ELL Best Practices: Newcomers, SLIFE, and LTELs (Grades K-12)

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Looking to unlock success for your English Learners? Supporting Newcomers, SLIFE, and Long-Term English Learners (LTELs) requires a specialized, responsive approach that addresses both language development and academic success. These students often face unique challenges—learning English while adapting to a new culture, recovering from interrupted schooling, or struggling to meet grade-level expectations despite years in U.S. schools. This NEW seminar, led by outstanding EL teacher Jennifer Benedict Medina, is designed to provide you with the most effective, research-based strategies to meet these needs. In this strategy-packed day, Jennifer shares best practices for designing instruction that builds both language and content knowledge, fosters student engagement, and provides the scaffolds necessary for meaningful progress.

You'll leave this seminar with a wealth of ready-to-use strategies, an extensive digital resource handbook, and renewed confidence in your ability to support your English Learners with care, clarity, and impact—no matter where they start.

Teaching students who are new to the English language and our culture is extremely rewarding. It also brings many challenges to ensure that our second language learners are gaining access to mainstream curriculum and learning alongside every student, despite the varied educational experiences and language levels found within one classroom. Add to this, the educational gaps – it is important for every teacher to be equipped with tools and strategies that are effective, engaging, and practical so both the teacher and student can feel successful.

With many years of experience working with ELs in both mainstream and EL classrooms, I have worked to maximize language development in the classroom and minimize barriers and challenges by creating engaging, ready-to-use strategies and activities that work in the classroom. Learning must be engaging for newcomers during the difficult transition to a new language, school, and culture and also motivating for ELs with educational gaps.

I can't wait to share ideas with you that will help you enhance your current program. You'll leave this seminar with a collection of practical lessons and strategies you can implement immediately. While designed with ELs in mind, these approaches benefit all students and reflect the core of great teaching.

P.S. You will leave my seminar with dozens of outstanding strategies you can use to address the learning needs of your Newcomers, SLIFEs and LTELs!

Educators Working with English Learners (ELs) in Grades K-12: EL Teachers, EL Paraprofessionals, Instructional Coaches and Administrators

Extensive Digital Resource Handbook Each participant will receive an extensive digital resource handbook giving you access to countless strategies. The handbook includes:

For in-person seminars, registrants will also receive a printed copy of the resource handbook as long as their registration is received in the BER office at least 15 calendar days before the event.

Share Ideas This seminar provides a wonderful opportunity for participants to share ideas with other educators interested in EL teaching strategies for supporting Newcomers, SLIFE and LTELs.

Consultation Available Jennifer Benedict Medina will be available for consultation regarding your questions and the unique needs of your own program.

Semester Credit Option Up to four graduate level professional development credits are available with an additional fee and completion of follow-up practicum activities. Details for direct enrollment with University of Massachusetts Global, a nonprofit affiliate, will be available at this program.

Meet Inservice Requirements Participants of both the Live Online Seminar and those completing the Recorded Version online can receive a certificate of participation that may be used to verify five continuing education hours. State CEUs are available for both versions of the course. For specific details, visit www.ber.org/ceus.

What you'll learn

• The most effective EL teaching strategies for supporting Newcomers, SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) and LTELs (Long-term English Learners)
• Highly practical tools and activities to move SLIFE and LTELs towards proficiency
• Strategies to increase your newcomers' engagement and success
• Receive an extensive EL instruction digital resource handbook packed full of ideas, strategies, lessons, and useful resources you can use immediately to help your English Learners