

Equipping ELLs
Beth Vaucher, ELL, ESL Teachers
Equipping ELLs is a podcast for ESL specialists and homeroom teachers who are looking for effective and engaging ways to support their English Language Learners without adding to their endless to-do list. Each week you’ll hear tips, strategies, and inspirational stories that will empower you to better reach your ELL students, equip them with life-long skills, and strengthen relationships with colleagues and parents. Your host, Beth Vaucher, is an ESL certified homeroom teacher with over 10 years of experience teaching in the US and internationally. Learn more at www.inspiringyounglearners.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 20, 2023 • 27min
58. 12 PD Topics to Steal Now!
Have you been asked to provide training to the staff on supporting ELLs but have no idea what you could present on? I see people asking all the time what they can do to provide training or PD to their school staff on supporting ELLs. If you’ve been there, I’ve got you! I am sharing 12 ideas for PD training you can feel confident sharing with teachers.You may be thinking that you are still trying to figure out how to best support your ELLs so there is no way you could train others. Remember, YOU are the expert! We want to inspire and encourage staff to see how easy it is for them to support their ELLs and who better to do that than you?In this episode, we are diving into different topics you can steal for a presentation, training, or PD mini series. We are covering 12 topics that can help teachers just beginning to support ELLs through the advanced level teacher, ideas for how to present on these topics, and three ways you can support homeroom teachers without having to give a presentation.Related Resources:Grab your presentation templateJoin the Equipping ELLs MembershipCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyDownload the ESL Teacher Toolkit Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsFor all links and resources, check out the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/pd-topics--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Jan 13, 2023 • 35min
57. How Administrators Can Impact ELLs with Guest Maria Montroni-Currais
Do you ever feel like you are solely responsible for supporting your English language learners? That responsibility is NOT just yours. We are continuing our Small Steps to Success series by looking at what role administrators play in supporting ELLs. Today we are joined by Maria Montroni-Currais who is sharing her insights on how administrators can impact English language learners.In this episode, we are looking at how ELL teachers and administrators can work collaboratively to support their ELLs. Maria is sharing her expertise in her role as an administrator, how she as an administrator advocates for ELLs, why knowing the bilingual code in your state is so important, how to approach administrators when advocating for ELLs, and what success looks like for multilingual learners.Related Resources:Join the Equipping ELLs MembershipCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyDownload the ESL Teacher Toolkit Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsFor all links and resources, check out the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/administrators-can-impact-ells--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Jan 6, 2023 • 25min
56. The Answer to This Question Will Change How You Teach ELLs This Year
Have you ever stopped to really think about what success looks like for your ELL students? Are you only gauging the success of your students based on if they are proficient in English or not? Defining what success looks like for your students is critical to ensuring your students experience successes and feel confident throughout their English language journey, not just when they are proficient or test out of language support services.Learning a new language is tiring and can be super frustrating. If we are limiting our students’ opportunities for success, they may want to give up when things get difficult. Today, we are diving into the question, “How do you define success for your ELL students?” We are looking at why it is so important to define success, how to determine milestones that can be used to mark success, why it’s crucial to have appropriate expectations, why you should set up pathways to success, and examples of milestones for these pathways.Related Resources:Join the Equipping ELLs MembershipCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyDownload the ESL Teacher Toolkit Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsFor all links and resources, check out the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/change-how-you-teach-ells--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Dec 30, 2022 • 22min
55. 5 Easy Ways to Restart the Year Now
Coming back from winter break is the perfect time to restart and refresh things in order to make the most of the second half of the year. I know this year, and the past few years, have been incredibly stressful and exhausting and the thought of doing a refresh may be overwhelming. I totally get that! I want to help you finish the year strong so I am sharing five easy things for you to restart to make the most of the second half of the school year.At this point in the school year, you’re likely tired, burnt out, and just want to make it to the end of the school year. But I want you to think about how happy you’ll be in June if you try some of these things now and the rest of the school year goes smoother because of it. When you return from break, I challenge you to restart your mindset, classroom management, attitude, lesson planning routine, and confidence in order to make the most of the year from now until June.Related Resources:Lesson Planning WebinarJoin the Equipping ELLs MembershipCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyDownload the ESL Teacher Toolkit Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsFor all links and resources, check out the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/ways-to-restart-the-year--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Dec 23, 2022 • 22min
54. 3 Things to STOP Doing with ELLs (And What to Do Instead) - Top Episode from 2022
We all want to support our ELLs as best as possible but some of the things we are doing could actually be inhibiting their growth. As teachers, we are doing our best to figure out what our students need in order to be successful. Unfortunately, some of our efforts could be an unnecessary waste of time.If you’re confused about what ELLs actually need and what they don’t, you’re not alone! We want to be sure that what we are doing is helping our students and stop doing anything that isn’t helping (or even hindering) their English language learning. In this episode, I am sharing why you should stop translating everything into your students’ native languages, how to stop planning for every single group, and how to effectively scaffold for our ELLs because they don’t learn the same as native speakers.Related Resources:Close Reading PassagesFreebie: To Translate or Not ChartHow to use a QR CodeCanvaPixabayFREE Newcomer Welcome KitJoin the Equipping ELLs MembershipCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyDownload the ESL Teacher Toolkit Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsFor all links and resources, check out the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/stop-doing-with-ells--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Dec 16, 2022 • 19min
