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7 Steps to a Language Rich Interactive Classroom

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7 Steps to a Language Rich Interactive Classroom

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Free School Illustrations to customize | Storyset

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These School illustrations will help you boost your class project in just a few steps. Customize, animate and download any vector for free with Storyset!

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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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What is Scaffolding Instruction?  3 Main Categories

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What is Scaffolding Instruction?  3 Main Categories

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A scaffold is a support teachers provide multilingual learners (MLs), so MLs can perform a task they are learning to perform independently. The ultimate goal of scaffolding is for MLs to be able to complete a similar task without the scaffold eventually.

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Long Term Success for Experienced MLs Webinar

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Long Term Success for Experienced MLs Webinar

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Long-Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals

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The benefit of formative assessment for MLs is that it provides you with ongoing insights into students’ learning and supports you in adjusting your instruction accordingly. When planning for formative assessment for MLs, you need to be able to articulate the key learning being taught and assessed, collect valid and reliable evidence, interpret that evidence, and use it to plan for ongoing instruction.

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Step 1: Design a scaffolded formative assessment to use in an upcoming unit or lesson.

Step 2: Implement your formative assessment.

Step 3: Reflect on your formative assessment data and plan for next steps

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Introduction

Have you heard of Diffit? It is a brand new, AI-based tool for teachers to easily convert any content to all reading levels. It gives educators leveled texts and resources for any lesson from 2 nd to 11 th grade (and higher), with the option of receiving the resulting leveled text in 68 languages. Right now, Diffit is free for educators. Users have free trial access to Diffit's premium features until January 30, 2024, according to its website.

Primary purpose of the tool

1. Adapt any text, topic, article, video with URL to any reading level.

2. Provide a summary, key vocabulary words, and questions.

3. Modify and edit all text and copy them to your needs.

4. Easily import resources or open with Google Docs/Slides/Forms.

Educators who create an account after January 1, 2024 get free access to premium features for the first 60 days from their account creation date.

Individual subscriptions will be rolled out soon, with their cost being $14.99/month.

Overview of Diffit

1. How to Get Started with Diffit

Go to https://beta.diffit.me/#topic and enter a topic, term, or question in English or in the target language. You can also provide the link to an article or video or provide any text. Then choose an appropriate reading level and language output and click "Generate Resources".

2. How to Edit

After a few seconds, the generated resources will be shown in sections, and each of them is editable.

Adapted Reading Passage

Key Vocabulary Words

Multiple Choice Questions (with an option to show answers)

Short Answer Questions (with an option to show answers)

Open-ended Prompts

Note that the image that is suggested along with the activities may or may not be appropriate to your materials, but one advantage is that Diffit gives you a number of choices and indicates from what source it got the image. You can also toggle whether sources behind the adapted texts are shown.

3. How to Get Student Activities

To get activities based on the generated resources, click the green button "Get Student Activities" on the top right or at the bottom after "Open-ended Prompts". Then Diffit Exports Library will show up with a wide range of mostly Google Slides activities that you can open and download. Below is a list of some options. There are a total of more than 75 different types of activities that you can choose from (not all work well for world languages, but many could be adapted).

Printable Doc

Google Forms Quiz

Frayer Model Vocabulary Interactive Slides: a graphic organizer that helps learners determine or clarify the meaning of vocabulary words encountered.

C.E.R. Short Answer Question Workbook: a table with claim, evidence, and reasoning from the text.

Claims and Counterclaims Interactive Slides: a worksheet to find out claim (the main argument) and counterclaim (the opposite of the argument, or the opposing argument).

PEEL Short Answer Questions Interactive Slides: a worksheet to categorize Point, Evidence, Explain, and Link.

Venn Diagram Workbook: two circles to show, compare, and contrast the relationships between things.

3-2-1 Reading Summary Workbook: a worksheet to describe three takeaways, two questions, and one thing

5 Senses Interactive Slides: a chart to organzie the things learners see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.

5 W's Workbook: a worksheet to group the five W's (who, what, when, where, why).

8 Parts of Speech Workbook: a worksheet to group nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Bubble Map Interactive Slides: a visual representation to describe qualities associated with a specific item, person, idea or event.

If you click on the link for any one activity, you will be able to see its description, standards, grade level, and subjects before you open its slides.

In addition, you can also use the search box in Diffit Exports Library to narrow down your choices and find appropriate activities according to grade level, subjects, and formats (printable or digital).

4. How to Save or Share Generated Resources

Any resources generated are automatically saved in the "My Resources" section (on the top), and you can delete them, share them with colleagues by copying a link, or share them through email or social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest). In this way, you won't be worried about where to find the history of your generated resources.

5. Diffit Plans

Currently the two plans it offers are as below. We can see its free version compared to the school license version, which has more words in "maximum length for inputs".

6. Accuracy

Based on my experience of using its generated Chinese resources, the adapted reading passage content is accurate in language and message as well as its summary, multiple choice questions and answers, and short answer questions and answers.

In terms of its reading levels, I would like to say that its error rate is close to one reading level higher or lower of what users select. For example, some users pointed out that they have used Hemingway Editor app (an editing app that can pinpoint things that affect the readability of a text with a given readability score to show the level of education a person needs to have to understand the text) to test the English readability levels of the first four paragraphs of the 2 nd , 5 th , and 9 th grade passages. And the results are:

7. Privacy and Security

As listed on its website, Diffit does not collect any student data, are FERPA and COPPA compliant, and follow industry best practices.

In addition, Diffit uses real sources and shows citations for all information and texts it provides, so that users can know exactly where any AI-generated text comes from.

Practical Uses for the Language Classroom

1. Leveled Texts for Mixed Proficiency Levels

For classes with mixed proficiency levels of learners, Diffit is a good option for differentiated instruction.

I used it in my intermediate low to advanced mid-level mixed class, with Chinese heritage speakers and non-heritage learners, and with students taking AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam, taking IB Chinese exam, and those not taking any exams. The generated leveled texts supported them based on their different proficiency levels and needs. This ensured that learners were exposed to materials that aligned with their current language abilities in a more tailored and supportive learning experience. They could start with simpler texts and short vocabulary lists and gradually move on to more challenging materials and reading comprehension questions.

In addition, these generated leveled texts on any topic for any reading level are also perfect for:

1. personalized individual reading based on diverse learners' interests

2. building cultural knowledge

3. quick worksheets, homework, or formative assessments

2. Current Event Articles in the Target Language

Diffit is a great helper for bringing more current events into language classrooms. Have you ever encountered these challenges when you want to integrate some current events related to one of the AP or IB Language B course themes?

The current available resources online are not quite at the right level for my students.

The current available articles or videos are in English, not in the target language I teach.

I have trouble finding additional resources for reading practice on a certain topic I am teaching now as well as creating them myself from scratch.

Whether with a topic, a question, learning objectives, or with an article or video link, Diffit can help to effectively create a text in the target language with appropriate reading levels for learners. For example, when teaching one IB language B course theme "identities", I introduced a short Diffit generated reading text (for 3 rd grade) in Chinese based on an English article for my Intermediate level learners, taught vocabulary in context based on its key vocabulary words, and used its formative assessments after my edits. For the next step, students compared it with another similar Diffit reading text (for 4 th grade) and analyzed and learned new information such as new points, evidence, explanation, or cultural connections.

Conclusion

Diffit is a big timer saver for teachers looking to find resources at the reading level of their students. It gives you instantly leveled resources for almost any topic, and based on my experience, the information given in the texts was all accurate. This resource may be worth a try for teachers looking to streamline their lesson planning process.

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Leveled Texts and Resources with Diffit - The FLTMAG

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By Wenjing Huang, Chinese Teacher, George School Introduction Have you heard of Diffit? It is a brand new, AI-based tool for teachers to easily convert any content to all reading levels. It gives educators leveled texts and resources for any

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Free Access to the NYT through the Hawaii Public Library

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Free Access to the NYT through the Hawaii Public Library

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Enjoy free access to the New York Times digital edition

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The Hawaii State Public Library System is excited to offer The New York Times Digital Edition. All you need is a library card! Access is […]

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Sourced non-partisan pros and cons of debatable issues & reference information relevant to those issues - researched and compiled by its research staff and editors.

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Sourced non-partisan pros and cons of debatable issues & reference information relevant to those issues - researched and compiled by its research staff and editors.

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Pros and Cons of Debate Topics | Britannica

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Explore pros and cons lists for debated issues presented in a non-partisan format with supporting background information, statistics, and resources.

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Introduction

Chapter 1 - Who Are Newcomers?

Chapter 2 - Welcoming Newcomers to a Safe, Inclusive and Thriving School Environment

Chapter 3 - Supporting Newcomers' Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs

Chapter 4 - Providing High-Quality Instruction for Newcomers

Chapter 5 - Establishing Partnerships with Families

To request the toolkit in an alternate format as a reasonable accommodation, i.e. large print, CD Rom or audio, please contact Melissa Escalante by phone, 202-987-1745 or email at: Melissa.Escalante@ed.gov.

