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BAP128 Back to School in 2025 with Larry Ferlazzo

How should newcomer teachers approach this school year when there are so many challenges for our immigrant families?  What are the best activities for the first days of school?  Both of these questions are answered in this back-to-school episode with award-winning educator and author, Larry Ferlazzo.  

You can listen to the show right here or in your favorite podcast app:

Listen to “BAP128 Back to School in 2025 with Larry Ferlazzo” on Spreaker.

Larry is retiring!  But fear not.  He is getting his much-earned retirement from the daily life of a classroom teacher, but he is not retiring from the field. Scroll to the end of these notes to find some of the retirement shows that Larry has done recently. 

WHAT SHOULD NEWCOMER TEACHERS KEEP IN MIND IN THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR?

While the following are not new, Carol and Larry discuss how they are more important than ever.  

Larry feels that the following are critical to focus on at this time:

    • Building Their Sense of Agency
    • Newcomers Should Know: You are Their Ally
    • The Newcomer Classroom is a Space for Fun and Distraction
    • Safety Should be a Priority
    • Students Should Feel Good about Themselves

Building Their Sense of Agency

  • Many don’t come with a strong sense of agency as it was not their choice to come here.
  • Remember to include this critical piece:  In life, there will be those who are actively working to deny you opportunities and your agency.  We need to prepare for that.
  • He offers some suggestions that have to do with autonomy/choice (what book they want to read or game they want to play).  Here is a great TikTok video where Larry offers four ways he promotes student agency in his classroom. 
  • We mention the power of authentic opportunities to use language. Larry shares examples and stresses that during this time, we would do this in the school vs. in the community for their safety. 

Newcomers Should Know: You are Their Ally

  • Larry passes out Red Cards. These explain student rights.
  • Check out this video that Dr. Francisco Jimenez shared with Carol recently to help families know how to respond to ICE.  This can be shared with students and families to help them understand their rights. 
  • Much of this can all fall under get-to-know-you activities. For example, Carol would share that her family immigrated from Mexico. Larry would share that he accompanied families to immigration hearings this past summer, among other things, which shows his students he is an ally.
  • ** Larry emphasizes that all teachers should only act in a way that they feel it is professionally safe for them to do so. These things are okay to do in some places and not in others.  We trust that you will use your best judgment.  You’re no good to your kids if you get fired.
  • However, Larry points out that learning a word or two (or more!)  in your students’ language is a great way to show you are an ally.   Carol used a form like this with her class. 

The Newcomer Classroom is a Space for Fun and Distraction

Our job is to support students to become more fluent in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing in English.  A great deal of this can happen when we lower the stress of a student.  Stephen Krashen’s Affective Filter Theory was mentioned (read more about that from Valentina Gonzalez here).  The idea is that if we lower stress, more learning happens.  

Examples given:

  • Compelling Conversations 
  • Authentic Opportunities to Use Language (like interviewing school employees – and setting that up ahead of time to be a good experience for the students)
  • Playing games (Kahoot, Quizzes/WayGround, Fly Swatting Vocabulary, Using AI…)
  • Funny videos that are great for newcomers, and then writing and talking about them.  Larry has great collections like his: The Best Fun Videos for ELLs in 2025-so far.
  • Teachers can crack jokes!

Safety Should be a Priority

  • From the classroom, to the school, to the community – are we making sure we are all on the same page where student safety is concerned?
  • You can advocate for your staff to know what to do if ICE comes to the school.
  • Do students know that counselors are available and other services.
  • Classrooms should be places where students feel safe to make mistakes.

Students Should Feel Good about Themselves

  • This should be in all we do
  • Much of what was discussed in the show supports building students’ self-confidence and sense of competence.

Other topics mentioned in this conversation:

Larry Ferlazzo talks about how he is a big advocate of inductive learning in education. He explains the benefits and explains how it is different from deductive teaching.  He offers great examples for the newcomer classroom.

Find more from Larry about Inducting Learning vs. Direct Instruction in this Edweek Article.

Creating Conditions for Motivation

Larry has been writing about this for years, and there is direct alignment to what was discussed throughout the show.  The four research-based elements he suggests are outlined in this Edutopia article by Larry: 

    1. Autonomy: having a degree of control over what needs to happen and how it can be done
    2. Competence: feeling that one has the ability to be successful in doing it;
    3. Relatedness: doing the activity helps them feel more connected to others, and feel cared about by people whom they respect; and
    4. Relevance: Students must see the work as interesting, valuable, and useful to their present lives and/or hopes and dreams for the future.

Carol mentions a book she uses frequently from Larry on this topic: The Student Motivation Handbook

Carol references  Episode 126 with Dr. Francisco Jimenez.  Dr. Jimenez is an award-winning author (books like The Circuit and Breaking Through are listed among the best young adult books of all-time from the American Library Assn and are great to use with newcomers).  Dr. Jimenez was deported in middle school.  In his interview with Carol, you can hear the parallels to what was discussed in today’s show.  He wants teachers to know that they can be very influential and help students not lose hope.  Your education (all that you learn everywhere you go) will serve you a lifetime.  Here is that show. 

Boosting Achievement of SLIFE, 2nd Edition was also mentioned.  

Here is a padlet with lots of resources from the book.

