EB Primary & Elementary Sessions Tuesday, July 11th 

 7 Steps to a Language-Rich Interactive Classroom  (All Levels) 

In this session, presenters from Rice University will take an in-depth look into building the foundation for writing in the early childhood classroom. After an examination of how young children’s emergent writing moves from scribbles to conventional print, we’ll explore developmentally appropriate activities used to move children through their own zones of proximal development. Participants will gain numerous practical activities to use in their classrooms that will inspire students to write willingly, happily, and excitedly! 

Closing the Gaps- Tips on how to maximize your RTI block.

 Participants will learn different ideas on how to plan, structure and implement the RTI block in your classroom. 

Creating Confident Writers in Pre-K Classroom  (Primary) 

In this session, presenters from Rice University will take an in-depth look into building the foundation for writing in the early childhood classroom. After an examination of how young children’s emergent writing moves from scribbles to conventional print, we’ll explore developmentally appropriate activities used to move children through their own zones of proximal development. Participants will gain numerous practical activities to use in their classrooms that will inspire students to write willingly, happily, and excitedly! 

 Frog Street's Music and Movement (Primary)

This upbeat course shows educators how to create meaningful and pleasurable music and movement experiences for children. Studies show that children can learn concepts, such as patterns, rhymes, shapes, and vocabulary, through music. The combination of music and movement enhances a child’s physical and cognitive development. 

Introduction to Fortify Output  (All Levels) 

Multilingual learners benefit from expressing themselves in low-anxiety academic settings. These opportunities help strengthen their output or the language they produce through speaking and writing. Learn why a classroom culture that fosters meaningful output is so important for multilingual learners. 

La tecnología al servicio de educación bilingüe: Soluciones innovadoras para superar la brecha del idioma (Elementary)

En la actualidad, la educación bilingüe se ha convertido en un enfoque fundamental para garantizar una educación inclusiva y equitativa. Sin embargo, la brecha del idioma puede ser un gran obstáculo para muchos estudiantes, y es ahí donde la tecnología puede marcar una gran diferencia.

Desde el uso de aplicaciones móviles y juegos interactivos hasta la implementación de plataformas de aprendizaje en línea, la tecnología puede ser una herramienta poderosa para mejorar el aprendizaje de los estudiantes bilingües. En mi presentación, explicaré cómo estas soluciones innovadoras pueden ser personalizadas para cada estudiante, adaptándose a su nivel de comprensión y habilidades lingüísticas.

Además, hablaré sobre cómo la tecnología puede ayudar a los estudiantes a mejorar su comprensión auditiva y escrita en ambos idiomas, así como a fomentar la comunicación y la colaboración en el aula. 

Literacy & Art for Young Students 2.0 (Primary) 

Come make art with me! Making connections between children’s books and hands-on experiences. Participants will use children’s books to build background and provide young learners with visual supports before making a piece of artwork. Participants will be taken through an art lesson that uses both English and Spanish children’s books.

Looking Closer at Writing Mini-Lessons Within Benchmark Writer's Workshop/Taller de escritor in a 2-5  Classroom  (2-5 Grade)  3 hour session

Provided by Benchmark, participants will review the instructional design of Benchmark Writer's Workshop resources.  Teachers will review the importance of a writing environment to build community.  Teachers will explore types of writing sessions and how they support students as they grow as writers. 

Oral Language Development for EB's Across Content Areas (Grades K-5)

The objective of this session is to assist teachers in making academic language accessible in the classroom.  Making content comprehensible and building academic language are key components to the academic success of our emergent bilingual students.  When we understand their speaking proficiency levels, we can help them meet their language goals with activities geared specifically to their academic needs.   Sources: Diverse Learner Flipbook by Seidlitz; Growing Language & Literacy by Honingsfeld. 

Proudly Playing with Puppets for a Purpose - Literacy Strategies for EBs and More  (Primary)

This session will provide teachers with outside-of-the-box strategies to incorporate a built-in co-teacher (a friendly puppet) to support oracy and literacy development including phonological awareness and building background knowledge.

Research suggests puppets are useful tools in getting children's attention, providing support to act out various scenarios, and encouraging an endless imagination. Teachers will walk away with their puppets and book in hand. 

