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@SallyBarnesTX

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Sally Barnes | Seidlitz Education (sallybarnestx) • Instagram photos and videos

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Sally Barnes | Seidlitz Education (@sallybarnestx) • Instagram photos and videos

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80 Followers, 133 Following, 8 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sally Barnes | Seidlitz Education (@sallybarnestx)

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Share resources, ask questions, and collaborate with world language colleagues from around the country!

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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Thank you to Stephanie Carbonneau for putting this together!

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Oral/Written Proficiency Levels In The Workplace (ACTFL)

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Oral/Written Proficiency Levels In The Workplace (ACTFL)

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2025 Offerings from Seidlitz Education

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7 Steps World Language (2nd Edition) Training Options

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Start The Year Strong: Procedures and Expectations for World Language Classrooms

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Start The Year Strong: Procedures and Expectations for World Language Classrooms

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by Sally Barnes

"Stay in the target language 90% of the time."

"Take attendance every day."

"Refer back to your daily objective throughout the lesson."

"Conduct formative assessments throughout the day to check for student understanding."

There are so many expectations that we have of ourselves and that others hold us to daily in our professional lives. How can we set ourselves up for success without becoming overwhelmed? The planning begins now, before the students walk into the classroom, in order to start the year strong. Here are some ideas to prepare for the upcoming school year!

Target Language Usage

ACTFL recommends that the teacher, students, and classroom environment are in the target language 90% of the time. How will you set yourself up for success with this lofty goal?

Create a word wall with important procedural words and images (e.g., stand up, take out your notebook, turn in your paper, put away your phone). Reference these images and use gestures to support meaning until students acquire these phrases.

Use websites like www.thenounproject.com and www.flaticon.com to find clear, simple images that can support your written and spoken instructions.

Create an "English Zone" in your classroom that students can visit if they need support in English during a "Target Language Only" activity.

Provide important questions in the target language from day 1 on a poster and reference frequently. Questions like "Can I have more time?" or "Can you restate the instructions?" can be practiced from day 1. Click here for posters!

Classroom Routines

Set high expectations early on and practice routines every day until they're established. Simple strategies like Numbered Heads Together or having students collect handouts from a table by the door as they walk in will help with classroom management, timing, and accountability.

How will students be grouped up in your class during collaborative and conversational activities? Using strategies like these listed below can help you figure out how to set up desks/tables and prepare students to work together from day 1:

Shoulder partners

Numbered Heads Together

Travel buddies/away partners

Will you have a specific place to collect work, turn in work, etc.? Make sure it's clearly labeled and that students collect/turn in something to that spot every day until the routine is established.

Consider having a "sentence stem board" or using a specific font style/color scheme for sentence stems in your slideshows. This will make it easier for students to find language support and communicate in complete sentences.

When will you take attendance each day? Will you set a timer to remind yourself, or have students remind you after the warm-up?

How will you get students the information they missed when they are absent? Will you have an "absentee work" folder in your room, a place online to find the information, or will it be the responsibility of their table group to share what was done that day?

Language Supports

How can you support your students as they navigate the target language at any proficiency level?

Provide sentence stems in the target language from day one so students get used to the expectation of speaking in complete sentences. It's important to display, model, and practice these sentence stems as often as possible in order for students to internalize the language.

Create anchor charts with commonly used words/phrases for transition words, connecting words, comparisons, etc. Have them prominently posted for students to use and continue to add to them throughout the year. Here are some examples!

Have students contribute to word walls with high-frequency and student-generated vocabulary by creating a small poster (notecard size or slightly larger) with the word in the target language and an image.
Running out of wall space? Consider using a tri-fold poster board that can be placed in a prominent area during a lesson and removed when it is no longer needed or when classes switch.

Ask students to create image-based personal dictionaries with words they find important to help them acquire meaningful vocabulary more quickly.

Formative Assessments

How can you check for understanding quickly and frequently?

Prepare templates for simple formative assessments that can be used throughout the lesson and/or as an exit ticket. Having them ready means you can simply copy and paste the strategies themselves or cues to remind you to utilize the strategies into your slide decks as needed.

Zero-to-five ranking slide to check for student understanding. Here are some more ideas!

Find green and red Solo cups and have them ready for students to use to show whether they understand (green cup on top) or they need help (red cup on top). Use an image like this in your slide deck to remind you to ask students to show their green/red cups.

Create a QSSSA template or slide to use as a ticket out or throughout the lesson for quick comprehension checks. Need a refresher on QSSSA? Check out this blog post for more information!

Put white cardstock in a page protector and use them as "whiteboards" with dry erase markers for written checks for understanding.

Working on cultural comparisons? Prepare a Venn diagram with a sentence stem box underneath to prompt students to write their ideas in a complete sentence.

