Picture this! It’s 2nd period, and you’re in the zone. Students are actively engaged and responding to your lesson with enthusiasm. You won’t stop the momentum for anything, not even taking a sip of water, for fear of breaking the magic. Then, it happens; you hear a knock at the door. You open it to find a colleague, accompanied by an unfamiliar face: a nervous student who doesn’t speak English, reporting for class.

No warning, no prep time. You want to support them and let them know that everything is going to be okay. But you can’t because there’s a brand-new ELL in your room who has no idea what is happening and doesn’t understand what you’re saying.

Whether it’s leaning on a bilingual classmate (who then misses their own lesson to translate) or scrambling for a stray picture book, we’ve all survived these “drop-in” moments. As an ENL/ELA teacher, I’ve been in this situation myself, feeling the weight of being unprepared. To help both teachers and students who experience this every day, I’ve gathered essential resources and strategies for when a newcomer student suddenly joins your classroom community. Here are 4 effective strategies for supporting brand-new ELLs!

1. First Things First, Establish a Strong Connection

Bridging the language gap to connect with your student is the highest priority. Brand-new ELLs often arrive feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed. Therefore, ensuring they can navigate their new environment and communicate their basic needs is essential. Here are interactive resources that require little to no prep, allowing you to support your students instantly!

• Google Translate

Google Translate’s mobile app includes a “Conversation” mode for real-time, two-way speech translation. Whether you’re using your phone, tablet, or laptop, you can speak and give basic instructions to your students. Additionally, you can pair brand-new ELLs with trusted students to help them adjust to the app. Students can also use the “Camera” feature to instantly translate printed worksheets or classroom signs. For learners more comfortable writing in their native language, simply scanning their whiteboard notes instantly gives them a voice in your classroom!

• Microsoft Immersive Reader

One effective strategy for supporting brand-new ELLs is to create a first day “Welcome Guide” using Microsoft Immersive Reader. By preparing something ahead of time, you’ll be ready to share it with new students. This feature can read text aloud, translate it into the student’s native language, and even provide a “picture dictionary” for individual words.

When writing your guide, focus on classroom essentials and common vocabulary that students can engage with on their first day. Additionally, you can add photos of the classroom and of the staff within the building. It’s important to remember that students may come from vastly diverse backgrounds. To set them up for success, it’s essential that they’ll know your expectations.

• TalkingPoints

TalkingPoints is a critical tool for connecting with the student’s family and allowing you to break down intimidating language barriers. Easily send messages in your native language (English, Spanish, etc.) which will arrive as a text in the family’s home language, and vice-versa. This supports ELLs and their families by making it easy to call the office, ask for a translator, and speak with a teacher. As a former ENL/ELA teacher, I’ve recommended this site/app to hundreds of other educators. Furthermore, I’ve used TalkingPoints to track the academic and behavioral success of my students, write welcome letters, and speak to students’ families daily.

• CLEAR Connect by Audio Enhancement

Build connections, one word at a time! This innovative translation tool supports brand-new ELLs by integrating with classroom audio. With two-way communication, students can follow lesson plans in real time! CLEAR Connect supports over 190 languages and instantly converts your voice into translated text and audio.

2. Visual Orientation & Onboarding

You can build self-sufficiency among your students by creating a classroom space that invites exploration. By using the following resources, students can build confidence by learning about their space without depending on others:

• Labeling with QR Codes: Use Canva, or another digital tool, to create QR codes in just a few clicks! Place each code around the room and have them link to short videos or audio clips with explanations (in the students’ native language) of classroom basics. Students can use school-based tablets or laptops to access these codes.

• Visual Schedule: Use ClassroomScreen to display the daily agenda with icons (e.g., a book icon for reading time) to provide a clear, non-verbal roadmap.

3. Low-Stakes Engagement Tools

Another effective strategy is to equip your ELLs with quick-win activities that build immediate confidence and allow them to participate in the fun! Here are a couple of interactive digital resources!

• Quizlet: This quiz-taking tool gives students access to pre-made flashcard sets for essential classroom vocabulary (e.g., pencil, paper, desk). You can even create your own cards or search for “Newcomer ENL” vocabulary for ready-made sets.

• Lumio: Engage every learner with Lumio! This web-based interactive learning software by SMART Technologies allows you to create personalized lessons for students. With Lumio, you can convert static content into collaborative experiences! Lumio also has Microsoft Immersive Reader built right into the lessons that students can access. What a bonus!

• Wayground: While this platform offers a variety of features, the one that stands out as an ENL teacher is the ability to automate accommodations. Within your online classroom, you can assign specific modifications to each student’s profile that will automatically apply to every assignment. For example, you can set a rule to “remove one multiple-choice question,” and only the student with that accommodation will have one question removed.

4. Professional Resources for Educators

The following resources take the guesswork out of planning, helping you create meaningful activities that offer ELLs a sense of belonging.

• Performance Descriptors

While most educators are familiar with IEPs, finding a similar framework for English Language Learners (ELLs) can be challenging. Although there’s not always consistent guidance on how to meet the needs of your ELL students, WIDA’s Can-Do or Performance Descriptors can match a student’s grade level and language proficiency to the appropriate activities based on New York State learning standards.

• Magic School: You can use this education-friendly bot to create worksheets that ELL/ENL students can complete. For example, try generating coloring book pages with classroom objects and their English labels.

Using any of these resources can help you support your brand-new ELL students from the first moment that you meet them. To learn more about four effective strategies for supporting brand-new ELLs, visit our online learning platform OTIS for educators!

For more tips, tricks, and tools for teaching in and out of the classroom, check out more content on the Teq Talk blog or our YouTube channels OTIS for educators and Tequipment.

We also offer virtual professional development, training, and support with OTIS for educators. Explore the technology and strategies that spark student success — no matter where teaching or learning are happening!

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