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To request the toolkit in an alternate format as a reasonable accommodation, i.e. large print, CD Rom or audio, please contact Melissa Escalante by phone, 202-987-1745 or email at: Melissa.Escalante@ed.gov.

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A great resource where you can learn more about other languages!

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A great resource where you can learn more about other languages!

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Includes detailed information about alphabets, grammar, and vocabulary for nearly 100 languages

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Learn Languages - Grammar and Vocabulary

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This website offers free learning lessons in 100 languages from Afrikaans to Zulu from grammar, vocabulary to phrases and quizes. Enjoy learnign with our lessons!

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Helping English Learners with Letter Sounds

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Helping English Learners with Letter Sounds

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Reading Universe | Helping English Learners with Letter Sounds

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We are educators, coaches, and advocates offering practical guidance on teaching reading and writing. Our work is research-based, empowering teachers with clear direction.

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5 Things to Know About Teaching Reading to English Learners

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5 Things to Know About Teaching Reading to English Learners

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Reading Universe | 5 Things to Know About Teaching Reading to English…

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When teaching English Learners to read, a few key instructional supports can go a long way.

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Word Recognition - breaking the alphabetic code of our written language to read words

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Word Recognition - breaking the alphabetic code of our written language to read words

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The ability to see a word and know how to pronounce it without consciously thinking about it

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12 Ways to Activate Background Knowledge

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12 Ways to Activate Background Knowledge

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Reading Universe | 12 Ways to Activate Background Knowledge

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This free printable resource for teachers is designed to help students build reading skills related to Background Knowledge.

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Adapt your instruction strategies to support ELs - free resources designed by reading experts.

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Adapt your instruction strategies to support ELs - free resources designed by reading experts.

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English Language Learners | WETA Reading Universe

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Adapt your classroom instruction strategies to support English Language Learners (ELL, ESL & EFL students). Browse free resources designed by reading…

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Reading Research - Teaching ELs to Read in English

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Reading Research - Teaching ELs to Read in English

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Article by Claude Goldenberg, Phd

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Controversies over how best to teach children to read go back many years. Most recently, two questions have emerged that leave teachers of English Learners puzzled:

First, does research on reading, sometimes referred to as "the science of reading," include English Learners, or is it based solely on English-speaking monolinguals?

Second, do English Learners, also known as Emergent Bilingual s, have a "bilingual brain" that requires a fundamentally different sort of reading instruction than what monolingual students require?

I will try to clarify.

1. Does reading research apply to English Learners?

Yes, it does. Although not as voluminous, research includes and addresses English learners. There is a world-wide literature on second-language literacy acquisition. An informative source is a 2019 issue of the Journal of Neurolinguistics . Closer to home is the National Literacy Panel report (August & Shanahan, 2003) and studies by Vaughn et al., Ehri et al., and others, all of which I reviewed in recent issues of Reading Research Quarterly and The Reading League Journal .

Another helpful overview is Dr. Eric Tridas' summary in Chapter 3 of Literacy Foundations for English Learners, which you can see him present in this free video book study presented by the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network.

This research supports the idea that what is true about teaching reading to monolinguals is also true for students learning to read in a language they are simultaneousl y learning to speak and understand. One difference is that students learning to read in a new language need additional oral language support so that they will understand the words and text being used to teach them to read.

Brain studies and classroom studies reveal that in order to learn to read, a person must connect (or "bind" is the term used in the neurolinguistic literature) the oral sounds in words to the letter s that represent those sounds, then connect that connection to the words' meanings. If students are learning to read in a language they are simultaneousl y learning to speak and understand, they do not necessarily know the meanings of the words nor recognize all of the sounds in the words. It is much more difficult to learn to read under these circumstances. As a result, oral language instruction directly connected to the words and text being used to teach reading is essential.

Another difference for language learners is that the student's home language can serve as a resource for learning to read in another language, as discussed below.

2. Is the "bilingual brain" different in a way that requires a fundamentally different approach to teaching reading?

No, it does not. I contacted Dr. Kenneth Pugh (Yale University and Haskins Lab), an internationally-recognized cognitive neuroscientist specializing in the neuroscience of reading in first and second languages and who chaired a recent conference session on this very topic. With his permission, I'm sharing his perspective:

In my view, there is presently no evidence that how we teach reading should be in any way different based on brain differences between bilingual and monolingual learners. Obviously, bilingual individuals have two language systems that must interact and so it is not surprising that we can see measured differences at the level of brain circuits, and this is of real scientific value of course.

However, cross-language brain research confirms that learning to read is based on cognitive universals, specifically, that phonological development makes possible binding letters and sounds to meaning, which is foundational for learning to read in any language. Our understanding might change as the research evolves, but at the moment, in my opinion, there is nothing about 'bilingual brain' differences that suggests distinct or alternative pathways to literacy learning and best practice.

These disputes are part of a larger and longer story about reading education: We are locked in a sort of literacy Groundhog Day, where the details vary but the main idea repeats with deadening regularity: one approach to teaching reading is right, and another is wrong. Whether it's whole language vs. phonics , balanced literacy vs. science of reading, or bilingual brain vs. monolingual brain, with too few exceptions, lines get drawn and cleavages remain deep. Mixing in and perpetuating misinformation complicate things further - and needlessl y.

To be clear, students who are not in the mainstream of the school-age population have not always been well-served in our schools. There is understandable frustration among parents and advocates for these students. But we can't improve the situation if we don't pay attention to what we have learned from research. Although many questions remain, there are some things evidence supports and some that evidence does not. We ignore this at our children's peril.

For example, the evidence is clear that there's more to learning to read than phonics . Without vocabulary and background knowledge , to name just two factors, phonics has little, if any, utility. The corollary is that the evidence does not support teaching reading by simply teaching phonics . That's fundamentally misinformed. But the evidence is also clear that children need to learn the sound-symbol spelling system in order to be successful readers, "binding letter s and sounds to meaning," as Pugh says. (In the world of reading instruction, this is known as "orthographic mapping.") But the evidence does not support stopping there. As students learn the sound-symbol spelling system, they must also have oral and experiential exposure to develop their language much further - particularly, but not exclusively, vocabulary - and knowledge. As literacy skills develop, that exposure will include reading (and writing).

Same with what goes on in the brain of children known as English Learners. Research supports using what children know in their first language to support, or "," their learning in a second language. It also supports the long-term benefits of maintaining and building on the first language, adding a second, and aiming for bilingualism and biliteracy . But it does not support teaching reading based on an assumption that the bilingual brain is structurally different from the monolingual brain and therefore requires a fundamentally different pedagogical approach. Research does, however, support providing additional second language support to students if they are learning to read in a language they are simultaneousl y learning to speak and understand.

There are many challenges in the reading education field. Chief among them is that we have yet to devise adequate and replicable programs that provide needed instruction for all children. We must continue to work toward this goal, utilizing the best knowledge we have at any given moment and end the endless and fruitless reading wars. A good first step would be for all participants to be adequately informed about relevant research and to discuss or even argue from informed positions. Otherwise, we'll continue seeing this movie play out over and over and over. It's time to do better - because our children deserve better.

Author's note: Special thanks to Jana Echevarria, Magaly Lavadenz, Yolie Flores, Todd Collins, Malia Ramler, Kenneth Pugh, and Smita Patel for their comments and suggestions. No endorsements are implied, nor should be inferred.

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The "Bilingual Brain" and Reading Research

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Controversies over how best to teach children to read go back many years. Most recently, two questions have emerged that leave teachers of English Learners puzzled: First, does research on reading, sometimes referred to as "the science of reading," include English Learners, or is it based solely on English-speaking monolinguals?

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EL/ML Strategies & Resources by Joanne Powell Also see: JP’s EL Padlet Consistently offer Language Development Supports to all ELs (until exit) ➢ Sensory 👁👂🏽👄🤚🏽 (hands on, real objects, manipulatives, real pictures, video, modeling) ➢ Graphic 📊 (charts, tables, graphs) ➢ Interactive…

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Long-Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals course Padlet (also refer to the LTEL column)

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Long-Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals course Padlet (also refer to the LTEL column)

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The padlet is based on the accompanying book study course with a cross-curricular instructional framework specifically designed for secondary content teachers.

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Colorin Colorado's ELL Classroom Strategy Library

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Colorin Colorado's ELL Classroom Strategy Library

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Sort by academic language feature (background knowledge, discourse, sentence structure, vocab.), Language Domain (L, S, R, W), Language Development Level (1-entering to 4-expanding) or type of strategy (e.g. Interaction, Academic Discussion, or Sentence Stems/Frames).

Includes step-by-step guides, ideas for differentiation, tips for connecting to students' home languages, and resources such as videos and examples.

*Strategies were compiled with ELLs in mind, but can be used to support academic language development for all students.