53. The 1 Reason Your ELLs Aren't Making Growth and How to Change That Now [LISTENER FAVORITE]
Are you trying everything you can think of and your ELLs still aren’t making progress? When I talk to teachers whose students aren’t making growth, there is one common thread across the board. Doubt. The good news is that doubt is a reflection of our mindset so if we can fix our mindset, we can help out ELLs make more growth.If you’ve ever doubted that you are doing what’s best for your ELL students or if you flip flop your plans every week because you aren’t sure if what you’re doing is working, it might be beneficial to check where your mindset is at. In this episode, I am talking about 3 mindset shifts that are key to supporting your ELLs. We are looking at why self-efficacy is important, taking a look at how we approach our ELL students, and how to overcome overwhelm by keeping it simple.Related Resources:Join the Equipping ELLs MembershipCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyDownload the ESL Teacher Toolkit Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsFor all links and resources, check out the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/ells-arent-making-growth/--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Dec 9, 2022 • 22min
52. 5 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Prepare for Observation Lessons
Does the thought of being observed by your admin make you panic a little bit? I think it’s safe to say most teachers don’t love observations. They cause extra stress and nervousness no matter how amazing of a teacher you are. If you’re dreading an upcoming observation, don’t worry! I am sharing five tips to help your observation lesson run smoothly so you can showcase just how lucky your students are to have you!Preparing for an observation doesn’t have to be stressful. In an observation, you are showing off how great of a teacher you are, so you’re likely already doing many things that will help you rock your observation. Still feeling nervous? I’m sharing five tips to help you prepare for your observation lesson including sticking with activities your students have done before, simplifying your lessons to avoid overdoing it, covering multiple domains in your lesson, incorporating sensory tools to engage students, and being clear on the purpose of your lesson.Monthly Speaking and Writing CardsClose Reading and Writing PassagesCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyDownload the ESL Teacher Toolkit Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsJoin the Equipping ELLs MembershipTo access all resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/observation-lessons--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Dec 2, 2022 • 23min
51. 5 New Tech Tools to Try Now
What do you do when you have a love/hate relationship with technology but you know there are amazing tools that will help your ELLs learn? You find simple tech tools! I am sharing 5 of my favorite tech tools that provide students amazing support that will help them succeed and soar.In this episode, we are covering really simple but powerful ways we can better support our ELL students through the use of technology. There are amazing tech tools out there that we can utilize without having to worry about the added stress of students getting locked out of sites or forgetting passwords! Today, I am sharing a Chrome extension that makes creating voice notes simple, two extension options that read the text aloud to students, a great podcast to help with listening comprehension, and 2 websites that help bring a visual component to learning vocabulary.Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsJoin the Equipping ELLs MembershipTo access all resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/new-tech-tools-to-try/--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Nov 25, 2022 • 19min
50. 5 Ways To Prepare for Access Testing Now
Do you dread prepping your students for Access testing every year? I think it’s safe to say we all do. What if I told you there is a way to prep without taking precious time away from giving students the support they actually need? Toss the test prep packets because I am sharing 5 fun ways you can prepare for Access testing starting right now.We want to prepare our students for Access testing in a way that is beneficial to them outside of just the test. How can we do that? We embed preparing for Access testing into our lessons and daily routines! In this episode, I am sharing the importance of giving students plenty of opportunities to talk, why you should model expectations for thinking through questions, how to consistently use academic vocabulary, why you should have students practice speaking into the computer, and the benefit of talking about goal setting all year long.Speaking and Writing CardsTest Prep Speaking Digital CardsNew Test Prep ResourceDownload the ESL Teacher ToolkitCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyShop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsJoin the Equipping ELLs MembershipTo access all resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/prepare-for-access-testing--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message

Nov 18, 2022 • 17min
49. 5 Reasons To Be Thankful You Teach ELLs
Thanksgiving in the U.S. is right around the corner which means it’s the perfect time to look at why we should be thankful that we get the privilege to teach our English language learners. At this point in the year, you may be feeling tired and overwhelmed so I want to remind you why we are so fortunate to be able to work with amazing ELL students.Teaching is not easy and there are so many things that are put on teachers, especially these past few years, that make some days really hard. If we can pause and remember why we got into teaching and why we love working with ELLs, it can help us get through those hard days. In this episode, I am sharing five reasons we are so fortunate to teach ELLs including getting to teach a global community right in our classroom, how we are impacting more than just our students’ lives, why our ELL students are especially resilient, how lucky we are that we get to learn about new cultures all the time, and how amazing it is to see our students grow so much.Download the ESL Teacher ToolkitCheck out the ELL Strategy AcademyShop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLsJoin the Equipping ELLs MembershipTo access all resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/thankful-you-teach-ells--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/equippingells/message