The podcasts on this blog have much of the content for free

Check out Carol’s Rapid Literacy Padlet as well. 

Do yourself a favor and bookmark this page with Larry’s “Best” Lists all in one place. You’ll find a tremendous amount of free resources for the Newcomer teacher from Larry!

OUR ACTIVITIES FOR THE FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL

LARRY:

Larry always begins with a writing assessment.  Students write about a family member or a good friend.  This gives him an idea of where to start with students.

Larry has written a lot about the use of Peer Tutors. He feels all high schools should use them as the tutors gain as much or more than the newcomers.  Here is more information from Larry on Peer Tutors.

He begins a routine where students will get a whole group lesson and then work with peer tutors.  They will work with things like:

All of the above is with support from Peer Tutors.  If you don’t have peer tutors, consider what Carol did. She put the word out to the community that she could use volunteers for the newcomer classroom. You can use this video to do that.  It helps potential volunteer see how easy it can be to help you.

Larry also begins with PWIM.  The Picture Word Inductive Model is perfect for getting the words from the students to begin a speaking and writing assignment with a picture of the school or classroom.  Check out this post from Larry about this technique with ELs. 

Larry also made a point to say that VERY LITTLE technology was used in his newcomer classroom. The peer tutors are helpful enough so it is not necessary.  However, Carol and Larry agreed that AI can be VERY POWERFUL for newcomers when they are at home.  There are so many ways it can support their practice of the language for listening, speaking, reading and writing in English.

CAROL:

Carol reviewed her TOP TIPS for the First Days of School

She has shared them in a video that has thousands of views.  The video offers a deeper dive into the following:

  1. Name Tents: Will be used for conversations, Will help with stress to be holding somethin
  2. Teacher Created Selfie-Kahoot: Quiz about the teacher, Written with complete sentences vs. questions, Echo reading opportunity
  3. Selfie Kahoots about the Students:f Teacher gets a trivia question from each student, Teacher makes these to play throughout the year for language practice, Can be done for holiday traditions or other occasions: Helps to teach test-taking strategies
  4. Instead of IDK Poster: From Seidlitz 7 Steps: Environmental Print that is chorally read often
  5. Social Contracts are Created WITH Students: From Capturing Kids Hearts, See this Show about how to make one , Environmental Print that is chorally read often

Related Boosting Achievement shows you may find useful:

Teaching Newcomers in this Climate is Episode 124

Starting the year in a challenging climate is Episode 57

CLOSING THOUGHTS 

These have always been true, but we need to focus on them more than ever:

  • We are playing a long game.
  • You can have a profound effect no matter how long you have your student.
  • Newcomer teachers have the best job in the building.

Other recent highly-recommended Larry Ferlazzo interviews:

Edweek Video:

Zaidee Stavely from EdSource:

https://edsource.org/2025/teacher-larry-ferlazzo-retirement-sacramento-english-language-learners/736864

Marcus Luther of the Broken Copier Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-classroom-as-it-is/id1634849386?i=1000714803920

And you can find MORE interviews with Larry here: https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/

Aren’t we glad he isn’t really leaving??

Please reach out and let us know what you thought about this show.  You can comment here or connect with us on social media:

Carol on Facebook:  SalvaBlog

Larry on Facebook:  Larry Ferlazzo Educator

Carol on Instagram @SalvaBlog

Larry on Instagram:  @MrFerlazzo

Larry on TikTok

Don’t miss this FREE WEBINAR opportunity on Trauma Informed Instruction.  Larry and I are excited to interview Elise White Diaz.  Register right here: bit.ly/Oct14DCR

Thanks for helping me with my learning. Have a great school year!

Carol

BAP 127 – Questions about Teaching SLIFE. Georgian Court University Grad Students Want to Know.

What questions do educators have right now about serving new arrival Multilingual Learners?  Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed?  Or perhaps you want to know how to manage multiple student perspectives in this challenging climate. I received some very thoughtful questions from some outstanding educators who are using Boosting Achievement of SLIFE at Georgian Court University  in their graduate program.  You can listen to the show on your favorite podcast app, or right here:

It is also on YouTube this time:

Thanks again, to Dr. Denise Furlong, who interviewed me for this show. We are great friends and we do this with her students every year.  This year they are focusing on the NEW Boosting Achievement book that I wrote with Anna Matis.

I hope everyone is following Denise!  Dr. Denise Furlong  is an Assistant Professor and Director of Advanced Programs for Reading Specialist and ESL.

Dr. Furlong just released HER amazing new book Learners First: Purpose and Practicality in Your Early Years of Teaching. I am so happy to have purchased this book for my daughter who is studying to be an educator.  I highly recommend the book. It will be featured in an upcoming episode!

  

Here are some words from Dr. Furlong that she shared in the interview before we dove into the questions:

At Georgian Court University, we use Dr. Salva’s book as one of our course texts in a graduate-level course for educators pursuing their endorsements to become reading specialists or teachers of multilingual learners. Each semester, students are so engaged and learn a ton from Dr. Salva’s work and they jumped at the chance to ask her some questions. Bragging a bit, GCU students are just so inspiring and I am grateful daily that I get to learn alongside them. Dr. Salva, we’re all honored that you’re willing to take this time to connect with us.  

 

Here are the Questions and a Few Notes With Links on My Answers:

Michelle:  

I’m a high school English teacher in a diverse urban district where most of my 100+ students are multilingual learners, including many who recently exited ESL services. I love helping them grow as readers and writers. But I’ll be honest. Between lesson planning, grading, and trying to give each student what they need which feels impossible, teacher fatigue is real. What advice do you have for secondary teachers who want to stay energized and creative while supporting many amazing (but often high-needs) learners? How do we do this work sustainably and joyfully? 

Answer from Dr. Salva had to do with:   

  • Focus on a productive mindset.
  • Have a thought partner – you can find them online in groups like: Advocating for MLs and Leading ELLs Facebook Groups
  • Find time to take a breath each day.  You can just take a moment or you can meditate, do yoga, journal.  But find time to remind yourself of truths like:
    • I’m helping build their confidence & feel valued.  That will serve them through their lives.
    • They can do more.
    • They ARE learning.  This is a long game.
    • They make progress every day.  VS. This is hopeless.  It is never hopeless!

Hailey: 

How may you consider your own experiences as a learner (or language learner) as an influence on how you taught your students? Are there things that you would not do with students based on your own experiences? Are there things that you always do?  

Answer from Dr. Salva:   

  • Lecturing vs Structuring Conversations (see Ep 108). 
  • Offering more Student Centered Lessons – Giving them opportunities to digest the learning. 
  • Making sure students realize how smart they are. 
  • Offering the productive struggle with support.

Jackie:

One of our assignments in this course is to choose an episode from your podcast that speaks to us and reflect on it. I loved your episode about teaching Newcomers in this climate. We have students who come from different cultures, religions, sometimes countries that are at odds with one another.  We talk about providing space for different opinions and voices. What happens when one student’s opinion is shared but you feel that it may make the environment uncomfortable for another student?  

Answer from Dr. Salva:   

  • It is a question for EVERY teacher.  We need to create conditions where students feel comfortable sharing but also respect others who are hearing them.
  • Check out Episode 124 on Social Contracts 
  • Remember that we are preparing them all for a world in which they need to think about how they want to be treated.

Deb:

What is advice you have for teachers who are new to the profession? Has this advice changed over the years, or is it the same thing you would have said to yourself as a newbie? 

Dr. Salva’s Answer had to do with:

  • Know that your fresh eyes bring so much value.
  • Be kind and patient to yourself.
  •  Noa Daniel The Mentoree 

Kate:

Thanks for including your dissertation research in the new edition. Do you have plans for future research?  

Dr. Salva’s Answer had to do with:

  • It is a gift to be able to do research.  It is a lot of work but it is WORTH IT.
  • I don’t have plans for another dissertation but I am not going to say never.
  • Currently I enjoy learning from the latest research coming out like the book Dr. Furlong just published.
  • The dissertation is here for free.  And it is also a chapter in The Boosting Achievement book in a very user-friendly format.

Dr. Furlong:

When you Google Dr. Carol Salva, “ESL Teaching Hero” comes up. What are your best accessories if you had a superhero kit?  

Dr. Salva’s Answer had to do with:

  • Mindset – We need to challenge our beliefs so we can remind ourselves. 
  • Sticky Notes with your positive affimations like:  They can do more.  Remember: they know more every day.  Remember:  This is a long game.
  • Sticky chart paper. This is  the ONLY thing I request when my school needs to know what I really need.  I cant get other things pretty cheap or they are already supplied for us.  But I need this type of paper for co-creating text. That is a TOP TIP for any level language learner. You can also use butcher paper and masking tape.  To see examples of the power of this, check out this show on “Language Experience Approach.”  And don’t miss the show on “Going BEYOND co-creating text.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. FURLONG and THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOUR AMAZING STUDENTS!

And many thanks to you if you are reading this.  All of you… YOU are one of the good ones.  You are the answer!

Please reach out if I can help you.  I’m at Carol@SeidlitzEducation.com

With love,

Carol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BAP126 To Teachers of Immigrants from Dr. Francisco Jiménez

 

Dr. Francisco Jiménez has been an inspiration to many of us and our students for decades.  His books and his voice may be just what we all need to hear right now.  This podcast also has a YouTube version (see below)!

You can listen to this episode right here or on your favorite podcast app.
Listen to “BAP126 To Teachers of Immigrants from Dr. Francisco Jimenez” on Spreaker.

FRANCISCO JIMÉNEZ
Website: www.scu.edu/fjimenez
Website: The Unbroken Sky
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXmEmqt5h_s

I begin this podcast by mentioning that my guest was deported when he was in the 8th grade.  I highlight this moment in his life because so many educators are reaching out to me about their current fears and the fears of their students.  Dr. Jiménez spends time sharing the incredible effect teachers had on him.  Teachers that may never know because he was only in their class for part of a school year. I can’t think of a better voice for us right now than that of Francisco Jiménez.  Take a peek at this quick movie trailer to get a sense of his background:

The Unbroken Sky

A short dramatic film “The Unbroken Sky”, based on his memoirs, was produced by an independent film company.

and the link to the film Project:  https://theunbrokensky.com/

You only need to scan the rest of this post to grasp the many accomplishments and accolades of Dr. Jiménez.  Rudine Sims Bishop has taught us that students need books that act as windows, but they also need mirrors.  Many educators have used the books of Dr. Jiménez to offer powerful windows into the world of the migrant child and also an important mirror for many of our immigrant youth.