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These strategies include step-by-step guides, ideas for differentiation, tips for connecting to students’ home languages, and resources such as videos and practical examples. While these strategies were compiled with English language learners (ELLs) in mind, they can be used to support academic language development for all students.

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Elevating SLIFE Success: Strategies for Programming and Instruction

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Elevating SLIFE Success: Strategies for Programming and Instruction

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webinar Padlet includes the infographic we shared during the webinar in the “Tools to Support SLIFE Programming” section. Along with the infographic, we also share the SLIFE scheduling planning document, which is also available in our SLIFE resources section of our website.

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New country. New language. New culture. You can help newcomer students feel like they belong in your classroom with these 3 strategies. 🙌

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New country. New language. New culture. You can help newcomer students feel like they belong in your classroom with these 3 strategies. 🙌 https://t.co/fucdMOn52k

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New country. New language. New culture. You can help newcomer students feel like they belong in your classroom with these 3 strategies. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/fucdMOn52k
— edutopia (@edutopia) January 15, 2024

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New country. New language. New culture. You can help newcomer students feel like they belong in your classroom with these 3 strategies. 🙌 https://t.co/fucdMOn52k

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New country. New language. New culture. You can help newcomer students feel like they belong in your classroom with these 3 strategies. 🙌 https://t.co/fucdMOn52k

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New country. New language. New culture. You can help newcomer students feel like they belong in your classroom with these 3 strategies. 🙌

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Elevating SLIFE Success: Strategies for Programming and Instruction

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Elevating SLIFE Success: Strategies for Programming and Instruction

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webinar Padlet by @SupportEd includes the infographic shared during the webinar in the “Tools to Support SLIFE Programming” section.

Along with the infographic, there's a SLIFE scheduling planning document, which is also available in our SLIFE resources section of the SupportEd website.

SupportEd's work around program models for SLIFE comes from the work of Andrea DeCapua and Helaine Marshall. Their book with Lixing Frank Tang, Meeting the Need of SLIFE: A Guide for Educators, takes an in-depth look at each of the program models (newcomer, stand alone, integrated ELD, and extended learning opportunities), including the pros, cons, and the need to develop programming that meets the needs of your district and SLIFE.

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Shared Slides of Newcomers Presentation 

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Shared Slides of Newcomers Presentation 

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Shared Slides of Newcomers Presentation

Padlet: Creating an Inclusive, Multimodal Learning Environment for Newcomers

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Resources for Speaking & Writing Prompts

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Resources for Speaking & Writing Prompts

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Use Diffit to Create Differentiated Reading (translated, reading level Gr. 2-11, summary, comprehension questions in templates for Docs, Slides, Forms, Google Classroom) - sign up for free trial of these premium features

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Use Diffit to Create Differentiated Reading (translated, reading level Gr. 2-11, summary, comprehension questions in templates for Docs, Slides, Forms, Google Classroom) - sign up for free trial of these premium features

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Leeward EL Teachers may access premium Diifit accounts! See how in: Leeward District EL:  Intro to Diffit

Also read this TCEA article or learn more on the Diffit YouTube Channel or Diffit Wakelet

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources.

Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources. Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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Lesson Plan: New Immigrants Share their Stories

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Lesson Plan: New Immigrants Share their Stories

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Here's the Not In Our School video that chronicles this project, student-created video diaries and the student publication of Building Bridges, Telling Our Stories, that showcases the work of the Newcomers-St. Luke's project.

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In this video, immigrant students reflect upon their experiences of negotiating with a new language, culture, and educational environment. By learning about these new immigrants and their peers, students may consider their own community relationships.

To turn on closed captioning for this film, click play, then click the Subtitles/CC button on the bottom of the video player.

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In this video, immigrant students reflect upon their experiences of negotiating with a new language, culture, and educational environment. By learning about these new immigrants and their peers, students may consider their own community relationships. To turn on closed captioning for this film, click play, then click the Subtitles/CC button on the bottom of the video player.

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LTEL Resources Padlet shared at the 2023 TESOL Convention

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Padlet:  The ABCs of Working With Long-Term ELs

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Padlet:  The ABCs of Working With Long-Term ELs

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From Beth Skelton - TESOL 2023 session

Handout

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CAL Webinar: Integrating Language Development Throughout Content Learning

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CAL Webinar: Integrating Language Development Throughout Content Learning

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Integrating Language Development Throughout Content Learning

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Math Lessons from Google for Ed -Applied Digital Skills

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Math Lessons from Google for Ed -Applied Digital Skills

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These lessons help you learn digital skills while exploring Math concepts like fractions, percentages and probability.

Start teaching in 3 steps

Create a Class

Students can join your class with a class code

Add lessons

Students can see these lessons and start working

This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic. Learn more. Ok, got it

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These lessons help you learn digital skills while exploring Math concepts like fractions, percentages and probability. Students can join your class with a class code Students can see these lessons and start working This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic. Learn more.

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Video:  For Leeward District EL Coordinators only- How to Create a New WIDA Account

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Video:  For Leeward District EL Coordinators only- How to Create a New WIDA Account

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Google Doc Full Directions:  Leeward District EL Coordinators:  How to Create WIDA Accounts

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For Leeward District EL Coordinators How to Create a New WIDA Account

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Adapted from WIDA copyrighted rubrics & @HollySawyer

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JP's Copy of Student Writing Rubric: PL 3-5.docx

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Student Writing Rubric: PL 3 - 5 (adapted by JP from WIDA copyrighted material - WIDA Writing Rubric Grades 1-12, WIDA Writing Scoring Scale Grades 1-12 & Copy of Advanced Writing Rubric L3-5) Student Name: ________________________ Date:________________________________ Teacher Assessment (Dat...

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Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA)

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Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA)

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Watch this YouTube Video to learn how to use COCA to Analyze Texts: Overview

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american national corpus corpora englishdavies word lists wordlists frequency

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[Davies] 1.1 billion word corpus of American English, 1990-2010. Compare to the BNC and ANC. Large, balanced, up-to-date, and freely-available online.

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Advanced Writing Rubric for Feedback L 2-4

Advanced Writing Rubric L4-5

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A wealth of resources and strategies to support Pacific Islander students (from Waipahu High School's site, by Jeremiah Brown)

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" Dear Teacher " video- Made by WHS and WIS students, this video highlights the voices of Chuukese and Marshallese students.

1. Getting to Know Pacific Island Students - Overview of the Compact of Free Association, the education systems in the Freely Associated States, and migration flows to the United States.

2. Supporting Micronesian Students and Families in Hawai'i - Presentation by Paul Hadik that provides an overview of the geography and politics of Micronesia, the experience of families moving to Hawai'i, cultural insights, and suggestions to support students.

3. Learn about - Overview of naming conventions in COFA nations, the importance of names, and suggestions for culturally responsive classroom practices.

4. " Lessons from Hawai'i " - Poem by Marshallese poet Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner about her experiences growing up in Hawai'i. Contains adult language.

5. Racism and Discrimination against Micronesians in Hawai'i: Issues of Educational Inequity - Summary of a 2022 research brief that outlines the systemic racism and discrimination faced by Micronesian residents and students in Hawai .

6. Culturally Responsive Schools for Micronesian Immigrant Students - Research article by Hilda Heine, former president and minister of education of the Marshall Islands, that gives an overview of the strengths, needs, and background of students from the the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. Introduces effective teaching approaches for these students, and addresses FAQs from teachers. A bit old, but the issues are still relevant.

7. Serving Micronesian Youth and Families: Culture, Family Dynamics and Social Etiquette - Summary of shared cultural values of the Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of the Marshall Islands.

8. Engaging Families from Micronesia: "Angang Chok Aramas" - Episode of the Imua Literacy podcast focusing on "how to best serve our families from the islands of Micronesia" with guest Dr. Kathy Ratliffe of the University of Hawai'i.

Conversation starters

Tell me about your name. How do you pronounce it? Do you have any nicknames? What do you want me to call you?

Where did you grow up? (Many students have grown up here, on the mainland, or Guam)

- If from outside the U.S (Marshall Islands, Chuuk, etc)--> What island are you (or your family) from?

What languages do you use or understand?

Tell me about your family. Tell the student about your family, too.

What do you do for fun?

What do you like most about school? What do you like least about school?

How do you like to learn? What are some things teachers do that help you learn? What are some things teachers do that make school difficult?

Who was your favorite teacher (last year, ever)? Why?

What do you want to do after high school?

What's something people don't know about you that you wish they knew?

Visit a student's home island on Google Earth. He/she can probably show you landmarks like the church, the school, their family home, and other important places. It's a great way to learn about a student's hometown.

Learn some greetings and courtesies.

Call home with good news. Request the services of a Bilingual School-Home Assistant if needed. Or use the translated report card comments to send a text message or email.

Classroom Behavior

For Marshallese and Micronesian students, raised eyebrows and the head tilted slightly up means "yes".

Avoidng eye contact with teachers or adults is out of respect.

