Connecting Content and Academic Language for English Language Learners and Struggling

 Students in Elementary Classrooms

Dates/Times:SSIII:  August 20-23, 2012  (M-Th); 8:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. 

Location:Hagedorn 003

Description:The National Core Standards outline the skills and knowledge that every student (including English language learners) should have in English language arts and mathematics.  The focus of this workshop is on the careful and intentional planning to use and practice academic language.  It offers elementary education mainstream classroom teachers a close-up vision on how to teach English language learners and brings into focus specific factors that teachers need to consider.  Participants will discuss and put together a specific “strategy toolbox” for teachers that includes partnership strategies, semantic webbing, word walls, photo analysis work sheets, and graphic organizers to mention a few.  Part of the workshop is dedicated to detailed analysis of structures of balanced literacy that would be helpful for any teacher, but especially for those teaching ELL, who need to develop academic language.  NOTE:  For elementary (K-6) educators only. 

Instructor: Dr. Elena Jurasaite-Harbison.  Assistant Professor, Hofstra University.  Dr. Jurasaite-Harbison has done significant research on how teachers learn in their workplace and has extensive experience in the areas of curriculum and assessment development, school support, teachers’ professional development, and data analysis.  

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