Concurrent Session Descriptions
  June 3-4, 2004


Concurrent Sessions I: 10:00 - 10:50, Thursday, June 3

Developing Effective Staff Development Opportunities for Classroom Teachers of ELLs
Angela Garcia, St. Stephens High School, Catawba County Public Schools

Take a look at the staff development needs of classroom teachers working with ELLs. What are their immediate needs? What are their long-term needs? A brainstorming session to help ESL professionals develop effective staff development for classroom teachers.

Flags, Families, and Technology: A Collaborative Project
Judy Smith & Shelley Worman, Emma Elementary School, Buncombe County Public Schools
Dr. Nancy Ruppert, UNC-Asheville

Come learn how we effectively utilized project-based learning about family countries, incorporated technology (Kidspiration, Powerpoint presentation, and a published book), collaborated with a freshman class (UNC-A) as mentors for ESL students, and realized data supported gains in students' English language development.

“New Faces: Latinos in North Carolina” – A Media-Based Classroom Unit
Ursula Ortega & Maria Elena Viglucci, Working Films, Wilmington, N.C.

We will present our unit which is centered on 3-5 minute documentary film clips and provides supporting classroom activities and resources to give eight to twelve students a forum to discuss the recent influx of Latinos to N.C.  This free-of-charge unit is aligned with various standard courses of studies.

Concurrent Sessions II: 11:00 - 11:50, Thursday, June 3

Five Kinds of Activities That Can Make Learning Fun
Jorge Trujillo, Warsaw Elementary, Duplin County Public Schools

The objective of this presentation is to suggest to beginning teachers five kinds of activities that will keep children entertained at the same time that learning is taking place. The presentation will deal with hands on activities, presentation of information in meaningful contexts, usage of students' native language, etc.

Community Connections: How to Bridge the Gap
Dr. Joy McLaughlin, Asheboro City Schools

Instructing students with limited English proficiency is more effective when we cultivate the community. This workshop is designed to share ideas that you can implement in your own backyard to improve community relations between Latinos and the community at-large in a small town setting.

Learning English, Achieving Success!
Zulma Cifuentes, Harcourt Achieve: Rigby/Steck-Vaughn

The presentation will provide valuable strategies to move your students along their way to learning to read and write as effectively as their English-speaking peers! This demonstration will help teachers identify the critical academic needs of ESL students focusing on scientifically proven and effective research techniques to support language and literacy development. 


Two-hour sessions: 10:00 - 11:50, Thursday, June 3

LEP Testing- The Myths and the Realities
Alesha McCauley, Pamela Biggs & Audrey Martin-McCoy
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

Pam, Alesha and Audrey will explain the basic facts about the IPT, the NCAAAI, and related issues. They will present and clarify the facts, and dispel the rumors and myths about LEP testing.

Understanding the Mexican Culture, Educational System and How Dual Language Programs are Helping Close the Achievement Gap
Maria Rosa Rangel, Wake County Public Schools

North Carolina is facing rapid growth in the Latino population (Mexicans, being the majority). As educators, we are faced with the challenge of understanding the culture and meeting these students' educational needs. In this workshop, you will learn about the Mexican educational system and how culture plays a big role in education. You will also learn how Dual Language Programs are helping to meet the educational needs of this population and closing the achievement gap.

The SIOP Model-Making Content Comprehensible
Joan Rolston, Myers Park High School, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools

The SIOP model (CAL) is a unique combination of language and content area information presented through innovative, dynamic lessons, dramatically impacting academic success for ELLs. This presentation will provide an overview of the model, its eight components, and provide examples of the design features of SIOP lessons.

Concurrent Sessions III: 3:00 - 3:50, Thursday, June 3

Mexicanos in the Smoky Mountains: A Higher Education/K-12 Partnership
Dr. Thomas Destino, Mars Hill College
Will Hoffman & Manuel Palma, Yancey County Schools

This session discusses a collaboration between Yancey County Schools and the Mars Hill College ESL Teacher Education program. Based on a summer 2003 trip to Mexico, we will focus on comparative cultural studies in relation to schooling in North Carolina and to teacher professional development.

How to Survive the National Board Certification Process
Karen Fichter, Reedy Creek Middle School, Wake County Public Schools
Mary Fahle, Apex High School, Wake County Public Schools
Lizbeth Alfaro, Lyle Creek Elementary, Catawba County Public Schools

Presentations by three teachers who have completed the process for National Boards in ESL. Includes helpful hints and realistic expectations for attempting certification. Portfolios available for each level of certificate (elementary, middle and high) for participant perusal.

