About Me

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Hey! I’m Brooke 

I’m a former ESL and ELA teacher with over 10 years of classroom experience. I’ve worked with students from diverse language backgrounds, taught mixed-level groups, and balanced packed schedules that left very little room for prep time—so I know exactly how it feels.

I’ve taken my classroom experience and paired it with my passion for graphic design to create the kinds of ESL resources I always wished I had—engaging, effective, easy to use and visually appealing!

If you:

  • Scramble to find speaking prompts that actually get students talking
  • Search the internet high and low for grammar games & activities that actually work
  • Try to plan lessons that are fun but still build real language skills
  • Want to find games and activities that will work alongside your current curriculum or textbook

I’ve got you covered!

I started Hot Chocolate Teachable with exactly this is mind! My tried and true resources can make your life easier and your classroom more fun. Whether you're working with newcomers, building conversation confidence, or reviewing grammar before testing, you'll find games, task cards, escape rooms, Boom Cards, speaking prompts, and more—ready to go and created with your real classroom in mind.

 
As a HUGE learning through play advocate, my resources help ESL teachers make their lessons more stimulating by adding the element of PLAY. Using printable language based games in your classroom is the best and most effective way to improve listening, speaking reading and writing skills.


After graduating from California State University - Los Angeles, I owned and operated an English language school in Italy for many years. I became TEFL/TESOL certified and have continued to stay updated with the latest courses and certificates related to English Language learning, ELD young learners strategies and bilingual learning. I’ve taught English language learners of all ages and I specialize in hands-on resources for young learners and conversation based activities for teens and adult students alike. I learned quickly that language only sticks when your students are enjoying themselves. 
I currently live and work in Italy - on the beautiful island of Sicily. 

 

P.S. What are all these acronyms I'm constantly using? Well, they all have one thing in common: English! The difference is who you are teaching. I know that ESL tends to be widely overused and we can often narrow things down to more specific categories.

EFL (English as a Foreign Language) EFL is the teaching of English to students whose first language is not English. Often EFL teachers live and work abroad in private language schools and centers. Three different certifications are recommended to those who are interested in living abroad and teaching.
 
ESL (English as a Second Language) ESL students live in an English speaking country yet their first language is not English.
 
ELL (English Language Learner) a student who is not proficient as an English speaker and are currently developing their skills. This can be a native K-12 student or ESL.
 
ELD (English Literacy Development) is a program for English language learners who have had limited opportunities to develop language and literacy skills in their  first language. 
 
Since there are a wide variety of certifications available for teachers hoping to move abroad and teach English in another country, the certification that are most commonly sought after by employers are: