ESL/ELL

This Webinar was created for College and Career Readiness Standards In Action (CCR SIA) project for adult educators from 12 states, who requested information on how CCR standards can be implemented for ELLs. This Webinar responds to their questions. The Webinar content, demonstration video, and links to further resources all provide essential information for you to use as you re-envision ELL education in your states. Use this resource to help plan ways to implement CCR academic content in classrooms with ELLs. View it individually, as part of a professional learning community, or a professional development workshop. In addition to providing essential information about teaching ELLs, it could fuel a discussion of different strategies and approaches to implementing CCR standards. The webinar includes a classroom video demonstration that is particularly useful in conjunction with Ms. Pimentel’s summary of research on reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language (slides 17-28). The slides which articulate the pedagogical shifts in teaching ELLs (slides 29-30) provide a concise statement of the new direction for ELL instruction afforded by the CCR standards. The PowerPoint slides are available a stand-alone resource.

OWL is a collection of resources that support writing instruction created for college-aged students—no matter their skill level—and their instructors and tutors. These materials are relevant to ABE and ESL students and relatively simple to adapt for the purposes of adult educators. OWL resources support instruction aligned to College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards for writing and language, though CCR standards are not specifically named. For example, the sections on academic writing address expository, argumentative, and narrative writing—CCR Writing Standards 1-3.  The resources also support development of the writing process—CCR Writing Standard 5; the need for evidence to support claims—CCR Writing Standard 9 and Key Advance 2; and correct methods for citing resources—CCR Writing Standard 8. Conducting research is also addressed—CCR Writing Standard 7 as are mechanics, punctuation, and grammar—CCR Language Standards 1-2. OWL provides writing resources and instructional materials to support students as well as educators.  Resources present clear guidelines and expectations for academic writing. Teachers can use the site’s resources to develop lessons, assignments, and classroom resources. Students will find hands-on exercises and printable resources that support their continuing development as writers. OWL provides a wealth of materials that address a variety of topics about writing, topics that are also addressed by CCR writing and language standards. The site is well-organized by topics and subtopics. The Site Map provides a good overview of the site’s scope and sequence.  

This practice-oriented resource examines language demands of the workforce, postsecondary transitions for adult ELLs, and effective preparation of adult learners for career training and postsecondary education. It illustrates effective instructional models for integrating career training with academic instruction and demonstrates key concepts in integrating academic skill development across many ELL levels to assist with learners’ transitions to postsecondary education, in preparation for work. Concrete classroom examples come from across a range of levels and teaching contexts. Formatted as a digital magazine, this clickable PDF contains embedded resources and links to websites that encourage users to delve deeply into the areas of greatest relevance. Through the resource, practitioners are able to link to concrete examples taken from each of the seminal resources and, where relevant, additional examples drawn from other relevant contexts (e.g., K–12 education).

Formatted as a digital magazine, this clickable PDF contains embedded resources and links to websites that encourage users to delve deeply into the areas of greatest relevance. It includes task-based lesson plans, problem scenarios, open educational resources, and digital literacy tasks that integrate language development, information literacy, and technology integration. Practitioners are able to link to concrete examples taken from multiple sources including, where relevant, from other contexts (e.g., K–12 education).

By the end of Module One, participants should be able to:

• Understand the rationale and history behind the selection of the ELP Standards for Adult Education;
• Recognize how the new ELP standards relate to states’ academic content standards;
• Recognize how the ELP standards may differ from previous sets of language standards;
• Identify the goals, guiding principles, essential components, and language used in the ELP Standards for Adult Education; and
• Navigate the ELP Standards for Adult Education.

  These understandings will guide the use of the ELP Standards in support of ELLs’ engagement with academic content. With the necessary support that the ELP Standards can provide, programs can now expand their capabilities to implement academic content standards in English language acquisition programs as well as in adult basic education programs and career pathways programs. The new ELP standards include clear expectations of student language use, progressions or competencies. They provide an understanding of the steps that ELLs must take to acquire the language and skills necessary to engage in the linguistic practices. Moreover, they give concrete examples of what ELLs language production might look at the various stages of language acquisition. The running time of the module is 50 minutes. Additional time should be allotted for discussion with others in response to questions posed in the module or, if completing the module independently, self-reflection on those questions. This course was tested for accessibility using Internet Explorer v.11 and JAWS. Note: You may work through this training module on your own, of course. But, if at all possible, explore these lessons with colleagues, preferably within the context of a professional development or as part of a professional learning community. Tips for getting the most out of this module: 

• Download and print the module’s resources (which appear in the Resources tab beginning on slide 4) before you begin the training.
• Please turn off pop-up blockers in your browser for this module.
• Use the following instructions for navigating through this module using your keyboard and using JAWS assistive technology:
  • Use the Tab key to move forward through each screen’s content. Press Shift + Tab to move backwards. A box surrounds the object that is currently selected.
  • To select the skip navigation button and the navigation buttons that appear at the bottom of the screen (Play, Pause, Forward, Back, Volume, Closed Captions and Exit buttons), use the spacebar key.
  • Press Shift + Enter to select a navigation button at the top of the screen or a hyperlink.
  • For closed captioning select the cc button.