• P3 with Ms. Paige Stickelman: Prebrief @ 8:20; Lab Site @ 8:40; Debrief @ 9:10

• P4 with Mr. Henry Puttick: Prebrief @ 10:00; Lab Site @ 10:20; Debrief @ 11:00

• P1 with Ms. Iman Khan: Prebrief @ 1:00; Lab Site @ 1:20; Debrief @ 1:50

Labsite Throughline

• ECEA: Phonemic Awareness

• P1-3: UFLI

• P4-6: Vocabulary and Background Knowledge

• ECEA with Ms. Mim Griffin: Prebrief @ 8:20; Demo @ 8:40; Debrief @ 9:10

• P6 with Ms. Julia Fan: Prebrief @ 10:00; Demo @ 10:20; Debrief @ 11:00

• P3 with Mr. Johnny Fees: Prebrief @ 1:00; Demo @ 1:15; Debrief @ 1:45

Labsite Throughline

• ECEA: Phonemic Awareness

• P1-3: UFLI

• P4-6: Vocabulary and Background Knowledge

annie.chang.ng@gmail.com

LinkedIn: Annie Chang Ng

• Find a word/sentence/phrase that you think is really important.

• Number off 1-4.

• Person 1 shares (just the word/sentence/phrase). Everyone takes 1 minute saying what they think about the sentence that was shared.

• Person 1 then has “the last word” and summarizes what everyone has said, and tells what they’re thinking now.

• Repeat with everyone else in the group.

• Scaffolding is most commonly known as as temporary support needed until students can participate in or complete a task independently (Honigsfeld & Dove, 2022).

• We must be intentional and strategic with our scaffolding practices as well as avoid turning scaffolding into rescuing our students and doing most of the work for them (Thompson, 2021 as cited in Honigsfeld & Dove, 2022).

• Teaching subject matter content to English learners requires amplifying and enriching the linguistic and extralinguistic context, so that students do not get just one opportunity to come to terms with the concepts involved, but in fact may construct their understanding on the basis of multiple clues and perspectives encountered in a variety of class activities (Walqui 2006 as cited in Honigsfeld & Dove, 2022).

Question #1: In theory, it sounds great, but how are we going to apply this in practice (2 year olds)?

Response #1: Great point. Rather than the Picture Word Inductive Model, I would replace the visual with a provocation table with carefully chosen items aligned with your UoI. This would invite hands-on exploration that supports oral language development, through back-and-forth dialogic conversations and storytelling. Thank you for advocating for the little ones (2-year-olds), who are reaching important, complex milestones in language, cognitive, and motor development.

Question #2: Translanguaging: Are we doing or not doing it?

Response #2: Excellent question. Pedagogical translanguaging— the intentional and purposeful use of students’ home languages to support English language learning and content—works best when both students and teachers have strong language and literacy skills. It’s effective in bilingual immersion programs (e.g., one Mandarin teacher + one English teacher), where strategic bridging between languages can accelerate both content learning and biliteracy.

But, for younger primary students outside a bilingual immersion program, home language and literacy skills may be too limited to leverage for English acquisition. In these cases, a structured literacy approach—teaching in English clearly through “I do, we do, you all do, you do” (*in any order*)—can effectively support language development.

Question: Planning time is a problem when it comes to supporting and connecting a wide range of students.

Response: Great point—this came up often in our reflection exercise. It would be valuable to discuss it during grade-level meetings.

Along with individual and team planning time, I’d also consider dedicated co-planning time for homeroom teachers and EAL specialists. Once that’s in place, you can explore co-planning routines that strengthen Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction for diverse learners. Have you come across Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Dove’s work? Here is a quick snapshot of their co-planning routines.

Planning time for All Class vs groups vs individuals

Great question—this came up often in our reflection exercise. It would be valuable to discuss it during grade-level meetings.

Your point about different types of planning is excellent. It'd require using assessment data to target student needs as you and your team plan. While some of this happens at the individual teacher level, it also requires schoolwide systems to support planning for strong Tier 1 instruction Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention. Importantly, as we often say in our field, "You can’t intervene your way out of a weak Tier 1," so ensuring Tier 1 is strong is essential.

Some researcher-practitioners believe that our classroom instruction should meet the needs of ~80% of our students; if you notice <80% of your class is meeting your expectations, it may be a sign to respond by re-teaching and/or slowing down. Whatever instructional decision you make, be reassured to know that teaching multilingual learners is demanding. Systems-level support for early intervention is essential—it’s not sustainable to shoulder it alone as individual teachers.

To learn more about this, Dr. Stephanie Stollar has a great YouTube channel called "Reading Science Academy" (click here) and a new book called "MTSS for Reading Improvement." In addition, here's a quick blog post from her on Tier 2 FAQs (click here).