The Power of Total Physical Response (TPR) in the K - 2 Classrooms (Grades K-2)

Total Physical Response (TPR) uses physical movement to respond to vocal input in order to teach language or vocabulary topics. The method lowers stress levels in students and replicates how young children learn their first language.  Participants will leave this session with ideas they can implement in their classroom in any subject.  The techniques will help make content comprehensible.

Small Moves: Big Gains: Examining Teacher Habits that Help Students to Talk More, Think more, and Achieve More (Primary Elementary) 

In this session, participants will acquire knowledge of high-yield strategies that benefit all types of learners. We will examine the text "Small Moves: Big Gains" by Nancy Motely, and learn the practical steps for turning the moves into automatic habits by showing how to do them, why they are significant, and possible variations. Participants will leave with a plethora of new knowledge and materials that will help them with implementation. 

Work Smarter not Harder: Using Benchmark to Teach SLA in the Social Studies Classroom (Elementary) 

It is no secret that there are never enough minutes in the instructional day.  In this workshop, participants will learn how to explicitly teach SLA using Benchmark resources in the Social Studies classroom.  There will be an emphasis on scaffolding questions and instruction around Spanish Language Arts standards utilizing texts within Benchmark that align with Social Studies TEKS.  Specific opportunities will be provided for participants to look at question stems from STAAR (including the new item types introduced in 2023) and how to weave these opportunities into explicit instruction that provides multiple opportunities to teach for transfer in students' primary language as well as look at ways to bridge these practices into English. 

Anchoring Mathematical Discourse through Interactive Anchor Charts (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

The presentation would focus on providing and modeling an example of an interactive anchor chart, turn and learn, and sentence stems that supports language directly from a Eureka lesson. Time would then be given to educators to internalize a Eureka lesson in a group and work together to develop a purposeful and curriculum-aligned anchor chart, turn and learn, and sentence stems support for that lesson. 

Building a Classroom Community Through Cooperative Learning  (Elementary) 

This presentation will focus on engaging strategies that can be used in a classroom to promote cooperative learning amongst our EB students. We will be sharing activities that will encourage our students to build their academic conversations, reading skills, and writing skills. In order for a student to be successful in class, they will need to be comfortable enough to truly express their learning and thinking process without focusing on if their answers or responses are right or wrong. Research shows that a cooperative learning environment increases EB students' participation and self-esteem.

Creating Confident Writers in Pre-K Classroom  (Primary) 

In this session, presenters from Rice University will take an in-depth look into building the foundation for writing in the early childhood classroom. After an examination of how young children’s emergent writing moves from scribbles to conventional print, we’ll explore developmentally appropriate activities used to move children through their own zones of proximal development. Participants will gain numerous practical activities to use in their classrooms that will inspire students to write willingly, happily, and excitedly! 

 Developing Emergent Writers K12 (All Levels)

Join Emily Francis, author and Seidlitz presenter!  Teachers will learn how to develop emergent writers starting with confirming students’ existence. We can do this by choosing compelling text that validates their background and experiences. Then we begin to scaffold their reading by providing intentional support and strategies to increase the input process. We also scaffold writing to meet students where they are and use strategies to encourage high-level writing (output). 

Fomentando el pensamiento creativo en la educación bilingüe: técnicas para maestros (Elementary) 

Durante la presentación se explorará el concepto de pensamiento creativo, su importancia en la educación y cómo puede ser estimulado en los estudiantes bilingües. Se proporcionarán técnicas y estrategias específicas que los maestros pueden utilizar para fomentar el pensamiento creativo en el aula, con ejemplos de actividades prácticas y efectivas.

La presentación está dirigida a maestros de educación bilingüe que buscan mejorar su enfoque pedagógico y aprovechar al máximo el potencial creativo de sus estudiantes. Al finalizar la presentación, los asistentes tendrán una mejor comprensión del pensamiento creativo y cómo integrarlo en su enseñanza diaria en el aula bilingüe. 

Fortify Student Output with Classroom Chatter  (All Levels) 

Multilingual learners are often quick to develop the ability to communicate socially but need explicit instruction to learn the academic structures of the language. Educators can provide multiple opportunities for students to strengthen their academic speaking proficiency and make classroom chatter purposeful in every class, every day. 

