Here are my top 5 ESL teacher must haves!
Be sure to read to the end for 2 bonus must haves!
ESL Teacher Must Have #1
My number one ESL teacher must have is high quality reading materials. It takes time to build up a library of books you turn to again and again, so in the meantime, be sure to take advantage of free reading resources from the library, readworks.org, getepic.com, and Newsela. Low cost reading passages can be found on TPT and Scholastic. Look for high quality decodable books for beginning readers too.
ESL Teacher Must Have #2
Second, I love my whiteboard. Some kind of display space is needed because multilingual learners need scaffolds, that is, those things that help them access the grade level material. For me that means visuals, sentence stems, vocabulary, and graphic organizers. I want a place that students can see these, a place where I can do a spontaneous drawing, and a place that they can add their ideas. It’s like my command center for teaching. If you don’t have your own room, be sure to advocate for a whiteboard that can travel with you to display your teaching materials.
For teachers who don’t have a whiteboard or share a space, I love this tabletop easel by Scholastic. It folds flat for storage and travel. Great for teachers who go into different classrooms and need a place to display visuals and scaffolds. The second easel is more durable for writing, especially using different colors. Dry erase markers, pocket charts, mini magnets, and shelves to hold things are great extras.
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ESL Must Have #3
With so many students coming in and out each day, I love to have student materials organized, and with a simple system that they can manage. I use plastic folders to hold their class work, simple dictionaries, small books, and a writing journal.
ESL Must Have #4
Dry erase sleeves are a game changing supply for me. I use them for so many things. They save time laminating things and they protect printed resources. Here are a few examples of their uses: games, word building, handwriting practice, checklists, highlighting texts, and holding teacher materials such as bulletin board pieces. These plastic sleeves allow resources to be printed once and used over and over again.
ESL Must Have #5
Games! Games make learning more fun. Here are some TPT favorites:
Bonus Must Have #1
TPT Bundles are a great way to have resources on hand for the beginning of the year or to use all year long. Be sure to check out these 3 engaging bundles.
Bonus Must Have #2
A community of teachers on Instagram to support you! Come follow me for more tips and resources @the_esl_teacher
You might also enjoy reading my post:
5 Organization Ideas for your ESL Classroom
Or for more on my favorite supplies check out:
