Helping English Learners Move from Reading to Essay Writing
Why I created English Attic to help teachers support English learners with vocabulary, close reading, and the move from understanding a text to writing about it.
From the classroom
Teaching articles
Grammar, writing and practical support for multilingual learners.
Grammar Clues · Teaching guides
Safe Identity Activities for Multilingual Learners (Grades 6–12)
How to run identity activities that build community without forcing disclosure — choice, private thinking, sentence frames, and newcomer access in secondary ELD.
The Language Map Activity for English Learners: A Classroom Guide
A step-by-step language map activity for multilingual learners — students map their languages onto a body outline as a metaphor they choose, with scaffolds and privacy options.
First Week ELD Activities: A Calm 5-Day Plan for Secondary Multilingual Learners
Five calm, purposeful first-week ELD activities for grades 6–12, with low-stakes language routines and free diagnostic and bell-ringer resources.
Beginning of Year ELD Assessment: How to Run One in the First Week
A practical guide to running a beginning of year ELD assessment across grammar, reading, writing, and speaking — and using what you find to plan the first weeks.
10 Grammar Bell Ringers for Middle and High School
Ten short, practical grammar warm-ups that get students thinking the moment the bell rings — without taking up half the lesson.
How to Teach Grammar to ELL Students: 15 Practical Activities That Actually Work
Fifteen practical grammar activities that help English learners notice patterns, practice in context, and build real confidence — from a teacher who lives in the ELD classroom.
The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Grammar to ELL Students
A complete, practical playbook for teaching grammar to English language learners — assessment, sequencing, scaffolds, error correction, lesson structures, and the resources that make it sustainable.
How to Teach Verb Tenses to ELLs (Without Drowning Them in Conjugation Charts)
A practical sequence for teaching English verb tenses to multilingual learners — what to teach first, what to skip, and the 12 tenses that actually matter in secondary classrooms.
The 12 Most Common Grammar Mistakes ELL Students Make (and How to Actually Fix Them)
A field guide to the dozen grammar errors you'll see most often in ELL writing — what causes each one, which L1s predict them, and the specific scaffolds that fix them for good.
Grammar Bell Ringers for High School: A 36-Week Routine That Actually Sticks
How to build a year-long grammar bell ringer routine that takes 5 minutes a day, requires zero prep once it is set up, and keeps the same skills in circulation all year.
Grammar Intervention Strategies for Secondary Students: A Tiered Approach That Works
A practical RTI-style framework for grammar intervention in middle and high school — how to identify struggling students, what to do in 15-minute small groups, and how to know when intervention is working.
How to Teach Sentence Structure: From Simple to Complex Without Losing Anyone
A teaching sequence for sentence structure that builds from kernel sentences to compound-complex constructions — with practical activities, sample sentences, and a printable progression chart.
Grammar Games That Actually Work in Secondary Classrooms (and the Ones to Skip)
An honest review of which grammar games actually work in the classroom — what has held up in practice, what teenagers actually engage with, and a curated list of 9 games that pass both tests.
ESL Activities for Newcomers: A Survival Guide for the First 30 Days
Practical, classroom-ready ESL activities for newcomer students in their first month — focusing on survival language, oral confidence, and the grammar foundations that unlock everything else.
How to Scaffold Grammar Instruction So Every Student Can Access It
A practical scaffolding framework for grammar instruction — from sentence frames to graphic organizers to color-coded mentor sentences — with examples at three proficiency levels.
Teaching Grammar Through Writing: How to Build Skill Without Killing the Joy
A framework for embedding grammar instruction inside the writing process — instead of teaching it on the side — so students actually transfer grammar knowledge to their drafts.
Formative Assessment for Grammar: 8 Fast Checks That Actually Tell You Something
Eight quick formative assessment routines for grammar — each under 5 minutes — that give you actionable data without burning out you or your students.
Teaching Subject-Verb Agreement to ELLs: Why It's So Hard and What Finally Works
A deep look at why the English third-person -s is one of the last morphemes ELLs acquire, plus a concrete teaching sequence that builds real automaticity.
Teaching A, An, and The to ELLs: A Decision Tree That Actually Works
Why English articles are notoriously hard for ELLs from article-less L1s, and a decision-tree approach that replaces rule-memorization with usable judgment.
Teaching Prepositions to ELLs: Why Rules Don't Work and Chunks Do
Why English prepositions resist rule-based teaching, and how a chunking-and-collocation approach finally produces usable preposition knowledge.
How to Correct Grammar Without Killing Student Confidence
A research-backed approach to error correction that improves student writing without making students afraid to write — including the difference between recasts, elicitations, and clarification requests.
