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Contact Kathy Belanger:  210.315.7119
kathy@johnseidlitz.com

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Translation Flow Chart: When to Use Translation?

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Translation Flow Chart: When to Use Translation?

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Check out this translation flow chart to help us know when is the best time to translate (from Dr. Merica Clinkenbeard).

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🎥 Free Webinar Recording: Trauma-Informed Instruction: Practical Tips from Seidlitz featuring Larry Ferlazzo and Carol Salva

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🎥 Free Webinar Recording: Trauma-Informed Instruction: Practical Tips from Seidlitz featuring Larry Ferlazzo and Carol Salva

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🎥 Free Webinar Recording: Trauma-Informed Instruction: Practical Tips from Seidlitz featuring Larry Ferlazzo and Carol Salva

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Trauma Informed Instruction: Practical Tips from Seidlitz Education

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Find out how to use this powerful routine effectively here: elisewhitediaz.com

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This "S-Connect Routine" is lanyard size! Use it to tune to students' emotions that exhibit a stress response (fight, flight, freeze, fawn).

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This "S-Connect Routine" is lanyard size! Use it to tune to students' emotions that exhibit a stress response (fight, flight, freeze, fawn).

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Print this and keep it on your lanyard as a reminder of how to respond.

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AWARE Texas - Texas School Mental Health

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Skip to content AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) Texas is a five-year initiative designed to strengthen community and school-based supports for the mental health and resiliency of students.

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https://seidlitzeducation.com/shop/discover_connect_respond/

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Read more on my blog: MLs from Hard Places

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Read more on my blog: MLs from Hard Places

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At the end of the school year, I was supporting a science teacher who had a newcomer in her classroom - a student, she explained, who "didn't speak a lick of English." She wanted to know the best way to support her. After a few questions, it turned out this student had actually been in the U.S. since the beginning of the year, had a well-developed L1 (Spanish - which, notably, shares many linguistic components with English), but still wasn't vocalizing in the language of instruction.

When I entered the room, I quickly spotted who she meant. The student sat at a lab table up front, alongside a boy who was happily translating every word for her. My task that day was to model how to engage students - including newcomers - in structured conversation. But as I got started, I noticed that everything I said was being auto-translated onto the screen via some app or extension, alongside the conversation frame I'd prepared.

"Would you mind turning the translation off?" I asked the teacher.

This isn't an unusual request for me. I often find myself requesting a pause in translation from paraprofessionals or even other students in classrooms.

"Before you translate, ask if they understand first." Or: "Let's give her a chance to listen and see what she can pick up."

I do this because I'm about to give students loads of comprehensible input - language paired with context, visuals, gestures, and clear scaffolds for low-stress output. That might sound like something as simple as a sentence stem: 'One good thing is...' and practicing it together.

When I explain this to people outside the field, their faces can sometimes reflect horror. "How could you? Seventh grade science is overwhelming even for English speakers!" Paradoxically, I actually share their concern. At the same time that I ask for a pause in translation, my skin crawls when I hear an adult admonish students: "Speak English!" when they hear them using their heritage language to make meaning.

It's a question I am often asked in my consulting work: When should we use translation?

Here's my answer: Use translation as a tool - until it becomes a crutch.

The challenge, of course, is recognizing the difference.

When to Use Translation (and When Not To)
So - when should we use translation?
Here's what I encourage teachers to keep in mind when working with newcomer students:

1️⃣ When You First Meet a Newcomer: If a student has been in the U.S. for less than three years and is still developing their language production, welcome them in their home language . Even if your accent is rough, the effort communicates something powerful: Your language and culture belong here.

Use an app if you need to. This lets students breathe a sigh of relief that you're not expecting them to perform in English before they're ready. Keep translation going as you build connections:

"What do you like to do? Do you have any brothers, sisters, or pets? I have two cats - see, here's a picture of them."

It's a simple, human gesture that lowers the affective filter and invites relationship.

2️⃣ To Build Background Knowledge: Use translation intentionally to prepare students for what's coming, or to help them process it afterward.

I once had a newcomer with strong literacy in Mandarin. Before her science class began a unit on body systems, I assigned her a YouTube video in Mandarin covering the topic (after previewing and vetting it myself). Then, she could re-watch the English version in class with translation turned on afterward to reinforce understanding.

This can also look like a pre-read or post-read of a text in their home language. I love Dr. Salva's example of a student named Uri who did this on his own - imagine if his teachers had helped make that possible. - Dr. Salva's Video on Rapid Literacy -

3️⃣ To Allow Students to Show What They Know: Another powerful strategy is reverse translation . Instead of always translating input for the student, invite them to express their understanding in their home language, and then you use a tool like Google Translate or Google Lens to check comprehension.
For example:

Have the student summarize a simplified text in their language off to the side.

Use a voice translation app during a check for understanding.

Why? Because expressive language (speaking and writing) may develop after receptive language (listening and reading) .
In that same 7th grade science class I referenced in the beginning, when the teacher asked students to take out a pencil, the newcomer did it instantly. She understood far more than anyone assumed.

General Guideline:
These aren't the only times translation is appropriate, and thankfully, tools like Dr. Merica Clinkenbeard's translation flowchart offers helpful frameworks for decision-making.

Ultimately, using translation with multilingual learners isn't a formula - it's a dance. One where we read students' cues, sometimes misstep, and adjust. The point is this: language learning isn't something students experience in isolation, through AI and apps. It's a collaborative, human process.

We need to give students moments of productive struggle, balanced with support - and always with the message that bilingualism isn't a barrier to overcome, but a superpower to celebrate.

It is March. Your class is settled and you are either gearing up for (or in the midst of) State Testing. You have been working with your multilingual students all year, and they are ready. Just as you breathe a sigh of relief and find your footing, the announcements come: a new student from out of the country is waiting in the office for you. Then another, and another. Now the question becomes, how do we integrate these newcomers into the class and curriculum when they are so far behind the language levels of their peers (who have been here all year)? The answer is so simple and intuitive it almost feels too easy: allow beginning language learners to express themselves through pictorial representation , then leverage co-created text to engage them in all four language domains

In our middle school newcomer class, we followed the on-level language arts curriculum, with a lot of scaffolding for language level. The essential question for a unit in the sixth and eighth grade curriculum was, "What is a challenge that you have overcome?" We reworded this question to: "What has been hard?" And, "What 'wins' have you had?" One little girl from Korea (Jenna) wanted to tell the story of her new puppy. I wasn't sure how a new puppy was a challenge, but Jenna insisted on her chosen topic (via Google Translate), so I let her write about it. She did, after all, know the word "puppy." Other students had a different task. If multilingual students had been with us all year, they would have responded to the grade-level prompt in a narrative essay format.

We asked newcomer students (like Jenna) to put the events of their story into panels, like a graphic novel, and then add dialogue bubbles. They knew exactly what we were talking about because Manga was a favorite genre during our silent, sustained reading time. Students' first attempts at pictorial expression were rough drafts. They tried their best on the dialogue bubbles, and some included a few words from their heritage language if they did not know the word in English. We took the draft through the writing process, using peer editing on the dialogue bubbles to help it make sense.

After students published their graphic novels (in color with the edited dialogue bubbles), I conferenced with them individually while other students continued work on their narrative essays. I pointed to the pictures and asked students to use circumlocution (talking around the unknown word they wanted to describe) to try and explain what was happening in the panel. I used a whiteboard to write down my words so they could see them, and if we really got stuck, Google Translate (in a word-to-word fashion) was the last resort. For Jenna, I pointed to Panel 9 and asked, "What is happening here?"

"Puppy...bite." Jenna responded after a long pause, pointing to herself

"Good job finding the words!" On the whiteboard, I wrote: "The puppy bit me," and explained to Jenna that we were going to put the verb "bite" in the past tense because the puppy was not biting her at that moment. I did not explain why "bite" became "bit" (this would come later). I just wanted to give her as many reps as possible speaking, reading, and writing the language .

Jenna copied these words onto an index card and practiced re-reading these words fluently . We developed three to four sentences this way so that Jenna could speak enough to describe her graphic novel to a partner. Having enough English to do so felt like a necessity in this newcomer class, in which English was the only common language. Jenna made fast progress in her English through engagement with all four language domains: listening (with comprehensible input), speaking with circumlocution, and reading and rewriting co-created texts.

Pictorial representation is also very effective with science labs, history document-based questions, and explanations of math processes. How can you use this activity in your own classroom?

See my padlet for more examples: https://bit.ly/DCRpadlet

​Since​ beginning my career in education, I have been using the "jigsaw method" without truly understanding its purpose and origins. In practice, my version looked like this: one student would read a section of the text, another would read a different piece, and each would teach their section to the other. While this approach involved solid teaching strategies, it wasn't a true "jigsaw classroom." It missed the essence of the original intent and left out a crucial component of the method. Psychologist Elliot Aronson developed the jigsaw classroom in the 1970s to foster collaboration and unity among students from diverse cultural backgrounds following school desegregation in Texas. Aronson discovered that the jigsaw method transformed classroom culture from competitive to cooperative. When students had to rely on each other for success, they began to view their peers as allies and supporters. To explore more about the history and impact of the jigsaw method, especially for students learning English, visit Including a graded assessment emphasizes the value of each student's role and makes collaboration essential . When students know that their understanding and contributions directly impact their performance, they are more invested in the process and their peers' success.

The Origins of the Jigsaw Classroom
this resource .