Making Lesson Planning Easy

What are some of your go-to strategies for your course? Ask/Ask/Switch? Four Corners? Conversational Bingo? Prepare a student worksheet template and a few slides that show pictures from past years, clear instructions in the target language with support from symbols or images, and timers to be ready to use when the moment arises! Consistency in instructions will help your students acquire the procedures, and preparing them now will save you time in the end! If you need some new ideas or want to read more about the strategies mentioned above, check out our new book, 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive World Language Classroom (2nd Edition)!

Use a simplified format that ensures students get comprehensible input AND low-stress opportunities for output daily. Here's an example of one informal format called R.I.O.T. that I utilized to help streamline the lesson planning process for my colleagues. You can find more ideas in part 2 of 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive World Language Classroom (2nd Edition).

Warm Up: Conduct a 5-minute bell ringer to hook students to your lesson. Have them talk about an interesting photo, give written or verbal opinions on a quick video, or choose from a list of options and explain their rationale.

Review: A short, five to seven-minute review of essential vocabulary, grammar, or concepts from past lessons. This is a great place for vocabulary games, manipulatives, anchor chart creation, informal discussions, brain dumps, etc.!

Input: Students read or listen in the target language. Employ active reading/listening strategies (such as graphic organizers or annotation guides), so students don't rely on "hunt and peck" strategies to find specific answers, but instead focus on true comprehension.

Output: Students write or speak in the target language about what they've read or listened to. Use sentence stems, word banks, paragraph frames, and interactive activities to help students stay in the target language and collaborate with others.

Ticket Out: Use a sentence stem that encapsulates the lesson for the day and have students complete it verbally or in writing to prove their learning. An example of this may be that students filled out a Venn diagram while actively reading about how two countries celebrate New Year's, and at the end of the lesson, students use the stem "In ____, the people celebrate New Year's by.... But in ____, the people celebrate New Year's by..."

Strategic PD

Professional learning can be like a Thanksgiving buffet; everything looks bright and shiny. However, if we try to take a list of 20 strategies back to our classroom to implement, we will likely become overwhelmed and feel like an overhaul is taking place. Be strategic with the strategies you want to try - focus on one or two new ideas from the session and create activities for your upcoming lessons with those strategies right away!

Once you've determined the one to two strategies you'd like to utilize, put the names on a sticky note and stick it to your computer. This way, you'll be reminded of them as you plan.

Add a calendar invitation to your phone to remind you to implement the ideas you learned about in October, February, and April. The reminder during common "slump" stretches of time can be helpful to keep you on task!

What will you try and implement this year to keep your procedures and expectations top-notch?

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Start The Year Strong: Procedures and Expectations for World Language Classrooms

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by Sally Barnes "Stay in the target language 90% of the time." "Take attendance every day." "Refer back to your daily objective throughout the lesson." "Conduct formative assessments throughout the day to check for student understanding." There are so many expectations that we have of ourselves and that others hold us to daily in our...

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Google slideshow with icons, slides, etc. to plan for structured conversations.

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Pre Novice to Intermediate Low - Pretzel

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Pre Novice to Intermediate Low - Pretzel

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The 7 Steps to a Language-Rich Interactive World Language Classroom are research-based strategies designed to increase comprehensible input and provide low-stress opportunities for language output and interaction. These practical techniques provide an essential foundation that ensures students are motivated and engaged, while offering access points to any target language in a way that is easy to implement and comprehensively scaffolded. Features in this updated 2nd edition include: American Sign Language (ASL) content, activities, & lesson plans Chinese and Arabic translations throughout the text Leveling Up Languages inserts for seasoned teachers using the 7 Steps! Educator Spotlights on using the 7 Steps in action Planning with Purpose (considering proficiency levels & modes of communications) in world language classrooms Creating World Language Lesson Plans with the 7 Steps Observation and Coaching forms The addition of Listening to Step 7's Structured Reading and Writing Activities

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7 steps to a language-rich, interactive world language classroom

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The 7 Steps to a Language-Rich Interactive World Language Classroom are research-based strategies designed to increase comprehensible input and provide low-stress opportunities for language output and interaction. These practical techniques provide an essential foundation that ensures students ar...

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How do you "level up" the strategies in the 7 Steps for even more motivation, access to language, and higher quality of instruction? How do you take these strategies to the next level for more advanced students? Learn more in this session! Contact kathy@seidlitzeducation.com to request information or book!

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Total Response Signals in the Secondary Classroom (Sally Barnes)

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Total Response Signals in the Secondary Classroom (Sally Barnes)

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by Sally Barnes

As a secondary teacher, Step 4 from the 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Classroom was always the one I was most "lukewarm" in implementing. The idea of my 16-year-old students collectively giving me a thumbs-up or standing back-to-back seemed unrealistic. In my mind, I felt like I would get the same students giving me a thumbs-up that would normally verbally tell me they were good to go, or they'd show me they were ready because they had stopped working.

Here's the thing: I felt like I couldn't use total response signals with fidelity while simultaneously struggling with wait time. I always cut students short on time, saying, "We've got three minutes," and then giving them two. I'd glide past moments where I could've asked students if they understood because I was excited about what was coming next or I assumed they got it. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable with silence or that I didn't have an awareness of time. To be honest, wait time wasn't a priority, and it had become a problem. Being asked to "slow down" was something I both loathed and completely understood.

I was at a session with Paul Emerich France, and he had us utilize this graphic organizer to analyze our obstacles and make goals for overcoming them. First, we identified our obstacles; mine was the "processing time" piece. Next, we brainstormed causes-why is this obstacle there in the first place? Finally, we developed consequences that can, do, or will occur if we did not overcome our obstacles.

Next, we transformed our obstacles into goals by rewording our statements, then identified steps we needed to take, as well as rationale-how will this help me and others (for example, my students)?

So, I began a committed relationship to total response signals. I started easy, trying to build a habit for myself. (Hint: Put an extra slide after a topic to remind yourself to ask for the signals-it's a lifesaver).

The signals I focused on were...

Hold up 1 - 5 to show me how well you understood _________.

Give me a thumbs-up if you're ready to move on.

Show me how many minutes you think you need for this task.

Show me how many more minutes you need.

Put your folder divider down when you're done.

And guess what? Once we got into the habit in my class, students used it! The more we did it, the less protective students were of saying they were a two or three instead of a five, or giving me a thumbs-down if they needed to. It became low stress for them and was an easy way to redirect the class when necessary.

For me, the use of these signals truly slowed me down and helped me take the temperature of the room. Sometimes they'd tell me they needed five minutes instead of the two minutes I had planned, and I would adjust accordingly. Sometimes they'd ask me to slow down, not because they needed more time or didn't understand, but because they just needed a moment to breathe. If their responses varied, I gave them time to turn and talk about what we had just covered to develop a better understanding and peer-teach. (Tying this into an activity like Expert/Novice as the way to review is super effective!) This not only increased my awareness of my students and their needs, but it also increased student agency and self-advocacy because I was consistently asking them for feedback.
Reflect on Your Own Relationship to Total Response Signals

How do you use total response signals in your class?

What are some obstacles you encounter, and what are possible solutions to these obstacles? (I highly recommend you use the format I used above to analyze your obstacles and turn them into goals!)

How do total response signals help the students in your class, and how do they help you?

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Total Response Signals in the Secondary Classroom

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by Sally Barnes As a secondary teacher, Step 4 from the 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Classroom was always the one I was most "lukewarm" in implementing. The idea of my 16-year-old students collectively giving me a thumbs-up or standing back-to-back seemed unrealistic. In my mind, I felt like I would get the same...

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Twitter: @Lorabeth4

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Dr. Lora Beth Escalante has served as a consultant for Seidlitz Education for the past 8 years. She began her educational career 20 years ago as a bilingual elementary teacher. After falling in love with teaching, she earned her Master's degree from the University in Colorado in Boulder and then her doctoral degree at the University of Texas in San Antonio. Her experience includes inner city and rural schools, English only, bilingual, and dual language education, teaching adult ESL classes, and providing online instruction for university courses.

She has taught ESL in Mexico as part of a teacher cohort with the University of Colorado in Boulder while completing her Master's in Multicultural Education and ESL. As part of her doctoral studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio, she taught ESL in a high school in Harsimran, Thailand. These cultural exchanges with teachers and students from diverse backgrounds furthered her appreciation of language learning. Visiting classrooms in other countries contributes to her multicultural toolbox of teaching ideas that she can share with educators across the state. Like many educators, she embraced the opportunity to expand her technology skills over the past two years.

She continues her passion for supporting teachers who inspire students by providing professional development and instructional coaching in K-12 classrooms. Dr. Escalante strongly believes that each teacher brings unique gifts and experiences to the classroom in order to motivate students. She is the author of the book Motivating ELLs : the 27 teacher-friendly, adaptable activities found in her book help establish a positive classroom environment and maintain a productive learning community.

Dr. Escalante is a life-long second language learner herself and enjoys living bilingually and biculturally in Boerne, Texas with her husband and their three children along with her parents and several sweet farm cats as neighbors.

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Lora Beth Escalante - Seidlitz Education

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Dr. Lora Beth Escalante has served as a consultant for Seidlitz Education for the past 8 years. She began her educational career 20 years ago as a bilingual elementary teacher. After falling in love with teaching, she earned her Master's degree from the University in Colorado in Boulder and then her doctoral degree at the University of Texas in San Antonio.

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Twitter: @SallyBarnesTX

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Sally Barnes is a former Spanish teacher and world language program coordinator overseeing 200+ language teachers in a large school district. She has pursued her career in language teaching since her first Spanish and French class in seventh grade, and that dream has taken her from a small town in Wisconsin to living in Costa Rica, teaching in Arizona, Colorado, and Texas, and working with educators across the nation to support their language students, teachers, and programs!