English Literacy / Civics Education Grant Project
Monica Gemperlein & Roberta Mahatha
Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh

The ESL Department at Wake Technical Community College implemented a civics education component for adult or high school language instruction. The ESL Instructors serve as change agents who promote personal and social change in their students' lives by transforming education outside the classroom. Many student project topics include information on driver safety education, citizenship and naturalization, job safety and employment, etc.


Concurrent Sessions IV: 4:00 - 4:50, Thursday, June 3

The Inclusion Model Classroom: Can It Work at Your School?
Christine Gebhardt, Eastway Elementary, Durham County Public Schools

This session focuses on what inclusion is and is not, what is needed for its implementation, and some content-based activities to help ensure its success.

DIALOGO-CONEXION^TM , Teacher Apprenticeship Program: Connecting Teachers, Students and Families
Fabiana Julio & Aura Camacho-Maas, The Latin American Resource Center

DIALOGO-CONEXION^TM   is an opportunity for continuous improvement of your knowledge and skills in addressing the changing needs of your classroom, school and community.

Fun and Concrete Linguistic Lessons
Priscilla Sotolongo, Eastway Elementary, Durham Public Schools

A presentation of lessons connected to the four sub-fields of linguistics: morphology, phonology, syntax and semantics. Each lesson is thematic with focused and modified activities. The lesson format follows a structured form beginning with teacher controlled practice, followed by concrete and fun hands-on activities for practice.

Two-hour sessions: 3:00 - 4:50, Thursday, June 3

Strategies Galore: 101 Powerful Proven Ideas to Ensure that your CLD/LEP Students Succeed in School
Jackie Velos-Jefferson, Wake County Public Schools

This fast-paced presentation will give you 101 strategies/ideas to take with you and start using now. Ideas on how to involve parents, assessment checklists, selected research, basic Spanish conversational phrases, and recommended materials will be presented. We will also share data-proven strategies that will ensure a welcoming environment for your language minority students and their families. "Best Practices" initiatives for adoption by your school system/district will be specifically delineated. Come and leave with a box full of tools!

The SIOP Model: Sheltered Instruction at Lee County High School
Rosana Medan, Deborah Wilkes, Tracey Brooker & Kim Reece, Lee County Schools

An application of the SIOP model as adapted to the NC Course of Studies in English I and World History classes with LEP students in the beginning stages of second language acquisition.

Concurrent Sessions V: 10:30 - 11:20, Friday, June 4

Lau v. Nichols (1974) vis-à-vis Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Dr. Carlos Ovando, Professor and Associate Dean for Teacher Education, Arizona State University

In this concurrent session, I will examine the respective legacies, current status, and future prospects of Lau v. Nichols (1974)and Brown v. Board of Education (1954—two landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have impacted public education vis-à-vis democratic principles.

All You Need: Test, Schedule, Teach Dolch to Advanced ESL
Dr. Joe Riggs, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools

Everything you need to teach ESL. Blackline masters. Valid and reliable multiple-choice test of academic language to show you in what class to put each student. Schedule homogenous classes. Use these ESL materials from zero to mainstream. Add your own creativity and energy. Free print packet and CD library.

In Class Resources for ELLs
Karen Fichter, Annah Creech & Audrey Connell
Reedy Creek Middle School, Wake County Public Schools

Explains how English Language Learners can benefit from In Class Resources as opposed to Sheltered Instruction. Includes data and tips for implementation from both an ESL and mainstream teacher's perspective.

DOC-YOU-MENTORING: Another Idea for Task-based, Collaborative Language Learning
Jillian Haeseler, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Group tasks provide students an opportunity to use the target language in meaningful, purposeful discourse as well as promote collaborative work skills among people of dissimilar backgrounds. I will introduce a practical procedure and demonstrate its application to one group task, the documentary film, with recommended activities and video clips.

Academic Writing in ESL: Teaching Strategies for Secondary Teachers
Dr. Kerry Villalva, UNC-Chapel Hill

How can we prepare non-native speakers of English for the writing demands of mainstream classrooms? Secondary teachers and community college instructors will learn instructional strategies to tap into student understanding and strengths in L2 writing to prepare them for successful writing in mainstream classrooms.