Looking Closer at Writing Mini-Lessons Within Benchmark Writer's Workshop/Taller de escritor in a 2-5  Classroom  (2-5 Grade)  3 hour session

Provided by Benchmark, participants will review the instructional design of Benchmark Writer's Workshop resources.  Teachers will review the importance of a writing environment to build community.  Teachers will explore types of writing sessions and how they support students as they grow as writers. 

The Power of Total Physical Response (TPR) in the K - 2 Classrooms (Grades K-2)

Total Physical Response (TPR) uses physical movement to respond to vocal input in order to teach language or vocabulary topics. The method lowers stress levels in students and replicates how young children learn their first language.  Participants will leave this session with ideas they can implement in their classroom in any subject.  The techniques will help make content comprehensible.

Promoting Student Comprehension Using Story Baskets (Primary) 

What happens during and/or after the Read-Aloud? Have you ever wondered how you can promote your students’ understanding?

Engagement is key! Research suggests storytelling engages areas of the brain that process complex information, which supports the building of background knowledge.  

Join us for some of the other non-traditional stories that we currently see in the PreK - K classrooms!  In this session, teachers will receive ideas and some materials to start their own story baskets for the classroom where students can engage in storytelling, story extensions, and /or change the endings through story baskets.

ST Math Puzzle Talk Foundations Grades 3-5 (Elementary) 

Learn to engage students in rich mathematical discourse and creative problem-solving using ST Math.  During this in-depth workshop, educators will experience a Puzzle Talk, explore Puzzle Talks at their grade level, and create a plan to integrate Puzzle Talks into their practice. 

Structured Literacy Instruction For Emergent Bilinguals (Elementary)

During this session, participants will explore each of the components of Structured Literacy along with evidence-based strategies for lesson design and effective implementation. We will reference the work of Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan as we present the essential components of Structured Literacy; discuss special considerations for the implementation of Structured Literacy among emergent bilinguals; highlight cross-linguistic features for the development of second language and literacy skills. 

Thinking Aloud: Modeling the Thought Process for Our EB's  (Primary and Elementary) 

Comprehension plays a pivotal role in language development. As EBs grow in their reading fluency, we must also guide them through the thinking process of comprehension. Throughout this session, we will explore ways in which Think Alouds can be incorporated into CKLA and Eureka lessons in order to move beyond simply modeling the steps, to explaining the thinking behind them. 

Total Participation Techniques (Elementary) 

Do you have the same handful of students who are eager to answer your questions and participate in the classroom?  How do we motivate ALL our students to think and be actively engaged? This session will provide teachers with a variety of engaging activities that will ensure student ownership. 

Building Better Writers (Primary and Elementary) 

Participants in this session will have an opportunity to gain insight into the unique needs of emergent bilingual writers by obtaining information from the book, "Building Better Writers" by Natalia Heckman. The author addresses practical strategies to address these needs. We will dissect the book to learn about instruction at the sentence level, instruction at the paragraph level, and instruction at the composition level. Finally, participants will leave with acquired knowledge of 60 different activities they can use in their classrooms. 

 Effective Questioning within a CKLA lesson  (Elementary) 

Questions and questioning are present throughout the CKLA curriculum, however, are we using these questions effectively? Participants will have the opportunity to explore CKLA lessons and the questions contained within them. Modeling of effective questioning strategies and scaffolding for EBs will be provided. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to plan and practice with a lesson of their own!

Engaging Vocabulary Strategies (Bilingual Primary and Elementary) 

In this presentation, we will discuss how vocabulary is implemented when connecting background knowledge. Background knowledge is a critical component not just for us reading/writing teachers, but across all subject areas and being familiar with the vocabulary is essential for students to master their learning objectives. Through various hands-on activities, we will demonstrate and collaborate with teachers on effective strategies implemented that our EB students enjoy using and help them succeed. Research shows in order for students to comprehend and connect they must be presented vocabulary, not in the textbook as traditional or writing it down in a notebook, but rather include multiple opportunities of practice where students are allowed to hear, speak, read, and write. 

 Fortify Output with Student Writing (All Levels) 

Writing is a tool for language and content learning that is crucial for all content areas. Multilingual learners increase language and content learning, as well as their confidence, by participating in low-risk, high-impact writing activities. Learn how to unlock the writing potential of your multilingual learners. 