In addition, consider our lesson design session on the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol or SIOP model (click here for a planning document)? It’s a widely-used approach among EAL teachers for supporting multilingual learners through 8 key components:

• Preparation

• Building background

• Comprehensible input

• Strategies

• Interaction

• Practice and application

• Lesson delivery

• Review and Assessment

Ideally, through co-planning, homeroom and EAL teachers integrate SIOP components into lessons. Fisher, Frey, and Gonzalez (2025) explain that this approach intentionally addresses multilingual learners' needs from the start, rather than retrofitting general lessons with accommodations or alternatives.

Question: Is it possible to build bridges for every lesson?

Response: I would think about your lesson objective and, from there, determine whether/how you need to build bridges.

If you're teaching UFLI, I’d focus on the English routines in the Teacher’s Manual rather than bridging across languages. For comprehension, consider adding visuals to the decodable text (only as needed) and provide quick, clear explanations in English to explain any unfamiliar words.

But, if you're teaching UoI with high content and language demands, it will be strategic and efficient to do so. Here is what bridging might look like:

• Making Connections: Leverage students' prior knowledge to build new background knowledge.

• Pedagogical Translanguaging: Intentionally and purposefully (rather than spontaneously and randomly) leverage students' home language to develop English as an additional language. Make sure you have clear language boundaries, so that multilingual learners are invited to tap into their home language as a resource but also stretched to engage in productive struggle with English.

• Making Cross-linguistic Connections: Explicitly compare two languages side by side, often through syntax study (click here for an example).

When planning your "bridges" for language support, think of techniques not as random add-ons, but as parts of a connected system grounded in the big picture framework of input + output—both essential for language growth. Choose a few routines that resonate with you, use them consistently, and ensure they work together to give students rich opportunities to both receive and produce language. The goal is an integrated approach, rooted in rich content, not a collection of isolated activities. Below are a few concrete ideas:

(1) Comprehensible input

• Graphic organizers

• Visuals (e.g., Picture Word Induction Model)

• Short videos under 5 minutes

(2) Quality output

• Provide many opportunities for talking and writing through "We do" and "You all do" tasks (e.g., process grid and collaborative strip paragraph routines). Multilingual learners thrive when there are structured spaces for practicing their new language across all domains (i.e., SWIRL = Speaking, Writing, Interacting, Reading, Listening).

• Set up purposeful partnerships. For example, initially pair a newcomer student with a peer who shares the same home language but who speaks English at a higher level. During turn-and-talk, the newcomer student can orally rehearse in his/her home language, while the partner can report out in English. (Note: Ensure there are already strong language scaffolds in place, as some "language model" peers might feel frustrated from always having to be the "teacher.")

• Preview and review content in the home language, with EAL team support. During the lesson, STAY in English to encourage productive struggle. The alternative-- constant, on-going translations and interpretations-- can accidentally allow bilingual/multilingual learners to bypass language learning.

How can we use strategies with very low-level English learners with potentially low motivation?

Response: Great question! Here are some general guidelines for academic support (Honigsfeld, 2024):

Foundational Reading:

• Use pre-reading strategies rich in visuals to set the stage for comprehension (pictures, videos, realia, concept maps, anticipation guides).

• Introduce keywords on anchor charts with visuals, so you are teaching language in context.

• Offer digital texts with read-aloud features so students can follow along.

• Use parallel or side-by-side texts in students’ home languages—or provide audio versions.

• If students speak but don’t read their home language (i.e., they're bilingual but not biliterate), focus on audio supports. Consider co-planning with the EAL team to add home-language audio for key concepts on Seesaw (only as needed because, sometimes, visual support + verbal scaffolds in English provide enough comprehensible input.)

Foundational Writing:

• Don’t wait for "full" English proficiency—start writing from day one with clear, explicit instruction.

• Combine writing with sketches and labels.

• Show completed models and exemplars to set clear expectations.

• Encourage students to keep personal dictionaries or vocabulary journals for academic and content terms.

Question: Will we receive enough time to put these ideas in practice while everything is still fresh?

Response: Great point—this came up often in our reflection exercise. It would be valuable to discuss it during grade-level meetings.

Along with individual and team planning time, I’d also consider dedicated co-planning time for homeroom teachers and EAL specialists. Once that’s in place, you can explore co-planning routines that strengthen Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction for diverse learners. Have you come across Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Dove’s work? Here is a quick snapshot of their co-planning routines.

How do we use strategies with very low-level English learners?

Response: Great question! Here are some general guidelines for academic support (Honigsfeld, 2024):

Foundational Reading:

• Use pre-reading strategies rich in visuals to set the stage for comprehension (pictures, videos, realia, concept maps, anticipation guides).