I reached out to Francisco at a time when I needed support for my own mindset about what is happening right now to our immigrant families.  He quickly agreed to this interview, and he DID NOT disappoint.  Like me, I know you will have many take-aways from this conversation.

Some Themes for Reflection

(PD idea: Discuss with “I heard an example of ____ when they talked about…”)

  • Holding SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) in high regard.
  • Making sure marginalized students feel valued.
  • You get to keep everything you learn regardless of how many months of the school year you are in class.
  • You are learning everywhere you go, and what you are learning is valuable.
  • Our immigrant parents are a perfect example of perserverence for our students.
  • There are so many brilliant people who did not have the opportunity to get formal education.
  • Francisco thought his life was over when he got deported.  Obviously, it was not.
  • Educators will never know their effect.
  • Teachers changed his life.  The anecdotes brought me to tears.
  • Don’t underestimate compelling text – even if it is above their reading level (like The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was for young Francisco)
  • We need to be empathetic for our students and allow them to share their fears.  But also encourage them to have hope for the future.  There is always hope.

.. .and so many more take-aways.

The interview was a powerful hour of hearing from someone who has been a hero of mine for many years.

More on Francisco Jiménez, PhD

Author and educator, Dr. Francisco Jiménez emigrated with his family from Tlaquepaque, Mexico to California and as a child worked alongside his parents in the fields of California.

 He received his BA from Santa Clara University and an MA and Ph.D. in Latin American literature from Columbia University under a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.

He has served on various professional boards and commissions, including the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (10 years, two as chair), California Council for the Humanities, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC), Santa Clara University Board of Trustees and the Far West Lab for Educational Research and Development.

Dr. Jimenez has written several important books for our time.  His autobiographical books (see links below)  have won several national literary awards, including the John Steinbeck Award*, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the California Library Association’s Annual John and Patricia Beatty Award, the Américas Book Award, the Pura Belpré Honor Book Award, the Jane Addams Honor Book Award, the Tomás Rivera Book Award, Reading the World Award, the Carter C. Woodson National Book Award and UCSB’s Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature.

His books have been published in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Persian and Spanish. In addition, he has published and edited several books on Mexican and Mexican American literature, and his stories have been reprinted in over 100 textbooks and
anthologies of literature. His latest work is The Circuit Graphic Novel published by HarperCollins in 2024. His four-book series—The Circuit, Breaking Through, Reaching Out, Taking Hold–has been included in the American Library Association Booklist: 50 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.

Breaking Through and The Circuit have been adapted as plays and performed by the
Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts at Hancock College and at schools throughout the Central Coast of California. Santa Clara University Presents Arts for Social Justice performed both plays on campus and at numerous schools in Silicon Valley. The Circuit was also performed at the Fringe Festival in Edenborough, Scotland.

Teatro Visión performed La Mariposa and Breaking Through in San José, California

 

Jiménez was selected U.S. Professor of the Year by CASE and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2002. He holds honorary degrees from De Anza College and the University of San Francisco. In 2015 a new school in Santa Maria, California was named in honor of his late brother and him: The Roberto and Dr. Francisco Jiménez Elementary School. His work has been recognized by the United States Congress, the United States Department of Education, the California State Senate and the Governor and Minister of Culture of the State of Jalisco, He has been featured in Telemundo, “Al Rojo Vivo” and in Univisión, “Aquí y Ahora”. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Clara University.

Some of his Powerful Books

The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child (Cajas de cartón, Spanish edition)

Breaking Through (Senderos fronterizos, Spanish edition)

Reaching Out (Más allá de mí, Spanish edition)

Taking Hold: From Migrant Childhood to Columbia University, (Pasos firmes Spanish edition)

La Mariposa

The Christmas Gift/El regalo de Navidad

*“The John Steinbeck Award is given to writers, artists, thinkers, and activists whose work captures Steinbeck’s empathy, commitment to democratic values, and belief in the dignity of people who by circumstance are pushed to the fringes.” Past recipients include musician Bruce Springsteen, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, filmmaker Ken Burns, playwright Arthur Miller, and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta.

Also mentioned in this Show:

Larry Ferlazzo’s Work on Intrinsic Motivation:

Pamela Broussard’s Quote about Interruptions in Education not being a Period, but a Comma.  Find more about Pamela here.

My heartfelt gratitude again to Dr. Jiménez.

I hope you had so many take-aways as I did.  Please reach out to let me know what resonated with you!

Thank you again for being here and for all you do.

Take good care,

– Carol

Also!  Join us in Dallas on April 23 if you can!  Or reach out to bring engaging uplifting training to your school.

Carol@SeidlitzEducation.com

 

BAP 125 – The Past, The Future and What to do Now.

Yes, we need to show students what to do to become more fluent.  That is in the “What to do Right Now” part of this episode.  But it falls flat if you are not helping them reflect on how far they have come, and showing them where they could be in a few months, years.. and beyond.

You can listen to this episode in your favorite podcast app or right here:
Listen to “BAP 125 The Past, The Future, and What to do RIGHT NOW” on Spreaker.

Looking Back at the Past

Help them reflect:

*Look how far you have come.

*Realize your growth.

