Welcome to school!
Teachers of Emergent Bilinguals! It’s time to welcome your students to school for the 2025–26 school year!
As you welcome students into your classrooms, remember that many of them may be walking into a U.S. school for the very first time. For emergent bilinguals—students just beginning to learn English—the first days of school can feel overwhelming. New faces, new routines, and a new language create stress quickly. Therefore, educators must take intentional steps to help students feel safe, supported, and included from the start.
One of the most powerful things we can do is make new learners of English feel genuinely welcome.
This means more than offering a smile at the door (though that helps!). It extends to the way we design our first lessons and daily interactions. For example, greeting students in their home language when possible, pairing them with a friendly peer, and providing visual supports all communicate the message: You belong here. We are glad you are part of our classroom community. That sense of belonging builds the foundation for language and academic growth.
Next, as you plan the first weeks of instruction, keep in mind that oral language comes before written language.
Too often, teachers ask emergent bilinguals to “jump in” to reading and writing tasks before they have practiced listening and speaking. Instead, give students time to hear, repeat, and use spoken English in authentic contexts. Oral language builds scaffolding for literacy. It provides rhythm, meaning, and confidence to try out new words without fear. By encouraging students to listen, respond, and interact with peers, you create a bridge toward successful reading and writing.
Equally important, students do not learn language in isolation; they acquire it through meaningful, real-life use.
Teachers must establish a clear context for learning English as a New Language. This is where intentional lesson design becomes essential. Create structured opportunities where students practice useful, high-frequency English connected directly to their school lives.
Free Lesson to Get Started!
To support you in this work, aebll.com offers a free sample lesson called Welcome to School – Part I. This Welcome to school lesson is perfect for the very first week. Students practice greetings, introductions, and polite communication in English. They also learn how to communicate emergency information—an essential skill for safety and well-being. Finally, the lesson helps learners describe their school using key vocabulary for classrooms, hallways, and staff members they meet each day.
Through these activities, students build listening, speaking, and vocabulary skills. Once they feel confident, you can extend these skills into reading and writing. The lesson is flexible, making it easy to adapt for whole-class teaching, small groups, or one-on-one instruction. Add your own pictures, school details, and activities to personalize the experience for your students.
As we launch into this new school year, let’s commit to creating classrooms where emergent bilinguals feel welcome, oral language comes first, and English learning is rooted in meaningful contexts. With this foundation, students will not only learn English but thrive both academically and socially.
✨ Coming soon! Planning ENL Stand Alone Instruction!