Singling a student out for anything, even praise, is not always helpful. Written feedback or praise may be better received.

Students may be raised to be quiet in the presence of an adult or authority figure. They may be unlikely to question a teacher or ask for help.

Students will often want to give you the answer you want to hear- "Yes, I understand". Don't leave it at that, give students opportunites to show you what they know.

Many long-term English Learners have developed learned passivity- they have been "trained" to be disengaged in class and that their teacher will do most of the work. Provide them with supports so they can participate in class and develop routines to ensure that all students are expected to contribute.

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WHS EL Program - Pacific Islander Student Initiative

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" Dear Teacher " video- Made by WHS and WIS students, this video highlights the voices of Chuukese and Marshallese students. Getting to Know Pacific Island Students - Overview of the Compact of Free Association, the education systems in the Freely Associated States, and migration flows to the United States.

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Video series for teachers

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We are not a stereotype | Learning Together

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The term Bamboo Ceiling was coined by Jane Hyun, an Executive Coach and Global Leadership Strategist. Her book "Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling" provides career strategies for Asian Americans. To learn more about Hyun's work click here .

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Language Development Rubrics for MLs:  WIDA Speaking & Writing Rubrics, etc.

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Language Development Rubrics for MLs:  WIDA Speaking & Writing Rubrics, etc.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching Video Library

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Culturally Responsive Teaching Video Library

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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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Culturally Responsive Teaching Video Library

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The goal of the Massachusetts public K-12 education system is to prepare all students for success after high school. Massachusetts public school students are leading the nation in reading and math and are at the top internationally in reading, science, and math according to the national NAEP and international PISA assessments.

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EL Proficiency Levels (flipbook for teachers)

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EL Proficiency Levels (flipbook for teachers)

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Material adapted from Carly Spina @ Innovated ELL

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Ready to Go_ Video Lessons to Support New Arrivals at home, on the phone or on an Ipad.pdf

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Cambridge Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus

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Cambridge Dictionary - English dictionary, English-Spanish translation and British & American English audio pronunciation from Cambridge University Press

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Hawaiʻi genealogy from the earliest written records to the early 1900s.

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Oxford Picture Dictionary - YouTube Playlist

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Oxford Picture Dictionary - YouTube Playlist

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"picture dictionary online for adults" "oxford dictionary" "oxford dictionary online" "learn english" "learn english online" "english speaking course" "engli...

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Welcome to the Oxford Picture Dictionary channel. Subscribe to our channel to receive updates on all our latest videos.This video is designed for students, teachers and anyone wanting to learn English. Watch - listen - repeat in lesson. your skills will improve better. Learn vocabulary easy to remember words.

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NASA.gov brings you the latest images, videos and news from America's space agency. Get the latest updates on NASA missions, watch NASA TV live, and learn about our quest to reveal the unknown and benefit all humankind.

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Illustrated Mathematics Dictionary - Letter A

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Illustrated mathematics dictionary index for the letter A

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Determining Special Education Eligibility of English Learners

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Determining Special Education Eligibility of English Learners

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Supporting Educators in Determining SPED eligibility of ELs

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Supporting Educators in Determining SPED eligibility of ELs

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A slide deck with a summary of key practices using multi-tiered systems of support with English learners, including tools for understanding language vs. disability, screening and progress monitoring processes and tools, and a description of how to implement the three tiers of multi-tiered systems of support.

Citation: Parker, C.E. & Grindal, T., (2021). Supporting educators in determining special education eligibility of English Learner students [PowerPoint slides]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs

Related Project: REL Northeast & Islands Identifying Disabilities among English Learners

Topics: Elementary Research Resource Slide deck Students with disabilities

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Supporting Educators in Determining Special Education Eligibility of English Learner Students

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A slide deck with a summary of key practices using multi-tiered systems of support with English learners, including tools for understanding language vs. disability, screening and progress monitoring processes and tools, and a description of how to implement the three tiers of multi-tiered systems of support. Citation: Parker, C.E.

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JP's Project GLAD Lesson-Narrative Input Chart & Theme

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JP's Project GLAD Lesson-Narrative Input Chart & Theme

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https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_RBVBzWPz5O6aEVI0QnvSZYYbKjXVE8p?usp=sharing

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JP's Project GLAD Lesson-Narrative Input Chart & Theme

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Language Development Support Samples (Aug. 2024 - links have been added to learn more about the supports)

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Language Development Support Samples (Aug. 2024 - links have been added to learn more about the supports)

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Language Development Supports: A table of sensory, graphic, interactive & linguistic supports to check off & add to your lesson plans.  Adapted by Joanne Powell from WIDA copyrighted materials.

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Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School

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Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School

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This practice guide was prepared for the WWC by Instructional Research Group under contract ED-IES-12-C-0016.

The following research staff contributed to the guide: Joseph Dimino, Kelly Haymond, Russell Gersten, Madhavi Jayanthi, and Rebecca Newman-Gonchar.

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WWC | Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School

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This practice guide provides four recommendations that address what works for English learners during reading and content area instruction. Each recommendation includes extensive examples of activities that can be used to support students as they build the language and literacy skills needed to be successful in school.

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The WIDA Framework for EquitableInstruction of Multilingual Children and Youth in Content-Area Classrooms, Jan. 2022

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The WIDA Framework for EquitableInstruction of Multilingual Children and Youth in Content-Area Classrooms, Jan. 2022

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The following pages contain links to statewide agencies, resources, and organizations focused on English language learners (ELLs).

Note: Regulations change with time. These guidelines were compiled in 2012, 2015, and 2017. If you see something that needs updating, please send an e-mail to Colorín Colorado.

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The following pages contain links to statewide agencies, resources, and organizations focused on English language learners (ELLs). Note: Regulations change with time. These guidelines were compiled in 2012, 2015, and 2017. If you see something that needs updating, please send an e-mail to Colorín Colorado.

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Gr. K-3 & Gr. 4-6 Optional Progress Reports

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Gr. K-3 & Gr. 4-6 Optional Progress Reports

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I used to send these out to supplement the quarterly report cards for my Gr. K-6 EL Program students, so parents & students could see progress within language domains, instead of just struggling grades for some students.

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01272022 Sharing Lessons & Resources for EL or MLL

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01272022 Sharing Lessons & Resources for EL or MLL

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View the recording. slides & notes from the Jan. 27, 2022 session.
Also see past Peer to Peer Power Sessions!  These are PD sessions led by Hawaii DOE teachers for other teachers!

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🥰 Oral History Projects for MLs (my favorite type of project done with my grandparents)!

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🥰 Oral History Projects for MLs (my favorite type of project done with my grandparents)!

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English Language Learners

When multilingual students interview family members, they improve their communication skills and learn more about their roots.

Nationwide, about one out of every 10 public school students is learning to speak English. The U.S. Department of Education reports that there are an estimated 4.9 million children in public schools learning the English language, an increase of more than 1 million since 2000.

At Voice of Witness, a nonprofit that works to amplify the voices of people impacted by and fighting against injustice, oral history has supported language learning in a variety of classrooms as it incorporates literacy, critical thinking, culturally relevant content, and a participatory vision of history.

Through interview activities, English language learner (ELL) students can connect their own cultural knowledge and identity with their academic journey and find more opportunities for visibility and voice, while building their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.

Culturally Relevant Content

I think/believe...

This reminds me of...

I'm confused about...

I can picture/imagine...

This is similar to...

I connect to...

Bringing first-person narratives into the classroom, especially from immigrant voices, can help multilingual students envision their own stories within the curriculum. Through the Voice of Witness book series, oral history archives such as Densho and StoryCorps, or graphic memoirs such as The Best We Could Do, these opportunities for reading and listening to people who may share cultures with ELL students can validate their experiences as part of historical narratives.

Chunks of first-person narratives can also be more accessible for students developing their literacy skills and tune their listening to find the who, what, when, where, and why of a story. Students can utilize sentence stems to discuss their readings out loud or reflect on their reading with prompts such as the following:

Integrating Family and Community

Oral history projects are natural opportunities to include families of multilingual students or other members of the community. Interviews with relatives can be conducted in their chosen language while students write about the experience in English, stretching their abilities to reflect and summarize. Interviews can also be conducted in English with student partners or native speakers, pushing their communication skills.

An oral history cookbook is one way to highlight the stories within a family and community while grounding the experience in a way that is accessible for both interviewer and narrator. Interviews center around a recipe that's meaningful to the narrator, and students learn why they chose it and what cooking it means to them.

Multilingual students start by studying the components of a recipe or reading a graphic novel about cooking such as Measuring Up. Students should be encouraged to think about people in their own lives they could interview for the project, but there should also be a list of people (other teachers, counselors, administrative staff, coaches) at school who are willing to be interviewed.

For teachers, students, and their families, this is a chance to connect on a deeper level and provide space for families to be experts in an aspect of their students' learning and share their knowledge.

