ELLevation's Instructional Framework

Blog post on ESL Strategies Course: Session #4

Cabarrus County Schools use ELLevation as a platform to house and store our ELLs' data information. I know there are several counties who use this platform.
​ELLevation also provides ELLEvation InClass platform section that teachers can use to improve instruction for ELLs. The instructional platform is an additional license counties can purchase to support with academic and language instruction. ​

We are so lucky to be able to have the data and the instructional platform for ALL teachers in our county. 
This ESL pd session was understanding the instructional framework that ELLevation provides for educators.  The resources learned here can really be applied in any county whether you have ELLevation system or not. It is a teaching framework with effective practices that can make you just a better teacher. ​

• Activating background knowledge 

​Before we started digging deeper into the instructional framework provided by ELLevation, we reviewed what we have learned the tree sessions before.
To Review, we practiced and activity called "Inside-Outside Circle" where teachers had the opportunity to share what they've learned so far in out ESL sessions. 
We modeled this activity hoping that teachers will take this activity and use in their classroom and foster interactions among their students. 

• Content: Instruction Framework: 7 Effective Practices to improve instruction 

​We had teachers think of the instructional framework as an umbrella. The instructional strategies or approaches are embedded within effective Practices that help improve language acquisition and content learning.  There are also activities  embedded within each approach that can be used to employ each Practice. 
Our focus for this session was to be placed on the 6 PRACTICES and the activities will be a focus for next session. 
The 6 effective PRACTICES we focused on are: 

1. Background Knowledge
2. Clarifying Input
3. Fortifying Output
4. Foster Interactions
5. Develop Academic Language
6. Assessing Language and Learning

Due to the website's rights, I cannot share the information provided on their website but these PRACTICES are effective and research supported to help you be a great teacher! 
Out teachers worked in partners digging deeper and analyzing each practice and creating a poster to share with everyone else. Each partner became experts in a PRACTICE and learned the other 5 from peers. 

In order to model effective practices...I provided each teacher a handout for them to take notes on what they learned about for each practice. I created this handout and it was made available electronically so teachers can use it every time they plan for their unit lessons. 
The form has a place for teachers to also include the activities we will be learning next week.  
You can find a link to this handout in the Wakelet below.

With the poster created by teachers, we will be making a quilt of best practices that support ELLs. I will be posting the picture as soon as we have it completed. 

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As a homework assignment, we handed out a list of questions that teachers can read and reflect on. Each set of questions belong to a specific PRACTICED learned. Teachers are to just list the PRACTICE that goes with each set of questions. 
You can access the form HERE but it is also available in the Wakelet below. 

Everything you need for this session is in the Wakelet below. If you choose to use these resources, please let us know!

Thank you so much for reading!