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“Steps to Academic Success for English Language
Learners (ELLs)”
9:00 to 11:00 am – Concurrent Session Presentations (Presentation Descriptions Below)
Strategies for Strengthening Academic Reading and Writing
 Donald Bouchard
This session will be an examination of the oral and print scaffolds
necessary for deepening ELLs' understanding of content language, grades 4-12. After a general overview of the recent research-based
best practices, participants will apply them to their individual teaching contexts; then, they will share their experiences
and examine the challenges ELLs continue to face to increase the use of academic print.
Donald Bouchard is an
ESL professional development consultant for World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) with forty years of experience
in ESL/EFL teaching, curriculum and administration. Don also coordinates and teaches at the University of Southern Maine
in the Masters of Science in Education Program forced on Literacy and ESL, which he founded. During Don’s career
he has volunteered for the Peace Corps, worked with the Portuguese immigrant population, served as a Fulbright TEFL Lecturer
in Yugoslavia and demonstrated his worth of knowledge as a deaf education teacher, adult ESL teacher and college international
program director. DOWNLOAD HANDOUT BELOW. Email: donald.bouchard@maine.edu
Using Data to Target Instruction for ELLs
Margot
Downs
This session will explore how ACCESS data and the WIDA frameworks helped inform the development of two targeted
writing programs at the elementary and middle level to support the academic language of ELLs in mainstream classes.
As a group, we will discuss how the program designs differ in order to address a range of student needs.
Margot
Downs is the Professional Development Specialist for Portland Public Schools Multilingual and Multicultural Center. She began
her teaching career working in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Since then, she has been involved in a variety of
activities including working with ELLs K-12, teaching graduate level courses for ESL Endorsement and supporting initiatives
through the WIDA consortium. Her current interest involves using assessment data to create student profiles to help teachers
target instruction and students take ownership of their learning.
Email: downsm@portlandschools.org Helping ELLs in the Classroom: Vocabulary Teaching and Learning K-12
Linda Ward
During this session we will review the research on ELL vocabulary acquisition with particular
emphasis on academic language. Questions that will be discussed include: What vocabulary should be taught? How early
should vocabulary instruction begin? What are the specific needs of ELLs regarding vocabulary? Specific techniques will
be modeled interactively within this session and participants will have the opportunity to share best practices.
Linda Ward is teaching K-12 English Language Learners in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, which she has been doing for thirty
years. She also teaches at the University of Southern Maine in the Master of Science in Education program. During
her career she has presented staff development workshops locally, nationally, and internationally.
Email: lward@msad71.net
Current Dilemmas Facing Generation 1.5 Students
Arthur (Bart) Weyand
Generation 1.5 students have been described as “immigrants who arrive in the
United States as school-age children or adolescents, and share characteristics of both first and second generation.”
(Rumbaut & Ima, 1988). This workshop intends to look at who these students are in Maine in 2009, identify some of the
reasons for problems related to learning academic English, and consider what can be done to help them access and remain in
higher education.
Arthur (Bart) Weyand is the founder and director of the English for Speakers of Other Language
(ESOL) program at the University of Southern Maine. In addition, Bart teaches in the ESOL program and recruits international
students. The ESOL program serves immigrants, refugees and international students who plan to enter or continue their
university education. DOWNLOAD HANDOUT BELOW!
11:00 am – 12:00 pm – World Café Lunch and Networking
World
Café is a technique that is used to engage effective communication with communities that have similar questions and
concerns. During lunch we will all be partaking in this working and networking environment. Each table will have
a host who is a participant that has been briefed to facilitate conversation at the table and take notes of the issues and
perceptions that arise. The conversation will revolve around the specific issue (listed below) indicated at your table.
Each participant should chose a table with a issue of interest to them, at the table introduce himself or herself, take a
minute to think privately about the issue, and involve themselves in the conversation. At the end of lunch, the host
should provide a brief (2-3 minutes) summary of the discussion. The summaries will be displayed and documented for all
interested participants.
Table Issues: ACCESS Scores-Now What?, Challenges for Schools with Low-Incidence
ELLs, International Adoption, Exchange Students, Promoting Oral Language in the Classroom, Mental Issues for Refugees and
Immigrants, ELLs and Special Needs, Roles of L1, Newcomers, Professional loneness, Grading, Internet Brides, Differentiation,
and Teaching Overseas.
Panel Discussion – ELL Student Success in Higher Education
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm – Closing Remarks and Evaluations
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