In order to maximize learning opportunities for K-12 English learners, teachers and administrators must plan effective programs and lessons that not only consider the concepts and skills that students must know and be able to do, but that also address specific sheltered strategies that will help teachers work with students who are learning English while learning in English.

Participants will apply strategies that will lead to active participation and lessons based on the language acquisition levels for their students.  In this highly interactive and hands-on training, teachers walk away with increased understanding, strategies, and motivation to accelerate academic achievement for English learners.

The Accelerating Academic Achievement for English Language Learners seminar focuses on differentiating between ESL/ELD curriculums (what we teach) and sheltered instruction (how we teach).  It will model teaching strategies throughout the training to enable the teacher to experience active participation in a learning situation.  Additionally, it analyzes exactly what constitutes active participation and collaborative learning and how that analysis should inform the selection of instructional strategies that result in immediate, increased achievement for English learners.  The models used are all research-proven strategies, and participants will work to apply these to their own unique teaching situations.

What are the LEARNING OBJECTIVES of this seminar?

During this interactive seminar, participants will:

• Clarify by comparing and contrasting ELD and sheltered instruction
• Understand how to apply sheltered instructional strategies when planning lessons to make content comprehensible for English learners, as well as how to engage all students in active listening, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension.
• Learn and apply information on language-acquisition levels, including what students can do and what teachers should do at each stage of second-language acquisition.
• Examine effective ways to assess and differentiate instruction for English learners.
• Apply the understanding of sheltered strategies; specifically, tapping prior knowledge and building background knowledge, engaging in active participation, building in processing time, organizing instruction around differentiated instruction, using graphic organizers, cooperative learning and incorporating the five domains of language (listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking) to language and content instruction.