Other accessible themes for oral history projects could include a migration map that chronicles how the narrators, or the students, ended up in this country, state, city, or even specific neighborhood. Students could also work together to choose a topic they would like to explore in their community.

Confidence in Communication

While the final product of an oral history project is important, the most crucial part of any oral history experience is the moment a student sits down with someone and conducts an interview. The work that leads up to that moment includes writing open-ended questions, practicing follow-up questions, and communicating the purpose of the interview to their narrator. By that point, the student has already learned key communication skills and is now putting them all into action.

The goal of teaching oral history skills is to help students feel confident about two key essential questions, "Will this person understand me, and will I understand them?"

Tell me a story about your name.

What is something that has made you happy lately?

Share a picture or photo that is meaningful to you.

When the focus is on communication, some of the pressure and stress of trying to say things "right" in grammar and vocabulary can be replaced by a more holistic view of learning the English language, which can help shy speakers become more confident in their ability to share and ask questions. Teachers can do this by sharing first-person narratives from nonnative English speakers and providing low-stakes opportunities to practice oral history.

Short interview activities in pairs can help students build up their active listening and follow-up question skills, using initial prompts such as these:

The more students experience oral history, the more they believe that their stories are worth sharing, too.

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The Benefits of Oral History Projects for Multilingual Learners

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When multilingual students interview family members, they improve their communication skills and learn more about their roots.

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Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors

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Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors

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Asian Pacific American Cultures - Google Arts & Culture

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Explore stories and artworks across Asian Pacific American Cultures

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NewsInLevels.com with Newcomers/SLIFE students (no login required)

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NewsInLevels.com with Newcomers/SLIFE students (no login required)

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Dr. Carol Salva, @MsSalvac recommends using NewsInLevels.com since the site “was a top tip from my newcomer & SLIFE students... it's HOW we used this specific site that made the difference.”  See her blog page (she has lots of great PD & resources on her blog to explore) for a description, podcast & video with instructions for students, detailing a procedure for how to use this reading site!  You might consider selecting & previewing articles, if you're using this with younger ELs.

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You may already be using a free service that levels news articles. But our ELs need a site with NO log-in, that is high-interest and offers scaffolds for them. They also need to understand HOW to use a site like this if we want them to get the most out of it.

I have a solution and my students love it.

Listen to this show right here or on your favorite podcast app.
Listen to "BAP083 NewsInLevels for Emergent Readers" on Spreaker.
English Learners can take ownership of their language and literacy development with the right tools and techniques. They also need to WANT to read. This show offers an example of how to explain NewsinLevels to your students and why it is so powerful as we look to support intrinsic motivation.

I have helped many older ELs gain literacy and key to their success was always more reading. Dr. Stephen Krashen suggests that the key to language acquisition is free voluntary reading. But if the text is not interesting to the reader, I have noticed that I have a lot of fake-readers on my hands. Newsinlevels.com solves for this because students choose what they want to read.

In the podcast I promise you a 5 min video of how I tell my students to use the site. Here is that video, but read on to understand HOW this is working the WHY behind what I am suggesting and more resources.

Key to the success of my learners is their awareness of why they are doing what they are doing. If you're working older ELs (upper elementary, middle school, high school or adult), you have the advantage Older learners can partner with you. In this show I explain why this website is so powerful and the steps to getting the most out of it.

We first need to remember that our goal for our ELs is not learning ABOUT a language... it's acquiring a language. The only way to acquire a language is to listen, speak, read and write that language. And Stephen Krashen's work supports the idea that more reading is the answer for language acquisition.

The only thing that makes a better reader, is more reading.

Give a Man a Fish or Teach a Man to Fish?

Vygotsky told us that learners have a "Zone of Proximal Development" and that we can support our students by working with them just beyond their zone. Our support, or scaffolding, allows the learner to do more as a way of helping them reach their next zone of development. NewsInLevels offers many scaffolds so students can work just beyond their independent level. There are images, text can be read aloud, the stories are leveled and the student can use the internet for images.

Multiple exposures to high-frequency words is an important part of being able to decode text as your ELs start to understand more English. If you need more information about how a person gains literacy, check out episode 60 of this show. Episode 61 is also helpful as it offers more on how to get buy-in from the students.

Teaching Emergent ELs to read can seem overwhelming but it need not be so daunting. Know that you can begin reading WITH your students right away. A strong suggestion is to create text with them and use those paragraphs of co-created mentor text and reading material. Read and re-read what you've written together and remember that your students understand more English every day. More on Co-Creating text here.

How to Use News In Levels

I ask ELs to read all three levels of a high-interest article, and explain to them what they should be gaining from it. When we do this, we are not only supporting their literacy, we are creating conditions that support motivation. Here are my directions for them and then I'll explain about motivation:

Read Level 1

1. Everyone must read Level 1, even if you can read beyond level 1.

2. If Level 1 is too difficult, click the YouTube video so that it is read aloud to you.

3. Track the print with your eyes.

4. Notice that verbs are in present tense.

5. Use the internet if you need to get images or translation. But come back to this English version and read it until you understand the gist of the story.

Read Level 2

1. Once you understand the story, move to Level 2. Don't go to a different article yet.

2. Notice that verbs are in the past tense now and sentences are more complex

3. Click the YouTube video if you want to hear how the words sound.

4. Track the print with your eyes.

5. Use the internet if you need to get images or translation. But come back to this English version and read it with support

Read Level 3

1. Finally, move to Level 3. Don't go to a different article yet until you've read this level.

2. Notice the difference. This is how most people read the news. This level is not too complex because you understood the story in Level 1.

3. Click the YouTube video if you want to hear how the words sound.

4. Track the print with your eyes.

5. Use the internet if you need to get images or translation. But come back to this English version and read it with support

Motivation

Researchers like the late Sir Ken Robinson agree that we are more like gardners... we can't MAKE things grow, but we can create conditions where things grow. Here is a great article by Larry Ferlazzo about supporting students to help their motivation grow. This article is about helping students find their motivation during Distance learning. It highlights Autonomy, Competence, Relevancy and Relatedness. I watched unmotivated students become very motivated when I focused on those three things. Here is now NewsInLevels helped me hit those things:

Autonomy - this is about choice. Students CHOOSE the article THEY want to read. (Do you prefer to read what you select or what others select for you?)

Competence - If they use it the way I suggest above, NewsInLevels offers them "little wins" the first time they use it. The scaffolds are build in and tech helps them comprehend text beyond their Zone of Proximal Development. It is a way to boost confidence and ability.

Relevancy - Students pick articles that are relevant to their lives. Also, if I train them to understand about multiple exposures to high-frequency words, why hearing the text supports our phonics work, how the levels work... they have a metacognitive awareness of how they are gaining language and literacy. The entire activity becomes very relevant.

Relatedness - This means that the students have a relationship with you or with each other. They feel that you or others respect them. Because I train all students on how to do this, I am giving them the message that I believe they are able to take control of their literacy development. Also, we use the articles to discuss what they are reading and recommend articles to each other (we do this over Flipgrid or in person). This builds relationships.

You don't have to take my word for it. Here is one of my students (who missed 5 years of formal education) talking about using NewsInLevels on his own time. It is part of a longer "Using Tech with ELs" virtual session:

In the show I also promised you this research:
Over 90% of homes have a cell phone and over 80% of homes have a smart phone.
If this type of information is useful to you, you'll probably LOVE this padlet I use with my #RapidLiteracy training. It's full of more resources:

So let's make sure they know what they can use when they do get into a WiFi area. Let's assume we can help them WANT to learn to read and then give them tools to do it as often as possible.

Also, if you are working with SLIFE (older learners with interruptions in education) that don't have a smart phone... don't you think these young people will eventually have one? These kids get jobs and it is one of the first things they buy. We need to show them the power of the internet and what is available to them for free.

We need to teach them to fish.

Thank you for reading this blog. You're boosting my learning in a significant way.

Please reach out if you need ESL training, coaching, modeling or consulting work in your district. I work with teachers and instructional coaches across the US and Canada with many references for you. I continue to be inspired by what educators are doing in this challenging time and I'm honored to help make them be more effective and bring some practical ideas to their craft.

Take good care!

Carol

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BAP083 NewsInLevels for Emergent Readers

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You may already be using a free service that levels news articles. But our ELs need a site with NO log-in , that is high-interest and offers scaffolds for them. They also need to understand HOW to use a site like this if we want them to get the most out of it.

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PBS Learning Media has curated FREE, standards-aligned videos & content based lesson plans that you may browse by subject & grade level.

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PBS Learning Media has curated FREE, standards-aligned videos & content based lesson plans that you may browse by subject & grade level.

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PBS LearningMedia | Teaching Resources For Students And Teachers

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Inspire your students with thousands of free teaching resources including videos, lesson plans, and games aligned to state and national standards.

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Join VTS Trainers and Community Members from around the globe for FREE weekly VTS image discussions on Wednesdays at VTS Look Club Online! Register through the Events tab below. To find out more about Remote Learning with VTS and to peek at one of the images we will discuss at Look Club, check out the Image of the Week.

