each student as unique and special can help English learners to feel safe and welcome in your classroom.

Many of these ideas have been adapted from the following books:

Consider adding one or more of these to your professional library. The tools you learn may help English-Language Learners and non-ELL students alike!

Learn about more ELL and Instructional Strategies perfect for your classroom by having an ELL Instruction Expert lead your next in-service!

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english as a second language instruction

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ELL Strategies that Work for the Whole Class

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Does your staff need ELL/ESL training ? The K-12 Teachers Alliance can help you plan your in-service professional development at no additional cost. English-Language Learners are one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States: in fact, the percentage of ELL students grew 60% between 1995 and 2005, according to the New York Times .

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
A note on terminology: The acronym ESL is used less often now in schools than it used to be, because we recognize that many students who are learning English already speak several other languages, so English would not be a "second" language. I use it several times in the post because schools sometimes refer to the teachers as ESL teachers, and the term is still widely used as a search term for this topic. My intent in using the acronym is to make this post easier to find online.

You have a new student, and he speaks no English. His family has just moved to your town from Japan, and though he receives English as a Second Language (ESL) support, he will also be sitting in your room every day to give him more exposure to his new language. How can you be a good teacher to someone who barely understands you?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an average of 9 percent of students in U.S. public schools are English Language Learners (ELLs); that number is closer to 14 percent in cities. Although many of these students start off in high-intensity, whole-day English programs, most are integrated into mainstream classrooms within a year, well before their English language skills would be considered proficient.

How prepared are you to teach these students? If you're like most classroom teachers, you have little to no training in the most effective methods for working with English language learners (Walker, Shafer, & Iiams, 2004). So that means we have a problem here: Lots of ELL kids in regular classrooms, and no teacher training to ensure the success of that placement.

Below, three ESL teachers tell us what they know about the things regular classroom teachers can do to improve instruction for ELL students. These 12 strategies are simple, they are not very time consuming, and best of all, they will help everyone in your class learn better:

1. Make it Visual

"Avoid giving instructions in the air," says Melissa Eddington, an Ohio-based ESL teacher. "ELL kids have a harder time processing spoken language." So instructions - even basic directions for classroom procedures - should be written on the board whenever possible. Challenging concepts should be diagrammed or supported with pictures. And modeling the steps of a process or showing students what a finished product should look like can go a long way toward helping students understand. "Sometimes showing our students what to do is all they need in order to do it," Eddington says. Not only will this kind of nonlinguistic representation improve comprehension for ELL students, it will help all of your students grasp concepts better.

2. Build in more group work.

"Kids aren't just empty glasses that we pour stuff into and then at the end of the day they dump it back onto a test," says Kim, an ESL teacher who was the subject of my very first podcast interview. "If you really want the kids to learn, they've got to be engaged." That means less teacher-led, whole-class instruction, and more small groups, where students can practice language with their peers in a more personal, lower-risk setting. And if ELL students attend your class with a resource teacher, make use of that person: In most cases the resource teacher doesn't have to work exclusively with the ESL students; they can work with smaller groups that happen to contain these students, helping to improve the teacher-student ratio and give kids more time to practice.

3. Communicate with the ESL teacher.

Mary Yurkosky, a former ESL teacher in Massachusetts, credits much of her students' success to the strong relationship she had with the regular classroom teachers. "The classroom teachers were always talking to me about what they were doing in their classes," she says. "They made it so easy for me to support them: If a teacher was going to be doing a unit on plants, I could make sure we used some of that same vocabulary in the ESL class."

Ideally, this could be systematized, where ESL teachers could regularly get copies of lesson plans or collaborate with regular classroom teachers to build solid back-and-forth support, but "it doesn't have to be that much work," Yurkosky insists. "Just talk to each other. Talk about what's going on in your classrooms, invite each other to special presentations, share what your students are learning, and the words will naturally find their way into the ESL class."

4. Honor the "silent period."

Many new language learners go through a silent period, during which they will speak very little, if at all. "Don't force them to talk if they don't want to," says Eddington, "A lot of students who come from cultures outside of America want to be perfect when they speak, so they will not share until they feel they are at a point where they're perfect." Just knowing that this is a normal stage in second language acquisition should help relieve any pressure you feel to move them toward talking too quickly.

5. Allow some scaffolding with the native language.

Although it has been a hotly debated topic in the language-learning community, allowing students some use of their first language (L1) in second-language (L2) classrooms is gaining acceptance. When a student is still very new to a language, it's okay to pair him with other students who speak his native language. "Some students are afraid to open their mouths at all for fear of sounding stupid or just not knowing the words to use," Yurkosky says. "Letting them explain things or ask questions in their first language gets them to relax and feel like a part of the class."

And this doesn't only apply to spoken language. If you give students a written assignment, but the ELL student doesn't yet have the proficiency to handle writing his response in English, "Don't make them just sit there and do nothing," Eddington says. "Allow them to write in their first language if they're able. This allows them to still participate in journal writing or a math extended response, even if you can't read what they write." There has even been some evidence that allowing second-language learners to pre-write and brainstorm in L1 results in higher-quality writing in L2 in later stages of the writing process (Yigzaw, 2012).

6. Look out for culturally unique vocabulary.

"For most of these kids, their background knowledge is lacking, especially with things that are unique to American or westernized culture," says Eddington. It's important to directly teach certain vocabulary words: "Show them videos of what it looks like to toss pizza dough, show pictures of a juke box or a clothing rack - things that are not common in their own language."

One way to differentiate for ELL students is to consider the whole list of terms you're going to teach for a unit, and if you think an ELL student may be overwhelmed by such a long list, omit those that are not essential to understanding the larger topic at hand.