Help students realize that they HAVE made progress with things like:

  • Comprehension (you understand more today than before).
  • High Frequency Words
  • Sounds of English Letters and blends, etc.
  • How to get around the school
  • Anything else they know now vs. when they arrived

Show them growth! Example from Kim Thyberg on Twitter:

Looking Ahead to the Future

Where do you want to be in ___ months?

Download a Goal Setting Sheet at this post and get lots of insight from Larry Ferlazzo.

Show them folks like them that are crushing it – Look at the Long Game

Pamela Broussard has curated this great list for us to use.


Here are more folks like them!

5 ways to build a growth mindset with SLIFE from the #BoostingAchievement of SLIFE book

TODAY – What to do Now

What you can do right now that will have a big effect.

Help them understand how to build their fluency (this excerpt will help you explain it to students).

TOP TIPS:

Remind them to practice patience and realize that each day brings more ability.

Apply this to your own practice:

The Past: As I work with Newcomers, do I realize how much my knowledge base has grown?  About them?  About practices?

The Future:  Where do I hope to be by the end of the school year? Set some clear goals about habits or PD that you want.

TODAY:  What can you do right now (Small Moves by Nancy Motley) that would have a big effect?  How do we turn things into habits and how are we challenging our beliefs and our own mindset?  Here are a few videos by Nancy Motely so you can get some of that learning for free:

The 2nd Edition of Boosting Achievement is almost here!

Sign up to get notified of its release in January 2025!

Please reach out if we can support you.  Email me at Carol@SeidlitzEducation.com

Thank you for stopping by this podcast.

Take good care,

Carol

 

 

 

 

 

 

BAP 124 LEAP – Teaching Newcomers in This Climate

If you are feeling distraught right now, I have a process that might help you.  I’ve had a very hard time lately due to the results of the 2024 election. But I have taught newcomers during some very challenging times and learned some skills that are making a difference.  Perhaps they can support you too if you are having a difficult in your role as a teacher of new arrival students. You can listen to this show in your favorite podcast app or right here:
Listen to “BAP124 LEAP – Teaching Newcomers in This Climate” on Spreaker.

Here is the acronym and in this show, I explain what I mean by each of these steps:

L.E.A.P.  –  LISTEN, EDUCATE, ADVOCATE & ACCEPT, PREPARE

Listen

  • Listen to to People Who Need to be Heard
    • your students
    • your families
    • anyone who needs to talk or needs help
    • YOURSELF
  • Listen to People with Opposing Views

Educate

  • Pull back on your political views in your classroom – don’t raise anxiety. Be a source of information, not angst.
  • Model what it is to educate yourself on how our processes work.
  • Educate yourself on services that are available to your families in your area
    • Call 211 (United Way Help Line) with your class to explore what is in the area (or 211.org)
    • Ask school social workers and counselors to share what is available
    • Techfugees
  • Educate yourself on the law / Civil Rights
  • Educate your students on how to make Language Acquisition go faster
    • This tip is always important for the newcomer class
      • Students acquire language faster when they understand how to accelerate it
      • You never know, at any time, when you will see that student again (teach them to fish.. quit just handing them fish)
    • Check out other resources on this website like this one on NewsInLevels: Episode 83

Advocate & Accept

  • Double down on your advocacy.
    • There are organizations in your community that need you
    • Show all students that people are advocating for them.
    • Techfugees

Focus on what you CAN change and accept what you cannot

Prepare

Prepare yourself for the day. As simple as a sticky note on my dashboard or mirror

*2nd Edition* of Boosting Achievement will be available for purchase soon!

Sign up to be notified of the release!

Where we can connect in the near future (end of 2024/beginning of 2025):

Join me at the FREE @EllevationEd IMPACT Conference.

The Seidlitz Education #Newcomer Division will be representing!! I’m excited about ALL the speakers. Save your spot today! bit.ly/ellimpact2024 #ellevationimpact24

Join us at the Seidlitz Education What’s Working Conference in Houston, Texas Jan 30, 2025

Thank you as always for helping me with my learning journey.

Reach out if I can help you.  CarolSalva1@gmail.com

Take good care!

-C

BAP123 Newcomer Teacher Checklist for Beginning of the Year

Based on the last 12 months of working with newcomer teachers, here is a checklist to set ourselves up for success.  These ideas will make all the difference for the students and for the teacher.

You can listen to the podcast right here or in your favorite podcast app.  All the links are below.

I structured this show in 3 parts:

  1. Things to Be Sure You’re Doing – ALL Year.
  2. Review of my 5 Top Tips for Setting Up Your Classroom (May not be new to you at all)
  3. Reflection and thinking out loud a bit about supporting ELAR

Part 1: Things to Be Sure You’re Doing – ALL Year.

✅ Have the right mindset.  I share a few different mindsets that helped so much. When I was new to having so many newcomers and SLIFE, things did not go well initially.  Most of that was because of how I was thinking about things. Self-talking and keeping a few things in mind made me so much more effective and the job became so much easier.  For example, getting daily reminders about what a newcomer can do VS what it looks like they can do; reminding ourselves that each day it will get easier for them (patience), and also the effect of kindness.  If a newcomer teacher is getting overwhelmed (like I was at first) take deep breaths and remember that you are playing the long game.  The job exists to help these learners become confident and more fluent.  We should be focusing on a culture of conversation. See other shows on how to get them talking, TOP TIP on that is QSSSA.