Sally was named Texas Foreign Language Teacher of the Year by TFLA, and Alumni of the Year at Northern Arizona University, but her biggest accomplishment has been 10 years as an educator, serving students with diverse needs and skill sets. Today, her focus is creating meaningful, engaging, and fun experiences in all classrooms in which languages are being taught and providing teachers and administration with tools and strategies they need to feel successful and supported every day. She prioritizes realistic expectations, reaching and teaching the students of today, and striking the balance between trying new ideas and strengthening current strategies to reach all learners.

Sally is able to customize LOTE trainings for school districts based on her areas of expertise including:

planning with proficiency levels and leveling up with supports

lesson planning, curriculum design & development, and rubric + assessment design & development

authentic resource usage for all levels, foreign language pedagogy, and purposeful PLCs.

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Sally Barnes is a former Spanish teacher and world language program coordinator overseeing 200+ language teachers in a large school district.

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Twitter: @AnnaTeachesMLLs

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Chief Product & Marketing Officer

Anna Matis is the Chief Product & Marketing Officer and a senior educational consultant for Seidlitz Education. Her love of language learning stems from childhood experiences as an immigrant and ESL student herself from Budapest, Hungary. Being proficient in multiple languages, she is passionate about second language acquisition for all ages, pedagogical connections between LOTE and ESL teachers, and research pertaining to heritage language learning as well as long-term ELs.

She has led professional development, coached teachers, and created educational products for both teachers and administrators working with multilingual students. Her goal has always been to help teachers better meet the linguistic needs of their langauge learners . She has presented locally and nationally on best practices for quality foreign lang uage and ESL instruction, as well as effective training strategies for teachers of multilingual learners.

In 2018, Anna wrote the book 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Foreign Language Classroom for LOTE teachers, based on the seminal work by John Seidlitz and Bill Perryman. She also co-authored Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education with Carol Salva.

To read more about Anna's book, trainings, and resources for world language teachers, please see her website www.7stepslote.com.

7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Foreign Language Classroom

Research-based strategies designed to increase comprehensible input and provide low-stress opportunities for language output and interaction.

Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education

A guide to help educators and school districts navigate the challenges and learning opportunities unique to SIFE (Students with Interrupted Formal Education).

Hands down best training I have ever had! I truly have enjoyed this experience, so much so I'm doubting my choice in my current masters program.

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Chief Product & Marketing Officer Anna Matis is the Chief Product & Marketing Officer and a senior educational consultant for Seidlitz Education. Her love of language learning stems from childhood experiences as an immigrant and ESL student herself from Budapest, Hungary.

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@NataliaESL

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giving kids the gift of academic language

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Twitter: @cbracksieckGRHS

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giving kids the gift of academic language

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Twitter: @7StepsASL

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Bethany Davis has been working in the educational field since 2007. She began as a Deaf Education paraprofessional before becoming a certified ASL interpreter, and eventually a full time ASL teacher. Prior to her current role, she helped write the ASL curriculum for two different school districts and piloted the ASL program at Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD, where she currently teaches and mentors.

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Twitter: @SallyBarnesTX

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Sally Barnes is a former Spanish teacher and world language program coordinator overseeing 200+ language teachers in a large school district. She has pursued her career in language teaching since her first Spanish and French class in seventh grade, and that dream has taken her from a small town in Wisconsin to living in Costa Rica, teaching in Arizona, Colorado, and Texas, and working with educators across the nation to support their language students, teachers, and programs!

Sally was named Texas Foreign Language Teacher of the Year by TFLA, and Alumni of the Year at Northern Arizona University, but her biggest accomplishment has been 10 years as an educator, serving students with diverse needs and skill sets. Today, her focus is creating meaningful, engaging, and fun experiences in all classrooms in which languages are being taught and providing teachers and administration with tools and strategies they need to feel successful and supported every day. She prioritizes realistic expectations, reaching and teaching the students of today, and striking the balance between trying new ideas and strengthening current strategies to reach all learners.

Sally is able to customize LOTE trainings for school districts based on her areas of expertise including:

planning with proficiency levels and leveling up with supports

lesson planning, curriculum design & development, and rubric + assessment design & development

authentic resource usage for all levels, foreign language pedagogy, and purposeful PLCs.

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Sally Barnes is a former Spanish teacher and world language program coordinator overseeing 200+ language teachers in a large school district.

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giving kids the gift of academic language

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Twitter: @AnnaTeachesMLLs

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Chief Product & Marketing Officer

Anna Matis is the Chief Product & Marketing Officer and a senior educational consultant for Seidlitz Education. Her love of language learning stems from childhood experiences as an immigrant and ESL student herself from Budapest, Hungary. Being proficient in multiple languages, she is passionate about second language acquisition for all ages, pedagogical connections between LOTE and ESL teachers, and research pertaining to heritage language learning as well as long-term ELs.

