Welcome to the mid-year slump. Whether you live in a colder climate like I do or anywhere else, the middle of the school year can get hard for so many reasons. February and March in particular can be especially tough months in the school year. Students and teachers are tired, motivation is dipping, and standardized testing is looming. If you are feeling dragged down and your ELs seem disengaged, you're not alone. In today's episode, I will share fun interactive engagement strategies along with mindfulness and social emotional techniques to support both you and your students.

Show Notes:

• Episode 143 - How to Beat the Mid-Year Slump in the EL Classroom for Both Students and Teachers

Simply Ieva Offers:

• EL Newcomer Teaching Compass for grades 6-12 - curriculum guide created using backward design PLUS a year-long scope and sequence!
• 1:1 EL Teacher Clarity Power-Up Session

If you find value in The ESL Teaching Podcast and want to support the time, effort, and costs that go into bringing you these episodes each week, consider making a small donation—whatever feels right for you. Your support helps keep this podcast going and means the world to me! You can find the donation HERE. Thank you so much!

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• Simply Ieva website
• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• 5 SEL Components to Incorporate in Every ELL Lesson
• Rewriting the Script of Negative Self-Talk for Teachers

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

I am very excited about today's episode because I know it will bring so much value to you. I've talked about lesson planning before, but today, I wanted to share a process that has been very helpful and, honestly, is truly a great way to plan for our EL students. So in today's episode, I will be sharing all about backward design and lesson planning, how it is different from traditional lesson planning, what are the pros and cons of each type of planning, as well as provide real life example of how I updated our EL newcomer curriculum guide to reflect this type of planning and how it actually takes your newcomer on the language acquisition journey.

Show Notes:

• Episode 142 - The Secret to Effective EL Lessons? Start at the End!

Simply Ieva Offers:

• EL newcomer curriculum guide for grades 6-12 - created using backward design!
• 1:1 EL Teacher Clarity Power-Up Session

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Simply Ieva website
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Related/Previous Episodes:

• 6 Elements of an Effective EL Lesson Plan
• 3 Lesson Planning Mistakes That Can Keep You in the Rut

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

I don't know about you, but I love a good behind the scenes moment. In the world where we always see the final product, whether it's a great lesson plan, an engaging activity, or heck, someone simply looking amazing and put together, it is good to remind ourselves that the road to that result is not always very linear. Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a podcast episode? Well, today, I am taking you behind the microphone. From brainstorming topics to publishing the final product, I'll walk you through every step of my process. And trust me, there are plenty of mishaps and lessons learned along the way.

Show Notes:

• Episode 141 - A Look Behind the Scenes of The ESL Teaching Podcast

Simply Ieva Offers:
1:1 EL Teacher Clarity Power-Up Session

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related episodes and articles: 

• How Teachers Can Harness the Power of Second Language Acquisition Stages when working with ELs
• EL Newcomer to Experienced Multilingual: A Journey Through Language Proficiency Levels
• 3 Lesson Planning Mistakes That Can Keep You in the Rut
• The Top 5 Questions we Get About Teaching ELs

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

One of the themes that keeps coming up in my teaching and that of many other teachers who work with English learners is this: How much work should we give EL newcomers and any EL student? What can we expect from them? Today, I wanted to revisit the topic of classwork and homework our ELs have to do and about how we can make it more manageable and effective. The amount of academic work is highly dependent on the student grade level and school, but I wanted to offer a few insights about what can be done to battle teacher and student overwhelm when it comes to assigning work to English learners. I will share a seemingly simple phrase (less is more philosophy) which is so elusive when we try to implement it in real life, but oh so powerful when we embrace it. You'll hear insights into why it is important to pause and review what we're doing and ways to make classwork more targeted for ELs.

Show Notes:

• Episode 140 - The Less is More Philosophy When Teaching EL Newcomers

Today’s episode:

• Simply Ieva ESL offerings - EL newcomer curriculum, Digital Masterclass Library, One-on-One coaching and so much more!

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related episodes and articles: 

• How Teachers Can Harness the Power of Second Language Acquisition Stages when working with ELs
• EL Newcomer to Experienced Multilingual: A Journey Through Language Proficiency Levels

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

Midwinter and early spring is the season for state and language proficiency testing, and I am dedicating a couple of episodes to help you prepare your students for them so that they can show off all of the great things they've learned so far. Last week, I talked about peculiarities of listening and speaking tests and what activities you can incorporate in your classroom to practice for them. Today, I am sharing practical tips and ideas on how to prepare for reading and writing portions of the test. We will take a look at what skills are necessary to successfully take the test, as well as activities that will help your students practice and feel ready. I share practice examples for students at all grade levels.


