Sessions and Presenters

The NYSED OBEWL Master Rubrics, Performance Indicators, and Scoring Guides all describe what learners can do at each of the proficiency targets associated with Checkpoints A and B. In this session, the presenter will engage participants in looking closely at these descriptors to understand them and the progression they represent. She will model teaching strategies aligned to each sublevel description (comfort) and show how to build on them to scaffold learners’ movement to the next sublevel (stretch). Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their current instructional practices and to apply some comfort and stretch strategies.   

Do you host a language club? Are you looking for “fun day” activities for your classes? This presentation will offer several models for low-prep activities and culture-focused participatory activities accessible to students of all levels. Learn to plan activities based on the “Story Hour Principle” of a theme, a snack, and a craft. Let’s exchange ideas for engaging, enjoyable, and enriching activities that get students off their phones and interacting with others. Example activities are for French but we will brainstorm ideas for all languages.

Interpersonal speaking lies at the heart of meaningful language learning - after all, communication is the goal. Yet too often, students spend more time reading and writing than talking. This session is designed to change that. Discover actionable strategies that empower students to speak more spontaneously, confidently, and purposefully in the target language. You'll walk away with classroom-ready tools like Function-based Speaking Time, Say More, Level Up, Visual Scaffolds, Flipped Conversations, Personal Q&A, and Self-Reflection Techniques. Whether you're teaching novices or more advanced learners, these techniques will help create a vibrant, student-centered environment where real communication thrives.

This session will explore student-centered strategies to maximize learner engagement during block instruction. Strategies presented will include a flexible lesson structure, grouping and instructional techniques that incorporate movement, competitive ideas to increase the use of the target language and ways to maximize instructional time. 

This workshop explores how acquisition-driven instruction can take many forms while serving the same goal: meaningful, comprehensible input. Participants will experience and analyze several high-impact CI strategies, including Picture Talk, Movie Talk, and story asking, and learn when and why to use each approach. Through classroom examples and practical frameworks, attendees will see how these strategies build listening, speaking, and reading proficiency in novice and intermediate learners. Teachers will leave with clear decision-making tools and adaptable routines they can implement immediately in any world language classroom.

Are your World Language programs truly accessible to all students? This workshop equips teachers and administrators with the pedagogical framework needed to support English Language Learners in the the World Language classroom. We will dismantle common myths about language acquisition and focus on high-leverage practices, such as visual scaffolding and tiered vocabulary instruction. Whether you are a teacher seeking daily tactics or an administrator looking to refine program policies, you will gain the insights needed to foster success for every linguistically diverse student and close the opportunity gap.

Do you feel like you are stuck at the crossroads of old and new standards and don’t know which road is the right one to take?  Join us as we fire up the GPS and help you find the right route to creating assessments that work for you and your students.  We will walk you through examples of assessments and show you how to create assessment questions of your own that push students to demonstrate their understanding and give you the information you need to guide them on their proficiency journey. We will address assessment questions in all communication modes and give you the opportunity to practice some of your own.  

In this workshop, participants will step into the role of students as the presenter demonstrates her favorite activities while highlighting key elements of the revised standards. Using authentic resources and real-world contexts, participants will experience strategies that promote meaningful communication. After each strategy, the group will debrief together to discuss how the activity can be adapted for participants’ own classrooms. All activities are no-tech, applicable to any language and proficiency level, and designed to keep students’ affective filter low while maximizing engagement and student voice.