She has led professional development, coached teachers, and created educational products for both teachers and administrators working with multilingual students. Her goal has always been to help teachers better meet the linguistic needs of their langauge learners . She has presented locally and nationally on best practices for quality foreign lang uage and ESL instruction, as well as effective training strategies for teachers of multilingual learners.

In 2018, Anna wrote the book 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Foreign Language Classroom for LOTE teachers, based on the seminal work by John Seidlitz and Bill Perryman. She also co-authored Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education with Carol Salva.

To read more about Anna's book, trainings, and resources for world language teachers, please see her website www.7stepslote.com.

7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Foreign Language Classroom

Research-based strategies designed to increase comprehensible input and provide low-stress opportunities for language output and interaction.

Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education

A guide to help educators and school districts navigate the challenges and learning opportunities unique to SIFE (Students with Interrupted Formal Education).

Hands down best training I have ever had! I truly have enjoyed this experience, so much so I'm doubting my choice in my current masters program.

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Chief Product & Marketing Officer Anna Matis is the Chief Product & Marketing Officer and a senior educational consultant for Seidlitz Education. Her love of language learning stems from childhood experiences as an immigrant and ESL student herself from Budapest, Hungary.

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Bethany Davis can work with your teachers to create a well-rounded curriculum specifically for ASL! Contact kathy@seidlitzeducation.com to request information or book!

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Sally can lead a curriculum writing cohort in which teachers will receive training on how to write curriculum, incorporate proficiency and high-impact AP themes. Then, the team will design a curriculum based on these components that can be followed by any language and be integrated with any textbook or current resource. Contact kathy@seidlitzeducation.com to request information or book!

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Brand new follow up training focusing on additional resources in the second edition book including more strategies, lesson planning, supports based on proficiency, etc. Contact kathy@seidlitzeducation.com to request information or book!

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Blog: End of 2023 Reflection (Sally Barnes 

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Blog: End of 2023 Reflection (Sally Barnes 

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The year is coming to a close and it has me thinking about all of the things I've learned from my incredible PLN! This was my first [half] year as a full time consultant/trainer wi

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Podcast: Exploring Innovating Instructional methods for Modern World Language Classrooms

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Podcast: Exploring Innovating Instructional methods for Modern World Language Classrooms

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Podcast: Exploring Innovating Instructional methods for Modern World Language Classrooms

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Podcast: Exploring Innovating Instructional methods for Modern World Language Classrooms

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Blog: Navigating Language (Making Input Comprehensible)

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Blog: Navigating Language (Making Input Comprehensible)

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Navigating Language: Making Input Comprehensible

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Navigating Language: Making Input Comprehensible

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When I was in elementary school, my family took a 1000+ mile, 16 hour road trip from Whitewater, Wisconsin to Gulf Shores, Alabama. My brother (who was 15 with his learner's permit

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Sentence Stem & Vocabulary Anchor Chart Examples - World Language Classroom

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Sentence Stem & Vocabulary Anchor Chart Examples - World Language Classroom

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Download as PNG and add to slideshows

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by Anna Matis Raise your hand if you’ve ever been trained by John Seidlitz on Sheltered Instruction or the 7 Steps. Now keep your hands raised if some aspect of his training transformed your mind (…

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Themed for units of study (example: clothing, family, childhood, food, greetings, etc.)

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Two Simple Tweaks to Turbocharge Your QSSSA (Dr. Stephen Fleenor)

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Two Simple Tweaks to Turbocharge Your QSSSA (Dr. Stephen Fleenor)

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by Dr. Stephen Fleenor

Having students participate in small-group academic conversations is one of the simplest and most effective strategies in the modern classroom. Not only does it build students' academic language, critical thinking, and socio-emotional skills, it also establishes a sense of community and creates a student-centered environment in which everyone's voices are heard.

However, ensuring 100% participation and equity within small groups depends on a structured routine that students can easily follow. The QSSSA process reigns as one of the most popular routines and has been implemented pre-Kindergarten through 12 th grade and beyond in any and all content areas. The steps of QSSSA are:

Question: the teacher provides an open-ended discussion prompt

Signal: students give a gesture to show that they are ready to respond

Stem: the teacher provides a sentence stem or frame for students to use in their responses

Share: the teacher says who will speak first in each group, and students share their responses

Assess: the teacher randomly calls on one or more students in the whole-group setting or selects a member of each group to share

I have seen many teachers implement QSSSA; and universally, they see a transformation in their students' engagement and learning. Additionally, I've seen teachers implement two other strategies during QSSSA that deepen discussion, build confidence, and encourage even the shyest or most struggling students to participate.

