ANCHOR your ESL Unit Plan

A playful mnemonic to remember the essentials of unit design
A

Assessment Variety

Pre: KWL, quick draws. Formative: thumbs, exit slips (L1/L2). Summative: projects, portfolios with photos + captions.

N

Needed Language Tools

Tiered vocab, sentence stems, cognate banks (germinación → germination).

C

Collaboration

Co-plan with content teachers and ELL specialists. Align language + content goals.

H

Helpful Scaffolds

Small groups, organizers, TTS, translation apps, bilingual home letters.

O

Objects & Visuals

Labeled diagrams, anchor charts, realia like seeds or soil samples.

R

Responsive Flexibility

Adjust pacing and tasks to student readiness. Let success grow.

Mnemonic: ANCHOR — Assessment • Needed language • Collaboration • Helpful scaffolds • Objects/visuals • Responsive flexibility