Grammar Conferencing Strategies: 5-Minute Conferences That Actually Change Writing
A complete framework for running grammar writing conferences in 5 minutes per student — what to say, what not to say, and how to make the time fit a real class period.
Using Mentor Sentences with ELLs: A 10-Minute Routine That Builds Style and Grammar Together
How to use mentor sentences with English Language Learners to teach grammar, sentence variety, and academic style simultaneously — including 20 mentor sentences ready to use.
Grammar and Academic Writing in Secondary School: The 7 Structures Students Need Most
The seven grammatical structures that distinguish proficient from advanced academic writing in middle and high school — with examples, mini-lessons, and a quarterly assessment plan.
Teaching Past Tense Irregular Verbs: A 50-Verb Sequence That Actually Sticks
Why memorizing irregular verb lists fails — and a frequency-based teaching sequence that prioritizes the 50 verbs that produce most of student writing.
Grammar for Long-Term English Learners: Why Fossilized Errors Stick and How to Break Them
Why long-term English learners often have persistent grammatical errors that resist instruction — and the targeted intervention that finally moves the needle.
Designing Grammar Units Backward: A UbD Approach That Actually Improves Writing
How to apply Understanding by Design (UbD) to grammar units — starting with the writing outcome and working backward to the daily lessons, with a sample 3-week unit plan.
Grammar Intervention for High School Students: A Practitioner's Playbook
A practical grammar intervention model for secondary classrooms — diagnostic, dosage, and the patterns to prioritize for students reading below grade level.
Teaching Newcomers in Secondary Classrooms: The First 30 Days
A practical playbook for secondary teachers welcoming newcomer multilingual learners — survival language, content access, and the routines that build belonging in the first month.
Best ELD Activities for Teenagers: What Actually Engages Secondary Multilingual Learners
Twelve ELD activities that respect teenage social dynamics, build real language, and run inside a 50-minute class block — with the research and the classroom examples.
How to Scaffold Writing for Multilingual Learners (Without Doing the Writing for Them)
A 7-layer writing scaffold system for multilingual learners — from sentence frames to mentor texts to revision protocols — with research and concrete classroom examples.
Why Grammar Worksheets Fail (And What Actually Works Instead)
Grammar worksheets consistently produce minimal transfer to student writing. Here's why — and the practical moves that actually work in real secondary classrooms.
Why ELL Students Struggle With Reading (And 5 Ways Teachers Can Help)
Reading comprehension is deeply tied to background knowledge. For multilingual learners, that's where things break down — here's how to fix it.
Pattern Control: Beyond Rule Memorization
Move beyond rule memorization. Help students internalize grammar patterns through structured repetition and contextual practice.
The 12-Minute Mission Block
Use a repeatable class routine that maximizes grammar practice in a short, focused time block.
Error Patterns as Data
Turn student mistakes into actionable instructional data that drives your next lesson.
Apply Grammar Spy in Your Classroom
A step-by-step guide to setting up and running your first Grammar Spy mission with students.
Teaching guides
Classroom guides first published on Grammar Spy: games, bell ringers, intervention, ELD routines, speaking and writing support.
Back-to-School Bell Ringers for Middle & High School
Ten ready-to-use back-to-school bell ringers for grades 6–12, including grammar, writing, speaking, routines, differentiation, and answer guidance.
Back-to-School Writing Prompts for ESL Students
Ten privacy-conscious back-to-school writing prompts for secondary ESL and ELD students, with sentence frames and differentiated response expectations.
Beginner Speaking Activities for ESL Students (Simple & Structured)
Beginner-friendly speaking activities for ESL students. Simple, structured, and designed to help shy learners start speaking with confidence.
ELD Classroom Activities That Build Language Every Day
High-impact ELD classroom activities for middle and high school multilingual learners — speaking-first, scaffolded for ELD blocks, and ready to run tomorrow.
ELD Grammar Activities by Proficiency Level
ELD grammar activities organised by proficiency level for designated and integrated ELD blocks. Sentence frames, verb-form work, and clause combining from Emerging to Bridging.
Free ELD Grammar Games for Multilingual Learners
Scaffolded grammar games for multilingual learners in grades 6–12: sentence frames, newcomer and intermediate supports, and meaningful speaking practice.
English Language Development Lessons That Build Acquisition
Scaffolded English Language Development lessons for middle and high school. Speaking-first lesson plans with grammar, vocabulary, and writing built in.
ESL Grammar Activities for Middle and High School
Use three ESL grammar activities for secondary classes: school-day bell ringers, past-tense practice and explained corrections, with answers and free resource links.
ESL Grammar Games Built for High School Classrooms
High-engagement ESL grammar games for high school ELLs. Speaking-forward, scaffolded, classroom-ready games for grades 9–12 ESL, ELD, and sheltered English classes.