Key Steps in the Jigsaw Method Dr. Aronson's method is structured into 10 essential steps. While I had implemented some of these (e.g., organizing students into groups of 5-6 and assigning leaders), I realized I was missing several key elements. Here are the steps I overlooked:

Step Three: Divide the Entire Lesson into Segments Each part of the lesson should be broken down into distinct segments, not just the text and the reading portion. Then, assign each segment to individual students within a group. This ensures that each student has a unique piece of information to contribute beyond just reading.

Step Six: Form Expert Groups Create temporary "expert" groups where students who have the same segment meet to discuss and deepen their understanding of their part. This step helps students become confident in their knowledge before teaching it to their original group.

Step Ten: Graded Assessment Conclude the process with a graded assessment on the material. This element makes the collaboration high stakes, and motivates students to depend on one another for success, reinforcing the importance of teamwork.

By incorporating these missing elements, educators can ensure they are using the jigsaw method as intended-building a classroom culture rooted in cooperation and mutual support. I can think of no better time to support collaboration across divergent perspectives in the classroom than today . Why the Graded Component Matters
​

Many teachers have successfully provided a space for students to open up through Google Forms, which sometimes feels anonymous for students. The information gathered on these forms helps the teacher understand what may be behind certain student behaviors (such as laying their heads down on the desk and not engaging in conversation), or alert the teacher to the pressures a student may be experiencing within their peer group. Discovering the backstory helps teachers feel more compassion for their students and get to the heart of the issue when students do not perform academically as hoped.

Here is that you may adapt to your grade level and student population. Use it at the beginning of the year (perhaps a month in), and then provide a similar survey near the end of the year to see if any improvements have been made. Strengthen engagement by providing pictures for each question, keep wording simple, and offer a variety of responses (rather than requiring students to type out complete sentences). The purpose of this form is quick social emotional feedback for teachers, not an opportunity to grade students' writing . Perhaps often one or two questions per google form. Here are some basic questions:

In an eighth-grade poetry unit, students truly opened up about themselves when supported through the following activity, which I learned about from a fellow teacher, Gianni Fiannaca. While this was used in an eight grade ELAR class. It can be adapted for a variety of grade levels or content areas. Here is the assignment:

I hope you're savoring the arrival of fall and weaving in routines that keep you energized and passionate about our vital work-welcoming and empowering culturally and linguistically diverse students.

For me, that routine is running. At 45, I've come to realize I'm built like a spirited mare, and I need to hit the trails daily to both release and generate energy. Running not only recharges me but helps me show up fully for those I support. Some days, my "trails" take the shape of an airport terminal, but wherever I am, I find a way to lace up and get moving.

My friend Irene recently asked, "How do you stay motivated when you just don't feel like it?" I smiled, and shared a little wisdom I picked up from : "I put on my shoes and tell myself I can walk for 30 minutes if I'm not feeling it. Once I'm out there, seeing others pushing themselves, I usually pick up the pace." There's an elderly gentleman I see regularly on my runs-he doesn't know it, but just seeing his consistent presence inspires me to stretch my own limits.
​
Community is powerful. We often have no idea the impact we're making on one another, yet that silent support can fuel us in ways we don't always recognize.

I love a good 3-in-1. A hydrating lip shine that also delivers color and can be used as a cream blush? Yes, please. How about a sunscreen that soothes my rosacea, and includes a bit of tinted coverage? Most definitely. My husband likes to take the 3-in-1 too far. He showed me this 13-in-1 product on Reddit he was considering purchasing. I'm glad it doesn't exist!

What if we could do this same thing in the classroom? Deliver lessons that align with our content standards, support language development, and coach students in emotional literacy ? I'm all in!

The key to wrapping these three power objectives together is to begin by choosing a content standard that pairs well with emotional literacy. Here is an example from a seventh-grade science class in their unit on body systems.

In terms of which emotional literacy targets to teach, CASEL, a nonprofit organization working to advance the science and evidence-based practice of social and emotional learning, has identified a framework that is widely used to develop emotional literacy standards. Read more here: https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/

After the content and emotional literacy target have been identified, develop a language target, identifying which language domains you would like students to use to show that they have met the content objective (listening, speaking, reading, or writing). If it is an expressive language target (speaking or writing), include which words you would like students to use.

See the full lesson plan here:
https://padlet.com/elise266/discover-connect-respond-hh7rquei3uiua4fj​

And keep checking back for additional lesson ideas in other content areas.

I looked at the wall clock and the precious 35 minutes I had left of my conference period and waited for the teenage girl to get to work. Thuy made no movement or indication that she was going to do so, not even picking up her pencil. Instead, she just stared straight ahead, eyebrows raised in defiance.

"Thuy, do you know how to do this first one?" I pointed to the first math problem, and she visibly scooted a little further away, turning away. I took a deep breath. I would not be deterred. I picked up her pencil and pointed to the first problem.

"MMNHH!!!" Thuy growled at me, snatched her pencil out of my hand, and folded her arms across her chest, ensuring that I would not get that pencil. I felt irritation rising in my belly like bile and closed my eyes for a moment.