Reversing the Signal

The signal is not just an indicator for the teacher but also a kinesthetic action that engages students and activates their brains. Common signals include thumbs up, standing up, or raising a hand. Reversing the signal means asking all students to make a specific gesture (before they have thought about the question) and instructing them to undo the gesture when they are ready. For example, instead of asking students to raise their hands when they are ready to share, ask all students to raise their hands, then ask students to lower their hands when they are ready to share.

This simple change has enormous benefits. First, students who were not paying attention when the question was presented or did not hear the question are now laser-focused on trying to think about the question. Many students might raise their hand simply because everyone else is, and (especially when the question is written down) they might also think, "Why do I have my hand up? Oh, because I have to answer this question!" Second, reversing the signal removes ambiguity for the teacher about whether students are ready. When the signal is not reversed, a teacher might wonder whether a student who does not raise their hand simply forgot or needs more time. However, when the signal is reversed, students will not keep their hands raised in the air indefinitely unless they are still preparing their responses.

Cueing Students to a Resource

To engage in a structured conversation, students must have a source of background knowledge they can connect to and activate. However, if students struggle to make a connection in their minds, or if they are entirely new to a topic (because of missed school or struggles in previous years or units, or simply because they need re-teaching), they will also struggle to come up with a response to share in their groups. Thus, it helps to instruct all students to look at a resource while thinking about their responses. Such a resource might be an anchor chart, a page in the textbook or the notes, or a visual. (Providing teachers with a source of rich visuals has become my passion project through The Visual Non-Glossary). For example, consider how a teacher sets up a QSSSA with and without cueing students to a resource:

Without cueing students: "Class, raise your hands, and lower your hands when you can explain which technological innovation of the Tang Dynasty had the biggest impact."

With cueing students: "Class, raise your hands and look at this list of technological innovations of the Tang Dynasty. Lower your hand when you can explain which technological innovation had the biggest impact."

In the second case, students who might not have remembered (or never learned) the various technological innovations of the Tang Dynasty can still think about and participate in a discussion. At the same time, students who are already familiar with technological innovations have the opportunity to think critically by comparing all options at once. In both cases, you might notice that the teacher reversed the signal. This can be a highly effective combination: have students point to a specific resource (or area of a page on their desks), then instruct students to lower their hands when they are ready to share.

Both of these strategies are designed to level the playing field for the most marginalized students while encouraging all students (including the highest-performing students) to think more deeply about content and express themselves more clearly using academic language.

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Two Simple Tweaks to Turbocharge Your QSSSA

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by Dr. Stephen Fleenor Having students participate in small-group academic conversations is one of the simplest and most effective strategies in the modern classroom. Not only does it build students' academic language, critical thinking, and socio-emotional skills, it also establishes a sense of community and creates a student-centered environment in which everyone's voices are heard....

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Planning for Purpose: What Can ALL Students Do (Sally Barnes)

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Planning for Purpose: What Can ALL Students Do (Sally Barnes)

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By Sally Barnes

It's that time of year again! We get to sit by the pool, read the books we've collected over the past few months, spend time with friends and family, and maybe get a few minutes to reflect on our year and think about what's to come. The last couple of years have been an adventure and have really forced me to revisit my initiative as a teacher, particularly asking what can my students do, and what are they doing?

I recently heard the amazing Paul Emerich France speak at a conference, and he perfectly captured some of my "teacher thoughts." He talked about personalized learning and gave five myths about this type of learning. Myth #2 was that "personalizing learning meant that curriculum must be interest-based," and the reality is that "interest and engagement are not synonymous." This reminds me of one of my favorite texts I've read as a teacher: Disrupting Thinking, Why How We Read Matters, by Kyleene Beers and Robert Probst. In this book, there is a section called "Rethinking Relevance," in which they discuss the difference between interesting content and relevant content and how it engages and connects students to what they're learning. This reading has led me to my "formula" for teaching: interesting content + consistent interaction + authentic collaboration = learning for all.

Here's a quick breakdown of my thinking:

Interesting Content: Are we connecting with our students' organic interests? Are we tapping into their worlds by piquing their curiosity and hooking them? Beyond that, are we making this content relevant? Are we connecting their interests to what we're learning and back to their lives? The "interesting" piece hooks them, but the "relevant" keeps them coming back to internalize the information.

Consistent Interaction: Are we allowing students to interact with one another, with us, with texts, with resources, etc.? Are they frequently switching modes of communication to gather and share information? A simple equation could be interaction with texts + interaction with peers + interaction with us, or more familiarly, an IPA (integrated performance assessment).

Authentic Collaboration: Are students working together for a purpose, or are they working together because they "have to"? The difference here is key: we aren't having them work in groups to get the task done more quickly or because we don't think they can do it alone. They work in groups because they learn to gather information from their peers and work together to create something to share what they've learned with the class or with me.

I think about this "equation" when I think about the 7 Steps.

