Jacqueline Leonard, Chapel Hill Elementary, Kansas City It is essential that newcomers are provided with adequate support and resources to allow them the opportunity to experience the same level of academic success as their peers. This project involved providing newcomer scaffolding kits to any 3rd-5th grade teachers with newcomer students. Students and teachers could use the scaffolding kit to provide academic support and allow newcomer students the chance to have addition

Ellen Peak, Gracemor Elementary, Kansas City, Missouri Introduction Although existing programs support our English Learner (EL) students and their families in my school and community, I have received additional questions from families about how to support students at home. These questions have primarily come from families who speak a home language (L1) other than English. When students are immersed in their L1 at home, an important connection to their culture and history is m

Kari Boettler, Robinson School, Aurora, MO Intro The goal of this project was to start an after-school book club for 4th-grade English Learner (EL) students. Through the book club, students had opportunities to read multicultural picture books, learn new vocabulary, and participate in discussions about the stories. Students were encouraged to share their ideas and make connections using both English and their home language. The overall goal was to increase reading engagemen