Whenever we serve children from hard places, we need to tune into ourselves and notice what the children's response elicits in us . Here is a strategy to do so, one that I have often used at the beginning of a busy school day during the flag salute and the following "moment of silence."

Check out the "mood meter" and "How We Feel" Ap by Dr. Marc Brackett:

Put your hand on your hear t, as you would for the pledge of allegiance. How does your heart feel beating under your hand? Is it faint and slow, because you are at peace? Or is it drumming hard, attempting to pop out of your chest because of the stress and adrenaline coursing through you?

Take a deep breath in , then breathe it out deeply through your nose and feel how it moves through your body. Imagine it starting at your head and then moving all the way down to your toes. Allow your shoulders to drop with your breath. Notice if any parts of your body feel tensed up or sore (this is called a "body scan").

Pause and reflect : If your body is responding this way, what EMOTIONS could be driving it? Think about what "color zone" you have been in the last couple of days. How would you describe your predominant emotional state? ​

https://marcbrackett.com/how-we-feel-app-3/

Once I cooled down, I looked at that red sticky note with curiosity. Why did a thirteen-year-old girl struggling in a new culture trigger me so much? My reaction felt exaggerated. What was it about that interaction that made me so angry?

Identifying the emotion within us is the first step. Stay tuned for what to do next.

​

You have been working so hard this year: loving on kids who might not get that attention and high expectations from anyone else.

I know that you feel discouraged, and like you are not making a difference. I know that you have just received a disappointing appraisal. And your appraiser's comments go against everything that you have learned about teaching multilingual students. Your appraiser told you: less small group conversation, instead instruct the whole group and lead from the front. I wanted to remind you that appraisers are themselves human, and sometimes new at their roles. They are trying to help you the best that they can, but they, themselves, are not always proficient in best practices for teaching multilingual learners. Not all feedback is good, but what is always good is a posture of humility: what can we learn from this person or situation?

I know you feel the push of expectations from the administration. And with one hand, your leaders tell you: "Practice self-care," but at the same time they say: "make sure to document your exchange hours," and "You need to do these specific lessons in preparation for our state assessment," "please use our new software to monitor student progress," and, "be sure to be on time to our LONG faculty meetings." I know that all of these things are falling hard on you because you are a perfectionist about your teaching practice.
I'm sure you feel overwhelmed by all of these pressures, expectations, and distractions. I know that you often don't feel seen for all that you are doing. And you wonder why other teachers seem to skate by doing so much less than you. Yet, you have a choice.

You are doing great work . You are advocating for students who - without your presence in their lives - would be pushed to the margins. Perhaps they are told in other places that they do not matter. Perhaps they feel that their voices, their language, their culture, and their presence is not important. You are saying that it is. You are reversing long streams of colonialism buried deep in our country's fibers. You are working against the grain of all that would pull down these students and discourage them. And for this reason, you cannot allow all of the other junk and pressures in the teaching profession to get you down. Do not get weary of doing good.

You must show up fresh, energized, and new for these students . And to do so, you may have to let some things go . Is it making the lessons really cute and beautifully designed? Is it trying to do all of the things for everyone? Is there a way that you could "reverse engineer" your schedule? This year my principal introduced the phrase: 'strategically abandon." I love that phrase because it means being intentional about what you are going to let go of to focus on the main thing. For me, I need to "strategically abandon" managing others' expectations of me, and just do what I know I must: advocate for our students .
What do you need to strategically abandon today, so that you can be "okay" for them?
Here's one I can help you with: you need to strategically abandon that appraisal, and not connect it with your identity. You are not a "proficient' teacher - you are extraordinary!

The following narrative is written from the third-person omniscient point of view. Keep in mind that the teacher, working with a small group of students in the back of the classroom, does not have all of the information that you, the reader, do.

January rolled in and it was time to prepare for State Testing. Isaiah Sanchez's accomplished teacher differentiated instruction by grouping the class by their formative results. Naturally, the groups weren't labeled, but the students could discern the teachers' grouping by who was in each group.

Isaiah was in the "at level" group, but he was bored and listening to the extension group tackle some math challenges he knew he could do. His friend Aiden (who never let anybody forget that he was in the gifted and talented program) was in the extension group and having a very interesting conversation. Isaiah wondered: why couldn't he work with them? His teacher always told them to "challenge themselves." Isaiah walked over to interrupt his teacher as she struggled through story problems in the "remediation group."

"Ms. Teacher, I'm bored. Can I work with that group?"

She signed. "No, Isaiah. Don't worry about it, you're fine. You approached the standard on the assessment."

Isaiah just stood there, frowning in protest. The teacher was eager to get back to her small group tutorials, and she didn't tell Isaiah this, but she did not want him joining the group of high-performing students because she viewed him as a behavior issue, and expected him to get the other students off task.

"You're good!" She repeated. "You did as well as you could on the assessment."

"What do you mean?" Isaiah persisted. Now the teacher was getting frustrated with him.

