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What's in my Workshop Pouches?

 I've had TONS OF REQUESTS for this, and I'm finally getting to it (sorry y'all!)!  I tend to roll in a giant suitcase of hands-on materials that I use during my in-person workshops, and this is what I often bring in my workshop pouches that are on each table!  SIDENOTE: are you looking for a high energy strategy session on serving multilingual learners? Email me ASAP - carlymspina@gmail.com. Yes, I work in Illinois. Yes, I travel to other states.  My pouches are squishy for easy packing in my workshop suitcase. Mine are vanity cases from 5Below . I always have post-its, pens, and markers in there. TicTacToe keychains for oral language prompts Mini Fidget Poppers for oral language prompts Decks of cards for Comprehensible Input practice (apparently you can also ask casinos for decks of cards for free! Who knew?!?) This or That Structure Hold Up Tools ( this blog post has more details ) Spot It games ( this blog post has lots of other great ideas on this! ) Play D...
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New to the ML World? Here Are My Top Supplies!

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 First, I want to preface this with saying that our schools across the country are underfunded, and educators across all categories are underpaid. I wish this wasn't the case. I also don't believe that educators should be paying out of their own pockets to purchase basic supplies for their classrooms! I hate that so many of us have to make DonorsChoose accounts, online wish lists, and write our own grants on our own time for basic things to do our jobs. I'll stop here, but I have a lot of big feelings about it... Another note: I also have big feelings about Amazon. I prefer not to shop Amazon for several reasons, AND ALSO I know how convenient it is for folks, so these things below are from there. Shop where and in the way that feels best for you. However, I'm often asked about my top supplies for a Multilingual Classroom - things that support language-rich learning environments. I'm also asked often about what's in my holographic workshop pouches and how I use ...
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ACCESS Debrief Time & Template

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Dearest Multilingual Educator Buddies, CONGRATULATIONS if you are done with ACCESS testing!!! I hope you are able to acknowledge all of the work that you've done. ACCESS testing is long, stressful, and it leaves many of us feeling exhausterwhelmulated (exhausted, overwhelmed, escalated - yay linguistic playtime; lol).  I'd strongly encourage you to capture some of this year's reflections while it's still fresh, no matter how big/small your team is. Take time now to debrief together, and ALSO identify a date now to revisit this information in the fall, so that you can put whatever actionable items you've identified into your timeline.  Here's a non-fancy little note catcher for your team . Please note that at the bottom, there are some highlighted sections. These are IMPORTANT! Please don't skip those my friends. Everyone needs to know, feel, and understand that ACCESS DATA IS SCHOOL DATA! Finally, at the bottom you'll find some stems/starters for your te...
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Scratch Off: Funsies for Engagement

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 This is a new tool I'm really excited about because I just see SOOOOO many possibilities with these stickers! Scratch-off stickers are a thing  - did you know?! You can grab them on Amazon alongside your colleagues and get super creative! Here is a slide deck with some initial templates, but I can't wait to see what you come up with! Please go to FILE and MAKE A COPY so you can edit and create your own versions! The slide deck also tells you which stickers I've ordered, AND the original space I found this idea!  From vocabulary tasks, to randomized groupings, to dividing up student roles within a group, to oracy prompts, AND MUCH MORE... you've got a few quick templates to get you started! Enjoy! Tag me in what you create - I'd love to feature it here! :) Or email me at carlymspina@gmail.com to be added to this blog post! :) 
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Social Media Trend: Unfortunately I Do Love...

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For students in 6-12 especially, we know they spend a lot of time consuming content online. I love bringing social media trends into the classroom in low-lift ways. There's a current TikTok trend that I could see having some value in our classrooms for building a sense of community, bonding, and getting to know each other (plus lots of languaging happening here as well! WOOT WOOT!). For us grownups reading this blog, check out the full breakdown on this trend by reading this blog post by Cosmopolitan . It's got a few samples for you as well. Again - that's a blog post for grown ups, not for our students - lol don't come at me.  Now let's see how we might do one for ourselves. I'll start! "Unfortunately, I do love... Wearing bright pink everywhere I go. Surrounding myself in neon colors no matter what the season. Stopping at 7brew for a very sugary caffeine-heavy pick-me-up.  Filling up shopping carts at online retailers then closing the screen. Laughing lou...
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BOOK LAUNCH! Igniting Real Change for Multilingual Learners: Equity & Advocacy in Action

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 AHHH MY NEW BOOK IS OUT! It's wild to say that. I had to rewrite this post like 6 times because I kept crying. To be completely honest, I feel a little weird celebrating this right now - because of everything happening in the world and in our country, it's hard to feel excitement. AND ALSO, I do feel that this book is needed right now. It's a very funky Both/And situation for me.  While I was writing this book, I was experiencing a lot of doom & gloom. I was digging up Supreme Court cases and civil rights laws, and I was wondering which ones would still be in existence by the time the book was published. That's deeply unsettling.  Like my first book, this feels very personal to me. I feel super vulnerable wondering how it will be received.  When Paul Gorski (AHHHHH! PAUL GORSKI?!?) reached out to me on social media to chat, my imposter syndrome was right there with me. I convinced myself several times, "He must think I'm someone else. There's no way he...
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3PS: Process, Plan, Partner, Share

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 Need a more structured version of Think, Pair, Share for your students? Our multilingual learners need culturally-responsive, low-stakes opportunities for output.  3PS is a structure is best utilized for reflective questions, sharing our own thoughts/opinions on a topic, or discussing our own lived experiences. 3PS is a structure that includes ALL language domains in a short span of time: all students are listening, reading, speaking, and writing (and may also be viewing & representing, depending on what students do!).  Process: The first step here is to share the prompt (write it out and say it out loud) and then pause for 30-90 seconds. The think time/wait time is EMBEDDED into this structure. During this time, you can set a timer, stare at the ceiling, but don't allow students to raise their hands or write or speak- not quite yet. You might repeat a few words or phrases during this time.  Bonus: share a few different rewordings of your question, AND/OR offer ...
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