7. Use sentence frames to give students practice with academic language.

All students, not just English language learners, need practice with academic conversations. Sentence frames - partially completed sentences like "I disagree with what _________ said because..." - show students how to structure language in a formal way. Keep these posted in a highly visible spot in your classroom and require students to refer to them during discussions and while they write.

For this kind of language to really sink in, though, Kim says it has to become a regular part of class. "They won't do it if it's not the norm in the class, because they'll be embarrassed to use it among their peers," she says. "But if they can put it off on the teacher and say, Oh, well, you know, Miss Kim makes me talk like this, then they don't look as hoity-toity as they would otherwise."

8. Pre-teach whenever possible.

If you're going to be reading a certain article next week, give ESL students a copy of it now. If you plan to show a YouTube video tomorrow, send a link to your ESL students today. Any chance you can give these students to preview material will increase the odds that they'll understand it on the day you present it to everyone else. "That kind of thing is wonderful," Yurkosky says. "The kids feel so empowered if they've had a chance to look at the material ahead of time."

9. Learn about the cultural background of your students...

Our second-language populations grow more diverse every year. Taking the time to learn the basics of where a child comes from - exactly, not 'somewhere in the Middle East/South America/Asia/Africa' - tells the student that you respect her enough to bother. Kim remembers one time when she had to set the record straight about the diverse South American population at her school: "I was listening to the teachers talking about the 'Mexican' kids in our building," she says, "and I was like, 'We don't have any Mexicans.'" Not taking the time to at least correctly identify a child's country of origin, much like not bothering to pronounce their name correctly, is a kind of microaggression, a small, subtle insult that communicates hostility toward people of color. Make a commitment to be someone who bothers to get it right.

Once you have the country straight, take things up a notch by learning about students' religious and cultural practices. If he is a practicing Muslim, he should be told if one of the pizzas you ordered for the class party has sausage on it. If she comes from a culture where eye contact with adults is viewed as disrespectful, you'll know not to force her to look you in the eye when she's talking.

10. ...but don't make a child speak for his entire culture.

In her podcast interview, Kim shared a story about watching a teacher ask a new Iraqi student how he felt about the war in his country, right in the middle of class. "That's not cultural inclusiveness," she explains. "I've seen teachers do this and then pat themselves on the back. The students' English is limited so they can't express themselves very well, and they don't want to 'represent'; they just want to be there." If you anticipate a theme coming up in your class that's going to be relevant to one of your students, have a conversation with them in advance, or check with your ESL teacher to see if they think it's appropriate for in-class discussion.

11. Show them how to take themselves less seriously...

By modeling the risk-taking that's required to learn a new language, you help students develop the courage to take their own risks, and to have a sense of humor about it. "I tried to say the word 'paint' ( pinta) in Portuguese and instead I said the word for 'penis' ( pinto). They all roared with laughter while I stood there with a What?? look on my face," Yurkosky says. "When they explained what I'd said, I laughed so hard! I told them that laughing was fine because sometimes mistakes are really funny, but ridicule is never okay."

12. ...but always take them seriously.

One of Kim's pet peeves about how teachers interact with English language learners is the way they often see students' efforts as 'cute,' missing the whole point of what the student is trying to say. "A student will be desperate to communicate, and the teacher will get distracted by the delivery and miss the message," she says. "That's painful for me to watch." It bothers her when teachers mistake a lack of language for a lack of intelligence or maturity. When a child can't express themselves as well as they would in their native language, it's far too easy to assume the concepts just aren't in their heads.

"It breaks my heart when I hear teachers say (ELL kids) don't know anything," says Eddington. "These are brilliant kids and they know a lot. They just can't tell us in English yet." Make a conscious effort to see past the accent and the mispronunciations and treat every interaction - every student - with the respect they deserve.

"They're doing twice the job of everybody else in the class," Kim adds, "even though the result looks like half as much." ♦

Further Reading

The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide is one of the highest-rated books on teaching English-language learners available. In addition to offering an overview of the research on second-language learners and best practices in teaching ESL, it also includes a whole section on teaching ESL in the content areas and another specifically geared toward teaching ELL students in mainstream classrooms.
References:
Walker, A., Shafer, J., & Iiams, M. (2004). "Not in my classroom": Teacher attitudes towards English language learners in the mainstream classroom. NABE Journal of Research and Practice, 2(1), 130-160.

Yigzaw, A. (2012). Impact of L1 use in L2 English writing classes. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences, 8(1), 11-27.

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12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

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Advice from three ESL teachers on the things regular classroom teachers can do to help English language learners thrive in mainstream classrooms.

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Multisensory instruction is a way of teaching that engages more than one sense at a time. For kids with reading issues like dyslexia, the use of sight, hearing, movement and touch can be helpful for learning. Here are a few of many possible examples of multisensory techniques teachers use to help struggling readers.

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8 Multisensory Techniques for Teaching Reading

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Multisensory instruction is a way of teaching that engages more than one sense at a time. For kids with reading issues like dyslexia, the use of sight, hearing, movement and touch can be helpful for learning. Here are a few of many possible examples of multisensory techniques teachers use to help struggling readers.

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When you see this behavior Try this accommodation

1. Difficulty following a plan (has high aspirations but lacks follow-through); sets out to "get straight A's, ends up with F's" (sets unrealistic goals) Assist student in setting long-range goals: break the goal into realistic parts.

Use a questioning strategy with the student; ask, What do you need to be able to do this?

Keep asking that question until the student has reached anobtainable goal.

Have student set clear timelines of what he needs to do toaccomplish each step (monitor student progress frequently).

3. Shifting from one uncompleted activity to another without closure.

Define the requirements of a completed activity (e.g. your math is finished when all six problems are complete and corrected; do not begin on the next task until it is finished).

