I
Founder of ESL Reads
EAL Teacher (Secondary)
Previous Posts
Best Books for Older EAL Students with Low Literacy
My Top Picks for EAL Professional Reading
5 Common Challenges for EAL Students
How Roles Change and Shift in a CALD Family.
6 Reasons Why Instability is a Constant for EAL Students and 10 Things You Can Do About It.
4 Main Reasons Why EAL/D Students Experience Ongoing Trauma and 6 Strategies to Try
EAL/D Students’ Choice and Voice: A Case Study
10 Things You May Not Realise About Survivor Guilt and EAL/D Students
10 EAL/D Planning Ideas to Save you Holiday Time
November 27, 2022 by Lauren Piovesan
Can you taste the holidays yet? Are they so close you can almost touch them? Have you finally got some precious planning time that you have been craving all year, only now, you are in such a brain fog of exhaustion that it’s squandered? “C’mon brain Work with me here!” I can hear you pleading, knowing that if you can’t come up with a unit plan now, you will be chewing up your precious holiday time thinking about it.
If this sounds familiar, then have a read of this blog. Here, I will outline some websites, resources and tools to help you with planning. Some are oldies but goodies, and some brand new. So let’s dig in!
1. Tools for Enhancing Assessment Literacy (TEAL)
What is it?
A website with units of work, annotated assessments, rubrics and teacher’s advice.
Who is it for?
Primary and Secondary Teachers (you can also modify for young adults).
What levels?
Victorian EAL Curriculum – A Levels (years 1 & 2), B Levels (years 3-6), C Levels (years 7-10) – beginner to intermediate levels within the year levels.
More info:
This website has units of work, assessments and rubrics ready to go for you. There are different year levels and EAL levels based on the Victorian EAL Curriculum but it can be adapted for other state’s curriculums. There are even lists of speaking, reading and writing assessments that have been graded and annotated if you want to choose one and plan backwards. Plenty to browse here!
2. Teaching and Learning Cycle Project
What is it?
A website with units of work following the Teaching and Learning Cycle in primary, secondary and adult settings.
Who is it for?
Primary, Secondary and Adult Teachers/Trainers
What levels?
Victorian EAL Curriculum – A Levels (years 1 & 2), B Levels (years 3-6), C Levels (years 7-10) – beginner to intermediate levels within the year levels.
More info:
This website has 1-2 units of work stepped out for you in primary, secondary and adult sectors. All units follow the beautiful Teaching and Learning Cycle, giving you the structure for a written assessment piece and including all modes (speaking, listening, reading, writing) along the way.
3. AMEP Tutor Resources
What is it?
A website containing downloadable resources for home tutors teaching the Adult Migrant Education Program (AMEP).
Who is it for?
AMEP Home Volunteers – to assist adult EAL/D students
What levels?
Pre-beginner, Beginner, Post-beginner, Intermediate
More info:
I used to use AMEP tutor resources when I first started my EAL journey as a volunteer home tutor. And 4 years later, it was still a go to for ideas around topics. The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) gives a great guide to the everyday topics your adults (or young adults and secondary students) may face. You can browse the same topics under 4 levels to see how you might differentiate for a spread class.
4. Libraries
What is it?
School or multi-cultural libraries
Who is it for?
All teachers
What levels?
Depends on your library!
More info:
When in a state of brain fog, head out into your local school or multi-cultural library. I find that browsing physical resources sometimes gives you ideas, helps you find texts for study or allows you to see themes. I used to use the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre in Victoria, but you may have others in your state or country.
5. English Express Resources
What is it?
2 x downloadable EAL/D workbooks (English Express and My Busy Day) by Bernard Miles
Who is it for?
EAL Adult Teachers/Trainers
What levels?
Beginners
More info:
These books are jam packed with incredible resources for beginner level adults (young adults and some secondary students) on everyday topics. These beautifully and carefully made resources more or less write the unit for you! Check out a sample chapter here.
6. Foundation House Resources
What is it?
2 x downloadable resource books (HealthWize and Taking Action) by Foundation House – The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Trauma and Torture
Who is it for?
Refugee EAL secondary students. Some ideas could be used for primary and young adult students.
What levels?
Beginners to post-beginners
More info:
I have used the HealthWize resource many times and was excited to recently find the Taking Action unit. These resources know our cohorts and their struggles, and the case studies and texts fit them perfectly. If you are considering topics in health, rights, discrimination or belonging, have a flick through these freebies!
7. Calendar Events
What is it?
Look up holidays, events and observances online for 2023.
Who is it for?
All teachers
What levels?
All levels
More info:
If you get totally stuck for term 1, have a look at the public holiday and events calendars for that term. This way your unit will be relevant and fit with the outside world. When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with Harmony Day as it always falls in March and can be a great theme to help your students learn about each other’s cultures, identities and geography.
8. Wing it
What is it?
Plan after you meet your students next year.
Who is it for?
Brave teachers!
What levels?
All students
More info:
Now this is a risk, and it can be hard work, but most of us won’t know the students we are teaching until term 1. That means there is an opportunity to go through orientation activities for the first week and plan your units around their interests and needs when you find them out. You might be able to ask the previous teacher too if this is possible! This will make for an engaging first unit that you create with your class.
9. The Trifector!
What is it?
A planning tip from a Professional Development Day
Who is it for?
All teachers
What levels?
All students
More info:
I once attended a Professional Development Day by Cherie Osta, a VCAL teacher in Victoria. She made a great suggestion for finding projects and themes for units.
Step 1 – Draw 3 large circles in a Venn Diagram.
Step 2 – In the first circle, write down what your school’s local community is like, what it is known for, proud of and list potential places for excursions.
Step 3 – In the second circle, write down the talents, passions and special skills that your teaching team (or you) have.
Step 4 – In the third circle, write down what your students are like: their attitudes, interests, needs.
Step 5 – See what themes and commonalities emerge and build your unit around this.
10. Recyle, Recycle, Recycle!
What is it?
Re-use and recycle your old units.
Who is it for?
All teachers!
What levels?
All students
More info:
Think about the cohort you will have and successful units you or your colleagues have already used. As teachers, we are constantly wanting to get creative ideas. Also, nowadays, there is an overwhelming number of resources online that might make us feel pressured to do new and better stuff! But as we’ve all heard before, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Often, there is “No need to re-invent the wheel.” By all means, freshen up your resources, but sometimes, it’s about the energy and delivery you bring to these units that make them engaging. And if you have had a restful holiday break, you will be ready to do just that!
I hope these resources have gotten your creative juices flowing in some way! If you have some planning go-tos which are not mentioned in this blog, please share them below!
Please note: This is all based on my own research, recommendations from colleagues or my experiences in the classroom and is not endorsed by the authors, publishers or organisations that feature here.
Cover image courtesy of: https://blog.gale.com/how-many-reading-styles-live-at-your-library/