815-822 L3IFT Institute
Description
Schedule:
- August 13, 2025: 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
- August 14, 2025: 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
- August 15, 2025: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Location: In-person at CESA 2
Price: $495, breakfast and lunch included. Book "Engaging Students in Academic Literacies" included.
Content Questions: Audrey Lesondak (audrey.lesondak@cesa2.org)
Registration Questions: Kayla Noggle (kayla.noggle@cesa2.org)
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About this Event: Calling all educators of Multilingual Learners! Are you looking for ways to scaffold language and learning for English Learners in the content areas? Are you wondering how to raise rigor for all students but especially your newcomers? Are you curious how to integrate culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices authentically into your standards-based instruction?
Join us for our 3-day L3IFT Institute where you will leave with a unit of instruction and lessons that are ready to go to be used in your classroom.
The Language, Literacy, and Learning Integrated Framework for Teaching (L3IFT) emphasizes culturally-relevant teaching practices, the integration of disciplinary literacy, language, and learning, with a strong focus on explicit, sustained language development. It advocates for high-challenge, high-support classrooms that use both macro and micro scaffolding to foster quality interactions for meaning-making. Teachers are encouraged to understand the interconnectedness of language, culture, and identity, and to reflect on their own beliefs and practices to better serve English Learners (ELs). The framework promotes planning lessons that integrate content and language development standards, leveraging diverse student backgrounds and translanguaging to enhance learning. Instruction is designed to be dynamic and responsive, incorporating ongoing language support, while assessment strategies are authentic, iterative, and closely tied to language and disciplinary goals. This comprehensive approach aims to equip teachers to more effectively engage and support all students, especially ELs, in achieving high academic standards.
This three-day institute will focus on the three pillars of Integration of Disciplinary Literacy, Language and Learning; High Challenge + High Support through Macro and Micro-Scaffolding; Explicit and Sustained Language Focus; built on the foundation of Culturally and Linguistically Relevant Practices.
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Our Presenters:
Gretchen Lettau is a consultant in the Language and Culture Center of Excellence supporting the areas of Language Acquisition, English Learners, and Dual Language Education. Gretchen has worked as a teacher and coordinator for 20 years with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. She comes to CESA 2 after working in the Menasha Joint School District as a high school history, ESL and Bilingual teacher, and coordinator for the EL and Bilingual Programs. Throughout her career, Gretchen has collaborated with school districts in the areas of best practices, EL Co-teaching methods, academic language development, literacy and language practices when implementing workshop models, program reviews, and professional learning. Gretchen has a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and holds administrative licenses for the principalship and director of curriculum and instruction.
Ruslana Westerlund, Ed.D., is a Ukrainian-born educational consultant at CESA 2 specializing in using the WIDA Standards for equity through rigorous and culturally relevant teaching, providing access to disciplinary genres for all students, and designing equitable instructional practices for English Learners. She is driven by the vision to transform schools where all teachers are equipped with the knowledge to meet the needs of English Learners at both systems and classroom levels. Her unique area of expertise and research is writing in the disciplines through an apprenticeship pedagogy called the Teaching and Learning Cycle.
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