8. Difficulty with any task that requires memory.

Combine seeing, saying, writing and doing; student may need to subvocalize to remember.

Teach memory techniques as a study strategy (e.g. mnemonics, visualization,
oral rehearsal, numerous repetitions).

10. Confusion from non-verbal cues (misreads body language, etc.)

Directly teach (tell the student) what non-verbal cues mean. Model and have student practice reading cues in a safe setting.

12. Confusion from written material (difficulty finding main idea from a paragraph; attributes greater importance to minor details)

Provide student with a copy of presentation notes.

Allow peers to share carbon-copy notes from presentation (have student
compare own notes with a copy of peer's notes).

Provide framed outlines of presentations (introducing visual and
auditory cues to important information).

Encourage use of tape recorder.

Teach and emphasize key words (the following..., the most important
point...,etc.).

13. Difficulty sustaining attention to tasks or other activities (easily distracted by extraneous stimuli)

Reward attention. Break up activities into small units. Reward for timely accomplishment.

Use physical proximity and touch. Use earphones and/or study carrels, quiet
place, or preferential seating.

14. Frequent messiness or sloppiness.

Teach organizational skills. Be sure student has daily, weekly and/or monthly assignment sheets; list of materials needed daily; and consistent format for papers. Have a consistent way for students to turn in and receive back papers; reduce distractions.

Give reward points for notebook checks and proper paper format.

Provide clear copies of worksheets and handouts and consistent format for worksheets.

Establish a daily routine, provide models for what you want the student to do.

Arrange for a peer who will help him with organization.

Assist student to keep materials in a specific place (e.g. pencils and pens in pouch).

Be willing to repeat expectations.

16. Difficulty with fluency in handwriting e.g. good letter/word production but very slow and laborious.

Allow for shorter assignments (quality vs. quantity).

Allow alternate method of production (computer, scribe, oral presentation, etc.).

Use pencil with rubber grip.

17. Poorly developed study skills

Teach study skills specific to the subject area - organization (e.g. assignment
calendar), textbook reading, notetaking (finding main idea / detail, mapping, outlining), skimming, summarizing).

21. Difficulty participating in class without being interruptive; difficulty working quietly

Seat student in close proximity to the teacher.

Reward appropriate behavior (catch
student being good).

Use study carrel if appropriate.

25. Difficulty remaining seated or in a particular position when required to for a specific activity.

Give student frequent opportunities to get up and move around. Allow space for movement.

30. Frequent involvement in physically dangerous activities without considering possible consequences

Anticipate dangerous situations and plan for in advance.

Stress Stop-Look-Listen.

Pair with responsible peer (rotate responsible students so that they don't wear out!).

35. Poor use of time (sitting, starting off into space, doodling, not working on task at hand)

Teach reminder cues (a gentle touch on the shoulder, hand signal, etc.).

Tell the student your expectations of what paying attention looks like. (You
look like you are paying attention when...)

Give the student a time limit for a small unit of work with positive reinforcement for accurate completion.

Use a contract, timer, etc. for self-monitoring.

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ADHD Students Learn Differently. Try These ADD Classroom Strategies

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When you see this behavior Try this accommodation 1. Difficulty following a plan (has high aspirations but lacks follow-through); sets out to "get straight A's, ends up with F's" (sets unrealistic goals) Assist student in setting long-range goals: break the goal into realistic parts.

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Introduction

Affecting three to five percent of the population, Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common of the childhood behavior disorders. Associated with this disorder's core symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity are a variety of disruptive classroom behaviors (e.g., calling out, leaving seat, interrupting activities, etc.). Consequently, it is not surprising that these students are at risk for school failure.

Increased expectations for the use of classroom interventions for students with ADHD have been generated by Section 504 of the Vocational and Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997. Section 504 has been used to require the development of general education accommodation plans. These plans are designed to ensure that the student with ADHD is provided a free and appropriate education. Among the recommended components of these plans are a variety of classroom interventions (including behavior management), with a special emphasis on environmental modifications. Similarly, the recent reauthorization of IDEA, with its requirements for functional assessments, should increase the frequency with which classroom-based behavioral interventions are considered for these students.

General behavior intervention suggestions

Classroom interventions for the student with ADHD should be based upon a solid foundation of general behavior intervention principles. While students with ADHD do have a core of common problems, this group is fairly heterogeneous. Thus, instead of focusing on ADHD symptoms, management should first directly target the specific problem behavior. Next, an alternative behavior, incompatible with the problem behavior, should be selected. It is important to keep both behaviors in mind. Not only do we want to make it clear to students what behavior is unacceptable (what we don't want them to do), but we also want to make it clear what behavior is acceptable (what we want them to do). These behaviors should be carefully defined so that the teacher will be able to accurately monitor them.

It is also important to ensure that the behavior intervention plan is based upon a careful functional assessment of behavior. Antecedents and consequences of both the problem and replacement behaviors need to be studied. Antecedents will suggest environmental changes that set up the student for success or failure. Analysis of consequences, on the other hand, will identify those environmental contingencies that serve to reinforce both desired and undesired behavior. The function of the problem behavior should guide intervention plans. For example, if the behavior is maintained by negative reinforcement (e.g., avoidance of an undesired task), then the intervention should ensure that this goal is not obtained by the problem behavior. At the same time the intervention should teach the student that the desirable behavior is a more effective way of obtaining the behavioral goal.

Environmental and instructional considerations

Task duration

To accommodate to the student's short attention span, academic assignments should be brief and feedback regarding accuracy immediate. Longer projects should be broken up into manageable parts. Short time limits for task completion should be specified and can be enforced with timers.

