Using TEAM Toolkits to Help ELLs Master Academic Language
We all know that it takes a village to raise a successful student. When it comes to helping ELLs find success in the classroom, it takes a team. TEAM Toolkits: Teaching ELs for Academic Language Mastery has the tools you need to help English language learners reach their goals.
The kits are easy to use, adaptable for numerous teaching situations, and provide extensive teaching support.
Structured activities in listening, reading, writing, and speaking help English language learners (ELLs) develop grade-level academic language needed for classroom success.
View Product →What’s included in a TEAM Toolkit?
TEAM Toolkits come in four grade spans: K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12.
Each kit includes 15 student books (5 per grade/level), 3 annotated teacher’s editions with audio (1 per grade/level), and 1 Picture Dictionary (1 copy per kit in Grades K–8 only). The components of each kit provide structured activities in listening, reading, writing, and speaking to help ELLs develop grade-level academic language used in classroom instruction.
How do TEAM Toolkits engage English Language Learners?
Each kit offers students books filled with opportunities that not only promote academic language proficiency but also get students excited about learning.
- Engaging topics, a straightforward lesson design, and colorful graphics keep students focused and ready to learn.
- “Turn and Talk” sections encourage students to interact with each other and share their knowledge of the material.
- Helpful tools include sentence frames, graphic organizers, and sentence starters that promote modeling and scaffolding and help students gradually increase self-sufficiency with the material.
- Repeated use of words across of variety of activities and context help students achieve a deeper understanding.
- Specific learning goals are identified to help students be accountable for their own learning and allow them to check back to determine if they met their goals.
How does TEAM support you as a teacher?
Teaching academic language has never been easier, thanks to teacher resources found in the kits.
- Each kit comes with one annotated teacher’s edition per grade/level, featuring easy-to-follow directions and teaching strategies for every lesson. Teachers of every experience level can benefit, from those who are new to the classroom to veterans.
- Pacing guidelines give you a starting point for the timing of each lesson and can be adapted for each classroom and student group.
- WIDA and Common Core standards are identified, along with vocabulary tiers and academic language.
How can you use TEAM Toolkits?
TEAM Toolkits are designed for flexibility of use and can be a go-to resource to support the mainstream classroom and specialized ESL programs.
- Use the kits during tutoring sessions after school.
- Components can also be used for ELL pull-out groups or for mini-units based on specific skills that address gaps in student learning.
- TEAM lessons cover a wide range of topics that can fit into lessons being taught in the mainstream classroom.
- Use the kits as supplemental reading and language practice in the mainstream classroom.
- Books feature a consistent lesson format with 5 building parts that can extend over multiple class periods to develop students’ background knowledge and increase the depth of knowledge on a subject.
How do TEAM Toolkits meet the needs of individual learners?
Features in the student and teacher materials help you support students at varying proficiency levels.
- Books feature alpha levels rather than grades, so you have flexibility when choosing/using a specific book for each student.
- Each annotated teacher’s edition includes language differentiation charts for the lessons.
- Scaffolding activities in the student book feature chunked text with opportunities to measure understanding and evaluate skills.
TEAM Toolkits provide the resources you need to support ELLs with academic language acquisition—right at your fingertips!