First-Week Grammar Bell Ringers: A Five-Day Plan
A practical five-day first-week grammar bell-ringer plan for middle and high school, with prompts, answer guidance, timing, and ELL supports.
Free Printable Grammar Worksheets — Download Today
Free printable grammar worksheet PDFs for grades 6–12: parts of speech, sentence structure, and a verb tenses cheat sheet, each with answer keys. Download and print today.
Twenty Grammar Bell Ringers You Can Use Tomorrow
Twenty ready-to-use grammar bell ringer prompts for grades 6–12, printable or projectable. This is the prompt bank — routine design and ELL versions are linked inside.
Grammar Bell Ringers Written for ELLs
Three-minute grammar bell ringers written for ELLs in grades 6–12 — sentence frames, controlled vocabulary, and a speaking turn before the writing turn.
A Grammar Curriculum for High School That Sticks
A planning framework for high school grammar instruction — sequencing, pacing, assessment, and ELD scaffolds — plus the Grammar Spy mini-curriculum of six arcs and 18 lessons.
Grammar Games for Grades 9–12 English Classes
Ten grammar games for grades 9–12 English classes: retrieval-based, low-prep, and built for mixed-proficiency high school rooms, with implementation timing inside.
Grammar Instruction Strategies Backed by Research
Teacher-made grammar instruction strategies for middle and high school English teachers. Explicit teaching, retrieval, sentence-level work, ELD scaffolds, and writing transfer.
Twelve Grammar Intervention Activities for Small-Group Sessions
Twelve Tier 2 small-group grammar routines for grades 6–12, matched to specific writing gaps: subject-verb agreement, fragments, verb tense, and articles.
How to Plan Grammar Intervention That Closes Gaps
How to decide what to teach in grammar intervention for grades 6–12: error-pattern analysis, choosing one target, sequencing it, and checking growth. Activity bank linked inside.
Grammar Lessons Built for Multilingual Learners
Grammar lessons designed for multilingual learners in grades 6–12 — speaking-first, scaffolded for designated and integrated ELD blocks, with sentence frames, oral routines, and writing transfer built in.
Grammar Mini Lessons That Fit in Ten Minutes
Five- to ten-minute grammar mini lessons for grades 6–12. Targeted, retrieval-based, ELD-friendly mini lessons that fit inside any reading or writing block.
Choose Grammar Practice Worksheets by Skill
How to choose and sequence grammar practice worksheets by skill for grades 6–12 — short, single-structure sets built for retrieval, intervention, and writing transfer.
Grammar Review Activities Students Will Sit Through
Engaging grammar review activities for middle and high school. Game-based, cumulative, and ELD-friendly review formats that drive long-term grammar retention.
Fresh Ideas for Teaching Grammar That Sticks
Creative grammar teaching ideas and strategies for middle and high school. Engaging methods to make grammar instruction effective.
The First 5 Minutes of High School English
A repeatable first-five-minutes grammar warm-up routine for grades 9–12. Four rotating warm-up formats teachers can run every day without new prep.
Three Grammar Games You Can Launch Right Now
Three free, no-login grammar games teachers can project or assign in class: Grammar Detective, Error Smash, and Speed Challenge. Play instantly in any browser.
Language Acquisition Activities Grounded in Real Science
Teacher-made language acquisition activities for middle and high school multilingual learners. Comprehensible input, oral output, recasts, and scaffolded practice — all classroom-ready.
Present Tense Games for the Three Present Forms
Free browser games for simple present, present continuous, and present perfect. Playable on a Chromebook in five minutes, with no account and no setup.
A Weekly Routine of Secondary ESL Activities
A weekly rotation of speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities for secondary ESL classes in grades 6–12. Grammar-only and designated ELD pages linked inside.
Sentence Structure Activities That Build Real Writers
Engaging sentence structure activities for grades 6–12. Build syntactic fluency with combining, expanding, and imitation routines. ELD scaffolds and printable + digital options.
Speaking Activities for ESL High School Students
Engaging speaking activities for ESL high school students. Low-prep, teacher-made ideas with sentence starters and examples.
Verb Tense Practice Across All 12 Tenses
A full verb tense practice sequence for grades 6–12 — simple, progressive, perfect, and mixed-tense review — with links to tense-specific practice for present and past.
Writing Support for ELL Students That Moves Drafts Forward
Practical writing support for ELL students in secondary classrooms. Scaffolded paragraph routines, sentence frames, grammar transfer, and feedback strategies that move multilingual writing.
Past Tense Activities That Actually Work for ESL Students
A high school ELD teacher's honest guide to past tense activities for ESL students: what fails, what finally works, and how to get multilingual learners talking.