Massachusetts Newcomers Under the LOOK Act: English Practice, Grades 2–6
Massachusetts Newcomers Under the LOOK Act: English Practice, Grades 2–6
Yes, you can give a newcomer in a Massachusetts Grade 2–6 classroom structured English practice without building it yourself. The ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle covers town places and directions, everyday routines in the simple present, stories in the simple past, pronouns, word families, and time and the calendar. It sits next to whatever program your district runs under the LOOK Act, from English immersion to dual language or transitional bilingual.
See the newcomer bundleThe ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle ($79.99) is a set of nine downloadable resources for students in Grades 2–6 who are new to English. It covers the town, daily routines, past-tense storytelling, pronouns, word families, time and calendar, plus a vocabulary trainer set and two grammar practice packs. It is not a Massachusetts program and was not written for the LOOK Act; it is practice material you slot into the program your school already runs.
The resources
ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle, Grades 2–6
9 resources in one download: $79.99 instead of $159.91 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle | Everyday English, Grammar & Vocabulary | 9 Resources | Grades 2–6
Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum | Grammar, Writing, Phonics & Reading Packs for Every Grade
Grade 3 ELA Pack | Grammar, Creative Writing, Phonics, Reading & Vocabulary
Learning at Home Bundle | Parent Guides & Workbooks for Reading, Math, English & Motivation | Grades 1–4
The real problem
What changed for newcomers in Massachusetts classrooms
Since the LOOK Act of 2017, Massachusetts districts are no longer tied to Sheltered English Immersion as the default. They can run dual-language and transitional bilingual programs instead, and the same law created the Seal of Biliteracy. As of 2026, dual-language programs are one of the ways districts are supporting migrant newcomer students, many of whom arrive partway through the year. That flexibility helps program design, but it leaves a gap on the ground. A Grade 4 classroom teacher may have a newcomer who spends part of the day in a bilingual or ESL block and the rest at a regular desk. During that regular time the student needs English work at their level, not the grade-level text everyone else is reading. And because the program model differs from building to building, a resource that assumes one model fits badly in the next school. What helps most is short, concrete English practice built around a newcomer's real day: finding their way around town, describing routines, saying what happened yesterday, reading the clock and the calendar.
Why it fits
How the nine resources fit a Massachusetts newcomer's week
Each resource is its own download, so you can hand out one topic without committing a student to the whole set.
- In the Town: Places & Directions gives a newly arrived student words for the streets and buildings around them.
- Simple Present: My Everyday Life lets students describe their routines while classmates do grade-level work.
- Simple Past: Stories About Yesterday moves students from single words to short retold events.
- Time & Calendar supports the schedule questions newcomers face daily: bell times, days and dates.
- Two grammar packs, Grades 1–3 and 4–6, let you place an older newcomer at a lower level quietly.
Getting started
A first six weeks with a new arrival
This is one way to sequence the bundle for a student who arrives mid-year. Adjust the pace to the student and to your ESL or bilingual colleague's plan.
- Week 1: survival languageStart with In the Town and Time & Calendar. Both build words the student needs straight away: places in school and town, days of the week, telling time. Pair the student with a buddy where you can.
- Weeks 2–3: talking about routinesMove to Simple Present: My Everyday Life. The student describes their own day, which gives you a low-pressure way to hear what English they already have. Pull matching pages from the vocabulary trainer set.
- Weeks 3–4: pronouns and word familiesUse Pronouns & Possessive Determiners and Exploring Word Families to firm up the building blocks. These work well as a small group if you have more than one newcomer in different grades.
- Weeks 5–6: telling a storySimple Past: Stories About Yesterday asks students to retell events. It is a natural bridge toward the narrative writing their classmates are doing, and a good point to check progress.
- All year: a grammar anchorKeep one of the two grammar and punctuation packs going in short daily slots. Choose the Grades 1–3 pack or the Grades 4–6 pack by the student's English level, not by their age.
What to buy
Which download to buy for your situation
For a Grade 2–6 newcomer, the ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle at $79.99 is the most direct choice; bought separately, its nine parts come to $159.91. If your student already has basic everyday English and mainly needs grammar, writing and phonics, the Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum ($49.99) gives you a pack for every grade. For a single third grader, the Grade 3 ELA Pack ($13.99) is a small start. Families helping a child in Grades 1–4 at home may prefer the Learning at Home Bundle ($79.99), written as parent guides with workbooks.
Honest limits
Before you buy: what this bundle does not do
This bundle was not written for Massachusetts and has no state-specific content. It does not reference the LOOK Act, your district's program model or the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks, and it is not a placement test or a route to the Seal of Biliteracy. Check it against your own standards and your English learner program's plan. There are no home-language pages, so dual-language teachers supply the partner-language side themselves. One purchase covers your own teaching; if your ESL team wants to share it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it is not a fit, you can exchange it for store credit within 7 days.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned with Massachusetts standards or approved for LOOK Act programs?
No. The bundle is not aligned to, endorsed by or approved for any Massachusetts framework or English learner program, and it makes no such claim. The LOOK Act lets districts choose their program model; this is practice material that can sit inside any of them. Compare the topics with your district's English language development expectations yourself, or ask your ESL coordinator before using it as part of a formal plan.
Does it work in a dual-language classroom?
It can cover the English side. All nine resources are in English, so they suit the English block of a dual-language or transitional bilingual schedule. Nothing in the bundle is written in a partner language, so the other half of the day still comes from your own materials.
My newcomer is in Grade 6 but reads far below grade level. Which parts fit?
Start with the topic resources, which are built around everyday situations rather than grade content: the town, routines, past-tense stories, time and calendar. For grammar, begin with the Grades 1–3 practice pack even though the student is older, then move up to the Grades 4–6 pack when they are ready.
Can a parent use this at home?
Yes, a family can buy it for their own child. The materials are printable worksheets and activities that a parent can work through alongside the child. They are written in English, so a parent who is still learning the language may want help from an older sibling or the school.
How do I get the files?
The bundle is a digital download. After checkout you get a download link by email, and the files also stay in your customer account under Orders. You can print them for the classroom or use them on screen in a digital classroom. Nothing ships, so you can have a first lesson ready on the day a new student arrives.
Can our whole ESL team use one purchase?
A purchase covers your own teaching. Use across a team or school is possible, but send Teach Lessons a short message first to arrange it. The files may not be posted publicly, passed on outside that arrangement or resold. If you are unsure, one teacher can try it first with a single student.
Have something ready for the next arrival
Open the product page to see the full list of nine resources before your next newcomer walks in.
See the newcomer bundle