"You did as well as anyone would expect. Now please go sit down."

".. . as well as you could, " ".. as anyone would expect." These words stuck in Isaiah's mind as he begrudgingly trudged back to his desk. As he did so, his eyes traveled to his teacher's desk, where for some reason, he saw his name handwritten on a list and "SPED" scrawled in big letters next to his name. He was confused. He knew he was only in the Special Education program because of his challenges articulating certain letter sounds. Perhaps his teacher knew something he didn't? He glanced up to see Aiden smiling smugly at him. He must have overheard his conversation with the teacher because he mouthed: "DUMBY" to Isaiah.

That was all it took. Isaiah stood up from silent reading with a growl and threw his desk across the classroom. The teacher stands up from her desk, shocked. This explosive behavior seemed to erupt out of nowhere! She orders Isaiah out of the room until she can figure out what to do.

What was Isaiah attempting to communicate with his behavior? He did not consciously understand what he was feeling, or have the words to express it. But what was his behavior communicating?

When we understand the child's behavior as an expression of what they do not have words to say, we change our response to that behavior. We no longer try to shape their behavior, instead, we try to listen.

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At the end of the school year, I was supporting a science teacher who had a newcomer in her classroom - a student, she explained, who "didn't speak a lick of English." She wanted to know the...

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Illustrated books (vetted) to teach littles about feelings

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Illustrated books (vetted) to teach littles about feelings

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These books (with clickable links to Amazon) have been reviewed (by me) to ensure they are classroom-appropriate.

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Newcomers make a graphic novel to tell their stories.

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Can newcomers write a personal narrative? You bet! Beginners tell their stories by illustrating a graphic novel, including the elements of plot. Then they point to their pictures and then search for words to describe what is happening. Depending on their language level, a teacher can help scribe what they say. Then students rewrite their own words and practice reading them aloud.

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A trauma-informed view of language development

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A trauma-informed view of language development

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Want more? Subscribe to my e-newsletter for 0-cost resources

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Want more? Subscribe to my e-newsletter for 0-cost resources

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Thank you for attending my session: "Discover Connect Respond: How to Help Students from Hard Places." Fill out this form to express your interest in receiving further Seidlitz Education Trainings from Elise White Diaz

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Ep 209. Elise White Diaz: A framework for trauma-informed instruction | Teaching MLs

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Elise White Diaz is well-versed in the challenges facing diverse students from difficult backgrounds.
Prior to her work in public education, Elise’s passion for trauma-informed pedagogy began when she moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to serve at a school for child laborers in the garbage dump. There she taught bilingual and ESL education at the secondary level, and learned so much from her students who overcame obstacles and went on to college. Upon returning to the United States, Elise brought her experiences to a diverse district in North Texas. She wove together principles from culturally-relevant, trauma-informed education and language acquisition in innovative ways, bringing dramatic gains in standardized test (STAAR) scores. Soon after, she began to mentor and coach teachers in how to recreate these routines. Elise has served in various roles in Emergent Bilingual education, including co-teaching, instructional coaching, writing curriculum, and offering professional development to Texas schools.
As a consultant for Seidlitz Education, Elise enjoys supporting teachers in their important work of building language and connection across cultures and obstacles. She holds a Master’s degree from Fuller Seminary in Intercultural Studies and lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two children. She is a member of the National Association for Bilingual Education and Women-for-Orphans-Worldwide, and returns to Central America wherever she can.

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SAMHSA's concept of trauma is built on the "Three E's":

1. Event: The actual occurrence of a traumatic event, such as violence, abuse, or loss.

2. Experience: The individual's subjective experience of that event.

3. Effect: The lasting negative consequences on the individual's well-being and functioning.

https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/trauma-violence

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Free App to help us identify how we feel (developed by Dr. Marc Brackett)

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Free App to help us identify how we feel (developed by Dr. Marc Brackett)

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The How We Feel Project is a non-profit working to help everyone better understand their own emotions.

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Lagging Skills: Dr. Ross Greene's ALSUP 2020

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Lagging Skills: Dr. Ross Greene's ALSUP 2020

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What is Toxic Stress, and how does it impact learning?

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What is Toxic Stress, and how does it impact learning?

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It is important to help students understand what happens to their "downstairs brain" when it is flooded with emotions.

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A Newcomer who feels overwhelmed spends time puzzling in the safe space of an ESL classroom

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When students are flooded with strong emotions, it is hard for them to move from their "downstairs brain" (currently flooded) to their upstairs - thinking brain. Lend your calm to them and help them self-regulate so that they can move into their "upstairs brain."

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How do we help educators to attune to a child's emotions when doing so does not come naturally?

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Analyze Student Needs Within the Environment

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Analyze Student Needs Within the Environment

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Identify the students' strengths:

In what areas does the student naturally excel?

What skills has the student already developed?

What are the student’s natural-born gifts?