Interesting Content: Looking at Step 7 (having students participate in structured reading and writing activities), students should be reading and listening to materials that capture their attention through both the text and the task. Even the most exciting text is inadequate if not structured appropriately. How are we supporting our students to understand the interesting content and make connections with relevance through strategies for reading and listening? I also see the importance of Step 5, using visuals and vocabulary strategies to support learning. These strategies for vocabulary acquisition are incredibly important for understanding and internalizing the content.

Consistent Interaction: This reflects the 7 Steps perfectly as they are specifically designed to create a language-rich, interactive classroom. Let's break it down:

1. Teach Students What To Say: Even students who aren't sure what to say in class should be interacting with each other and with us as teachers. There are phrases we can coach them to use, such as "may I please ask a friend," that will initiate interaction between students. Just the key communication skill of asking for help or clarification will help them interact with us!

2. Complete Sentences: Students must consistently use complete sentences to share their thoughts and ideas for interaction to be successful.

3. Randomize & Rotate: We work with students all the time and they never know when their turn is up! Being consistent about randomization/rotating around the class can lower the affective filter and contribute to a climate of engagement, safety, and comfort in being themselves and having their own thoughts and opinions.

4. Total Response Signals: Even a physical response is an interaction. A thumbs up/thumbs down shows that students are paying attention and engaged in the content. A ranking system shows us how well they understand or if they agree or disagree.

Authentic Collaboration: I wanted to save Steps 6 and 7 for this piece. To me, authentic collaboration happens so powerfully in the production phase. Allowing students to use structured speaking and writing activities and strategies will encourage total participation, a sense of safety, and the opportunity to contribute to the class and the conversations and work with their peers. By using scaffolded and structured strategies for learners of all levels, we open the doors for everyone to be able to receive input and produce output about the topic.

I wonder how these three pillars look in your classroom? How do you find and distribute interesting content? How do you maintain consistent interaction? And finally, how do you promote authentic collaboration among ALL students?
Sally Barnes is an educational consultant with Seidlitz Education and the current World Languages Coordinator for Klein ISD. She is currently collaborating on a book for LOTE school leaders and administrators with Anna Matis.

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Planning for Purpose: What Can ALL Students Do?

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By Sally Barnes It's that time of year again! We get to sit by the pool, read the books we've collected over the past few months, spend time with friends and family, and maybe get a few minutes to ...

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"It Doesn't Apply To Me" - ASL PD (Bethany Davis)

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"It Doesn't Apply To Me" - ASL PD (Bethany Davis)

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by Bethany Davis

I'll start this off with a confession: a good number of my first years in teaching, I would sit through days/weeks/months of training I was obligated to attend and think to myself, "Yeah...but this doesn't apply to me."

A bit of background as to why I egregiously thought this. I am an American Sign Language (ASL) Teacher. In the realm of education, teachers of languages other than English tend to feel a bit side-noted because we are not formally a graduation requirement. We don't get booster clubs, we don't have large sporting games that are attended by fans and promoted by pep rallies, we don't get Fine Arts performances or shows, we are not part of the core content that has standardized testing, we are not part of the statistics that our schools are rated by, and only a few of us have AP/IB opportunities that make us marketable. Sure we may have interest clubs, but it's hard to entice students to join because they have other clubs that will look better on a college application.

ASL teachers feel even more side-noted. When LOTE curriculums and programs advertise to us, my favorite game to play is, "Yes, great, but do you have ASL?" Many times the response is, "No, but we can look into that." But they don't. Finding ASL-specific training is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Administration observations most times have feedback that tickles our bones because they don't understand the language, but they can see we've completed the checklist they provided. Professional learning communities training? What we wouldn't give to not be the "island" teacher, the only one on our campus and, many times, the entire district. I used to sit back and laugh and laugh about all the conversations I would have with myself when setting agendas, establishing norms, tracking minutes, and summarizing the meetings. Or when the administrators felt I needed a support system, so they put me in PLCs with other languages even though their content did not apply to me.

There is no AP exam for ASL, so students are hesitant to take the higher levels because it will not benefit them for college credits. Even more so, not many colleges will accept ASL as a foreign language/LOTE credit, and IB will not accept ASL into their program because it is not a universal language. Our student motivation to take the course comes from pop culture exposure, such as the TV show Switched at Birth and, most recently, Academy Award-winning film CODA.

I have experienced and heard so many stories from my ASL colleagues about how their class has become a "dumping ground" for challenging students because administrators and counselors view it as "easier" than the other languages offered. In reality, ASL is considered by the Foreign Service Institute and Defense Language Institute as being the most difficult level of language to learn for English native speakers. The reason is that ASL has a very complex grammar system and significant structural and cultural differences compared to English or other spoken languages.

District/campus writing initiatives? ASL does not have a written system. While our spoken-language LOTE colleagues are focused on speaking, listening, reading, and writing, we are focused on training the eyes to read nonverbal communication, expressing body language, using space around the signer to organize concepts and ideas, as well as other complex grammatical structures of a visual/gestural language. For ASL teachers, sitting through writing exercises and trainings is an instant buy-out because our first thought is, "But we don't have a writing system, so I won't be able to use this in my classroom."