Close

Image information

Title

Sansei Girl #2

Artist

Roger Shimomura

Date

1980

Medium

Acrylic on canvas

Dimensions

45 x 51 in

Location

King County Public Art Collection

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Join VTS Trainers and Community Members from around the globe for FREE weekly VTS image discussions on Wednesdays at VTS Look Club Online! Register through the Events tab below. To find out more about Remote Learning with VTS and to peek at one of the images we will discuss at Look Club, check out the Image of the Week.

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Resources to help instructors and students locate and reference image, video and audio files.

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Intriguing images stripped of their captions -- and an invitation to students to discuss them live.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/learning/introduction-to-whats-going-on-in-this-picture.html
Every Sunday night we post an intriguing image from The New York Times without its caption. Then, on Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern, we host a live-moderated discussion with facilitators from Visual Thinking Strategies (see the post below) where students engage in a conversation about the picture and are prompted to find evidence to back up their guesses about the photo’s context. Students can continue to comment all week, until, on Thursdays, we reveal the caption and “back story” of the image.

Teachers tell us that this multimedia feature builds critical thinking and close reading skills and is especially accessible to younger learners, English language learners and students with language-based disabilities.

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Intriguing Times images stripped of their captions — and an invitation to students to discuss them live.

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A predictable structure for world language lessons can keep students on track when shifting between distance, hybrid, and in-person learning.

Spencer Grant / Alamy Stock Photo

With the myriad challenges of this year and especially the need to transition from virtual learning to hybrid and in-person classes, I have adapted how I teach content in my Spanish classes in a strategic way by breaking up lessons into five parts to make these transitions easier for both my students and me. Each lesson part, which is paced using a set amount of time, provides multiple ways for learners to engage with the content in meaningful ways.

Lesson Planning for Maximum Flexibility

Warmup: My warmup takes five minutes and is an opportunity for students to get their brains ready for learning middle school Spanish. I usually have five review questions from the previous class. During this quick activity, I open the Zoom classroom and also greet kids at the door of my classroom. All students, regardless of whether they're learning at home or at school, are engaged and getting ready for the day together.

Students know what is expected of them from the moment class starts, and I use a Google Form where they answer the questions. I'm able to download their responses into a spreadsheet, so this is simple for all of us.

New material: Introduction to new material is the second part of the lesson, a time when I provide direct whole group instruction. This usually takes between 10 and 15 minutes. All students are logged onto Zoom and either hear from me live or watch a video that I have prerecorded with Screencastify. It's important that all students receive the same instruction with the new material.

They can go back and watch the recorded Zoom or Screencastify videos on our Google Classroom, which has been extremely helpful when students are quarantined or out of school for extended periods. It's also valuable if they need to review material. And I only have to record each lesson once, instead of doing one prep for in-person students and another for students at home.

Collaborative learning: This is the part of the lesson when I give students opportunities to interact with one another and the material, usually for about 10 minutes. I use Pear Deck Flashcard Factory, Quizlet Live, and Zoom breakout rooms, which serve to replace our in-person station rotation activity. This is great for building community among all students. They get to talk to one another and practice the material with a peer. This has really helped students learning in person and at home stay connected. Zoom breakout rooms are helpful for random grouping, which leads students to interact with different peers throughout the year.

I promote student choice and voice through this time. For example, students can choose to work with me, with a partner, or in groups of five or more. I want students to be able to have choices when they are deciding how they want to work. I allow them to choose their own learning room, which has been beneficial for students who like more intimate settings rather than whole group activities. When we return to person, I will still implement the same kind of centers, where students will be able to choose which area of the room they want to go to. I've found this strategy to be beneficial because students have often thrived when they could choose a task rather than being assigned one by me.

Independent work: This is when students work with the material and complete tasks independently to interact with the material on their own for 10 or 15 minutes, rather than with the whole group. I use Quizizz and Google Forms to provide meaningful experiences to learn the material. With these online quizzes, students get immediate feedback on whether they are answering the question correctly, and as the teacher I'm able to download student and whole class data accurately. I can offer feedback on each question, either to each student or larger groups.

Students can also create their own Google Forms-for example, they might create a study guide of questions and answers based on the lesson. This is a great way to show what they know.

Exit ticket reflection: The final part of each lesson is the exit ticket, which takes about five minutes. During this time, students reflect on their learning and answer a series of questions about the daily lesson. They usually record a brief Flipgrid video, and they can use Play-Doh to create something that represents the vocabulary word. This helps students explain what the lesson is all about. For example, if we are studying school vocabulary, they can make a lápiz, or pencil. The Play-Doh helps students explain their thinking out loud. They also reflect on how they feel the lesson went. By gathering these data points, I'm better able to serve the needs of my students and refine my lesson to improve learning outcomes.

Through in-person, virtual, and hybrid teaching, I have learned that it's important to provide consistency to students and keep routines in place as much as possible. The five aspects of my lessons described here allow students to stay engaged and interact with each other in meaningful ways.

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Flexible Lesson Planning for World Language Classes

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A predictable structure for world language lessons can keep students on track when shifting between distance, hybrid, and in-person learning. Spencer Grant / Alamy Stock Photo With the myriad challenges of this year and especially the need to transition from virtual learning to hybrid and in-person classes, I have adapted how I teach content in my Spanish classes in a strategic way by breaking up lessons into five parts to make these transitions easier for both my students and me.

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SIOP Lesson Plans and Activities

Our collection of SIOP lesson plans and activities includes exemplary SIOP lesson plans developed by teachers who were involved in the foundational SIOP research study, as well as new updates from our current research and professional development projects. We invite you to read these lesson plans and activities individually or with your colleagues in order to learn more about the SIOP Model. You may want to discuss why these lessons are effective for English learners or how to incorporate the SIOP strategies these teachers used in your own lessons.

All Grade Levels Early Childhood Elementary Middle High GED/Adult
Spotlight

CAL was a partner in the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE). CREATE researchers developed curriculum to build the language and literacy skills of English learners in the middle grades. Lesson plans and materials were infused with instructional features of the SIOP Model including language objectives, explicit vocabulary instruction, student interaction, building background knowledge, and comprehensible input.
Learn more.

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Our collection of SIOP lesson plans and activities includes exemplary SIOP lesson plans developed by teachers who were involved in the foundational SIOP research study, as well as new updates from our current research and professional development projects. We invite you to read these lesson plans and activities individually or with your colleagues in order to learn more about the SIOP Model.

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Grade-level Cluster-Specific Versions of the 2020 Edition 

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Grade-level Cluster-Specific Versions of the 2020 Edition 

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The 2012 Amplification of the WIDA English Language Development Standards, Kindergarten-Grade 12, represented the social, instructional, and academic language students might need to engage with peers, educators, and the curriculum in schools. The 2012 Amplification included examples of how language could be processed or produced within a particular context through Model Performance Indicators (MPIs). MPIs were meant to be examples and not fixed guidelines of the language with which students may have engaged during instruction and assessment.
WIDA intends to fully retire the 2012 Amplification of the WIDA English Language Development Standards, Kindergarten-Grade 12. However, we recognize that all member SEAs have different timelines for implementation of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. With that in mind, the 2012 Amplification will remain in the Resource Library so that educators whose SEAs are still using it may access it as needed.
Resource Details View Download Now

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The 2012 Amplification of the WIDA English Language Development Standards, Kindergarten-Grade 12, represented the social, instructional, and academic language students might need to engage with peers, educators, and the curriculum in schools. The 2012 Amplification included examples of how language could be processed or produced within a particular context through Model Performance Indicators (MPIs).

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HIDOE Supporting English Learners in Math_K-12 (with Jennifer Castro), Oct.-Dec. 2021

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HIDOE Supporting English Learners in Math_K-12 (with Jennifer Castro), Oct.-Dec. 2021

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Language Learning Activities (National Security Agency)

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Language Learning Activities (National Security Agency)

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The purpose of this activity is to check for learning and build recall of key or target vocabulary for a lesson. In this...

Chat stations are low-prep, small-group discussions on different topics that allow students to practice asking and answering...

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Classroom Activities | NFLC Teacher resources

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The purpose of this activity is to check for learning and build recall of key or target vocabulary for a lesson. In this... Chat stations are low-prep, small-group discussions on different topics that allow students to practice asking and answering...

