Resources Recommended by Dr. Mooney

Dr. Mooney reviews and hand picks the best resources from an extensive range of books, websites, and curriculum sets to equip you with tools and learning sources that can make a difference in your classroom.

Advocacy

Advocating for English Learners: A Guide for Educators

Diane Staehr Fenner
ISBN: 978-1452257693
Amazon

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Assessment

Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges From Language Proficiency to Academic Achievement

Margo Gottlieb
ISBN: 978-1483381060
Amazon

Practical guidance and examples for developing effective assessments

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Communicating with Families

10 Languages You’ll Need Most in the Classroom: A Guide to Communicating with English Language Learners and Their Families

Garth Sundem, Jan Krieger, and Kristi Pikiewicz
ISBN: 978-1629146867
Amazon

Read Dr. Mooney’s review of this book

¡Colorín colorado!

A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners

http://www.colorincolorado.org

Engage Every Family: Five Simple Principles

Steven M. Constantino
ISBN:  978-1506303994
Amazon

Read Dr. Mooney’s review of this book

Co-Teaching

Co-Teaching For English Learners: A Guide to Collaborate Planning, Instruction, Assessment, and Reflection

Maria G. Dove & Andrea Honigsfeld
ISBN: 978-1483390918
Amazon

Collaboration and Co-Teaching: Strategies for English Learners

Andrea Honigsfeld & Maria G. Dove
ISBN: 978-1412976503
Amazon
Culture

Exploring Culture: Exercise, Stories and Synthetic Cultures

Gert Jan Hofstede, Paul B. Pedersen, and Geert Hofstede
ISBN: 978-1877864902
Amazon

How might your students’ home cultures vary from the culture they experience in an American school? This book describes the basic building blocks of culture and provides insight into how people from different cultures may view the world.

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MLs in Mainstream Classrooms

Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning: Teaching English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

Pauline Gibbons
ISBN: 978-0325056647
Amazon

Written with the classroom teacher in mind, this book offers an important overview of theory related to teaching English learners. It is also filled with easy-to-implement activities for teaching reading, writing, listening, or speaking in any content area.

Read Dr. Mooney’s review of this book

The More-Than-Just-Surviving Handbook: ELL for Every Classroom Teacher

Barbara Law & Mary Eckes
ISBN: 978-1553792321
Amazon

This book provides a broad survey of the foundational knowledge needed for teaching ELs effectively. The chapter about your first days with ELs and the extensive use of real-life examples are particularly helpful.

ESL Teaching: Principles for Success

Yvonne S. Freeman, David E. Freeman, Mary Soto, Ann Ebe
ISBN: 978-0325062495
Amazon

Theory and practical ideas for teaching ELs. Numerous detailed vignettes help you “see” effective implementation of the principles.

Interrupted Education & Refugees

Students with Interrupted Formal Education: Bridging Where They Are and What They Need

Brenda Custodio & Judith B. O’Loughlin
ISBN: 978-1506359656
Amazon

The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom

Helen Thorpe
ISBN:  978-1501159091
Amazon

This non-fiction account of a high school class of refugees who spoke multiple languages – some you’ve probably never even heard of –  gives detailed insight into how a teacher navigated this multilingual environment.

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Lesson Planning

Unlocking English Learners’ Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible

Diane Staehr Fenner & Sydney C. Snyder
ISBN: 978-1506352770
Amazon

WIDA Can Do Descriptors

So often, ELs are described by what they cannot do. However, the Can Do Descriptors help teachers know what students at various levels of language acquisitions can be expected to do. They are helpful for planning lessons that set realistic expectations for all learners. The descriptors are divided by language domain (reading, writing, listening, speaking) and six language proficiency levels. The Key Uses version provides more detail because they are further sub-divided into the key uses of academic language – recounting, explaining, arguing, and oral discussion. Available in English or Spanish for age clusters 2.5 – 5.5 years and grade bands: K, 1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12. The best part is – they’re free!

WIDA Can Do Descriptors Online

Teaching Language

Essential Linguistics: What Teachers Need to Know to Teach ESL, Reading, Spelling, and Grammar

David E. Freeman & Yvonne S. Freeman
ISBN: 978-0325050935
Amazon

A description of linguistics for non-linguists. The authors help you understand how linguistics principles can influence the way you teach literacy to ELs.

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Make a Suggestion

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Immigrant Children

My Family Divided: One Girl’s Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope

Diane Guerrero
ISBN: 978-1250134868
Amazon

Written for teens, the author describes her experience of coming home from school to find her undocumented immigrant parents had been detained and were headed toward deportation.

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Picture Dictionaries

First French Dictionary (DK First Reference)

ISBN: 978-1465470034
Amazon

More about this resource here

Oxford Picture Dictionary – Content Areas for Kids

Jenni Currie Santamaria & Joan Ross Keyes
ISBN: 978-0194017756
Amazon

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Oxford Picture Dictionary for the Content Areas

Dorothy Kauffman & Gary Apple
ISBN: 978-0194525008
Amazon

For use with elementary students (3rd – 5th grade).

Oxford Illustrated Math Dictionary

ISBN: 978-0194071284
Amazon

Supplement your instruction with this content specific dictionary. For use with elementary students (3rd – 5th grade).

More about this resource here

Oxford Illustrated Science Dictionary

ISBN: 978-0194071277
Amazon

Supplement your instruction with this content specific dictionary. For use with elementary students (3rd – 5th grade).

More about this resource here

Oxford Illustrated Social Studies Dictionary

ISBN: 978-0194071321
Amazon

Supplement your instruction with this content specific dictionary. For use with elementary students (3rd – 5th grade).

More about this resource here

Make a Suggestion

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Helpful Websites

¡Colorín colorado!

A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners

http://www.colorincolorado.org

Edpuzzle

Edpuzzle allows teachers to adapt video content to create their own multimedia teaching tools. Add questions, voiceover, and audio notes to better engage students.

https://edpuzzle.com

Read Dr. Mooney’s review of this resource

Speak Your Language!

An online resource that gives students, families, educators, and policy makers information and action steps for promoting native language retention.

https://speakyourlanguage.org

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Standards for Multilingual Learners

WIDA Can Do Descriptors

So often, ELs are described by what they cannot do. However, the Can Do Descriptors help teachers know what students at various levels of language acquisitions can be expected to do. They are helpful for planning lessons that set realistic expectations for all learners. The descriptors are divided by language domain (reading, writing, listening, speaking) and six language proficiency levels. The Key Uses version provides more detail because they are further sub-divided into the key uses of academic language – recounting, explaining, arguing, and oral discussion. Available in English or Spanish for age clusters 2.5 – 5.5 years and grade bands: K, 1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12. The best part is – they’re free!

WIDA Can Do Descriptors Online

A note about links to online sellers

The resources recommended here are available from a variety of online and physical retailers. Dr. Mooney has no affiliate relationship with Amazon or any other seller, and you are under no obligation to purchase through any link on this website. We have included the information you need to acquire recommendations from any seller you may choose.

Dr. Mooney wants you to have access to the best resources – no matter what!

Dear Dr. Mooney

…was designed to provide real-time advice, support, and resources for teachers like you!

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