Show Notes:

• Episode 139 - How to Prepare for State and Proficiency Tests Part 2: Reading and Writing Practice

Today’s episode:

• How to Write a Paragraph - lesson plan and practice

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related episodes and articles: 

• Preparing ELs for State and Language Proficiency Tests. Part 1: Listening and Speaking Practice

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 

Support the show

The testing season is upon us. I wanted to talk about a topic that every teacher working with English learners faces each year, preparing your English learners for state testing and language proficiency tests like ACCESS, TELPAS, and others. These tests play a crucial role in measuring student progress and shaping future instruction. However, preparing for them doesn't have to be overwhelming or tedious. Many students dislike taking the tests and sometimes even dread them. So in the next two episodes, we'll explore practical tips for practicing each language domain. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing with actionable strategies you can implement into your classroom right away. I will share practice examples for students at all grade levels. Today, let's focus on communication. How to practice listening and speaking to get your students ready and to make them feel more confident. 

Show Notes:

• Episode 138: Preparing Your English Learners for State and Language Proficiency Tests. Part 1 - Listening and Speaking Practice

Simply Ieva Offers:
Season 1 Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers on The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS - is LIVE! We are accepting new members until January 27, 2025 - check it out and join us

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related episodes and articles: 

• Episode 50 – Fun and Effective Test Prep Strategies with Laura Kebart
• VOA Learning English - listening practice

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 

Support the show

Have you ever made an assumption about a person before truly getting to know them? As teachers, whether we like it or not, we tend to operate on a lot of assumptions which come from our education, practice, and experience. What I found though is that most of the time, many and any assumptions stem from lack of information. And sometimes it's difficult to get it, but I know I can work with this one. In today's episode, I wanted to tackle the topic of assumptions we might hold about English learners that we might not even realize and how those assumptions impact our students and families. I will share the most common misconceptions about English learners, explore their impact and importance of breaking them down, as well as strategies to challenge them.

Show Notes:

• Episode 137 -  Breaking Down Assumptions About English Language Learners

Today’s episode:
Season 1 Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers on The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS - is LIVE! - Check it out and join us

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related episodes and articles: 

• Episode 97 - How Teachers Can Harness The Power of Second Language Acquisition Stages
• Episode 127 - When to Use Professional Interpreters vs. Bilingual Staff for Communicating with EL Families

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 

Support the show

Teaching EL newcomers is by far one of the most popular subjects among all teachers at the beginning of the school year, middle of the school year, end of the school year, all the time. So much so that I have created quite a few episodes on what to teach them and how to help them in the regular education classroom. In today's episode, I am revisiting teaching EL newcomers again and diving into the critical importance of the first day with your EL students that are newcomers. My goal is to equip you with practical strategies and insights to ensure that these students feel welcome, supported, and ready to begin their language learning journey. We'll explore ways to build trust, establish routines, and create a classroom environment that sets the tone for success. Whether you've taught newcomers for years or this is your first experience, today's episode will equip you with practical tips to make the first day with newcomer EL students welcoming, structured and impactful.


Show Notes:

• Episode 136 - Your First Day with Newcomer EL Students

Today’s episode:

• Season 1 Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers on The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS - join the waitlist

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related episodes and articles: 

• Episode 130 - Beyond Buddies: How Peer Pairing Empowers ELs 

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

The holiday season can be hectic both at home and at school. Besides you being tired and over it, the students are tired and over it. And it shows. No matter the age group you teach, it can be an added stressor trying to figure out how to teach and manage everything around you. But just like we can restart a computer when it is glitching and somehow that seems to do the trick, we can restart and reset our classroom. And, of course, New Year is a great opportunity to do that because a) we all need it, and b) we all are starting the year with renewed energy. So in this episode, I will share with you 5 ways you can reset, refocus and recharge your classroom after the new year and, honestly, any time of year.


Show Notes:
Episode 135 - From Holiday Mode to Learning Mode: How to Reset, Refocus and Recharge

Simply Ieva Offers:

Today’s episode:

ESL goal setting worksheet

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related episodes and articles: 

• Episode 4 - Choice Boards for ESL Students: How to Use them in the Classroom
• Episode 133 - 5 SEL Components to Incorporate in Every ELL Lesson
• ESL goal setting worksheet

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 

Support the show

As I'm looking back on 2024, there were challenges and opportunities as well as a lot of growth. And as we know, it doesn't happen in a calm and peaceful environment when everyone is content. It happens through storms and sometimes chaos and most of the time through pain, whether big or small. The good thing is, I wouldn't change any of it. Well, maybe except one thing. And I believe I learned valuable lessons. So today's episode is going to be a lot more personal and maybe even raw in some places, but I hope it resonates with those of you who need to hear it at this season in your life. I'm going to share my biggest takeaway from 2024, how I navigated it, and the lessons I learned that I am bringing into the new year.


Show Notes:

• Episode 134 - The Year of Growth: The Biggest Takeaway of 2024

Simply Ieva Offers:
Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”

Enlightened EL Educator flyer

Free resources - sign up and keep in touch:

• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• ESL Newcomer Teaching Checklist

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

• EMBARK™ Newcomer Curriculum
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – EL curriculum and coaching membership for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers.
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle
• My TpT store
• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related episodes and articles: 

• Episode 109 - Rewriting the Script of Negative Self-Talk for Teachers
• Episode 96 - Lessons learned, impact made and the wisdom to bring into the new year (2023)

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 

Support the show