Direct instruction

Attention to task is improved when the student with ADHD is engaged in teacher-directed as opposed to independent seat-work activities. Also, the teaching of note-taking strategies increases the benefits of direct instruction. Both comprehension and on-task behavior improve with the development of these skills.

Peer tutoring

Class-wide peer tutoring provides many of the instructional variables known to be important in setting up students with ADHD for success. For example, it provides frequent and immediate feedback. When combined with a token economy, peer tutoring has been found to yield dramatic academic gains.

Scheduling

Based on evidence that the on-task behavior of students with ADHD progressively worsens over the course of the day, it is suggested that academic instruction be provided in the morning. During the after-noon, when problem solving skills are especially poor, more active, nonacademic activities should be scheduled.

Novelty

Presentation of novel, interesting, highly motivating material will improve attention. For example, in-creasing the novelty and interest level of tasks through use of increased stimulation (e.g., color, shape, texture) reduces activity level, enhances attention and improves overall performance.

Structure and organization

Lessons should be carefully structured and important points clearly identified. For example, providing a lecture outline is a helpful note-taking aid that increases memory of main ideas. Students with ADHD perform better on memory tasks when material is meaningfully structured for them.

Rule reminders and visual cues

The rules given to students with ADHD must be well defined, specific and frequently reinforced through visible modes of presentation. Well-defined rules with clear consequences are essential. Relying on the student's memory of rules is not sufficient. Visual rule reminders or cues should be placed throughout the classroom. It is also helpful if rules are reviewed before activity transitions and following school breaks. For example, token economy systems are especially effective when the rules for these programs are reviewed daily.

Auditory cues

Providing students with ADHD auditory cues that prompt appropriate classroom behavior is helpful. For example, use of a tape with tones placed at irregular intervals to remind students to monitor their on-task behavior has been found to improve arithmetic productivity.

Pacing of work

When possible, it is helpful to allow students with ADHD to set their own pace for task completion. The intensity of problematic ADHD behaviors is less when work is self paced, as compared to situations where work is paced by others.

Instructions

Because students with ADHD have difficulty following multi-step directions, it is important for instruction to be short, specific and direct. Further, to ensure understanding, it is helpful if these students are asked to rephrase directions in their own words. Additionally, teachers must be prepared to repeat directions frequently, and recognize that students often may not have paid attention to what was said.

Productive physical movement

The student with ADHD may have difficulty sitting still. Thus, productive physical movement should be planned. It is appropriate to allow the student with ADHD opportunities for controlled movement and to develop a repertoire of physical activities for the entire class such as stretch breaks. Other examples might include a trip to the office, a chance to sharpen a pencil, taking a note to another teacher, watering the plants, feeding classroom pets, or simply standing at a desk while completing classwork. Alternating seat work activities with other activities that allow for movement is essential. It is also important to keep in mind that on some days it will be more difficult for the student to sit still than on others. Thus, teachers need to be flexible and modify instructional demands accordingly.

Active vs. passive involvement

In line with the idea of providing for productive physical movement, tasks that require active (as opposed to passive) responses may help hyperactive students channel their disruptive behaviors into constructive responses. While it may be problematic for these children to sit and listen to a long lecture, teachers might find that students with ADHD can be successful participants in the same lecture when asked to help (e.g., help with audio-visual aids, write important points on the chalk board, etc.).

Distractions

Generally, research has not supported the effectiveness of complete elimination of all irrelevant stimuli from the student's environment. However, as these students have difficulty paying attention to begin with, it is important that attractive alternatives to the task at hand be minimized. For example, activity centers, mobiles, aquariums and terrariums should not be placed within the student's visual field.

Anticipation

Knowledge of ADHD and its primary symptoms is helpful in anticipating difficult situations. It is important to keep in mind that some situations will be more difficult for than others. For example, effortful problem solving tasks are especially problematic. These situations should be anticipated and appropriate accommodations made. When presenting a task that the teacher suspects might exceed the student's attentional capacity, it is appropriate to reduce assignment length and emphasize quality as opposed to quantity.

Contingency management: Encouraging appropriate behavior

Although classroom environment changes can be helpful in reducing problematic behaviors and learn-ing difficulties, by themselves they are typically not sufficient. Thus, contingencies need to be available that reinforce appropriate or desired behaviors, and discourage inappropriate or undesired behaviors.

Powerful external reinforcement

First, it is important to keep in mind that the contingencies or consequences used with these students must be delivered more immediately and frequently than is typically the case. Additionally, the consequences used need to be more powerful and of a higher magnitude than is required for students without ADHD. Students with ADHD need external criteria for success and need a pay-off for increased performance. Relying on intangible rewards is not enough.

Use of both negative and positive consequences are essential when working with ADHD students. However, before negative consequences can be implemented, appropriate and rich incentives should first be developed to reinforce desired behavior. It is important to give much encouragement, praise and affection as these students are easily discouraged. When negative consequences are administered, they should be given in a fashion that does not embarrass or put down students. Also, it is important to keep in mind that the rewards used with these students lose their reinforcing power quickly and must be changed or rotated frequently.

Token economy systems

These systems are an example of a behavioral strategy proven to be helpful in improving both the academic and behavioral functioning of students with ADHD. These systems typically involved giving students tokens (e.g., poker chips) when they display appropriate behavior. These tokens are in turn ex-changed for tangible rewards or privileges at specified times.

Response-cost programs

While verbal reprimands are sufficient for some students, more powerful negative consequences, such as response-cost programs, are needed for others. These programs provide mild punishment when problem behavior is displayed. For example, a student may lose earned points or privileges when previously specified rules are broken. There is evidence that such programming decreases ADHD symptoms such as impulsivity. A specific response-cost program found to be effective with ADHD students involves giving a specific number of points at the start of each day. When a rule is broken (a problem behavior is dis-played), points are taken away. Thus, to maintain their points students must avoid breaking the rule. At the end of the period or day, students are typically allowed to exchange the points they have earned for a tangible reward or privilege.

