As I write this post, a gentle spring snow is falling, the fire in the wood stove is warming the house, my husband is baking bread, and my daughter is practicing cello. If I didn’t know why we were all home together on this mid-March weekday, it would seem idyllic.…

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop at the Danish Multikulterelle Skole Konference after my keynote address in Nyborg, Denmark. The session was facilitated by Helene Thise and Katja Vilien, the authors of a new Danish book on language teaching strategies, Broen Til Fagsproget or Bridge…

Many schools and districts across the US have begun developing language growth plans for their language learners. These plans, also called Individual Language Plans, have the potential to motivate students and accelerate their learning. Because there are so many components to language acquisition, having manageable goals in listening, speaking, reading,…

The rapid-fire Spanish coming through the mobile phone was incomprehensible. I responded with frustration, “Lo siento. No puedo entender. Por favor, habla más despacio.” (I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Please speak more slowly.) The person on the other end of the line simply repeated whatever he had said in the…

Much of my work with teachers this past school year has focused on the power of lesson planning for language development. In this blog post, I will explain how to use a simple tool to add a language focus to any lesson plan and provide the necessary scaffolds and supports…

The following three strategies help students acquire new vocabulary through interactions and making connections.

"Speed dating” works well as an interactive test review strategy and is simple to set up. Use test review questions for your prompts, place students’ desks in two concentric circles or U-shapes facing each other. Then...

Finding the right balance between freedom and constraints is a challenge for all teachers. Deciding how much to model, what project elements to require, and what to leave open to student choice can be daunting for teachers. In my personal experience, some limitations really do lead to more freedom. Constraints…

I woke up this morning thinking, “It’s August 1 already!?!” My husband has affectionately labeled this time of year for me as ‘August Syndrome’ to describe the conflicting emotions I inevitably experience each year.

Finding the focal point for language and content instruction requires teachers to conduct ongoing experiments and closely observe how students are using language. When students struggle to explain a concept, teachers have to discern if they actually understand the concept but need language support, or if they still need support…

Sometimes when I walk into a classroom, students have such a sense of focus and purpose, that they don’t even look up or notice me. I recently had the opportunity to observe a second grade science class that epitomized that kind of classroom. Located in a small, rural school district…