Last January I shared four posts listing out the most viewed blog posts, the most popular free blog downloads, the most downloaded free Teachers Pay Teachers products, and the ten posts I felt didn’t get quite as much attention as they deserved for 2021. This year I’d like to do the same thing, beginning with the most viewed blog posts of 2022.

10. Morning Bell Work

This post described the morning bell work routine I followed when I taught a self-contained middle school class for beginning English language learners. In it I also included links to the various books, programs, and other resources from which I sourced the activities.

9. CER: Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

I’ve used the claim, evidence, reasoning strategy when teaching every subject from science to math and writing to speaking. It’s a great way to help students organize and communicate their thinking and understanding of any topic. Besides briefly describing the strategy, the post also has links to posters, graphic organizers, a couple of activities for practicing the use of it (one of which was a top free TPT download last year), and a board game I use regularly. The paper version of the board game has recently been expanded to include topic card sets for elementary, middle school, high school, and adult students.

8. Vocabulary Word Wall

Coming in at number 8 for the second year in a row, this post is obviously very popular. Our class word wall is one of the most used features of my classroom and so I agree that it deserves a lot of attention. The free vocabulary cards available in the post were among the top five free blog downloads of 2021 and came in number six for 2022.

7. Classroom Supplies

I chose to award this spot to two posts that are similar in focus and finished neck and neck in the rankings: New Teacher Classroom Purchases & Setup (which was #1 in 2021) and Out of the Blue Favorite Classroom “Supplies”. In the post for new teachers, I answer the often asked question, “What are the must haves for my new classroom?” In the second post, I share some of the classroom items that I and my students have particularly enjoyed and I continue to have (and replace as needed) in my classroom.

6. ELLs Can Common Core

Dropping only one spot from the 2021 rankings, this post covers a topic that is very close to this ESOL teacher’s heart. In it I talk about how students who are not yet proficient in English can still show mastery of state standards, including the Common Core. I also include what was the number one free blog download of 2021 (and the number two free download of 2022), an alignment of the old WIDA I Can Statements and the K-8 ELA CCSS.

5. Speaking Practice with a Side of Reading Comprehension

This post surprised me, not because of the topic (I know we all need more speaking activities), but because it didn’t hit the blog until December and it still gained enough views to land in the top five most viewed posts of the year. The post shares seven games my students and I enjoy that elicit less scripted speaking practice.

4. Lesson Plans

I again cheated a bit on my list and awarded this spot to multiple posts. I’ve had four different posts that introduce and offer links to download my teaching outlines for various curriculum I use and like. All of them made the top views list and the lists for top free blog downloads and top free TPT products. The available curriculums are: National Geographic Inside (middle school), National Geographic Pathways Reading & Writing (high school and adult), National Geographic Pathways Listening & Speaking (high school and adult), Reading and Writing for Academic Purposes (mostly LLI teal system and Reading A-Z).

3. Back to School Activities–Ice Breaker Alternatives

I know I’m not alone in my hatred of ice breakers. I also know we teachers are always in search of some fun new way to start off the school year. This post addresses both of these with five fun activities you can use to start off a new year or semester. The best thing is that they’re not specific to any season or time of the year, so they are also great activities for easing into a break or back into routine after a break!

2. Accommodating ELLs

Holding it’s position from 2021, the number two post goes over some quick accommodations classroom teachers can use with their ELL students that are actually reasonable to implement and benefit all students, not just ELLs. This one will also show up again on the top free blog downloads list as I found and added the handout I used when I presented this professional development session.

1. Helpful Resources for Students

Coming in number one on both this list and the top free blog downloads, this post has two PDFs that list ten different helpful free resources for students and eight free websites and apps to practice English. These lists are something I give students every semester and they are always very appreciative of them. I hope they are helpful for your students as well!