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Strategies to Build English Learners’ Language Skills: From Newcomers to Advanced

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EST

Strategies to Build English Learners’ Language Skills: From Newcomers to Advanced

Presented by Brenda Adeva, Educational Consultant, Ballard & Tighe; and Pamela Abbey, Educational Consultant, Ballard & Tighe

Sponsored by Ballard & Tighe

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The number of English learners (ELs) is growing in classrooms across the country. Regardless of the approach schools use to support their ELs—sheltered classes, push in, pull out, or even a pull aside—students need explicit instruction in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. During this fast-paced edWebinar, former EL teacher Brenda Adeva shares strategies to build students’ language skills and confidence. She demonstrates:

  • Different ways to use images to practice vocabulary
  • Scaffolded approaches to using sentence frames to practice grammatical forms and language functions
  • Speak to Write for all levels
  • How students’ home languages can support English language instruction

Whether you’re a dedicated EL teacher or a general subject teacher with ELs in your classes, tune in to learn practices you can use immediately to support ELs at every stage of language acquisition.

Brenda Adeva

About the Presenters

Brenda Adeva spent 15 years teaching in the classroom, mentoring teachers, and developing curricula, specifically in the field of ESL and language development, before joining Ballard & Tighe. She specialized in teaching multi-level classrooms, blended learning, and creating interactive learning opportunities in the classroom. Brenda has a bachelor’s degree in Chinese, a master’s in English TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), and is currently working on obtaining her Master of Business Administration in nonprofit management and marketing management. She is passionate about teaching and learning languages (she’s fluent in five!) and her commitment to both is evident.

Pamela Abbey

Pamela Abbey is an Educational Consultant for Ballard & Tighe. She has a master’s in TESOL in teaching from the University of Cincinnati. She has been teaching English learners for over 12 years, primarily with newcomers from Puerto Rico. Pamela believes a hands-on approach to language learning helps students develop a range of applicable language skills that help them grow and develop their academic and real-life language vocabulary. She has observed that her students find the most success when they connect to their environment and life around them.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Supporting Emergent Bilingual Students community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.


Ballard and TigheFor over 45 years, Ballard & Tighe has provided engaging and effective materials for assessing and instructing English learners. Our core and supplemental programs for K-12 provide a systematic and explicit approach to language learning and our pre-K-12 assessments support instructional decision-making.


A Lesson for Every Season! Free activity packet to build ELs' vocabulary and speaking skills.

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