1. PART 1 WIDA Works! I WIDA

2. Rita & John Rita Platt is a Nationally Board Certified teacher. Her experience includes teaching learners of all levels from kindergarten to graduate student. She currently is a Library Media & Reading Specialist for the St. Croix Falls SD in Wisconsin, teaches graduate courses for the Professional Development Institute, and consults with local school districts. John Wolfe is a teacher on special assignment for the Multilingual Department at the Minneapolis Public School District. He has worked with students at all levels as well as provided professional development to fellow teachers. His areas of expertise include English Language Learners, literacy, and integrated technology. ritaplatt@hotmail.com john.wolfe@mpls.k12.mn.us http://www.weteachwelearn.org/tag/rita-platt/ http://mplsesl.wikispaces.com @ritaplatt @johnwolfe3rd

3. Relax … Everything (and more) is on The Wiki http://www.mplsesl.wikispaces.com/

4. Today (What WIDA Means to You) 1.The Essence of WIDA 2.The DNA and SKELETON of WIDA » DNA = The WIDA Criteria » Skeleton = The Can-Do Descriptors 3.WIDA in a Nutshell 4.The Anatomy of WIDA 5.The Analogy Section 6.The Challenge to You

5. The WIDA Levels

6. One score for each Language Domain … and one score to bind them

7. The Essence of WIDA WIDA gives you key information about the language that an English Learner can handle for grade-level learning.

8. The Essence of WIDA WIDA gives you key information about the language that an English Learner can handle for grade-level learning. How hard – how difficult, how challenging – can that language be?

9. In other words, Essence of WIDA … Is this too hard? What can the ELs do while the other kids are answering these questions? How do I know I’m not lowering my expectations? He should be able to do this, right?

10. WIDA Proficiency Levels (Nutshell Perspective) WIDA Levels describe the difficulty of the language we can reasonably expect a student to be able to use for grade-level content learning.

12. It’s all about Cognitive Load

13. It’s all about Cognitive Load New vocabulary New language structures Not-yet-mastered vocabulary Not-yet-mastered structures

14. WIDA Philosophy in a Nutshell

15. WIDA: The Bigger Nutshell 1.Language is the tool for learning! 2.LEP’s are in mainstream classrooms. 3.LEP’s use their Limited English to learn in 5 basic contexts (Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, Social & Amplification.) 4.EL’s English -- no matter how limited – is an asset for learning. You work with what you’ve got! 5.WIDA is designed to help all teachers modify the language demands of instruction to provide LEP students with meaningful access to content.

16. The Anatomy of WIDA

17. Remember! language serves content learning What students can do with language BROADLY The student’s LEVEL But what might that look like in a particular lesson in a particular unit? Differentiation But what does that look like at different grades? With different language domains? (Speak/Listen/ Read/Write) Standard 1 – Social & Instructional Language (SIL) English language learners communicate for social and instructional purposes in the school setting. Standard 2 – Language of Language Arts (LoLA) English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Language Arts. Standard 3 – Language of Mathematics (LoMA) English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Math. Standard 4 – Language of Science (LoSC) English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Science. Standard 5 – Language of Social Studies (LoSS) English language learners communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Social Studies. Up the Triangle = A More Specific View (“Yeah, but what does that look like?”)

18. Performance Definitions Good … but still too hard …

19. WIDA Criteria = WIDA DNA

21. How is this the same and different from CVC?

22. Can-Do Descriptors Good … but still too hard …

23. WIDA Skeleton: The Can-Do Descriptors For each grade cluster, suggests examples of the Listening, Speaking, Reading & Writing tasks that are appropriate for each WIDA Proficiency Level.

24. I stress: “with visual, graphic, or interactive support through Level 4”

25. The MPLS Student- Friendly Can-Do’s Go to the Wiki for the MPLS Student-Friendly’s & The MPLS Translated Can-Do’s in Spanish! http://tiny.cc/mps-CanDos

26. Student-Friendly’s do NOT Replace WIDA Can Do’s WIDA Can-Do DescriptorStudent-friendly version Match oral language to classroom and everyday objects Listen and match words to things Compare attributes of real objects (e.g., size, shape, color) Tells what is the same and what is different in things Indicate spatial relations of real-life objects using phrases or short sentences Tell where things are Apply content-based information to new contexts Write about [new situation] using information I learned in class Remember: These do NOT come from WIDA! They come from John & Rita

27. The Analogy Section ”It is the mark of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an eye for resemblances.” - Aristotle, The Rhetoric

28. Teacher to EL’s as Pitching Machine? speaking tasks listening tasks reading tasks writing tasks

29. Teacher to EL’s as Pitching Machine? speaking tasks listening tasks reading tasks writing tasks

30. Tennis Pro (at Club Med)

32. Master of the Simple & Profound

33. Building the complex from the simple,,, … and you’ve got to do it on demand every 45 minutes

35. Think about the Tools Turn To Your Partner and discuss: – Do the descriptors seem accurate? – How could you use the Can- Do’s to inform your teaching? – How can you use the “Student-Friendly Can-Do’s? – How can you use the CVC?

36. Where from here? “What use is a newborn baby?“ (Benjamin Franklin) 1. Go to the WIKI, look around, and become a member. 2.Talk to colleagues about this session / share the Wiki site. 3.Use the WIDA tools with your students and let us know how it goes!