Time-out

Removing the student from positive reinforcement, or time-out, typically involves removing the student from classroom activities. Time-out can be effective in reducing aggressive and disruptive actions in the classroom, especially when these behaviors are strengthened by peer attention. They are not helpful, however, when problem behavior is a result of the students desire to avoid school work. The time-out area should be a pleasant environment and a student should be placed in it for only a short time. Time-out is ended based upon the student's attitude. At its conclusion a discussion of what went wrong and how to prevent the problem in the future takes place. While these procedures are effective with ADHD students, it is recommend that they be used only with the most disruptive classroom behaviors and only when there is a trained staff.

Summary

As students with ADHD are a heterogeneous group, there is no one intervention (or set of interventions) that wili improve the classroom functioning of all of these students. Thus, it is suggested that classroom modifications be tailored to the unique needs of each student. In developing these modifications it is per-haps best to begin by examining how the classroom environment might be changed to set up the student with ADHD for success. The next step is to consider the implementation of a contingency management system designed to provide external incentives for appropriate classroom behaviors. In doing so it is important to remember that behavior management programs must be consistently applied. Further, it is essential to avoid excessive use of negative consequences (such as reprimands, time-out). In all cost programs, it is important to avoid the use of unrealistic standards that result in excessive point or privilege loss. Students must experience success. In other words, it is essential that students be frequently reinforced for what we want them to do, rather than simply punished for what we do not want them to do.
References
References

Abramowitz, A. J., & O'Leary, S. G. (1991). Behavioral interventions for the classroom: Implications for students with ADHD. School Psychology Review, 20, 220-234.

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Bender, W. N., & Mathes, M. Y. (1995). Students with ADHD in the inclusive classroom: A hierarchical approach to strategy selection. Intervention in School and Clinic, 30, 226-234.

DuPaul, G. J., Eckert, T. L., & McGoey, K. E., (1997). Interventions for students with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder: One size does not fit all. School Psychology Review, 26, 369-381.

Fiore, T. A., Becker, E. A., & Nero, R. C. (1993). Educational interventions for students with Attention Deficit Disorder. Exceptional Children, 18 ,121-128.

Gordon, M., Thomason, D., Cooper, S., & Ivers, C. L. (1991). Nonmedical treatment of ADHD/hyperactivity: The Attention Training System. Journal of School Psychology, 29, 151-159.

Kemp, K., Fister, S., & McLaughlin, P. J. (1995). Academic strategies for children with ADD. Intervention in School and Clinic, 30, 203-210.

O'Neill, M. E., & Douglas, V. l. (1991). Study strategies and story recall in Attention Deficit Disorder and reading disability. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 19, 671-692.

Pfiffner, L. J., & Barkley, R. A. (1990). Educational placement and classroom management. In R. A. Barkley, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (pp. 498-539). New York: Guilford.

Reid, R., & Katsiyannis, A. (1995). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Section 504. Remedial and Special Education, 16, 44-52.

Sandoval, J. (1982). Hyperactive children: 12 ways to help them in the classroom. Academic Therapy, 18, 107-113.

Resources for Educators Barkley, R. A. (1 990). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment. New York: Guilford.

Barkley, R. A. (1997). ADHD and the nature of self-control. New York: Guilford.

DuPaul, G. J., & Stoner, G. (1994). ADHD in the schools: Assessment and intervention strategies. New York: Guilford.

Goldstein, S., & Goldstein, M. (1990). Managing attention disorders in children: A guide for practitioners. New York: Wiley.

Parker, H. (1992). The ADD hyperactivity handbook for schools. Plantation, FL: Impact Publications.

Smallwood, D. (Ed.) (1997). Attention disorders in children: Resources for school psychologists. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

Stephen E. Brock, Ph.D., NCSP, is the Lead Psychologist for the Lodi Unified School District (Lodi, Califomia). He is also a lecturer at the University of California, Davis, and California State University, Sacramento.

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Helping the Student with ADHD in the Classroom: Strategies for Teachers

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LD OnLine is the leading website on learning disabilities, learning disorders and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children will find authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, reading difficulties, speech and related disorders.

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21 Ways to Check for Student Understanding

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Discover 21 effective methods to assess student comprehension with our comprehensive guide. Enhance your teaching skills and improve student learning outcomes.

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We create practical, timely, affordable professional learning to help educators and instructional leaders provide students with a modern, equitable, and quality education.

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Some of the following suggestions and strategies may help children who are experiencing problems with decoding, comprehension, or reading retention. Many of those listed are accommodations that work around a child's differences by offering alternative approaches at home and at school. Look for those that you think might work best and, when applicable, talk to your child's teacher about using some of them in class.

Word games and puzzles are fun and also build vocabulary and word understanding. Try crossword puzzles, word bingo, Scrabble®, or Boggle®.

Encourage children to read directions, labels, and signs in the classroom, at home, in the car, and at stores or shops, and have them take turns reading aloud with a classmate, parent, or sibling. Discuss in class or at home what you are reading.

Model reading as an enjoyable activity.

You might informally discuss what you are reading with your child or let him or her see family members or teachers enjoying reading. Have DEAR time several times a week where everyone "Drops Everything And Reads" for 20 minutes.

Help children remember by having them explain, discuss, or apply information they have just read, letting them "teach" you facts or ideas they have learned from their reading, or encouraging them to act out characters from their reading selections.