Find someone who can help you with those mindsets daily.  Put things in your Environment

✅ Self Direct your own PD (3 minutes a day can do wonders!)

I covered many ideas for that:

I mentioned DIYpd, book but here is a link to free resources.

Join NAELPA,( the National Assn of EL Program Administrators) or just watch the webinars for free!

NAELPAs 3rd Qtr Webinar on Goal setting just happened (create a free connect space account to watch this webinar)

MLSummit.net  (Thanks Dr. Katie Toppel and Tan K Huynh for putting this on with me every year)

Larry Ferlazzo’s Blog <—TOP TIP, He is a great filter

Valentina Gonzalez

Pam Broussard

Emily Francis

Diane Bennett

Molly Lange Shackelford

Seidlitz Newcomer Division: @DrCarolSalva @EliseWhiteDiaz @DrMarieHeath @dr_aquagirl

Podcasts I mention:  Tan Huyhn’s and Highest Aspirations

VoicEd.ca <- VoicEd Radio

Elise White Diaz and Andrea Honigsfeld’s Free Live Webinar Sept 10th (you can watch after Sep 10)!

Facebook – Advocating for MLs & Leading ELLs

    

 

Part 2: Review of my 5 Top Tips for Setting Up Your Classroom (May not be new to you at all)

I did not start with these because many subscribers have seen them so much.  But they are great reminders.  Some of the most effective newcomer teachers I know rewatch that video before every school year.  I mention each one in today’s podcast episode but the video is an hour and shows many examples of what these things look like:

✅  WATCH my 5 TOP TIPS for the First Days of School video

    1. Name Tents
      1. QSSSA
    2. Selfie Kahoot
    3. Class Selfie Kahoots
    4. Social Contract
    5. Instead of IDK

Part 3: Reflection and thinking out loud a bit about supporting ELAR

The Writing Process (credit to Abydos Learning International).  I am having great discussions with amazing content teachers on how to include pre-literate SLIFE in grade level work (like writing).  Kudos to these eduHeroes!

These content teachers have a desire to hold these students in high-regard (✅ ?)… they are understanding that the learners CAN do this work (✅ ?)… and they want to support them with high expectations for content WHILE they gain English and more literacy (✅ ?)

Thank you for your interest in this podcast.  You are helping me learn so much!

Wishing you the best school year ever! Please take good care.

HUGS, Carol

PS: Please reach out if we can help you.  We love working world-wide 🌎 with education communities to support newcomers and all the teachers who support them.

BAP122 Reflection and Evaluation for Newcomers and Their Teachers

I have a super important show for you today!  Some of the things I mention are KEY to receiving higher numbers of newcomers throughout the year in a way that makes sense for the teacher and the students.  This show also offers ideas for getting the most of our time with our newcomers.  You can listen to the show in your favorite podcast app or right here:

Listen to “BAP122 Reflection for Newcomers and their Teachers” on Spreaker.

I’m covering the strong effect of Reflection and Evaluation.  This show does a bit of a deep dive into how we can all take a moment to reflect and how we can help the students do the same.  There is strong evidence that Reflection and Evaluation have a significant impact on learning.  I quote researcher John Hattie for this.  Learn more about his research here.

Reflection and Evaluation  – This show covers:

  1. Research and Resources about Reflection
  2. The Newcomer Students
  3. US!  Educators who Teach Newcomers
  4. The Content Area Teacher

1) Research and Links for Resources on Reflection and Evaluation

  • DIYpd for Educators of MLs is a teacher resource I wrote with Dr. Katie Toppel and Tan Huynh.  The book and the training are powerful resources for helping teachers of language learners to personalize their learning.  Reflection is a big part of it.  Reach out if you have questions about the training!

2) Reflection activities for the Newcomer Students:

  • At the end of the school year, Newcomers record messages of encouragement for the following year’s newcomers.  Example video here:

  • Throughout the Year, your Newcomers can make videos on the classroom routines.  Things like the Social Contract would be great to have videos about.  Social Contract Episode
  • Use Co-constructed Text *about* how we learn so that students can re-read longer text with messages that remind them of what they can be doing to accelerate their language acquisition.
  • Newcomers should be reflecting on their progress daily.
  • Newcomers should be reflecting on how this all becomes easier every day and that they are becoming BILINGUAL.

Newcomer Teachers, Ideas for OUR OWN Reflection:

  • Are they making progress?  Likely yes.  First and foremost, pat yourself on the back.🙌  Do the students understand more than they did on their first day? They ARE making progress in your care.  🎉
  • Are you focusing on Kindess, Patience and holding students in high regard?  My doctoral research on SLIFE suggests that these are THE MOST important things we can do to support persistence in school with students who have missed education.
  • To improve, I always wanted to reflect on: How much are the students speaking in our ESL Time?  The ESL time exists for FLUENCY.  They should be speaking more than I am.
  • Reflection Video to help teachers see what Newcomers (at all different levels) can own their learning.  Some are SLIFE, others are highly educated.  But all are using English and re-reading the English text we have created together. They are talking, talking, talking and using the walls  different ways:

 

To make this happen, I had to be sure to use QSSSA for structured conversations.  The routine is from John Seidlitz and Bill Perryman of Seidlitz Education.  It is our TOP TIP as consultants.  Find more resources on QSSSA here or get the book here:

USE W.I.T: This is how we can help students extend their conversations.

