Ep. 167 Mixed Groups? How to Prepare and Plan
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
Release Date: 07/02/2025
Ep. 179 I Don’t Have Time to Plan—What Do I Do?
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
If you’ve ever sat down to plan and felt instantly overwhelmed, this episode is for you. ESL teachers juggle multiple grade levels, language levels, paperwork, meetings, and constant interruptions — all with the same planning time as everyone else. It’s no wonder planning can feel impossible. In today’s episode, we talk honestly about why ESL lesson planning feels so heavy and what you can do when time is limited but your students still deserve meaningful instruction. You’ll walk away with simple, realistic strategies that help you plan faster, smarter, and with less stress — even...
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EP 178 Powerful Strategies to Boost Student Engagement in Your ESL Classroom
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
Feeling a dip in student engagement in your ESL classroom? You’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong. In this episode, we talk about why engagement naturally fades during certain seasons of the school year and how small, intentional shifts can bring energy, joy, and participation back into your lessons without adding more work to your plate. This episode is designed to support ESL educators who are navigating tired students, low energy, and the pressure to keep learning meaningful during busy, high-stress times of the year. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why student...
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EP 177 3 Time-Management Mistakes ESL Teachers Make (and How to Stop Them)
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
Planning periods shouldn’t leave you feeling more overwhelmed than when you started—but for many ESL teachers, that’s exactly what happens. In this episode, we’re slowing things down and having an honest conversation about time: where it’s going, why it never feels like enough, and how a few intentional shifts can help you regain control of your day without working longer hours. If you’re juggling multiple grade levels, language proficiencies, assessments, and paperwork—and still trying to show up fully for your students—this episode was created with you in mind. What to...
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EP. 176 But My Class Is Too Big / I Don’t Have Time — Can I Still Build Real Relationships?
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
In this episode, we’re diving into one of the biggest challenges ESL teachers face: building authentic relationships with students when your class sizes are large, your time is limited, and your responsibilities feel endless. If you’ve ever looked around your classroom and wondered, “How do I connect with everyone when I barely have time to breathe?” — you are not alone. Today, we explore practical, realistic, and impactful strategies that help you strengthen relationships with your students through small, intentional actions that fit naturally into your day. This episode isn’t...
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Ep. 175 From Planning as Chore to Thinking as Design: A Mindset Shift for ESL Teachers
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
Welcome educators! Before we dive in, don’t forget to check out the engaging ESL resources available at myadventuresinesl.com/store. Episode Overview As we move closer to Winter Break, it’s completely normal to feel the weight of the season — the planning, the paperwork, the constant juggling. In this episode, we explore a powerful mindset shift that can bring clarity, purpose, and even joy back into your weekly planning: seeing lesson planning not as a chore, but as an act of design. This episode offers encouragement, practical strategies, and a refreshing way to approach planning...
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Ep. 174 3 Smart Ways to Find High-Quality ESL Resources Fast
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
Welcome educators! 🌟 Before we dive in, take a deep breath — you’re doing an incredible job. This time of year can be challenging, but every lesson, every smile, and every word of encouragement you give your students truly matters. 💛 In today’s episode, we’re talking about something every ESL teacher struggles with — finding high-quality resources that actually save time instead of wasting it. If you’ve ever spent hours searching for the “perfect” lesson only to end up disappointed, this episode is for you. You’ll learn: 🎯 3 Smart Strategies for finding high-quality...
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Ep. 173 Myth: You Can’t Teach Multiple Levels Effectively – Why That’s Not True
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
Teaching ESL across multiple language levels can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be! In this episode, we’re breaking down practical strategies to help you confidently teach newcomers, intermediate, and advanced students all in one classroom. You’ll learn how to: Simplify lesson planning with one core learning goal Use flexible grouping to boost collaboration and engagement Offer scaffolded choices that meet every student where they are These tips will help you save time, reduce stress, and create a more inclusive, empowered classroom for all learners. 💛 Resources...
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Ep. 172 My Plan to increase student engagement this year!
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
Welcome to the My Adventures in ESL podcast—the show dedicated to helping ESL teachers like you feel confident, supported, and inspired in your classroom. I’m so excited you’re here! As ESL teachers, we know how much time and energy goes into planning lessons, organizing materials, and meeting our students’ diverse needs. But even the best lesson plan can fall flat if students aren’t engaged. In this episode, I’m sharing three practical and easy-to-implement strategies that will help you create an engaging classroom where students are excited to participate and eager to learn....
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Ep. 171 What do I teach next month? October Edition
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
October can feel like a turning point in the school year. Your routines are set, your students are finding their rhythm—but sometimes, the excitement from August and September starts to fade. If you’ve ever stared at your lesson plans this month thinking, “I need something fresh!”—this episode is for you. In this episode of My Adventures in ESL, I’m sharing three simple, seasonal, and interactive lesson ideas that you can start using in your classroom right away. These activities are designed to save you time, engage your students, and make learning fun again—without adding hours...
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Ep. 170 Where do I Start? Tips to get you started
Adventures in ESL: A Podcast for K-12 ESL Teachers
Welcome back, amazing teachers! 🎉 The beginning of the school year is here, and if you’re anything like me, you know it can feel like a whirlwind. Between screening new students, managing schedules, creating lessons, writing language plans, and juggling everything else on your plate—it’s a lot! In this episode, I’m sharing three practical, high-impact strategies that will help you start the school year feeling calm, confident, and organized. My goal is to take some of the overwhelm off your shoulders so you can focus on what truly matters—supporting your students and building a...
info_outlineWelcome educators!
In today’s episode, we’re diving into one of the biggest challenges ESL teachers face: planning for mixed-level groupings. Whether you have newcomers just arriving in the U.S. or students on the verge of exiting your ESL program, finding ways to support every learner can feel overwhelming—but it is possible, and today’s episode will show you how.
🔑 In this episode, you’ll learn:
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Why planning for mixed-level groups is essential for ESL success
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How to build tiered activities for different language levels
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Simple ways to scaffold support for all students
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Tips for creating flexible assignments that work across levels
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Practical summer planning steps to set yourself up for a successful school year
You’ll also hear about the strategies I wish I had known during my first years teaching—and how you can use them to ease your stress and boost student engagement from day one.
🛠️ Summer Action Steps You Can Start Now:
✅ Create Tiered Materials:
Choose a topic like “community helpers” or “weather” and create beginner, intermediate, and advanced versions of a reading activity.
✅ Design Flexible Assignment Templates:
Think writing or speaking prompts that can be adapted with sentence starters, word banks, or paragraph expectations depending on level.
✅ Prepare a Scaffold Bank:
Build a go-to folder with graphic organizers, visuals, sentence frames, and vocabulary cards for quick access all year long.
💡 Ready for more support in your planning?
Check out The ESL Teacher Master Plan – a step-by-step, self-paced course that walks you through how to confidently plan, prepare, and organize for a smoother school year.
👉 Join the waitlist or visit myadventuresinesl.com/store to learn more.
🎧 Take a breath—you’re doing amazing work.
Differentiating for a mixed group is not easy, but your effort matters. Every step you take this summer is planting seeds for a stronger, more intentional school year.
Let’s keep growing—together. 💛
Resources Mentioned:
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The ESL Teacher Master Plan Waitlist: myadventuresinesl.com/store
📌 Stay connected:
Follow along for more tips, strategies, and encouragement to support you in your ESL teaching journey.
Announcements:
If you are looking for a community of dedicated and motivated educators, who support Language Learners, join us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/adventuresinesl