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

What if you could design an amazing learning environment? We already have, and it's all contained in 7steps! 7 Steps to Building a Language-Rich Interactive Classroom provides a seven step process that creates a language-rich interactive classroom environment in which all students can thrive. Topics include differentiating instruction for students at a variety of language proficiencies, keeping all students absolutely engaged, and creating powerful learning supports. This session will be a 5 hour session presented by Carol Salva from Seidlitz Education. 

Cross-Linguistic Connections: Going Beyond the Cognates - Virtual  (Primary and Elementary) 

During this session, participants will learn about multiple ways to create Cross- Linguistic Connections using the Sound-Spelling Transfer Kit.  They will also learn other additional resources to use Explicit Instruction to teach OWDL EBs how to connect the Spanish and English languages. Examples of strategies and resources will be shared. 

Engaging Vocabulary Strategies  (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

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. 

Explorando nuestras raíces lingüísticas ¡El español y el inglés tienen más cosas en común de lo que pensamos! (Primary and Elementary) 

Uno de nuestros principales objetivos como educadores bilingües es fomentar el desarrollo de la capacidad de análisis de nuestros estudiantes a la hora de aprender español e inglés para así desarrollar su capacidad de aplicar su conocimiento en situaciones del mundo real. Durante este taller práctico, repasaremos la historia del español y del inglés, y compararemos y contrastaremos los elementos que comparten. Además, utilizaremos estrategias prácticas para implementar en el aula que nos permitirán poner en práctica conceptos de lingüística aplicada (competencia metalingüística). 

 Frog Street's Music and Movement (Primary) Virtual

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. 

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

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. 

Increasing Student Ownership with NearPod (Elementary) Virtual

This beginner-friendly presentation will focus on using basic NearPod functions to generate interactive opportunities for students to collaborate. We will address how students can practice listening, speaking, and writing skills during content-specific lessons. Although math content will be used in the presentation, the skills and knowledge gained in this presentation can be used across content areas! 

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

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. 

A Tisket, A Tasket: What's in a Story Basket   (Primary) 

Do you want to bring your favorite children’s books to life? Come learn about story baskets and how to use them in a preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade classroom. Story baskets enhance narrative development and comprehension in your classroom. You will even make a story basket during the session to use immediately in your classroom. 

Turning the Pages: Manga for Elementary  (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

You may have heard of the word “manga” among elementary students, especially in recent years. But what is it exactly? Manga is generally used to describe comics that originated in Japan, and over time, due to cultural globalization, extended its reach all over the world. Manga allows students who are considered reluctant readers and who fall in the special populations' category to be immersed in reading. There are many levels to manga, especially what to consider when developing a collection geared toward elementary students. In this presentation, educators will be able to gather tips on how to get started with manga while creating engaging lessons focusing on writing and storytelling. 

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. 

Art & Books - A Match Made in Heaven for Wellness Growth (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

Now more than ever, the arts are essential to promote creative skills and critical thinking, and growth in students’ social-emotional learning. How can we include art-focused activities within lessons in the short time that we have with our students? Come to this session to receive tips and tricks from a former special education teacher and now a librarian. 

Building a Classroom Community Through Cooperative Learning (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

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. 

Building Science Language (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

Words. Words. Words.  Students struggle to understand the meaning and make connections with the words in the Science context.  In this session, we will transform vocabulary words into interactive teaching tools to help build vocabulary knowledge, which is crucial to students' academic success. This session will be hands-on, interactive, and collaborative to showcase effective vocabulary instruction to help bridge the gaps. 

The Equity & Literacy Connection in Dual Language Education: What is the Truth About Translanguaging?  (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

In this session, we will help dual language teachers get back to the why of dual language, its equity origins, and what it means for how we plan instruction today. Myths about translanguaging and its role in ensuring access to all three goals of dual language are confronted. Samples of how concrete and student-centered translanguaging pedagogical shifts in how we plan, support, and assess students to ensure student ownership of biliteracy and bilingualism goals will be shared, as well as examples of the look-for’s in student learning and transfer of learning across both languages.

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

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. 

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

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. . 

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

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. 

A Tisket, A Tasket: What's in a Story Basket   (Primary) 

Do you want to bring your favorite children’s books to life? Come learn about story baskets and how to use them in a preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade classroom. Story baskets enhance narrative development and comprehension in your classroom. You will even make a story basket during the session to use immediately in your classroom. 

¡Tilde o no tilde, esa es la cuestión! Aprendamos a usar la tilde de forma creativa y sin confusiones (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

Algunos consideran que saber marcar el acento ortográfico o tilde es un verdadero arte; su uso modifica cómo se pronuncia una palabra e incluso su significado. A menudo nos centramos en memorizar las reglas. En este taller, revisaremos las actividades de conciencia fonológica que nos permiten comprender dónde se marca el acento ortográfico o tilde y su razón. Además, revisaremos los criterios para determinar cuándo utilizar y aplicar los conocimientos y estrategias adecuados (procedural knowledge).

Así pues, ¡aprendamos el arte de usar el acento ortográfico o tilde mediante estrategias que activan nuestras habilidades cognitivas y creativas! 

Building Science Language (Elementary) Virtual

Words. Words. Words.  Students struggle to understand the meaning and make connections with the words in the Science context.  In this session, we will transform vocabulary words into interactive teaching tools to help build vocabulary knowledge, which is crucial to students' academic success. This session will be hands-on, interactive, and collaborative to showcase effective vocabulary instruction to help bridge the gaps. 