What is the student’s best subject/natural interest?

Observe the student's growth opportunities:

What are the student’s negative work habits and traits?

Are there any gaps in learning?

Analyze OPPORTUNITIES (external factors)

What could serve as an opportunity in the classroom environment?

What are the assets/opportunities in my school?

What tools are available to me?

Identify THREATS (external factors)

What obstacles stand in the way of the student’s success?

Is his home environment a threat or an opportunity?

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Find out more: https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.UAmriXqB.dpbs

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Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KP ICD)

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Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast

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Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast

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Matthew Portell, the principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, hosts this powerful podcast with guests such as Dr. Bruce Perry and Dr. Lori Desautels.

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Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast

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The TIENetwork is here to support schools, districts, organizations, and businesses to learn about and implement the who, what, where, why, and how of trauma-informed practices.

Our Services

The TIENetwork comprises experts who bring both professional experiences and lived experience to support your individual or organizational needs.

"The professional learning was very informative and left participants with tools and strategies for implementing what is best for students.."

Beth Fugate, District Administrator
Bradley County, Tenneessee

We are proud to have supported and facilitated for the following organizations...

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Education | Trauma Informed Educators Network

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The TIENetwork is here to support schools, districts, organizations, and businesses to learn about and implement the who, what, where, why, and how of trauma-informed practices.

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Question - Stem - Signal  -Share - Assess

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QSSSA to "Capture Kids' Hearts and Minds"

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QSSSA to "Capture Kids' Hearts and Minds"

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Students share "good things" at their tables to build connections with their classmates and the teacher. Teachers learn about student interests, and the QSSSA format helps even emerging language learners participate!

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Blog Post: QSSSA Anywhere and Everywhere

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Blog Post: QSSSA Anywhere and Everywhere

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See how students in Honduras grabbed onto this user-friendly routine to amplify academic language

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by Elise White Diaz The classroom was buzzing with excitement. Students who had never spoken up before were suddenly engaged in deep conversations, using academic vocabulary with confidence. This t…

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Shout out to some recent districts booking trauma-informed multilingual training! 

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Shout out to some recent districts booking trauma-informed multilingual training! 

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Understand the Youth Mental Health Epidemic

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Understand the Youth Mental Health Epidemic

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https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/0593655036

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Help students to tell a story about who they are in school with the graphic organizer: "Somebody Wanted But So Then"

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Help students to tell a story about who they are in school with the graphic organizer: "Somebody Wanted But So Then"

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We need to be aware how other people experience us, in spite of our good intentions.

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Madagascar (2005) - Crying Mort Scene (6/10) | Movieclips

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Language Exchange Club Helps Newcomers Find Belonging

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Language Exchange Club Helps Newcomers Find Belonging

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https://seidlitzblog.org/2023/05/03/language-exchange-club-providing-emergent-bilingual-students-with-opportunities-to-participate-in-extracurricular-activities/

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Learn how to provide a quick SEL connection in a secondary classroom. I would add a sentence stem and a structured visual to the question in this video (to provide access for our multilingual learners).

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Discover how your student feels about himself as a student, the classroom environment, and whether he or she thinks that you, the teacher, actually like him.

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Tell us about your experience in school. How can we make it better for you ? (This is confidential information, only shared with your teacher). Please be honest in your feedback.

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National Educators for Restorative Practices

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Helping teachers build relationships, one educator at a time.

National Educators for Restorative Practices is committed to becoming the unifying voice for all educators by providing leadership, guidance, and resources for the implementation and utilization of restorative and relational practices.

Interactive trainings are now online! Visit our new Online Training page to learn more.

National Educators for Restorative Practicesis committed to helping educators across America.

Workshops - Our professional development workshops will help you and your educators implement restorative practices in your district.
Leadership - From organizational management to administrative support, our team is available to meet your ongoing needs.
Resources - Annual conferences, teacher resources, trainings...

"One Minute"by Mark Medley -
Presented byNational Educators for Restorative Practices.

Take four minutes to find out how one minute can change a student's life forever.

Our Connection Toolkit features six proactive tools in helping our teachers build and sustain relationships.

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National Educators for Restorative Practices

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NEDRP National Educators for Restorative Practices is built on the foundation of Restorative Practices focusing on helping teachers build better relationships with their students. Its all about relationships, and Restorative Practices focuses on building relationships between teachers and students.

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Fall-Hamilton Elementary: Transitioning to Trauma-Informed Practices to Support Learning

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A teacher creates a welcoming culture in her classroom.

