Active Now
Growing Language and Literacy Book Study with Special Guest
This book study will explore strategies for English learners that develop their literacy skills across grades and proficiency levels. It is based on five premises: asset-based mindset; individual variations; integrated content, language and literacy instruction; culturally and linguistically sustaining instructional and assessment practices; and purposeful interaction and collaboration. We will explore each chapter in it’s own weekly asynchronous session, followed by a special event live culmination session that you will NOT want to miss!
Date of virtual kick-off event with Dr. Honigsfeld: 5/27/21 at 3:30-4:30pm
Book Study asynchronous work facilitated by RBERN: between 5/28-7/12 at the convenience of participants
Date of virtual Q&A event with Dr. Honigsfeld: 7/13/21 at 3:30-4:30pm
To get full credit, please plan to attend one of the live sessions in addition to completing the five asynchronous chapters. You are welcome to attend both live sessions. (Questar III region only)
Chapter Titles:
Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity
This on-demand book study is self-paced and is designed for educators looking for tools and strategies to support the implementation of culturally responsive teaching.
Explore tools and strategies for culturally responsive teaching to help you build an even stronger school community that is inclusive of multilingual learners. The course is structured to be completed while reading the new book from Drs. Sydney Snyder and Diane Staehr Fenner, Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity.
The book includes practical, research-based tools for implementing culturally responsive teaching in your context. It explores topics such as:
– Building cultural competency,
– Placing students at the center of learning,
– Leveraging students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and
– Uniting students’ schools, families, and communities.
-Register before March 22nd to receive a copy of the book. We will mail it to your home address within NY prior to the session.
*This is asynchronous, the listed date and time is only for registration purposes. We will advertise this until we have reached our participant cap.
***To earn full CTLEs, please only register if you are willing to complete full requirements. No partial credit will be given.
Unlocking English Learners’ Potential – Online Book Study
Fostering English Learners’ (ELs’) access to content and acquisition of language is crucial to effectively position them for academic success. This book study is designed for educators looking for tools and strategies to support ELs’ learning in their context. This professional development opportunity, applicable for teachers and administrators, allows you to independently read and reflect on your learning.
-Register before February 15th to receive a copy of the book. We will mail it to your home address within NY prior to the session.
*This is asynchronous, the listed date and time is only for registration purposes. We will advertise this until we have reached our participant cap.
***To earn full CTLEs, please only register if you are willing to complete full requirements. No partial credit will be given.
Spring Self-guided Book Study: Special Considerations for English Language Learners
Chapter Titles:
- A Framework for Considering the Special Needs of English Language Learners
- A Collaborative Model of Information Gathering and Service Provision
- Describing Before Diagnosing: Observation of Specific Behaviors that ELLs May Exhibit
- Delivering a Continuum of Services
- The Learning Environment Created for ELLs
- Personal and Family Factors
- Physical and Psychological Factors
- Previous Schooling Factors
- Oral Language and Literacy Development
- Academic Achievement
- Cross-Cultural Factors
- Putting It All Together: How Do We Know That What We Are Doing Works?
*Evaluation
Online Book Study for RTI for ELLs
The text RTI for Diverse Learners by Catherine Collier addresses elements for RTI at Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 to “provide direct pragmatic suggestions for implementing instructional interventions in classroom settings with ELL/CLD” (p.11). Participants will take a “choose your own adventure” grade-level approach by exploring a different set of considerations weekly based on a selected grade-level scenario. You will be asked to explore how your choice of interventions from the text are appropriate, could be modified to meet the need of the student, or would likely be ineffective based on evidence from the scenario. Come engage with a book study that works around your goals and sets you at the helm of your learning! Weekly sessions begins on Jan. 7 and end Feb. 25. Each week a new chapter will be addressed and a new set of interventions provided to explore and analyze.
Participants will be provided with a complimentary copy of the text. Due to the constraints of asynchronous feedback, this study will be limited to the first 25 participants. Thank you for your understanding.
Writing Revolution Spring Book Study PLC
The Capital District RBERN is excited to offer a spring semester book study PLC (January 13 – April 14, 2021) based on The Writing Revolution by Judith C. Hochman and Natalie Wexler. Participants will be introduced to the six principles of the Hochman method to improve ELL student writing and reading comprehension. We will begin by exploring sentence expansion activities that are quick, easy, and versatile.
Session 2: Strategies for increasing sentence complexity and variety.
Session 3: Note taking and planning paragraph writing
Session 4: Summarizing
Session 5: Revisions strategies for single and multiple paragraph writing
Session 6: Assessment and bringing it all together
Participants will be invited to implement and share exemplars of these strategies from their own classrooms during sessions 2-6.
Each participant will receive a copy of this wonderful resource.