Seidlitz Education

We're revisiting a favorite article from educational consultant Natalia Heckman breaking down the difference between active and passive vocabulary. We are bringing this back to the surface because understanding this foundation is just as valuable today!

Knowing how students process language passively versus what they can produce actively changes how we plan instruction.

Read the piece here: https://seidlitzblog.org/2021/09/24/active-vs-passive-vocabulary-what-is-it/

Active vs. Passive Vocabulary: What Is It? by Natalia Heckman I stumbled into my first English-Russian interpreting job in 1997. In my last year at the Linguistic University of Nizhny Novgorod, someone asked if I wanted to interpret for a B…

One Quick Strategy: Total Response Signals

Are you looking for a simple way to check for understanding without putting students on the spot? Step 4 from our book 7 Steps to a Language Rich Interactive Classroom is an excellent tool to keep in your back pocket.

Instead of calling on one student to answer a question aloud, ask the whole class to show a thumbs up, a thumbs down, or hold up a number.

This quick check gives you immediate feedback from every single student. Because it is entirely nonverbal, it lowers the stress for multilingual learners who might still be building their speaking confidence.

What is your favorite nonverbal signal to use in the classroom?

Teachers spend the entire school year reading IEPs, grading essays, and reviewing lesson plans. Now that it is officially summer, we want to know what you are reading just for fun!

Drop your favorite fiction or nonfiction recommendations in the comments below so we can add them to our reading lists. 📚☀️

Are you thinking about how to build a more linguistically inclusive classroom this fall? 🤔

In an excellent article on his blog, Tan Huynh breaks down how we can make space for "translanguaging" by encouraging students to use their entire linguistic toolbox to understand and communicate. You do not need to be an English as an Additional Language (EAL) specialist or speak your students' heritage languages to make this work.

Tan shares practical ideas, from translating key terms on your presentation slides to allowing students to use their heritage language during the research and brainstorming phases of a project.

Check out his full post for more strategies to help your students learn and engage: https://tankhuynh.com/161-making-space-for-translanguaging/

161. Making space for translanguaging - TanKHuynh Translanguaging is the use of a person’s entire linguistic toolbox. This means a person uses any and all of their languages to understand and to communicate. Translanguaging stands in stark contrast to English-only policies. Multilingual learners (MLs) can boost their academic achievement when the...

Shoutout to Dr. Marie Heath! She is starting her week leading online Summer Virtual Sessions with MLS Academic Architects for Richmond Public Schools. We love seeing teachers dedicate their summer to continuing their own learning.

Are you looking for virtual or in-person support for your teachers? Reach out to our team to see how we can partner with your district: https://www.seidlitzeducation.com/contact

Contact Us - Seidlitz Education LLC Get in touch with us for any inquiries or support.

Honoring Juneteenth requires a commitment to teaching history truthfully.

For educators looking for guidance on how to bring this topic into the classroom, Learning for Justice provides an excellent framework. Their resource on "Teaching Juneteenth" gives teachers practical ways to talk about historical truths. It also encourages students to advocate for change in their own communities.

We highly recommend saving this piece for your lesson planning and sharing it with your campus teams.

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/teaching-juneteenth

Teaching Juneteenth The history of Juneteenth acknowledges hard history while also empowering students to be advocates for change.

Supporting students who are struggling emotionally can feel overwhelming. Teachers often wonder how to add trauma-informed practices to an already full plate.

Small, intentional shifts to your existing routines can make a meaningful impact on multilingual learners.

In her upcoming virtual workshop, Elise White Diaz will model practical ways to make your instruction more trauma-responsive and linguistically rich. You will leave with ready-to-use strategies that support both social-emotional well-being and academic growth.

Join Elise for "Rooted and Responsive: Trauma-Informed Tweaks for What You Already Do" on August 27.

Register and learn more here: https://buff.ly/SAYs5Wl

www.seidlitzeducation.com Many students are struggling emotionally and socially after the pandemic, and culturally and linguistically diverse students often face the greatest risk. In this interactive Zoom workshop, Elise will model how to leverage what we are already doing to make our practice even more trauma-responsive an...

Happy Wednesday to everyone officially running on "Teacher Summer Mode."

We hope your coffee is finally staying hot, your alarms are turned off, and your biggest decision today is what to read next. You earned every bit of this rest.

Enjoy the quiet mornings! ☀️

Partner conversations are a classic classroom strategy for a good reason. When students talk with a peer first, they build the confidence needed to share their ideas with the whole group. A recent Edutopia article highlights the value of extending wait time, writing before speaking, and using turn-and-talks to support emergent bilinguals. Sound familiar? These are the exact principles behind the QSSSA framework! Read the article to see why these steps make participation more accessible for your students: https://www.edutopia.org/article/helping-english-learners-participate-class-discussions/

7 Ways to Help English Learners Speak Up in Class Strategies like extending wait time and having students write before speaking create conditions for English learners to feel confident participating in discussions.

Hello Kentucky! We are so proud to have Dr. Carol Salva and Elise White Diaz representing Seidlitz at the KYCEL Summer Institute in Owensboro.

Elise is leading a fantastic Discover, Connect, Respond workshop today, and Carol is presenting a featured breakout session before taking the stage for her keynote tomorrow. If you are attending the conference, be sure to say hi and share your biggest takeaways with us in the comments.