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UDL and Technology Resources by Kavita Rao- kavitar@hawaii.edu

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UDL and Technology Resources by Kavita Rao- kavitar@hawaii.edu

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​ Seal of Biliteracy: Purpose

To enable students to be college, career, and community ready in a global society;

To establish an educational culture that recognizes and values the wealth of linguistic and cultural diversity students bring to the classroom;

To support opportunities for the study of and increased proficiency in 'Ōlelo Hawai'i; and

To encourage partnerships with institutions of higher education and community organizations to increase access to language instruction in a variety of languages.​

Please see Board of Education Policy 105-15, Seal of Biliteracy. Since the institution of the seal, the Hawai'i State Department of Education (HIDOE) has awarded:

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria to receive the Seal of Biliteracy:

1. Must be a graduating senior enrolled in a Hawai'i public or charter school

2. Demonstrate a minimum cumulative 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) upon graduation

3. Successfully complete courses required for English Language Arts or Hawaiian Language Arts for a high school graduation diploma with a minimum 3.0 GPA upon graduation

4. Attain the requisite score for one or more of the following world language requirements:

ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL): a rating comparable to Intermediate Mid or above

ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT): a rating comparable to Intermediate Mid or above

Advanced Placement (AP) language exam: a score of 3 or above

American Sign Language Proficiency Interview (ASLPI): a score of 2 or above

Avant Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) 4S and/or STAMP WorldSpeak (WS) exam: a score of 5 or above

International Baccalaureate (IB): a score of 4 or above

For a list of available languages for the above assessments, please visit here.

Common Questions

What is the Seal?
Click the image at right for our Seal of Biliteracy flyer.
Why is the Seal of Biliteracy implemented?

The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by the Hawai'i State Department of Education (HIDOE) in recognition of students who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in both of the State's two official languages, English and Hawaiian, OR either of the State's two official languages and at least one additional language, including American Sign Language, by high school graduation.

Is the Seal of Biliteracy just for English Learners?

The Seal of Biliteracy encourages students to pursue biliteracy, honors the skills our students attain, and can be evidence of skills that are attractive to future employers and college admissions offices.

In Hawai'i, who can apply for and earn the Seal of Biliteracy?

No. A Seal of Biliteracy is granted to all students who meet the criteria for the award.

If I apply to earn the Hawai'i State Seal of Biliteracy and end up needing to move to another state before graduating, how will Hawai'i's requirements translate to other states?

A graduating senior enrolled in a Hawai'i public or charter school.

Which states have adopted or offer the Seal of Biliteracy?

Currently, Hawai'i's 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) requirement for English or Hawaiian Language Proficiency (English or Hawaiian Language Arts course requirements), score requirements for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB), and scores on HIDOE-approved language assessments meet or exceed other states' requirements for the Seal of Biliteracy.

Since Seal of Biliteracy requirements vary from state to state (or in some instances, by school districts), please contact us at biliteracy@k12.hi.us, so we may research your particular situations.

Do I need to obtain a 3.0 GPA or higher for both my cumulative GPA and Language Arts courses required for graduation?

Visit http://sealofbiliteracy.org/faq#n293 for a current list of states.

How can I demonstrate proficiency in 'Ōlelo Hawai'i?

Yes. The Hawai'i State Board of Education has established a Seal of Biliteracy to be awarded upon graduation to students who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in both of the State's two official languages, English and Hawaiian, OR either of the State's two official languages and at least one additional language, including American Sign Language, by high school graduation.

I am not enrolled in an AP course at my school. How can I sign up to take a language assessment for AP?

Candidates can obtain a 3.0 GPA or higher for the Hawaiian Language Arts courses required for graduation or take the Avant Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) WorldSpeak 'Ōlelo Hawai'i online assessment.

I took an AP world language exam during my junior year and attained a score of 3.0 or higher. Can I use my AP scores towards meeting the Hawai'i Seal of Biliteracy world language requirement?

A Hawai'i public or charter school student does not need to be enrolled in an AP course at his/her school to sign up for and take an AP world language assessment. If your high school offers AP courses, contact your AP Coordinator to register. Visit https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/home and go to "Taking Exams."

Yes. Students who have already taken the AP world language exams in grade 9, 10, and/or 11 and received a score of 3.0 or higher can use the AP scores towards meeting the Hawai'i State Seal of Biliteracy world language requirement.

AP and IB scores are released during the summer following graduation. How will I know if I was successful in earning the Hawai'i State Seal of Biliteracy?

OCID will verify in Spring if a candidate has met the GPA eligibility criteria and in Summer if the candidate has met the minimum AP/IB score requirement. Upon verification, OCID will add the Seal of Biliteracy designation to the transcript and send the Seal of Biliteracy certificate and medallion via U.S. mail by the end of July.

What new languages are available through the online language assessment?
Pictured: King Kekaulike High School Sensei Jan Matsushita presents senior Hina Okabe with the Seal of Biliteracy for proficiency in English and Japanese on May 16, 2017.
If I choose to take the DOE-approved online language assessment to meet the world language requirement, do I arrange on my own to take the assessment?

Thai assessment is now available via the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL). Cantonese assessment is now available via the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT).

I have studied a world language for four years at my high school and have maintained at least a 3.0 GPA in those classes. May I use my course credits to meet the world language assessment requirement for the Hawai'i State Seal of Biliteracy?

No. OCID will provide schools and students with log-in to take the online language assessment.

I've been accepted to the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM). How will the College of Arts, Languages & Letters at UHM recognize the HIDOE's Seal of Biliteracy?

No. In order to earn the Hawai'i State Seal of Biliteracy, a student must take a world language assessment approved by the HIDOE and meet its designated minimum score requirements. World language assessments will optimally measure a student's real-world proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

What resources are available to support the use of language skills in college, career, and community development?

The College of Arts, Languages & Letters at UH-Mānoa values the accomplishments of HIDOE students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy, and will award credit according to its policies regulating test score equivalencies. The College further encourages students who earn the Seal to consider continuing to develop their proficiency in their additional language through pursuing a major, minor or certificate in a world language in their postsecondary studies.

The Hawai'i Language Roadmap Initiative at UH Mānoa has created resources to support multilingual students with college, career, and community readiness. Please visit http://bit.ly/HLRResources to access the resources.

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To enable students to be college, career, and community ready in a global society; To establish an educational culture that recognizes and values the wealth of linguistic and cultural diversity students bring to the classroom; To support opportunities for the study of and increased proficiency in 'Ōlelo Hawai'i; and To encourage partnerships with institutions of higher education and community organizations to increase access to language instruction in a variety of languages.​ Please see Board of Education Policy 105-15, Seal of Biliteracy.

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Language Career Videos

Click here to watch the video: Using your Language Skills in the Courts

Listen to Ms. Tulang-DeSilva, the Program Director of the Hawaii State Judiciary's Office on Equality and Access to the Courts (OEAC) share the value of multilingualism in Hawai'i and the paths students can pursue to become language interpreters for the courts.
Click here to watch the video: Using your Hawaiian Language Skills
Listen to Dr. Wilson share the importance of the Hawaiian Language in Hawai'i and opportunities to further develop your abilities and use your skill set.
Click here to watch the video: Using your Filipino Language Skills
Listen to Dr. Parba discuss the Filipino program at UH and how Filipino speakers (Cebuano, Tagalog, Ilocano, etc.) can use their skills in the job market.
Click here to watch the video: Using your Spanish Language Skills
Listen to Dr. Aranda discuss the value of multilingualism and how to use your Spanish skills to open doors.
Click here to watch the video: Using your Chinese Language Skills
Listen to Danicia share her experiences as a student and how her language skills opened doors to her career.
Click here to watch the video: Using your Chinese Language Skills
Listen to Leon a recent graduate from UH Manoa with a double major in computer science and Chinese talk about his language learning experience.
Click here to watch the video: Using your Korean Language Skills
Listen to Lydia talk about the Korean Language Flagship Center and how students can use their Korean language skills in the community.
Click here to watch the video: Using your Japanese Language Skills
Listen to Dr. Yoshimi talk about the different paths you can take with your language skills.

Resume Advice Videos and Helpful Links
Click here to watch video: Resume 101
Listen to Devon discuss strategies to create an effective resume.
Hawai'i Language Roadmap presentation - Promoting your bilingual and biliteracy skills on your resume
Click on the link above to listen to a Roadmap presentation on how to effectively incorporate your language skills on your resume.

Click here to read tips on featuring your bilingual skills on your resume from Indeed.com.

Language programs, internships, job opportunities, and more!

Recommended list for Language related Opportunities
A list of language programs, scholarships, internship opportunities, and more!

Roadmap Interns tell their Language Stories
Stories of how Roadmap Interns have learned to recognize the value of their language skills and utilize it in the workforce.

Realities of the Multilingual Workforce
Information about the Seal of Biliteracy and data about the benefits of multilingual skills in the workforce.
Onward Student Resource Booklet
Check out the Onward booklet for a complete review of the resources and information.