Then, in just one full-day workshop, my whole thinking changed.

Anna Matis from Seidlitz Education came to our district to train all the teachers in 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Foreign Language Classroom. Of course, with my pessimistic outlook, I rolled my eyes and thought, "This won't apply to me, but let's see what she's got." Anna told the group that, at the end of the workshop, we would be speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Italian. Again, I was skeptical. Skeptical, but wrong. Indeed, at the end of the workshop the entire group fulfilled the learning objective. My mind was blown.

Throughout the workshop, I was concerned about how this could be accomplished for my Deaf/Hard of Hearing colleagues and their interpreters. Certainly, reading/writing could be achieved in another language, but what about speaking/listening? Also, how do we overcome the writing obstacle in our own classroom? I met with Anna after the workshop and asked her those questions, and she responded that she had asked multiple ASL teachers, both Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Hearing, but no one had had an answer.

I could have been disappointed and quickly dismissed the training as I have done so many others, but something told me it was time for change. I went back to my lesson planning and started thinking about how I could make this workshop apply to me. I realized I was only closing myself off in my professional growth and would constantly hit my head on the wall with frustration if I kept dismissing crucial workshops like this one.

Instantly, my classroom became a more interactive environment. When I found success in that, I started bringing this new mantra-"Make it apply to you!"-to more workshops. I'm not going to lie: it's hard to change a behavior, and it took me some time to look at different trainings with a new perspective, but nevertheless, I persisted.

Soon enough, I was seen as "innovative" and a "team player" on my campus. I started building more positive relationships with campus and district administrators because I wouldn't sit back and dismiss their initiatives. I collaborated with AVID coordinators on how to adapt my unique class to their goals. I made myself known and expressed my willingness to adapt, which led them to consider me in decision-making and advocate for ASL in their conferences and workshops outside the campus/district. I was no longer a side-note. Instead of "I don't know," they started saying, "I have an idea from this ASL teacher who found success." Most recently, general education teachers conducted Instructional Rounds (observing other classrooms and looking for the teachers' use of key strategies the district was implementing), which led to a large discussion on AVID strategies in a specialized setting after observing my class. I started taking my adaptations and presenting at ASL conferences and workshops, and guess what? Many colleagues gave me feedback like, "My campus/district did this workshop, but I had no idea how to adapt it until now; thank you!"

I encourage you to make it apply to you. When you do and you find success, please share. There's still so much more I and others can learn, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

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by Bethany Davis I'll start this off with a confession: a good number of my first years in teaching, I would sit through days/weeks/months of training I was obligated to attend and think to myself, "Yeah...but this doesn't apply to me." A bit of background as to why I egregiously thought this.

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Free Icons and Stickers - Millions of images to download

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Download Free Icons and Stickers for your projects. Images made by and for designers in PNG, SVG, EPS, PSD and CSS formats

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Noun Project: Free Icons & Stock Photos for Everything

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Noun Project has the most diverse collection of free icons and stock photos. Download SVG and PNG. Over 5 million art-quality icons and free photos.

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Size: 24 x 36 - Includes 3 posters

These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don't know the answer or when they don't know what to say. Specficic target is for the LOTE Teacher to use with ARABIC students

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Poster: Instead of I Don't Know Poster - LOTE Arabic

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Instead of I Don't Know Poster - LOTE Arabic Size: 24 x 36 These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don't know the answer or when they don't know what to...

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Size: 24 x 36 - Includes 3 posters

These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don't know the answer or when they don't know what to say. Specficic target is for the LOTE Teacher to use with SPANISH students

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Poster: Instead of I Don't Know LOTE - SPANISH

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Instead of I Don't Know Poster - LOTE SPANISH Size: 24 x 36 These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don't know the answer or when they don't know what to...

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Poster: Instead of I Don’t Know LOTE - German

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Instead of I Don’t Know Poster - LOTE German Size: 24 x 36 These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don’t know the answer or when they don’t know what to...

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Size: 24 x 36 - Inclues 3 posters

These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don't know the answer or when they don't know what to say. Specficic target is for the LOTE Teacher to use with FRENCH Students

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Instead of I Don't Know LOTE Poster - French

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Size: 24 x 36 - Inclues 3 posters These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don't know the answer or when they don't know what to say.

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Size: 24 x 36 - Includes 3 posters

These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don't know the answer or when they don't know what to say. Specficic target is for the LOTE Teacher to use with Chinese students

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Poster: Instead of I Don't Know - LOTE CHINESE

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Instead of I Don't Know Poster - LOTE Chinese Size: 24 x 36 These colorful posters provide daily visual reminders (in the form of accountable conversation stems) for students to use when they don't know the answer or when they don't know what to...