• Introduce keywords on anchor charts with visuals, so you are teaching language in context.

• Offer digital texts with read-aloud features so students can follow along.

• Use parallel or side-by-side texts in students’ home languages—or provide audio versions.

• If students speak but don’t read their home language (i.e., they're bilingual but not biliterate), focus on audio supports. Consider co-planning with the EAL team to add home-language audio for key concepts on Seesaw (only as needed because, sometimes, visual support + verbal scaffolds in English provide enough comprehensible input.)

Foundational Writing:

• Don’t wait for "full" English proficiency—start writing from day one with clear, explicit instruction.

• Combine writing with sketches and labels.

• Show completed models and exemplars to set clear expectations.

• Encourage students to keep personal dictionaries or vocabulary journals for academic and content terms.

• Consider subject-specific language scaffolds and routines (e.g., subject-specific word wall, Sentence Patterning Chart (click here) that highlights subject-specific concepts). This article offers ideas for creating language-rich environments in Music and P.E., and I'd be curious your thoughts.

• Create structured opportunities for interaction—remember, not just input, but lots of output. For a more detailed response, see response to the P5 question.

Specials are a wonderful gift for multilingual learners. I find they give students joyful opportunities to showcase their strengths beyond literacy and, at the same time, build rich oral language through complex play and teamwork. Thank you for all you do!

Amount of time it takes to find the words they do know and expand?

I’m not sure I fully understand the question, but the amount of time would depend on where you are in the UoI, your class’s prior knowledge, and individual student needs—for example, more time at the start of a new inquiry, with unfamiliar content, or for newcomers and neurodiverse students who benefit from extra repetition and practice.

But, below are some ideas for amplifying language through vocabulary instruction.

Teach vocabulary in context. I'd recommend quality over quantity: focus deeply on a smaller set of words. As a general ballpark, this would be about 5-10 vocabulary words every 2-4 weeks. For a more detailed breakdown, see page 8 of the linked document (i.e., "Vocabulary" section of the "EAL Strategy Menu" tab).

To amplify vocabulary, I’d suggest a sentence-level routine where students build sentences with key vocabulary—have you tried Sentence Patterning Charts (SPC)? They’re a great way to teach grammar in context. Early in the year, you might start with fewer columns than the example.

Consider weaving in UoI-related nouns and verbs during this routine. That way, you are teaching content and language together; this not only supports reading comprehension (i.e., input), but equips students with rich language to express complex ideas (i.e., output).

How much time spent on whole class vs group vs individual (e.g., labeling pictures)

I’m not sure I fully understand the question, but the amount of time would depend on where you are in the UoI, your class’s prior knowledge, and individual student needs—for example, more time at the start of a new inquiry, with unfamiliar content, or for newcomers and neurodiverse students who benefit from extra repetition and practice.

In this blog post on the Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM), Valentina Gonzalez breaks down the required time across several days. If you'd like to read more, here are all her resources on the PWIM.

I appreciate your question—it highlights the importance of responding to student needs rather than following a script.

Translating concepts that are depict visually

Great question. If a visual isn’t immediately clear or represents an abstract concept, adding a translation can help. Keep in mind that multilingual learners aren’t a monolithic group—home language and literacy levels vary, and some students may still struggle to decode or comprehend a translated word, especially for complex ideas. Translations work well for adults, who have stronger literacy and prior knowledge; children are still developing both and building new background knowledge.

That said, many multilingual learners have stronger oral language than reading skills in their home language, so adding audio annotations in Seesaw for each translation can help, especially if the word is already in their oral vocabulary. If learners haven’t heard the word in their home language, it likely won’t be an effective scaffold, since they still wouldn’t understand its meaning in either language.

Relatedly, I’d recommend flexibility in using the home language during oral rehearsal (e.g., turn-and-talk) as needed, but keep writing tasks in the language of instruction (English). With logographic languages like Chinese, younger students’ home language and literacy skills may not yet support second language acquisition. Allowing home languages during writing routines (e.g., cooperative strip paragraphs, drafting) tends to work better for newcomer secondary students, who may have stronger home language and literacy skills to build on.

• Select the questions you would like to be asked. Choose two out of the four questions listed.

• Interview each other guided by your partner’s selected questions

Tip: In the classroom, you can use this partner discussion activity to support students to apply both their developing academic vocabulary knowledge and their developing content knowledge about the cycle’s big idea.  In each cycle, the interview questions feature the target words and the scenario for the interview relates to the shared text.  To promote word analysis, sometimes the target words take a different morphological form (e.g., a prefix or suffix is added).