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

What if we reimagined professional development for teachers?

The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS is coming in January and it will revolutionize how you learn and teach English learners—on your time, with strategies you can use tomorrow and a community of educators just like you! And season 1 is about Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers ! Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the first season goes live and how to get access to it!

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 Grou

What if we reimagined professional development for teachers?

The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS is coming in January and it will revolutionize how you learn and teach English learners—on your time, with strategies you can use tomorrow and a community of educators just like you! And season 1 is about Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers ! Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the first season goes live and how to get access to it!

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 Link

What if we reimagined professional development for teachers?

The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS is coming in January and it will revolutionize how you learn and teach English learners—on your time, with strategies you can use tomorrow and a community of educators just like you! And season 1 is about Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers ! Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the first season goes live and how to get access to it!

Support the show

What is social-emotional learning? And why it is crucial to address it daily with your students, including, if not especially, English learners. SEL or social-emotional learning is the buzzword nowadays, but it is very near and dear to my heart. As an educator, I, and I'm sure many of you, see firsthand how important it is for students to learn not only the content taught at school, but also how to discover and master certain life skills that will help them tackle life's challenges and, of course, access the academic in school. It takes a village to raise a child. Family plays an important role in one's emotional well-being and learning to exist in life, and so do the school and teachers. So today, I want to go back to the basics and give you 5 SEL components to incorporate into your ELL lessons.

Show Notes:

• Episode 133 - 5 SEL Components to Incorporate in Every ELL Lesson

Simply Ieva Offers:

Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”

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 106 - Common SEL Challenges ELs Face in the Classroom

Let’s connect!

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

What if we reimagined professional development for teachers?

The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS is coming in January and it will revolutionize how you learn and teach English learners—on your time, with strategies you can use tomorrow and a community of educators just like you! And season 1 is about Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers ! Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the first season goes live and how to get access to it!

Support the show

Helping English learners access the curriculum of the Language Arts class, which is geared towards native speakers, is one of the challenges many teachers face. There are many linguistic demands that are not easy even for students for whom English is the mother tongue. And for English learners, those demands add extra layers, which require the teachers to, A) have at least the basic background knowledge of language acquisition, and B) understand how to adjust the material to the student's proficiency level. So in today's episode, I am talking about the 3 biggest challenges ELs face in the language arts classroom and provide ideas on how you can help them once you are aware of those challenges.

Show Notes:

• Episode 132 - From Struggle to Success: Helping ELs Thrive in Language Arts Classroom

Today’s episode:

Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”

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 64 - How to pre-teach vocabulary in the mainstream classroom
• 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

What if we reimagined professional development for teachers?

The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS is coming in January and it will revolutionize how you learn and teach English learners—on your time, with strategies you can use tomorrow and a community of educators just like you! And season 1 is about Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers ! Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the first season goes live and how to get access to it!

Support the show

In order to learn something, we need tools that address the way we learn as people as well as help us develop ways of thinking. In recent years, terms like neuroscience and neuroplasticity have become very popular in all fields, including education. What do these terms mean exactly? Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system, including the brain and the neurons, and neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt throughout life. Sounds simple enough. Right? And when you think about it, this is exactly where the idea of the growth mindset comes from. But in reality, to consciously notice our own behavior patterns and to adjust when something is not working takes effort and willingness to create new habits. And this is exactly what my guest, who also happens to be a repeat guest, Meeghan Carter and I talk about in today's episode.


Show Notes:
Episode 131 - How Neuroscience Can Transform Your ELL Teaching with Guest Meeghan Carter

Today’s episode:
Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”

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 130 - Beyond Buddies: How Peer Pairing Empowers ELs
• Episode 74 - Why Teachers Should Embrace Meditation as Part of Their Daily Routine

Guest info:
Meeghan Carter LinkedIn

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram

What if we reimagined professional development for teachers?

The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS is coming in January and it will revolutionize how you learn and teach English learners—on your time, with strategies you can use tomorrow and a community of educators just like you! And season 1 is about Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers ! Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the first season goes live and how to get access to it!

Support the show

Over the past several weeks, I have been sharing with you three simple accommodations every classroom teacher can make to reach ELs, even newcomers. We talked about why using visuals is essential when working with ELs, as well as what types of visuals to include. We dove into simplifying our language for directions, lesson delivery, and feedback, and why it actually promotes higher order thinking and expression in English. You can listen to those episodes by clicking the links underneath this episode. And in today's episode, I want to talk about the 3rd component that can be confusing, but if executed properly can be a true game changer. I am talking about peer pairing, partnering ELs with supportive peers. You will hear 4 ways you can utilize partnering your English learners with peers, whether native speaking or not, as well as the benefits of this strategy.

Show Notes:

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

Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success”

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.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 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 128 - Seeing is Understanding: 5 Visual Strategies for Supporting ELs
• Episode 129 - Why Simplifying Your Language for ELs Leads to Effective Higher Order Thinking

Let’s connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn

What if we reimagined professional development for teachers?

The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS is coming in January and it will revolutionize how you learn and teach English learners—on your time, with strategies you can use tomorrow and a community of educators just like you! And season 1 is about Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers ! Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the first season goes live and how to get access to it!

Support the show

I am bringing you a series of episodes … 3 simple accommodations every classroom teacher can make to reach ELs, even newcomers. They are very targeted and easily digestible so that the tips you hear today and in the previous and coming episodes, you can implement right in your next lesson. We have identified 3 very simple, yet extremely effective accommodations that any teacher can include in any lesson, so that the lesson becomes more accessible to our English learners. Last week, we talked about why using visuals as well as what types of visuals can be included. Today, I want to talk about the second accommodation, simplifying your language for ELs. What does it mean, simpler language? Won't it impede the students' language development? What about higher order thinking that we require our students to engage in daily? I will answer all these questions, as well as provide 6 ways that you can simplify your language in a way that is effective not only for content, but also for language learning.

Show Notes:

• Episode 129 - Why Simplifying Your Language for ELs Leads to Effective Higher Order Thinking

Today’s episode:

Digital Masterclass Library “Light the Way to EL Teaching Success

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.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 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 97 - How teachers can harness the power of language acquisition when working with ELs
• Episode 98 - A

What if we reimagined professional development for teachers?

The ESL Teaching Podcast PLUS is coming in January and it will revolutionize how you learn and teach English learners—on your time, with strategies you can use tomorrow and a community of educators just like you! And season 1 is about Mastering the Art of Teaching EL Newcomers ! Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the first season goes live and how to get access to it!

Support the show