Assisting, Collaborating, and Training ESL Content Teachers (ACT-ESL) Hosted by VCU School of Education and funded by the U.S. Department of Education 1

What is the ACT-ESL Partnership? The ACT-ESL Project at VCU is designed to train Chesterfield content-area teachers in instructional methods which promote ELLs’ academic engagement and success. 2

ACT-ESL Teacher Participants : 56 teachers : 55 teachers : 63 teachers : 60 + α 3

The ACT-ESL Training II.) 3 classroom observations by your coach during the school year III.) Teaching Demonstration Fair and Post-Seminar (4 hrs. February 23 and April 18) I.) Summer Institute in June hrs. (6 hrs. x 5 days) 4

5 Whole group sessions

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7 Guest speakers

8 VCU partnership

Summer Institute Topics Sheltered Instruction (SIOP) Academic language for students Cultural understanding Variables that impact ELLs’ academic success Content area reading and word study Assessment 9

10 Spring Event: Teaching Demonstration Fair, February 23, 2011

11 The Teaching Demonstration Fair is divided by content disciplines.

12 Teachers sharing hands-on math activities

13 Activities that are helpful to all students, but crucial to ELLs

14 Using realia to understand the phases of the moon in science

15 Teachers sharing lessons that work in English.

Teacher Benefits: Instructional strategies and resources to help ALL of your students, but crucial for ELLs. Professional development points (34 for training). Training stipend. ($24 x 34 hrs.= $816) Professional development opportunities such as presentations at local, state, and national levels. (Travel expenses + honorarium) Scholarships for action research ($300 each) 16

Are you eligible for the ACT-ESL project? You are an endorsed teacher in math, science, English/language arts or social studies. You will be teaching a credit-bearing course in your endorsed area with (an) ELL student (s) where you have responsibility for developing content-area lesson plans. You are available for the summer institute, follow- up classroom applications, and a post-seminar. 17

Comments from past participants: Most valuable topics for me… “cultural factors influencing learning – how to adapt lessons for ESL students” “better use of academic language in the classrooms” “methods and reasons to adapt instruction, activities, and the like in my classrooms” “to incorporate (deliberately) language instruction into content instruction” “SIOP lesson planning” “I learned how to teach more effectively, not just to ELLs but to all students.”

Are you available for these Summer Institute dates? June 20-24, 2011 at Manchester MS (9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.) Lunch will be provided to the participants of summer institute. 19

The goal of ACT-ESL is to help and support you as you advance your students! Supporting teachers, helping students…because all learners matter! Please contact us at