Language Assistance Program Update
August 31, 2018
What do I need to know about the WIDA Screener?
WIDA offers Key Information about the WIDA Screener here:
- Getting Started with WIDA Screener
- How to Become Certified to Administer WIDA Screener
- WIDA Screener Online
- WIDA Screener Paper and Kindergarten W-APT
- WIDA Screener Scoring and Reports
What if a student takes the screener and scores proficient in English?
LAP Family Night - September 13
What is Sheltered Instruction?
Sheltered instruction is a teaching framework that includes opportunities for language development. This type of instruction takes place during regular or mainstream classes, and it’s a way to make the content understandable to students who aren’t yet fluent in English. This means an English-speaking teacher would use sheltered instruction techniques to help students understand lessons, such as showing students physical props or visual images, focusing on building vocabulary, and offering sentence frames to help student structure their answers.The teacher creates language learning objectives that help the English Learners practice the language of the content area. When teachers use sheltered instruction, they also incorporate the following key components:
- hands-on learning experiences
- building students’ background knowledge
- language practice opportunities (listening, speaking, reading and writing about the content concepts)
- alternative assessments
- practice and application
- learning strategies
Fountas & Pinnell: Reading Levels Are a Teacher’s Tool, NOT a Child’s Label
Resources for Graphic Organizers
Please share these sites with your teaching staff. Teachers can download free templates such as structured note taking, compare/contrast, K/W/L Charts, concept maps, and much more at Education Place and ReadThinkWrite.