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Teach the Class How to Welcome Newcomers

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Teach the Class How to Welcome Newcomers

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Interpersonal Neurobiology by Dr. Dan Siegel

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Interpersonal Neurobiology by Dr. Dan Siegel

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How our Relationships Shape Us by Dr. Dan Siegel

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Blog: Discovering a Trauma-Informed Approach for Multilingual Learners

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Blog: Discovering a Trauma-Informed Approach for Multilingual Learners

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Beyond the 7 Steps: Discovering a Trauma-Informed Approach for Multilingual Learners

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by Elise White Diaz For years, the 7 Steps framework had been my Bible—my gospel for teaching language to some of the most challenging students: timid newcomers and discouraged multilingual learner…

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Connecting with students from hard places with Elise White Diaz

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3-in-1: Content, Language Development, and Emotional Literacy Sample Lesson

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3-in-1: Content, Language Development, and Emotional Literacy Sample Lesson

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See this blog post for further description: https://www.elisewhitediaz.com/blog/3-in-1-content-language-development-and-emotional-literacy

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Welcome Diverse Learners in Culturally Informed Ways

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Welcome Diverse Learners in Culturally Informed Ways

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Have you learned some words in the student's home language? Have you asked how they would like to be greeted?

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Welcome Diverse Students on the First Day of School

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by Elise White Diaz There is something deep inside each person that makes them want to be wanted, invited, and chosen. I saw it on my daughter’s face as she lit up when her new teacher leaned down …

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SEL reading for beginning language learners

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SEL reading for beginning language learners

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Saddleback Educational Publishing | Hi-Lo Books™

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With the increase in digital forms of communication and the increased pressures of today's world, schools are facing new challenges in supporting students and helping them learn social and emotional skills. The SEL Teen Literacy Library is a unique solution that uses nonfiction and fiction to help teens think about and discuss topics critical to successful social interactions and emotional health. Organized around 12 key SEL topics that cover both self-awareness and social awareness, this collection of Hi-Lo Books™ is the perfect addition to any middle or high school classroom or library.

Because recognizing and dealing with emotions is such an important aspect of social and emotional learning, emphasis is placed on 60 emotion words (5 for each topic). Each emotion is represented on a traditional vocabulary card with a photo on one side and the word and definition on the other as well as on an Emoti-Card featuring an illustration of the emotion with facial cues and gestures to help students better identify that emotion when interacting with others. Together with extensive instructional support in the form of lessons, activities, role-plays, and assessments, the books and cards in this collection provide the perfect solution to incorporating SEL instruction into content area classes.
KEY PRODUCT FEATURES:

Accessible text with low readability and photographs on every page for comprehension support

Nonfiction/Fiction book pair for 12 different topics

Focus on emotion vocabulary with two sets of cards to build comprehension and recognition of emotions

Extensive instructional support for every topic and book pair

Mature, engaging content supported by real-world content and photographs on every page

Progress monitoring in the form of summative assessments for every topic and a program checklist

DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR:

Upper Middle and High School Students

Newcomers and English Language Learners

Students Who Would Benefit from Life Skills Content

Career and Health Classes

PRINT LIBRARY BOX SET INCLUDES:
72 Topic-Based Books (3 Each of 24 Titles)

12 Nonfiction Books Paired with 12 Fiction Books

Emotion Vocabulary Cards

60 Full-Color Photo Vocabulary Cards

60 Illustrated Emoti-Cards

5 Emotions per Topic

Comprehensive Instructional Support

Topic Background for the Teacher

Lesson Plans and strategies for use with Whole Class, Small Group, and Partners

Emotion Vocabulary Instruction and Role-Plays

Guided Reading Comprehension Questions

Assessments

*ONLINE DIGITAL PLATFORM:

With the absence of in-person assisted learning, we have developed a simple platform that will enable readers to be both independent and assisted. Our technology supports readers by highlighting the text and reading it aloud at an appropriate pace that is perfect for struggling readers.

Online Digital Platform purchases will allow for up to 20 student licenses + 1 teacher license. Additional licenses may be purchased in sets of 10, separately. Please reach out to our onboarding specialists for customized quotes at contact@sdlback.com

*Online Digital Platform is sold separately from print materials, or can be purchase as a combo set above.

Key Features:

Web browser access offering ease-of-use for any device with internet access

Simple design with uncomplicated screens so as not to distract the reader with unnecessary buttons and features. The goal is to get kids reading!

Text-to-speech with word highlighting for enhanced readability. Great for ANY struggling reader.

Print ISBN: 9781680217308 | Digital ISBN: 9781645987000 | Print + Digital ISBN: 9781680217308S
Grade: Teen and YA
Reading Level: 1.7 to 2.5
Lexile: HL210L to HL290L
Product Notes: Teacher's Guide not sold separately. Once an order is placed for the Online Digital Platform materials a digital onboarding specialists will be in contact with you shortly. Licensing terms for Digital purchases are for one (1) year from the date of purchase. See Digital Terms and Conditions for more details.
Key Words/ Themes: SEL, Social Emotional Learning, Social-Emotional Learning, Social and Emotional Learning, Social Skills, Emotional Skills, Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Moods and Attitudes, Decision-Making, Physical Health, Finding Purpose, Social Awareness, Relationship Management, Communicating Effectively, Kindness and Respect, Problem-Solving, Finding Help/Resources, Full Color, Set, Fiction, Nonfiction, Teen, Young Adult, Hi-Lo, Hi-Lo Books, Hi-Lo Solutions, High-Low Books, Hi-Low Books, ELL, EL, ESL, Struggling Learner, Struggling Reader, Special Education, SPED, Newcomers, Reading, Learning, Education, Educational, Educational Books

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The SEL Teen Literacy Library is a unique solution that uses nonfiction and fiction to help teens think about and discuss topics critical to successful social interactions and emotional health. With the increase in digital forms of communication and the increased pressures of today's world, schools are facing new challenges in supporting students and helping them learn social and emotional skills.