Your child may benefit from listening to his or her textbooks and trade books on tape or by using assistive technologies like screen readers.

Read to your child every night.

Read novels above his or her reading level to stimulate and enrich language, creativity, and interest. Ask structured questions and encourage your child to predict multiple endings to each chapter.

Engage children's senses while learning.

Children with learning disabilities learn best when they use many of their senses to get information. Multi-sensory instruction allows the child to see, hear, touch, and act out words. For example, to learn letters children may read the printed letter, say the letter name, shape the letter out of clay, trace the letter onto paper, and form their bodies into the shape of the letter.
Back to Reading Home

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Some of the following suggestions and strategies may help children who are experiencing problems with decoding, comprehension, or reading retention. Many of those listed are accommodations that work around a child's differences by offering alternative approaches at home and at school.

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Some of the following math strategies and suggestions may help children who are experiencing problems with mathematics. Identify strategies that you think will help your child and, if appropriate, talk to your child's teacher about using some of the strategies in school.

Maintain consistency and communication across school and home settings.

Parents, tutors, and classroom teachers should coordinate and use the same instructional approach.

Teach basic concepts using concrete objects.

For example, let children explore number concepts by counting the legs of a chair to find the number four or by subtracting crayons from a box. The progression from understanding concrete materials, pictorial representations, and abstract number representations may take some children longer than others.

Provide specialized materials.

To help children organize their calculations, have them use graph paper (or lined paper turned sideways) to keep numbers in columns. Encourage the use of scrap paper to keep work neat, highlighters to underline key words and numbers, and manipulatives such as base-ten blocks or fraction bars.

Make your expectations explicit.

Tell children the procedures you would like them to use when solving a problem, model each procedure for them, then have them tell you what they are expected to do. Some students benefit by having a math notebook filled with examples of completed problems to which they can refer if they become overwhelmed or confused.

Provide time for checking work.

Emphasizing that completing math assignments is a process, encourage children to become comfortable reviewing their work, making changes, or asking questions when they are unsure of their answers.

Give children opportunities to connect mathematical concepts to familiar situations.

For example, when introducing measurement concepts, have children estimate their measurements before measuring classmates' and family members' heights or weighing their book bags' when empty and when full.

Help children apply math concepts to new situations.

For example, show them how to use percentages to understand the price of a pair of shoes on sale at the mall or the amount of their allowance they spend on snacks.

Provide access to programs or tutors that can help a child improve his or her math skills.

Tutors can assist children with weak math sub-skills, such as multiplication and division. Provide tutors during summer months or after school to boost performance and ensure that the child retains his or her skills.

Help children keep track of problematic areas.

When doing math homework, children may benefit from having their most common errors listed on flashcards. They can then refer to the cards while completing their assignments.

To encourage automaticity with math facts, students may benefit from playing math games (i.e. dice, playing cards) and listening to commercially available audiotapes that provide a fun way of learning math facts. The PBS Parents Activity Search can help you find great games from PBS Children's television series.
Back to Math Home

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Some of the following math strategies and suggestions may help children who are experiencing problems with mathematics. Identify strategies that you think will help your child and, if appropriate, talk to your child's teacher about using some of the strategies in school. Maintain consistency and communication across school and home settings.

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In a search of evidence-based materials from research organizations, we found several resources that are written for teachers and other practitioners. These resources have the following strategies in common: providing systematic and explicit instruction; teaching visual representation of functions and relationships, such as manipulatives, pictures, and graphs; providing peer-assisted instruction; and using ongoing, formative assessment.

These are just a few of the resources available that are in the public domain.

Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Response to Intervention (RtI) for Elementary and Middle Schools [PDF]
This 2009 practice guide from the What Works Clearinghouse provides eight recommendations to help teachers, principals, and school administrators use RtI to identify students who need assistance in mathematics and to address the needs of these students through focused interventions. Each recommendation has practical suggestions for implementation.

Best Evidence Encyclopedia
The Best Evidence Encyclopedia reviews mathematics programs and rates them according to the overall strength of the evidence supporting their effects on student achievement. The reviews summarize evidence on three types of programs: mathematics curricula, computer-assisted instruction, and instructional process programs.

Effective Strategies for Teaching Students with Difficulties in Mathematics
Based on meta-analyses of more than 50 studies, this research brief from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics reviews six aspects of instruction that have been found to be consistently effective in teaching students who have difficulties with mathematics: systematic and explicit instruction, think-alouds, peer-assisted learning, and formative assessment data.

Math Education Practices for Students with Disabilities and Other Struggling Learners: Case Studies of Six Schools in Two Northeast and Islands Region States
This report from the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands describes in-depth practices at six schools that are making targeted efforts to improve math education for students with disabilities and other struggling learners. It examines each school's practices for improving the math learning of all students as well as specific supports for students with disabilities and other struggling learners and identifies the challenges that schools face to serve students with diverse needs.

Mathematics Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities or Difficulty Learning Mathematics: A Guide for Teachers
This guide from the Center on Instruction describes seven effective instructional practices for teaching mathematics to K-12 students with learning disabilities that were identified in the Center's synthesis of intervention research, and also incorporates recommendations from "The Final Report of The National Mathematics Advisory Panel."

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Mathematics Interventions: What Strategies Work for Struggling Learners or Students With Learning Disabilities?

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In a search of evidence-based materials from research organizations, we found several resources that are written for teachers and other practitioners. These resources have the following strategies in common: providing systematic and explicit instruction; teaching visual representation of functions and relationships, such as manipulatives, pictures, and graphs; providing peer-assisted instruction; and using ongoing, formative assessment.