 Frog Street's Music and Movement (Primary)

This upbeat course shows educators how to create meaningful and pleasurable music and movement experiences for children. Studies show that children can learn concepts, such as patterns, rhymes, shapes, and vocabulary, through music. The combination of music and movement enhances a child’s physical and cognitive development. 

Inspiring Authentic Writing Through the Use of Writing Baskets (Primary)

Join presenters from Rice University. Do you want to cultivate the love of writing in young learners while honoring their voices, nurturing their interests, AND supporting curriculum units? Come and learn how to create and implement writing baskets in your classroom. You will leave this session with a writing basket to use immediately in your classroom.

 Internalizing English Language Development through PVR with CKLA   (Elementary) 

A great strategy to connect English and Spanish is through PVR: Preview, View, Review.  Teachers will have the opportunity to internalize a lesson and learn how to use the PVR strategy for English Language Development in a CKLA lesson.

Looking Closer at Writing Mini-Lessons Within Benchmark Writer's Workshop/Taller de escritor in a K-1 Classroom   (K-1 Grade)  3 hour session

Provided by Benchmark, participants will review the instructional design of Benchmark Writer's Workshop resources.  Teachers will review the importance of a writing environment to build community.  Teachers will explore types of writing sessions and how they support students as they grow as writers. 

Moving with Lead4ward   (Elementary) 

In this session, we will provide teachers with various lead4ward strategies to engage EB students in an academic setting. Teachers and EB students will benefit from building background knowledge, and discourse to comprehend, connect, and communicate effectively with peers. 

Raising the Bar: Teaching EBs with Depth and Complexity - Part B  Elementary Session  (Elementary) 3-hour GT Credit

Who is the gifted multilingual learner? What are the characteristics of gifted multilingual children? This session will emphasize classroom instruction that encourages multilingual learners to exhibit in-depth, complex thinking while also increasing their achievement and proficiency in English. Participants will explore ways to combine the thinking model of Depth and Complexity with Sheltered Instruction in classroom instruction. Examples of activities that structure classroom interaction for multilingual learners to use academic vocabulary will be provided. These activities provide students opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write while at the same time thinking in in-depth, complex ways. 

Small Bites - Small Group Instruction for EBs (Primary and Elementary) 

This session will provide teachers with a variety of hands-on activities and resources that can be used to pre-plan or respond to students’ differentiated needs during small group instruction. Teachers will understand how to use these resources to build a strong foundation for phonological awareness, phonics and decoding, and more.

Student Ownership: Strategies at your finger TIPS  (Elementary) 

As we expect students to take ownership of their learning through structured conversations with the use of content-specific vocabulary, they become co-facilitators of their own learning. Participants will gain TIPS for a language-rich interactive classroom and learn strategies to lower the affective filter and promote total participation.

Emergent Bilingual students must develop language and academic skills in order to be academically successful. In this session, student ownership is promoted through the use of the TIPS framework which ensures “that our students are involved, articulate and successful” (Seidlitz & Perryman).

Participants will engage in a variety of hands-on activities. They will walk away with strategies that can be implemented right away. 

ST Math Puzzle Talk Foundations Grades K-2 (Primary and Elementary) 

Learn to engage students in rich mathematical discourse and creative problem-solving using ST Math.  During this in-depth workshop, educators will experience a Puzzle Talk, explore Puzzle Talks at their grade level, and create a plan to integrate Puzzle Talks into their practice. 

Too much WEPA! Helping neurospicy students succeed in class. (Primary and Elementary) 

How do you support your neurodivergent students in your classroom? Learn how to provide choices, opportunities and growth for our students through read-alouds and behaviorally supportive activities. We will share our toolbox of tips on how to support our neurodiverse students in an inclusive and culturally responsive classroom. 

Bringing Words to Life: Vocabulary Beyond Definitions (Elementary) 

Stuck in a rut with vocabulary? Looking for new ways to engage your students in lasting word-meaning instruction? Well-planned vocabulary activities can lead to the true internalization of words, their use, and their meanings. In this presentation, participants will engage in vocabulary activities that can be embedded into CKLA instruction. They will then select an upcoming lesson of their own and try out a new activity with their peers! 