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TESOL's "Specialist Master Class": SEL + Trauma-Sensitive Practices

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TESOL's "Specialist Master Class": SEL + Trauma-Sensitive Practices

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2023 Specialist Master Class - Social-Emotional Learning & Trauma-Sensitive Practices in English Language Teaching

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Tap-In / Tap-Out: Giving Teachers Time to Recharge

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Podcast from the Attachment and Trauma Network

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Podcast from the Attachment and Trauma Network

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Join Julie Beem & Ginger Healy as we explore the trauma-informed, attachment-focused concepts of Regulation (self-regulation/co-regulation) and Relationship (building connection) and how we can help children build resilience and emotional health through the ways in which we parent, teach and care for children. This podcast is produced by the Attachment & Trauma Network, or ATN, a leading national non-profit supporting children impacted by trauma through their families, schools and communities.

Join Julie Beem & Ginger Healy as we explore the trauma-informed, attachment-focused concepts of Regulation (self-regulation/co-regulation) and Relationship (building connection) and how we can help children build resilience and emotional health through the ways in which we parent, teach and care for children. This podcast is produced by the Attachment & Trauma Network, or ATN, a leading national non-profit supporting children impacted by trauma through their families, schools and communities.

Brilliant guests, timely topics

These two have the best guests, and talk about the most timely things!! They also have a great network of people they are always in touch with. Definitely worth a listen.

What is Blocked Care? Episode 42

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this particular podcast. I am an avid follower of the Regulated and Relational series and always find cutting edge brain science as well as suggestions for hands on strategies in parenting my children. As a mother who came to parenting through marriage, adoption and foster care, I am blessed to mother multiple children with developmental trauma. I also have worked on a daily basis for the past 27 years with adoptive families as an adoption professional. What a relief for ALL OF US to learn that there is a reason we have times where we feel especially overwhelmed, defeated, and ashamed of our difficulties in connecting with our children. Knowing about blocked care, and learning how to recognize when it may be controlling our interactions, brings hope in the place of shame and guilt. Thank you Ginger and Julie for your educated and compassionate focus on this vital topic.

So good

I'm so impressed with this podcast. They really share the best of the best information in a fun and interesting way.

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‎Regulated & Relational on Apple Podcasts

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Join Julie Beem & Ginger Healy as we explore the trauma-informed, attachment-focused concepts of Regulation (self-regulation/co-regulation) and Relationship (building connection) and how we can help children build resilience and emotional health through the ways in which we parent, teach and care fo...

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TEA Mental Health Training Requirement for District Employees Who Work Directly with Students - 2025 (88th Legislative Session, House Bill 3)

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TEA Mental Health Training Requirement for District Employees Who Work Directly with Students - 2025 (88th Legislative Session, House Bill 3)

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Valentina Explains the Picture Word Inductive Model

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Valentina Explains the Picture Word Inductive Model

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The Picture Word Inductive Model is one of the most effective methods I’ve used to teach grade level content while advancing language acquisition...

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Valentina Gonzalez (@valentina.gonzalez097)

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Multilingual Acculturation Studies for Newcomers by Dr. Marie Heath

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Multilingual Acculturation Studies for Newcomers by Dr. Marie Heath

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The following is a state-approved course (in Texas) to help multilingual students embrace their acculturation experience, learning how to blend their home country’s culture with the new culture and language of a new school. Incorporating research-based strategies, this course helps newcomers navigate and adapt during their transition period with an integrated identity approach.

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Multilingual Acculturation Studies for Newcomers by Dr. Marie Heath

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Students write in a "field journal" about everything they observe. 

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Challenge Students to Journal their Observations of their Environments

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Challenge Students to Journal their Observations of their Environments

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Journaling has long been recognized as a means to greater mindfulness and self-regulation. Additionally, it helps develop student language and agency.

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Using the Picture Word Inductive Model with the World Cup

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1. Students identify nouns in the picture and write them on the board (with help as needed).
2. As a class, we identify verbs. The teacher can help verbs to become richer: run becomes "chasing" the ball.
3. The class adds descriptive words, adjectives, and adverbs.
4. Now individually, each student describes on their paper what they see happening in this scene, with the new vocabulary on the board.