Presented by Shaelynn Farnsworth, Coach, Consultant, and Educator, Web20Classroom; Astrid Emily Francis, ESL Teacher, Concord High School, NC; and Bret Gosselin, District Facilitator for Sheltered Instruction, Garland Independent School District, TX

Sponsored by Writable

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English-language learners remain the fastest growing population in U.S. public schools. In fact, it is expected that by 2025, 25 percent of the U.S. public school population will be EL learners. Research and best instructional practices for supporting EL learners, specifically in the area of literacy, and in a remote learning environment, continues to evolve and grow.

In this edWebinar, literacy expert and coach Shaelynn Farnsworth, with panel members Emily Francis, North Carolina ESL Teacher, and Brett Gosselin, District Facilitator for Sheltered Instruction in Texas, discuss the most current principles and practices to meet the needs of our ELL students.

Viewers will learn creative ways to build relationships and community, specific literacy instructional practices and strategies to implement in the classroom, and advice on how to measure achievement growth in EL learners. The presenters also share tools and tech that you can use in your classroom or remotely, inclusive to EL learners, along with writing assignments designed to grow great writers.

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to elementary through high school teachers, librarians, school and district leaders, ESL teachers, directors, coordinators, testing, curriculum, C&I, and tech directors.

About the Presenters

Shaelynn Farnsworth is a coach, consultant, and educator. She is a leader in the convergence between literacy and technology. As a high school teacher, she redefined her English classroom as not only a place to learn about literature but also explore how technology is shaping the future of communications. She continues this exploration as a consultant focusing on technology, literacy, differentiation, and systemic change. Shaelynn is a staff developer, literacy coach, and supports districts in the implementation of initiatives. She is a MIEExpert, Google Certified Innovator, Apple Teacher, and has training in Project-Based Learning from the Buck Institute, Visible Learning with Hattie, Instructional Coaching, and K-12 Literacy Best Practices.

Astrid Emily Francis is a nationally recognized English as a Second Language teacher at Concord High School in Concord, North Carolina. She serves students in 9th-12th grade with various English proficiency levels. Emily is a native Spanish-speaker who is originally from Guatemala and came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor. Her experience as an English Language Learner inspired her to become an ESL teacher and affords her a deep understanding of the challenges her students must overcome to find success. Emily earned a B.A. in Spanish and a M.A.T. in ESL from UNC-Charlotte. She serves as a professional development facilitator, motivational speaker, and Keynote. Emily forms part of the Executive Board of The Carolinas TESOL (teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and was recently featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Emily served as teacher liaison to the Cabarrus County Board of Education as Teacher of the Year 2016. As a leader, Emily’s focus is to inspire students to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.

Bret Gosselin serves as District Facilitator for Sheltered Instruction at the Garland Independent School District in Texas. He has been in education for the last 14 years supporting English learners as both a teacher and district administrator. His passion is seeing educators equipped with the knowledge, tools, and perspective they need to provide ELs with the best learning opportunities. He has presented and trained on sheltered instruction across Texas and looks forward to continuing this work through his PLN.

Join the Helping ELL/ESL Students Succeed community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Writable is a guided writing program for grades 3-12 that helps teachers scaffold and motivate students to become purposeful, proficient writers, and helps schools assess and monitor writing growth. With 600+ assignments and prompts (or create your own), and district or state-level benchmark assessments, Writable helps teachers save time on prep and grading while focusing their writing instruction.