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Since launching on March 6, 2007, our goal at TeacherTube has been to provide an online community for sharing instructional and education videos for college students, high school students, middle school students and elementary school students. We seek to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, students, schools, and home learners. It is a site to provide anytime, anywhere professional development with teachers teaching teachers. It is also a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill.

On September 1, 2017, TeacherTube.com was acquired by Salem Web Network. Salem's goal is to continue the growth of TeacherTube and support innovative ideas for education.

Most importantly, TeacherTube community members are a major part of the evolution of the site. Members are encouraged to not only upload educationally relevant videos but also to make constructive comments and use the rating system to show appreciation for videos of value to one as an educator or learner. Users also have the ability to preserve the integrity of the site by flagging inappropriate videos. TeacherTube staff review flagged sites and will remove any inappropriate posts. With more collegial commentary and discussion through messaging and responses, the quality of this resource will only increase.

The service is free for everyone. We always encourage our users to Contact Us with thoughts, suggestions, or other feedback. We do have a vision for TeacherTube to truly be a better alternative to other video storage sites. With the community's help, it can become more interactive and engaging for all teachers and learners.

Science videos are one of the key subjects that students are taught in school. Science is present from the early years of grade school up to the highest levels of academic achievement. As students move up the ranks, their study of science tends to get more specialized into one specific field only, like chemistry, biology, or physics. We have educational videos for all of these courses.

TeacherTube.com's section on science educational videos has content of interest to all learning levels. We have topics as varied as educational songs for elementary school students, up to chemical engineering for college students.

Mathematics is one of the fundamental 3Rs of early education. Known as "arithmetic" in those levels, it involves counting and the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. As kids advance through the grade levels, they progressively deal with more complex mathematical problems. Also, more new concepts get introduced as they progress.

Math is crucial for almost any business career. Accounting, budgeting, and projecting sales all require some level of competence in math. Many resources for these topics can be found here on TeacherTube.

Even everyday situations benefit a lot from math skills. Managing one's finances, for instance, obviously requires math, as with anything involving money. Cooking also involves math: proportions of ingredients, for example, as well as measurements.

TeacherTube.com's section on math education videos covers everything from fractions and measurements to money management. We also cover more complicated subjects such as trigonometry, and well as probability and statistics.

History is a very valuable subject, but not just because it is useful for preventing future wars. The lessons from history can also teach people to build a better future. What people have done right in the past should be continued and improved upon in the present.

The subject of history covers a wide range of timelines and locations. There's ancient history and modern history. There is also Asian history, US history, Latin American history, and European history. Each one is unique, reflecting the cultures of the people involved.

If there's one thing common to all history classes, it's usually names, dates, and places. This is also the part that many kids hate the most. They do not see the point of memorizing so many random facts that appear purposeless. Well, that is the wrong way to teach history.

TeacherTube's history education videos section makes the past come alive with a sterling array of videos and tutorials that cover subjects as varied as our prehistory, ancient history, the civil war, and the study of world civilizations.

The purpose of social studies, based on the US National Council for the Social Studies, is to promote "civic competence" among students. In other words, the subject equips students to become better citizens of a country. This is done by exploring history, geography, current events, and governments, among others. Middle school social studies usually deal with one of each of these fields per grade level.

With this knowledge, students gain the ability to become more socially aware and to be actively involved citizens of their country. Through analyzing current events, students will also learn how to predict the consequences of the things happening around them. With that, they can be good influences on their communities.

It is with this goal in mind that TeacherTube offers a wide variety of learning video materials for both students and enthusiasts.

We have videos on everything from strengthening your knowledge of economics terminology to the nuances of various world cultures.

Language arts, as the name suggests, equips students with a wide range of ways to use language. It comprises both speaking and writing skills. In addition to the basics, the subject also deals with the artistic side of language, infusing creativity in the ways students communicate.

There are four basic aspects to understanding a language: speaking, reading, listening, and writing. Language arts classes aim to enhance those skills at each year level. At first, it covers basic topics like grammar, sentence construction, and paragraphs. Exercises in language arts become progressively more complex as students move up the ranks, and usually, in higher grades, more emphasis is put on creativity and persuasiveness.

With the noble goal of harnessing the power of words to effect change in the world in mind, TeacherTube is proud to offer videos on everything from general communications to speaking and even videos on strengthening your studying skills.

Not all kids want to go through lectures. Some of them may not have the attention span or the patience to endure long hours just sitting down and listening to someone talk in front. No, that doesn't mean these kids are lazy. It just means they learn differently.

Some kids are auditory learners. In other words, they learn best when they listen to sounds and music. For this type of student, educational songs will certainly be a big helping hand. Even the most complex of concepts, when taught through songs, will be very easy for them to understand and remember. Even kids who are not so much inclined to auditory learning may like this method.

Educational song vidoes are available in a wide variety of subjects. English, math, social studies, science, and everything in between, there's bound to be a song for every subject. For example, on the website Teachertube.com, there are science topic songs, reading songs, skip counting songs, reading phonics songs, and even quadratic formula songs.

The advantage of using educational song videos is that it accomplishes two things at once. First, these songs are entertaining, and second, they also teach a concept. They facilitate learning a lot better than plain lectures simply because of the entertainment part. When a lesson is made fun of, kids will want to learn them. In fact, it could even be the kids themselves, on their own, who will play the songs repeatedly.

TeacherTube offers education songs on topics as varied as the circulatory system to math songs about polynomials and even videos on St. Patrick's Day.

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TeacherTube Educational Videos for the School Classroom and Home - Including Educational Songs, History Videos, Student Videos and Math Videos

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A free community for sharing instructional videos, Educational Songs, History Videos, Student Videos, Math Videos, and other content for teachers and students. We are an education focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home schoolers to access educational for the classroom and home learning.

