The features mentioned in this article are available to all teachers. Teachers on free subscriptions have access to only a limited number of lessons and cannot enroll multiple students or classes, or use unit checks.
This article is composed of three sections:
Teaching students at one level
For groups of students at the same or similar proficiency levels, we recommend the Step-by-Step Curriculum as a one-stop solution for building language skills.
- Step-by-Step Curriculum: A comprehensive general English curriculum covering language and skills for students of all proficiency levels.
- Step-by-Step Curriculum for Schools: An adapted version of the existing Step-by-Step Curriculum covering the same language but using themes and content appropriate for students in US secondary schools.
- Step-by-Step Curriculum Newcomers: An absolute beginner-level module of general English lessons to add as a precursor to the existing Step-by-Step Curriculum.
You might also consider:
- Foundational Literacy: A Science of Reading-based sequence of lessons teaching basic reading, writing, and literacy aimed at students who lack the literacy skills to access other Off2Class content..
For even more information about our lesson groups check out this article.
- If you are a US K12 teacher click here.
- If you are an IEFL/Private ESL teacher click here.
Teaching students at mixed levels
Mixed-level classes occur when you have a classroom with:
- a wide range of proficiency levels
- varied cultural and language backgrounds
- different educational levels (SLIFE, etc)
Off2Class supports mixed-level instruction with a level-based curriculum, newcomer-friendly materials, and built-in checkpoints you can use to monitor progress.
What resources help me teach mixed-level classes?
1) Step-by-Step Curriculum (level-based)
Use the Step-by-Step Curriculum to run whole-class lessons while still supporting different levels. It’s organized by level from Newcomers up to Advanced, and it includes lessons that cover all language domains.
Lessons include tasks across skills and include Homework and Unit Checks.
2) Reading Activities (and reading for Newcomers)
Use Reading Activities for stand-alone reading lessons and homework that targets:
- academic vocabulary
- reading comprehension skills
- engaging, real-world topics
- a variety of level
For lower-level learners, use Reading for Newcomers (stand-alone reading lessons aimed at lower-level students).
3) Speaking Activities (and Speaking for Newcomers)
Use Speaking activities for stand-alone speaking lessons and homework with:
- a wide variety of topics
- interpersonal communication
- classroom discourse
- options that can be used for independent work
For lower-level learners, use Speaking for Newcomers (stand-alone speaking lessons aimed at lower-level students).
Step 1: Choose the right "anchor" lesson for whole-class instruction
To run a whole-class lesson in a mixed-level group:
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Select a level closest to the level of your least proficient students.
- Teach the lesson to the whole group, then differentiate the practice so higher-level learners stay challenged.
Pro tip: Use the Teacher Guides (available for Step-by-Step Newcomers, Beginner, Upper Beginner, Speaking for Newcomers, Reading for Newcomers) for ready-to-use differentiation strategies on a slide by slide basis.
Step 2: Differentiate practice without running separate lessons
Strategy A: Tiered questioning
Ask different depths of questions based on proficiency. For example, using a slide with multiple images:
- Beginning+: “How many children are in each picture?” / “Can you name three family members?”
- Intermediate: "How would you describe the relationships________?" / "What similarities and differences do you notice?"
- Advanced: “What assumptions might people make… based only on the photos?”
Same material, different thinking and language load.
Strategy B: Scaffold and extend practice
Support lower-level students with predictable structure, and extend for higher-level students.
- Provide sentence frames and a word bank (family terms, simple adjectives).
- Offer more complex starters like:
- “In my family, we enjoy ___.”
- “My ____ used to but now ___.”
- Push stronger students with comparative language:
- "Compared to other families, we are________instead of________."
Strategy C: Adjust task complexity
Differentiate by changing what students have to produce:
- adjust the length of the exercise
- add an extra challenge, like using a different tense or structure
- ask students to form questions to quiz their peers, or ask them to teach the content to a partner
Step 3: Use flexible class formats to manage mixed levels
Three practical ways to run mixed-level learning in one room:
Whole-class instruction
- Engage multiple levels at once
- Use one lesson and differentiate activities
- Pair this approach with the Step-by-Step Curriculum
Paired activities
- Encourage peer learning and support
- Group students by similar or different levels (depending on your goal)
- Use collaborative tasks like Reading or Speaking Activities
Independent work stations
Use stations to let students work on asynchronously-assigned work at an appropriate level and pace.
This works especially well for:
- text-based homework
- speaking homework
- unit checks
Tracking student growth
To monitor progress over time, there are two built-in checkpoints inside the Step-by-Step Curriculum:
- Reading homework (read a text and answer questions)
- Speaking homework (students record spoken responses and write free text answers)
Use homework consistently to see how students are handling the lesson targets.
Unit checks are found at the end of each lesson grouping, presented alongside homework as part of the Step-by-Step Curriculum. Use them as periodic checkpoints to confirm students are keeping up before moving forward.
Simple routine that works in mixed-level classes:
- Teach one, whole-class lesson (anchored to the least proficient level).
- Differentiate practice (tiered questions, scaffold/extend, and adjust complexity).
- Use stations/paired work to give students the right amount of support or challenge.
- Assign homework and use unit checks at key points to monitor growth.