Language & Cultural Services
LCS Bulletin - January 9, 2016
Using Centers to Differentiate for English Learners
Centers are used in multiple grade levels and in various subject areas as a way to provide small group instruction to a group of students while keeping the rest of the students in the class engaged in meaningful and productive practice. When working with English learners, centers can provide opportunities to deliver specific lessons to help students improve language skills, preview upcoming content or review previously presented content.
Managing centers appropriately can be a challenge, especially when deciding the content of the centers, how you will differentiate and help English learners be successful within them, and the content and delivery of small-group instruction to specific students. With a few considerations, though, centers can be an effective tool to help all students succeed.
Find out how you can use centers to support differentiation for your English Learner students.
Webinar: Strategies to Fortify Speaking in Your Classroom
Date: January 18, 2017
Time: 2:30pm CST
As an educator, you already know the importance of verbal communication. But do you know how to modify your lesson plans to fortify speaking for ELLs? Join us for a webinar on Weds. 1/18 at 3:30pm ET to learn how to create opportunities for your students to engage in meaningful conversations.
Sign up now to hear from founding researcher of the SIOP model Dr. Jana Echevarria and learn:
- How to incorporate purposeful speaking opportunities into content lesson plans
- Which strategies and activities help fortify output and how to find them in Ellevation
- How to avoid common instructional mistakes
College Planning with English Learners at Central High School
Gary Young-Allen, the Academic Counselor/DSO of International Student Services made a visit to Central High School, Monday, December 12th. Approximately 30 students were able to watch the presentation given by Mr. Young-Allen and had the opportunity to ask many questions about the whole transition of entering college as an international student. Roger, a junior at Central HS, stated that he is really just now beginning to realize how close college is for his future, and he appreciated the information that was presented to the students. Roger said, “Mr. Young-Allen made me realize that I can’t start too soon. And I also feel better knowing we are going to have a lot of help in the application process.” The students were told about the enrollment process step-by-step and the college testing that would be required of them.
Six Potential Brain Benefits of Bilingual Education
Brains, brains, brains. One thing we've learned at NPR Ed is that people are fascinated by brain research. And yet it can be hard to point to places where our education system is really making use of the latest neuroscience findings.
But there is one happy nexus where research is meeting practice: bilingual education. "In the last 20 years or so, there's been a virtual explosion of research on bilingualism," says Judith Kroll, a professor at the University of California, Riverside.
Again and again, researchers have found, "bilingualism is an experience that shapes our brain for a lifetime," in the words of Gigi Luk, an associate professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Education.
At the same time, one of the hottest trends in public schooling is what's often called dual-language or two-way immersion programs.
Traditional programs for English-language learners, or ELLs, focus on assimilating students into English as quickly as possible. Dual-language classrooms, by contrast, provide instruction across subjects to both English natives and English learners, in both English and in a target language.
Read more here about the benefits of bilingual education for all students.
WIDA 2017 Call for Proposals
Find more details for planning your WIDA 2017 Conference proposal here.
ACCESS 2017 Planning Resources
Test window: February 6, 2017 to March 31, 2017
Materials pick up at Enrollment Center: January 30 and 31, 2017
ACCESS 2.0 & Alternate ACCESS
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Test Administrator Form
- Training Schedule
- Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement
- ACCESS Training Folder
- ACCESS 2017 Roster (saved template in Ellevation's Export Wizard)
ACCESS 2.0
- ACCESS 2.0 Headphone Specifications
- ACCESS 2.0 Sample Items (open using Chrome browser)
Alternate ACCESS
Missed a Department Meeting?
Elementary ELD Department Meetings
Language & Cultural Services Events
Week of January 9:
January 10, 8:30am - New ACCESS Test Coordinator Training, Part 1
January 10, 8:30am - Veteran ACCESS Test Administrator Training (Secondary)
January 10, 12:30pm - New ACCESS Test Coordinator Training, Part 2
January 10, 12:30pm - Veteran ACCESS Test Administrator Training (Elementary)
January 11, 8:30am - Veteran ACCESS Test Administrator Training (Elementary)
January 11, 8:30am - New ACCESS Paper-based Test Administrator Training
January 11, 12:30pm - New ACCESS Online Test Administrator Training
January 11, 12:30pm - Veteran ACCESS Test Coordinator Training
January 11, 4:00pm - Spanish for Educators (Edivate)
January 12, 8:30am - Veteran ACCESS Test Administrator Training (Secondary)
January 12, 8:30am - Veteran ACCESS Test Coordinator Training
January 12, 12:30pm - Veteran ACCESS Test Administrator Training (Elementary)
January 12, 12:30pm - New Kindergarten ACCESS Test Administrator Training
January 12, 3:45pm - ELD Department Meeting (Elementary)
January 12, 4:45pm - ELD Department Meeting (Secondary)
Week of January 16:
January 17, 8:30am - Veteran ACCESS Test Administrator Training (Elementary)
January 17, 12:30pm - New ACCESS Paper-based Test Administrator Training
January 17, 3:45pm - ESL Certification Test Study Group (Elementary)
January 17, 4:00pm - Dual Language PLC (Pre-K - 1st Grade)
January 17, 4:45pm - ESL Certification Test Study Group (Secondary)
January 18, 8:30am - New ACCESS Test Coordinator Training, Part 2
January 18, 12:30pm - New ACCESS Test Coordinator Training, Part 1
January 19, 8:30am - Veteran ACCESS Test Administrator Training (Elementary)
January 19, 12:30pm - New ACCESS Online Test Administrator Training
January 19, 3:30pm - SIOP Seminar: Cooperative Learning Strategies (Elementary)
January 19, 4:00pm - Dual Language PLC (2nd Grade - 5th Grade)
January 19, 4:30pm - SIOP Seminar: Cooperative Learning Strategies (Secondary)
All events are listed in MyLearningPlan unless otherwise noted. Please pre-register and verify session location in MLP.
Check out the Language & Cultural Services events calendar for future events.