Want examples to show your older students how the class can look?  Get them talking with Kagan Strategies and show them models from YouTube.  Search YouTube for”Kagan Strategies Middle School” or “Kagan Strategies High School.”

 

Content Teachers, Reflection for Their Students:

  • As stated earlier, ALL students benefit greatly from reflection and evaluation.  Ideas for content teachers include things like can a 90 second quick write, a Turn & Talk (with QSSSA) or an Exit Ticket as ways to support students’ reflection.
  • This blog post offers research and ideas for USING writing in content classrooms

  • In the show I describe how ONE SENTENCE STARTER in the content classroom can be powerful to pair with an Exit Ticket.  And there are powerful added benefits of sharing that with the students at the beginning of class.  Now you’ve framed the lesson with clear goals and set everyone up for a strong opportunity for a quick reflection on their learning.

I hope this show has been helpful for you.  It has been a great opportunity for me to reflect… so I thank you for that!  PLEASE, as always, reflect on the fact that YOU are amazing. If you are listening to an education podcast, it is evident that you care A LOT about students.  That speaks volumes to me about what kind of an educator you are.  I hold you in very high regard!

Also, please remember that I am part of the Seidlitz Education Newcomer Division.  We would LOVE to work with you if that makes sense.  Any one of us would be happy to schedule a call to talk about how you are serving newcomers in your school or district to see if we could be of service to you.  You can reach me at CarolSalva1@gmail.com

Thanks again and take good care!

-Carol

 

BAP 121 Keys to an Effective Language Assistance Program ft. Khalil El-Saghir

In this episode, Khalil El-Saghir shares insight about supporting the educators of Multilingual Learners.  His background is extensive! In the first half of this episode, we get to hear about where his passion comes from.  The second half of the show ended up being a blueprint for an effective Language Assistance Program as he shares specific, essential elements every program should have.

Profile photo of Khalil El-Saghir

You can listen to this show in your favorite podcast app or right here:

Listen to “BAP121 Keys to an Effective Language Assistance Program ft. Khalil El-Sagir” on Spreaker.

As promised in the show, here are links to some of the things we both mentioned:

Wayne RESA (A Regional Education Service Agency in Michigan)

NAELPA (The National Association of EL Program Administrators)

The SIOP Model (A proven instructional framework for making content comprehensible and developing academic language.  The framework was developed by Dr. Jana Echevarría, Dr. MaryEllen Vogt, and Dr. Deborah Short)

Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (A book I co-authored with Anna Matis)

Khalil’s email: (He offers it if you have questions)

Here are some of my favorite Khalil quotes from this show:

“You can’t be a good teacher if you can’t be a good learner.”

“We need to break down the silos.  We don’t want walls.”

“Building a viable program is a journey, not a destination.”

“We want to make every classroom an EL classroom. It is enriching to everyone.”

“I am a language learner… [looking back] as an adult, I wish I would have had those scaffolds”

Key Elements for an Effective Language Assistance Program:

Khalil is clear that this is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are definitely important principles for a solid foundation:

  • Establishing clear measurable objectives and goals
  • Hiring teachers and staff who are qualified.
  • Providing those teachers with ongoing professional learning on best practices PD
  • Implementing instructional strategies and materials that reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of students.
  • Considering students’ backgrounds as an asset and implementing differentiated instruction tailored to their unique needs.
  • Implementing differentiated instruction for all content areas.
  • Employing multiple assessment tools to monitor progress and inform instruction.
  • Fostering collaboration among educators, specialists, administrators, families, community organizations, and leaders.
  • Providing access to grade-level content while developing English proficiency using scaffolding strategies.
  • Ensuring adequate resources such as funding, materials, technology, and professional development opportunities.
  • Encouraging districts to apply for available state and federal funds allocated for multilingual education through partnerships and consortiums.
  • Regularly evaluating the effectiveness of the program based on data and feedback from stakeholders.

My big takeaways were that collaboration, continuous improvement, support networks, and ongoing learning are key components in creating a successful Language Assistance Program that supports both the academic success and language proficiency of students.

🙏🏽BIG THANK YOU to Khalil for reinforcing these important principles. It was such a good conversation for my learning journey.

At the end of the show, I mentioned that the ML Summit is coming up this summer again!  Stay tuned for more on that! But you can go to the summit right now.  There are SEVEN YEARS of past sessions right there for you!

Thank you again for tuning in to this podcast.  I’d love to hear your thoughts about it.

Find me on Facebook

Find me on X

Find me on LinkedIN

Or just reach out to me at Carol@SeidlitzEducation.com if you’d like to know more about how we work with districts to support their teachers who teach Multilingual Learners.

Take good care,

Carol

BAP 120 Newcomer Numbers Rising? Reboot Your ESL Classroom

Rising number of Newcomers? Happened to me too. Mid-year/Winter break was a great time to hit the reset button. This was always the time of year that behavoir and sheer number of students coming in regularly made me do a hard stop to reset things. But what worked for me can be implemented any time of year. You can listen to the show on the podcast app of your choice or right here:

Listen to “BAP120 ESL Classroom Reboot” on Spreaker.