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Click here to watch the video : Using your Language Skills in the Courts Listen to Ms. Tulang-DeSilva, the Program Director of the Hawaii State Judiciary's Office on Equality and Access to the Courts (OEAC) share the value of multilingualism in Hawai'i and the paths students can pursue to become language interpreters for the courts.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity

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Welcome to the Companion WebsiteChapter 1Video 1.1: Why Culturally Responsive Teaching MattersChapter 2Video 2.1: What It Means to Value Diversity

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SEL for MLs: Urgent Considerations & Tools to Use for Equity

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SEL for MLs: Urgent Considerations & Tools to Use for Equity

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11032021 SupportEd Webinar Slides

Social Emotional Learning for Multilingual Learners Padlet

CASEL's SEL Framework
Feeling Faces Pics
WOOP (wish, outcome, obstacle, plan)

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Pattern Shapes by The Math Learning Center

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Students use Pattern Shapes to explore geometry and fractions, create their own designs, or fill in outlines. As they work with shapes, students think about angles, investigate symmetry, and compose and decompose larger shapes.

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Free Math & Science Tutoring Hours:  M-Th 6:00-9:00 p.m.; Su 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Writing -  1 hr. slots

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Free Math & Science Tutoring Hours:  M-Th 6:00-9:00 p.m.; Su 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Writing -  1 hr. slots

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M-Th

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Sessions of Math & Science Tutoring

Sessions of Writing Tutoring

Years Serving Hawaii's students

I'm a Student

OLA tutoring is a perfect fit for the typically busy student. We know you are busy working and trying to attend classes and often don't have time to get help during limited instructor office hours. We are available wherever you can access the internet and we hold tutoring hours on evenings and weekends (except Sat) when students need homework help. Feel free to ask tutors any questions about college or their professional career pathways. And ... tutoring is completely free!

I'm a Parent

OLA tutoring has been successfully used for over 10 years by students and teachers across Hawaii. We have an excellent reputation with well over 1.5 million minutes in tutoring in math, science, and English. Our tutors are highly-qualified, local high school graduates who are currently students at UH Mānoa. All tutors are chosen for their high academic standards, leadership, prior teaching experience, and they undergo an extensive background check before employment. Tutoring is convenient, online, and completely free!

I'm a Teacher

Hundreds of Hawai'i educators have successfully incorporated OLA tutoring as an added support to allow students to get homework help after school and at home. Recently, OLA's EdReady project initiative has been adopted by several high school early-college programs to help students prepare for and successfully complete college-level math. Waipahu High School's early college STEM Olympians placed an astounding 97% of their 9th graders in college level math using EdReady. CTE teachers (Career and Technical Education) across the state have also begun to adopt EdReady as an effective way to help students review and master key math and English content to prepare for careers. If you are interested in partnering with OLA on any of our initiatives or having us come to speak to your class, please contact us.

The Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity (SEED) provides programs for the recruitment and success of students from underrepresented groups in higher education to promote diversity at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. As part of SEED, the Online Learning Academy (OLA) provides free, one-on-one English, math and science tutoring, by highly-qualified college tutors, for all SEED programs. We offer tutoring in the following subjects: basic math, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, writing, and language arts.

Equity and access for all of Hawai'i's students. Leveling the playing field by providing college tutors/peer mentors that are available to support SEED programs and their students to increase the students' proficiency in English, math, and science.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
2600 Campus Road, QLC 214L
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
VIew Map

© All text Copyright 2018, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Online Learning Academy.

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Online Learning Academy - University of Hawaii at Manoa | Providing Hawaiʻi's students with free, high quality online tutoring.

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Sessions of Math & Science Tutoring Sessions of Writing Tutoring Years Serving Hawaii's students I'm a Student OLA tutoring is a perfect fit for the typically busy student. We know you are busy working and trying to attend classes and often don't have time to get help during limited instructor office hours.

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Enriching Academic Vocabulary: Strategies for Teaching Tier Two Words to E.L.L. Students (Published 2017)

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Ideas for working with challenging words — in New York Times articles and beyond.

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Overview of EL Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) Overview Module 1

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Why Learn Languages

Heritage Learners

Encourage your children to develop and maintain their home language. Balanced bilinguals are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, secure better jobs, and earn more money than those who speak only English. Use the guide below to learn how you can help your children to develop these essential skills.

Your Home Language is a Valuable Asset: Pass It On

One out of five people in the United States speaks a language other than English at home. In today's interconnected world, these so-called "heritage languages" are a valuable asset. Children who grow up speaking a heritage language have many advantages, including more career and personal opportunities. As parents, your support and involvement are essential to helping your children develop their home language so that they can make the most of these opportunities.

Two is Better Than One

If you are concerned that speaking another language will interfere with your child's ability to master English and/or advance in school, consider this: Multilingual students actually perform better on standardized exams in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and math, than their monolingual peers. Overall, studies show that bilingualism enhances children's cognitive abilities, boosts school performance, and fosters the development of bicultural adaptation -the ability to feel comfortable and thrive in two cultures. Bicultural adaptation can improve self-esteem, school involvement, and more.

In the home, speaking the heritage language has its own advantages, such as promoting family togetherness and facilitating the transmission of values and cultural norms across generations.

Making the Most of the Heritage Language

Naturally, the more that your children get to hear and use their heritage language as they are growing up, the more skillful they will become at it. In addition to speaking the heritage language at the home as much as possible, some simple activities you can do to promote fluency are:

Socializing with local heritage-language speaking families;

Participating in events organized by local heritage communities;

Listening to music and watching TV in the heritage language;

Encouraging your children to interact with relatives and friends abroad through social media;

Reading to your child on a regular basis and having reading materials in the heritage language at home.

Beyond the home, school programs that teach reading and writing and introduce children to the language used in formal situations are very important from the point of view of attaining higher levels of proficiency associated with professional fields. Because reading and writing develop slowly over time as children mature, instruction should extend as long as possible, ideally, from elementary school to college. The type and availability of instructional programs for heritage language speakers vary by language and location. The most common options include:

Community-Based Schools: Many ethnic communities in the United States have established schools to support heritage language learning. These come in different formats, such as weekend, afterschool, or summer programs, and sometimes are affiliated with a local church or a foreign organization. Information about existing programs is available through local heritage-speaking community organizations.

All-Day Schools: Many schools offer instruction in the heritage language, be it in the form of bilingual or dual-language immersion programs or foreign language electives. To maximize learning, heritage language-specific instruction, as opposed to instruction aimed at students with no background in the language, is preferable.

Study Abroad Programs: For older children, studying in a country where the heritage language is spoken presents many benefits. Research shows that in addition to improving their language skills, heritage speakers who participate in study abroad programs gain self-confidence and deepen their cultural knowledge. In general, travel abroad, with or without formal study, is one of the best ways to boost your child's language skills.

Meeting Resistance

Many children go through a phase where they reject their heritage language and culture. This can be very frustrating to parents, and more than that, it puts the heritage language at risk of being lost. If this happens, children typically come to regret the loss when they grow up. Keeping children exposed to their home language, even if they are only hearing it, is essential to preventing language loss during this stage. Other considerations to keep in mind are:

Many children see the heritage language as an obstacle to fitting in with their monolingual peers. Providing opportunities for children to get together with their heritage-speaking peers can help address this issue.

Children who are criticized or ridiculed when they speak the heritage language can develop "language shyness," which leads to avoiding the language. Focusing on what children can do in the heritage language-as opposed to what they can't do-can boost their linguistic self-esteem and combat language shyness.

It is also common for children to internalize negative societal messages about immigrants and their languages. Talking to your children about the benefits of bilingualism and the achievements of their home culture can help counter these messages and instill cultural and linguistic pride.

In time, bilingual children enter a new phase when they actually seek out opportunities to use and expand their heritage language skills. If they have succeeded in maintaining their heritage language, they are now well poised to reap the rewards of bilingualism.

The Payoff

As parents, investing in the heritage language may well be one of the best contributions that you can make to your children's future. Efforts in that regard will likely pay rich dividends by way of professional and personal rewards.

Videos

Learn how these heritage speakers are using language skills to succeed in their careers. And find out more about Aileen Villarreal's role with professional baseball team the Detroit Tigers here.

Articles & Testimonials

"Becoming Bilingual in Spanish and English: Why Is It Important? What Can Parents Do?"
Language skills have made a huge difference in these individuals professional and personal lives. Check out their heritage language stories:
Resources for Parents

Epic!, an app available by subscription, provides instant access to over 20,000 children's books in English and Spanish.

Blogs are a great way to learn from parents and other educators who have hands-on experience to share. Hear what these bilingual bloggers have to say about raising children to speak both Spanish and English: 6 Bilingual Bloggers Who Can Help Your Kids Learn Spanish - NBC

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Heritage Language Learning: Bilingual Education Benefits

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Encourage your children to develop and maintain their home language. Balanced bilinguals are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, secure better jobs, and earn more money than those who speak only English. Use the guide below to learn how you can help your children to develop these essential skills.

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Definitions of scaffolds & supports from WIDA copyrighted materials.

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Scaffolds & Supports Also refer to these WIDA copyrighted materials, the WIDA Focus Bulletins: Focus on Differentiation Part 1 (excerpts of the support & scaffold definitions below are found on p. 1 of this Focus Bulletin) Focus on Differentiation Part 2 STEM Discourse: Strengthening Reasoning,...