Cross-Curricular Teaching with Dual Language (Elementary) 

Our presentation's focus will be on how to implement cross-curricular content to support student learning in reading, math, science, and social studies. Ms. Galindo and I are both teaching partners and have experience in planning activities, questions, visuals, and anchor charts to best support ongoing learning in all subject areas. In this presentation, we will use second grade as an example but this collaboration can be implemented for any grade level. Being able to work hand in hand with your teaching partner is essential and during this presentation, we will give examples on how to effectively practice that in the classroom. Examples will include ideas on how to expose the students to both content and language-supporting strategies such as gestures, visuals, sentence stems, and vocabulary to promote ongoing learning. 

From Struggle to Success: Language Strategies for Emergent Bilinguals  (Primary) 

Research suggests students who are appropriately challenged tend to be more engaged and are more likely to be successful in their learning. Creating a classroom environment that promotes student engagement can facilitate language acquisition in EBs. including in Speaking, listening, and reading skills. Teachers will have the opportunity to walk away with instructional ideas to implement immediately in the classroom and 2 books to support the implementation of language strategies in the classroom. 

Guiding Students to Construct Quality Written Responses to Open-Ended Questions Across the Curriculum (Elementary)

Writing is an instrument of thinking that allows students to express their thoughts and helps them understand and share their perceptions of the world around them. If students are to be successful in school, at work, and in their personal lives, they must learn to write. Teachers can give students power in their world by teaching them to write and to write well. In this session, teachers will explore different strategies to promote writing in their classrooms, such as: Responding with RACE, Mix and Match with Constructed Responses & Writing Windows. 

Inspiring Authentic Writing Through the Use of Writing Baskets (Primary)

Join presenters from Rice University. Do you want to cultivate the love of writing in young learners while honoring their voices, nurturing their interests, AND supporting curriculum units? Come and learn how to create and implement writing baskets in your classroom. You will leave this session with a writing basket to use immediately in your classroom.

Introduction to Fortify Output  (All Levels) 

Multilingual learners benefit from expressing themselves in low-anxiety academic settings. These opportunities help strengthen their output or the language they produce through speaking and writing. Learn why a classroom culture that fosters meaningful output is so important for multilingual learners.  

Looking Closer at Writing Mini-Lessons Within Benchmark Writer's Workshop/Taller de escritor in a K-1 Classroom   (K-1 Grade)  3 hour session

Provided by Benchmark, participants will review the instructional design of Benchmark Writer's Workshop resources.  Teachers will review the importance of a writing environment to build community.  Teachers will explore types of writing sessions and how they support students as they grow as writers. 

 Moving with Lead4ward   (Elementary) 

In this session, we will provide teachers with various lead4ward strategies to engage EB students in an academic setting. Teachers and EB students will benefit from building background knowledge, and discourse to comprehend, connect, and communicate effectively with peers. 

Oracy in the Classroom: Creating Variety in Student Discourse (Elementary) 

From setting expectations to supporting discourse in your class; this session aims to support you and provide more ideas to facilitate student discussions to support Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies.

Raising the Bar: Teaching EBs with Depth and Complexity Part B- Elementary Session  (Elementary) 3-hour GT Credit

Who is the gifted multilingual learner? What are the characteristics of gifted multilingual children? This session will emphasize classroom instruction that encourages multilingual learners to exhibit in-depth, complex thinking while also increasing their achievement and proficiency in English. Participants will explore ways to combine the thinking model of Depth and Complexity with Sheltered Instruction in classroom instruction. Examples of activities that structure classroom interaction for multilingual learners to use academic vocabulary will be provided. These activities provide students opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write while at the same time thinking in in-depth, complex ways. 

Planting the Seeds to Meet Their Needs (Primary) 

Participants in this session will learn the best practices that will support student ownership and superior outcomes in classroom management. Participants will be provided with many strategies and procedures that will help them create a culturally and linguistically responsive environment to support emergent bilinguals in their journey toward biliteracy. From morning messages to daily routines and procedures to nursery rhymes and songs that will assist students in their cross-linguistic transfer, this presentation is a high-energy, engaging demonstration full of activities that will build knowledge and foundational skills across content areas. 

Too much WEPA! Helping neurospicy students succeed in class. (Primary and Elementary) 

How do you support your neurodivergent students in your classroom? Learn how to provide choices, opportunities and growth for our students through read-alouds and behaviorally supportive activities. We will share our toolbox of tips on how to support our neurodiverse students in an inclusive and culturally responsive classroom.