Effective Questioning within a CKLA lesson  (Elementary) Virtual

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!

Frog Street's Music and Movement (Primary) Virtual

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.

Improving Reading Achievement by Assessing Oral Language Proficiency (K-8)  (Elementary and Middle) 3-hour Virtual

Join Dr. Linda Cavasos and Dr. Alma Ortiz! This session will focus on oral language development as the foundation for literacy success. Review procedures for administering and scoring informal assessments in the native language and in English. Learn how to interpret assessment results to identify patterns of strengths and needs across languages. Assessments include measures of receptive and expressive skills in the social and academic language domains (e.g., analyses of conversation samples, personal narratives,  storytelling, dictation, and cloze procedures). Guidelines for interpreting language performance and for using oral language data to plan language and literacy instruction for emergent bilinguals.  

Leveraging Equity, Oracy, and Engagement to Accelerate Biliteracy (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

Did you know that oracy is essential for dual language students to develop phonics and phonemic awareness skills in both program languages? This session will help dual language teachers understand why oracy provides the necessary practice needed to decode words in two languages and how it accelerates biliteracy development. We will share sample strategies, watch them in action, and collaboratively apply new learning. 

 Más allá de cat - mat - hat... Conciencia Fonológica en el salón Bilingüe/Lenguaje Dual (Primary) Virtual

La conciencia fonológica es muy importante para la lectura tanto en inglés como en español. Los participantes aprenderán diferentes estrategias para desarrollar la conciencia fonológica en sus estudiantes usando canciones y rimas tradicionales y originales en español

Moving with Lead4ward (Elementary) Virtual

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. 

Say More About That !! Mathematical Discourse in the Eureka Classroom (Elementary) Virtual

Participants will be able to facilitate great conversations in this session. Teachers will provide students with opportunities to engage in mathematical argumentation and conceptual explanations improves students’ learning (Chapin, O’Connor, & Anderson, 2009).

The focus is that we will show best instructional practices to enhance student discourse in order to help teachers evaluate misconceptions and help students to Reflect on their own understanding.

Participants will have hands-on experiences with ELLevation strategies and examine questioning strategies through group and partner work. 

 Structured Literacy Instruction For Emergent Bilinguals (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

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. 

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

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.

A Window Into Diverse Texts: Integrating Into All Content Areas(Primary and Elementary) Virtual

Are you desiring to find multicultural resources and literature to use for upcoming lessons, whether it be online or face-to-face? The focus will be on reaching special populations through a variety of books and resources. There will be a discussion on why it is necessary to have diverse literature and what attendees can do to implement the tips shared!  Participants will receive materials. 

Bringing Words to Life: Vocabulary Beyond Definitions  (Elementary) Virtual

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! 

 Building Better Writers  (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

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. 

Crafting and Communication: Makerspace in the ELL Program  (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

Students need various opportunities to practice communication and critical thinking when they are creating hands-on, worthwhile products. Enter maker spaces! Topics in this session will include samples, hands-on experiences with different stations currently in use, and how to start a maker space within your classroom and budget  (yes, grants will be discussed)! 

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

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. 

Improving Reading Achievement by Assessing Oral Language Proficiency (K-8)  (Elementary and Middle) 3-hour Virtual

Join Dr. Linda Cavasos and Dr. Alma Ortiz! This session will focus on oral language development as the foundation for literacy success. Review procedures for administering and scoring informal assessments in the native language and in English. Learn how to interpret assessment results to identify patterns of strengths and needs across languages. Assessments include measures of receptive and expressive skills in the social and academic language domains (e.g., analyses of conversation samples, personal narratives,  storytelling, dictation, and cloze procedures). Guidelines for interpreting language performance and for using oral language data to plan language and literacy instruction for emergent bilinguals.  

 Más allá de cat - mat - hat... Conciencia Fonológica en el salón Bilingüe/Lenguaje Dual (Primary) Virtual

La conciencia fonológica es muy importante para la lectura tanto en inglés como en español. Los participantes aprenderán diferentes estrategias para desarrollar la conciencia fonológica en sus estudiantes usando canciones y rimas tradicionales y originales en español

Reigniting Cross-Linguistic-Connection: How to Plan the Steps that Make Cross-Linguistic Connections So Powerful (Primary and Elementary) Virtual

In this session, we will help dual language teachers get back to the why of cross-linguistic connections and what it means for the steps that must be planned for today. We will use sample strategies to explain the key steps that must be included in all cross-linguistic connections for them to stick. We will also model the steps for how to plan for cross-linguistic connections that accelerate students’ transfer of knowledge and abilities in their two languages. We will show lots of visuals and models to help participants create their own anchor charts and samples that focus on these power moves. This is appropriate for all program models. 

Say More About That !! Mathematical Discourse in the Eureka Classroom (Elementary) Virtual

Participants will be able to facilitate great conversations in this session. Teachers will provide students with opportunities to engage in mathematical argumentation and conceptual explanations improves students’ learning (Chapin, O’Connor, & Anderson, 2009).

The focus is that we will show best instructional practices to enhance student discourse in order to help teachers evaluate misconceptions and help students to Reflect on their own understanding.

Participants will have hands-on experiences with ELLevation strategies and examine questioning strategies through group and partner work.