Anyone else ready to start planning those Halloween ESL classroom activities? Spooky season is here to mark the start to several months of holiday goodness, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve had the pumpkins out for a little bit too long waiting for this time to arrive. I’m even listening to the “Spooky Music” playlist on Spotify as I write this (the kids version…I’m home alone and easily spooked after all!) It’s true, I LOVE the fall and winter holidays, and I love incorporating them in my classroom… but when you teach ESL students, it’s not all creepy music and ghost stories.

Incorporating spooky, Halloween goodness in your classroom will take a bit more effort, but, I promise, the extra effort and research to create the perfect Halloween ESL classroom activities will make for some of the MOST fun classes you’ve ever taught

It's no secret that districts are scrambling to put technology in the hands of every student right now. Most are doing everything they can to ensure students are able to access online learning tools safely. This has led to changes in student security settings, which may be making it more difficult for students in your classroom to use audio clips (or videos) that originate from outside the district. 

This makes sense for student security, and it really is important. But what happens if you know the audio is safe, like the leveled texts with audio you just bought off Teachers Pay Teachers? Luckily, there's a way to make the audio accessible for your students, and it only takes a few quick steps! 

Hey there! 
If you're here, I'm guessing you're dealing with the craziness that is Back to School 2020. Here in Arizona, we go back pretty early (although we're two weeks late this year!), so I'm hoping sharing my back-to-school experience might help some of you that are starting the year a little later! Learn from my mistakes! 

Y'all. Google Classroom might be my favorite EdTech tool. That was true even before distance learning was a thing! Sure, it isn't the flashiest or the most fun, but, Google Classroom has so many features that make differentiating for English Language Learners a breeze! No matter how you're teaching this year, Google Classroom should be part of your teacher toolkit. 

Below, you'll find four of my favorite features and a step-by-step guide to using each one in your classroom!