If you are not at a holiday break, a great time is after a long weekend, or even a regular weekend.  Just come back to school ready to reset expectations, reinforce the reasons we do certain activities or maybe try new things.  I thought you might like to see my top tips for getting a class back on track. Some of it is about behavior expectations but some of it is just GOOD newcomer classroom activities that keep everyone engaged. I did this same show back in 2019 but I’ve added some stuff here as well.

For example, recent data from the UNHCR shows a drastic increase in the number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide.

I also promised to share the free resources from the Boosting Achievement book.  You can find it here.   (note that it is called a ‘book study’ but you can do it without the book!)

Below is recycled from the 2019 show but it all holds true today.

  1. Routines. Have them and spend time training your students on the routines.  What should they do when they come in?  Where do they turn in homework? What should they do if we finish their work early? Spend some time explicitly teaching routines and then stick by them.
  2. Co-create Classroom Norms  It doesn’t have to be a social contract but get imput from your students. Revisit why the norms are important and allow students to help you create them so they feel ownership in the learning environment.  Here is a show that goes deeper into the steps and rationale for creating a social contract.
  3. Language Experience Approach as often as possible.  Co-creating text with your students will automatically increase engagement because you are honoring their ideas and allowing them to speak and contribute to the text you are scribing. You can write about a recent experience but you can also summarize a video or spark interest and preview grade level vocabulary or content that will be taught in their content classes.  Check out this blog post and video for a lot more on how to do LEA with your students.
  4. Use questioning strategies that boost achievement and set ALL students up for success.  All of your students will be engaged if you use QSSSA.  If you need to know more about this technique, check out this padlet by Christopher Hagy.  He used it to offer his teachers choice in their PD.   That strategy is critical for the ESL classroom.  Just practice it a lot and get your students comfortable talking a out engaging topics so you can establish the routine.   I also mentioned W.I.T.  That structure is to question with more rigor.  It is a great way to differentiate. You’ll find a WIT graphic on that padlet as well.

5. Teach Students What to Say Instead of “I Don’t Know”  Explain to your students that it is totally OKAY not to know the answer to a question.  But from now on, we won’t be saying “I don’t know” anymore.  From this point forward, they can use one of these questions to be able to find more information.  By teaching students what to say instead of I don’t know, you’re empowering all students to be successful and also giving kids a life skill they can use immediately in other areas of their lives.  It is incredibly important for newcomers to have phrases like these so they are not stressed out when they start being ready to participate and be called on.  They are also the type of questions /phrases that help as these students become the language brokers for their families (at the doctor’s office, at the grocery store, etc..)

https://x.com/DrCarolSalva/status/925171885008179203?s=20

BONUS:

Use Kahoot!   A lot!  Don’t just review with this awesome platform. You can do so much more! Here is a page with many ways to use the platform.  ESL teachers can use some of the Kahoot Studio quizzes to pre-teach vocabulary for content teachers.  You can let your students create Kahoot quizzes and more.  Did you know that there is now a single-player app?  Any of your Kahoot quizzes can be played by a student 3 questions at a time so they can review concepts on their own. If you’re the Newcomer teacher, you’ll love this video on Kahoot for Non-English Speakers:

You can even review those classroom norms by creating a Kahoot out of them!

The Boosting Achievement Classroom Management Reboot chat happened back in 2018 and here is a collection of input from so many people on what to do if behavior is getting out of hand mid year:

Something I ended the show with back in 2019 was a quote from Emily Francis. I had recently heard her say that tf your students FEEL valued and important they WILL  be successful.  I agree 100%.  Their timeline may be different as they grow in bilingualism or gain literacy.

But eventually,  if they don’t give up, and if they believe it’s possible, they will experience success.  Thank you for supporting that.

Hey, Newcomer Teacher: YOU ARE DOING GREAT WORK!! You are amazing and you ARE making a difference. I know things get so stressful when your caseload increases. Please remember that we know how to serve them. Kindness, patience, and holding them in high regard has the biggest effect on their long-term success.

So get yourself a reboot too. Please take care of yourself.

{{HUGS}}

Carol

PS:  Did you know that our Newcomer division is getting results when districts work with us to implement systemic change?  Please email me at Carol@SeidlitzEducation.com if you’d like to know more.

 

 

 

BAP119 When Perfect Ruins Your Good

Are you letting the perfect ruin the good?

Image credit: azquotes.com

You can listen to this show in your favorite podcast app or right here:

https://www.spreaker.com/user/voicedradio/bap119-when-perfect-ruins-your-good

“Perfect is the Enemy of Good” – Voltaire

What does this quote mean to you?  To me, it has meant that I was not producing this show for a while because I have not had time to make the show notes as extensive as I normally do.

How unfortunate that is when I get SO MUCH good from putting out any show.  My learning is on overdrive every time I re-listen to a show to post it.  So expect more shows.  And expect them to be even MORE imperfect than ever before.  But for me, they will be good enough.  🙂

Links to What I Mention

In this show, I mention a great book by author and educational consultant (and my mentor), Nancy Motley.

Every educator should own Small Moves, Big Gains

Thanks for listening.  You are really helping me in my journey.

I hope you have a takeaway that helps you in your journey!

All the best!

Carol