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Smithsonian

Learning Lab

Discover the digital education platform that connects people to Smithsonian objects, resources, and stories.

Collections by Grade

Explore some of our most popular Learning Lab Collections. Use them as a springboard to continue your exploration of the many collections available on the site.

Talk with Me!
Learn about your community and neighborhood. In this Toolkit, leaners explore different homes, shops, and people in your neighborhood and have fun with related activities.

Talk with Me Toolkits provide you with chances to talk with your children to improve thinking, vocabulary, and language development. Talking with your child is great-and research shows that the quality of words children hear matters more than how much you talk.

Talk with Me Toolkits give you ideas to begin conversations that are organized around a theme. The Toolkits feature videos, photographs, paintings, and artworks along with questions to talk about with your child. At the end of each toolkit there are more activities to do and books to read together. Go through this toolkit with your child and see how many topics there are to talk about!
This toolkit was adapted with a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Links to third-party websites and videos are included in this Toolkit for informational purposes only. They do not indicate the Smithsonian's endorsement, sponsorship of, or affiliation with the third party or content of the linked site, including any advertisements that might be posted.

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Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

What inspires you? Get to know Alma Thomas, (b. Columbus, Georgia; lived and worked in Washington, DC, 1891-1978), an American artist and educator known for her signature painting style using bright colors and patterns inspired by nature. She became a full-time artist late in her life. Born in a time of horses and buggies, she lived through big advancements in technology, such as the space race and moon landing. Her art was inspired by the nature she saw outside her home studio, and awe for the exploration of our vast universe.
Get To Know Alma Thomas Use it in the classroom to teach:
is part of the Hirshhorn KIDS About the Artist series. About the Artist biographies are designed for kids under age 12. Modern and contemporary artists' lives reflect recent human history and events. Sharing these life stories and artworks can help kids see their own potential and better understand the world and their place in it. It is our goal to inspire future generations of artists, makers, and creative problem solvers-sharing artists stories is one way Hirshhorn KIDS realize this goal.
Art classroom: Color Theory, Pattern

Language Arts classroom: Biography

Social Studies classroom: 20th century

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National Museum of American History

In this playlist you will learn about how three of the first presidents shaped the executive branch of the United States government.

Start by clicking on the first tile in the upper left hand corner. Then move through the playlist by clicking on the ">" symbol at the bottom of the page. Look for the information and paperclip icons to provide more information about selected resources. There are 34 tiles in this collection.

Learn More

Educator Programs

Cultivating Learning is a professional development series where Smithsonian educators model teaching techniques for using digital museum resources to support student learning. This year's series celebrates America at 250. Programs are free and accessible to anyone.

Wednesday, April 15, 4:00 PM EST

Join Phoebe Sherman of the National Postal Museum to explore how postage stamps can be used in the classroom to encourage civic awareness and engagement. We'll examine how stamps can spark curiosity and deepen understanding of civics, American history, national identity, and commemoration by using thinking routines that focus on both subject matter and artistic design. You'll see how these approaches come to life with students and leave with classroom-ready resources and fresh ideas for incorporating postage stamps into your teaching practice.

Watch

Wednesday, May 20, 4:00 PM EST

Join Nyssa Buning of the National Museum of American History's Spark!Lab and Carol O'Donnell of the Smithsonian Science Education Center to explore strategies for cultivating an inventive mindset in your students. We'll discuss the history of STEAM innovation in America and try an open-ended invention challenge that uses object-based learning techniques to encourage creative problem solving and support curiosity and perseverance, skills essential to inventors throughout history. You'll leave with a set of facilitation tools to support students as they develop their own inventive identity and become future problem-solvers. You'll also receive access to a newly released e-book from the Smithsonian Science Education Center, STEAM Innovation: Celebrating Our Nation's 250 Years.

Register

Wednesday, June 17, 4:00 PM EST

As America turns 250 in 2026, young people are writing its next chapter. Join a group of educators who apply interdisciplinary approaches to learning to engage young people in civic dialogue tied to their communities.

Register

What will you find in the Smithsonian Learning Lab?

Resources

Millions of Smithsonian digital images, recordings, texts, and videos in history, art and culture, and the sciences

Collections

Thousands of examples of resources organized and structured for teaching and learning by educators and subject experts

Resources

Millions of Smithsonian digital images, recordings, texts, and videos in history, art and culture, and the sciences

Collections

Thousands of examples of resources organized and structured for teaching and learning by educators and subject experts

Browse individual resources by type

Browse model collections on different topics

Tips

Tips

Create collections of resources to engage learners, or freely adapt ones already made by Learning Lab users like you.

Use Learning Lab tools to customize and enhance your collections.

Browse ready-to-use model collections by educational use

Browse ready-to-use model collections by learning strategy or theme

Tips

Tips

Subscribe to our Bright Ideas newsletter

To learn more about the Smithsonian Learning Lab and to read about strategies, approaches, new features, and more, subscribe to the Bright Ideas newsletter. We'll be sending out a new issue every few weeks.

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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Discover, Create, Share

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Smithsonian Learning Lab Discover the digital education platform that connects people to Smithsonian objects, resources, and stories. Explore some of our most popular Learning Lab Collections. Use them as a springboard to continue your exploration of the many collections available on the site. Talk with Me! Learn about your community and neighborhood.

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teaching strategies for english language learners

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teaching techniques for english language

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Teaching Strategies for English Language Learners

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Information and resources on effective teaching strategies for English Language Learners in K-12 settings.

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Why Choose CPM? Why CPM? Professional Learning For Teachers 2019 Conference Workshops Learning Events Academy of Best Practices Independent Reviews Testimonials Pilots and Adoptions Review Documents and Tools Courses