ELevate 2025: Full Schedule

9:00am CDT

Tuesday June 3, 2025 9:00am - 10:20am CDT

Let's talk about the unspoken rules of speaking. If you are discouraged by disproportionate participation in class discussions and wondering how to engage your culturally and linguistically diverse students, this session is for you. Explore scholarly research on classroom talk and cultural ground rules of communication. Paricipate in hands-on activities related to creating culturally responsive tools for launching and assessing class discussions.

Speakers

Karissa Sywulka Mitchell

Director of STL Teaching Fellows, Saint Louis University

Karissa Sywulka Mitchell directs the STL Teaching Fellows at Saint Louis University, a Master of Arts in Teaching pathway that includes alternative teaching certification. Karissa has over a decade of K-12 teaching experience as a teacher in Social Science and Instrumental Music... Read More →

Tuesday June 3, 2025 9:00am - 10:20am CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Instructional Practices for English Learners

Audience Content Teachers
School/Company Saint Louis University

10:30am CDT

Purposeful Sentences: Supporting Expressive Language and Meaning-Making

Tuesday June 3, 2025 10:30am - 11:20am CDT

Room 102

Move beyond isolated grammar lessons and into purposeful, content-rich language development. Discover how sentence frames and scaffolded sentence-level activities can support MLs in building grammatical complexity while engaging in meaningful academic expression. Gain strategies for connecting grammar, vocabulary and meaning through both speaking and writing int the context of learning.

Speakers

Rob Greenhaw

MELL Instructional Consultant, Education Plus

Rob serves EdPlus members by providing consultation to schools that are working to implement high-quality, comprehensive and collaborative educational programs for English Learners. Rob also conducts professional development workshops that focus on providing practical strategies to... Read More →

Tuesday June 3, 2025 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Instructional Practices for English Learners

12:30pm CDT

Creating Accessible Learning Experiences with Seesaw

Tuesday June 3, 2025 12:30pm - 1:20pm CDT

Room 102

Every child deserves to learn at high levels. Explore tools that make learning accessible and fun for all. Gain actionable strategies for inclusive teaching.

Speakers

Anna McGuire

Instructional Coach, Mehlville R-IX

Instructional Innovation + Data Privacy Specialist at Mehlville School District. I previously taught second grade for 9 years. In my current role, I enjoy empowering teachers to empower their students to create with technology. Come learn how AI can enhance instructional planning... Read More →

Tuesday June 3, 2025 12:30pm - 1:20pm CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Instructional Practices for English Learners

Audience EL Specialists, Content Teachers
School/Company Mehlville School District

1:30pm CDT

How Long Should it Take for my ML Students to Learn English?

Tuesday June 3, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT

Room 102

Ever wonder how long it should take your MLs to become proficient in English? Focusing on second language acquisition, delve into the progression of language learning from initial exposure to proficiency. Through activities and interactive discussions, experience and deepen your understanding of the characteristics and challenges associated with each stage, as well as an awareness of strategies that effectively support MLs at various points along their language acquisition journey.

Speakers

Reah Morabith

MELL Instructional Specialist, Heart of MO RPDC

Tuesday June 3, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Instructional Practices for English Learners

Audience Content Teachers
School/Company Heart of Missouri RPDC

2:30pm CDT

Operationalizing Access and Belonging: Strategies to Build Inclusive ML Organizations

Tuesday June 3, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT

Room 102

Educational leaders play a critical role in ensuring that all students and families—especially MLs and those with communication-related disabilities—can meaningfully engage with their schools. Explore how to embed language and communication access into core organizational operations through inclusive systems, policies and practices. Grounded in federal requirements and equity-centered frameworks, examine strategies to assess current practices, identify operational gaps and build sustainable, responsive structures. Discover tools and guidance to strengthen language and communication access at the school or district level. Gain actionable steps to align organizational practices with the needs of multilingual and disabled communities.

Speakers

Manar Swaby

Tuesday June 3, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Leadership & School Culture

9:00am CDT

Supporting MLs Supports All: Instructional Strategies in Science

Wednesday June 4, 2025 9:00am - 10:20am CDT

Room 102

Science often feels like its own specialized language, so how do we support MLs to make sense of science while also learning English? Experience the instructional planning and strategies that support not only ML students, but ALL students! Although we will engage in a mySci K-8 lesson, the strategies experienced can be applied to any science instructional materials.

Speakers

Heather Milo

Science Instructional Specialist, Washington University in St. Louis / Institute for School Partnership (ISP)

Wednesday June 4, 2025 9:00am - 10:20am CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Instructional Practices for English Learners

Audience Content Teachers
School/Company Washington University in St. Louis / Institute for School Partnership (ISP)

10:30am CDT

Building Confidence and Community with Math Games from Around the World

Wednesday June 4, 2025 10:30am - 11:20am CDT

Room 102

Position the MLs in your classroom for success! Experience how strategy games from around the world develops critical thinking skills and community within the classroom.

Speakers

Julie Antill

MELL Instructional Specialist, SEMO RPDC

Wednesday June 4, 2025 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Instructional Practices for English Learners

Audience Content Teachers, EL Specialists

12:30pm CDT

Promoting Multiliteracy: Exploring Successful Projects and Funding Opportunities

Wednesday June 4, 2025 12:30pm - 1:20pm CDT

Room 102

Discover projects implemented by educators in Missouri that promote multiliteracy within their classrooms and schools, with the aim of developing their own goals in this area. Explore relevant examples with an opportunity to reflect on these practices and brainstorm ideas that could be effectively adapted to your own educational contexts. Potential funding sources to support the implementation of these initiatives will be shared.

Speakers

Heather LeCureux

TESOL facilitator, practicum supervisor, Missouri State University

The Show Me Multiliteracy project disseminates best practices to school teams and develops educators' capacity to support emerging multilingual students' literacy development in both English and their home languages.

Wednesday June 4, 2025 12:30pm - 1:20pm CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Student & Family Support

Audience EL Specialists, Content Teachers
School/Company Missouri State University

1:30pm CDT

Diversity Awareness in Action with Students

Wednesday June 4, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT

Room 102

FZiAM is a district-wide program that was created to acknowledge, educate and celebrate our differences. Our district has a mission to grow and develop social and global awareness, moral responsibility, cultural proficiency and promotion of acceptance among students and staff. Our fundamental keys to success are awareness, connection and engagement.

Speakers

Julie Jamieson

Mary Shive

EL Educator, Ft. Zumwalt R-II

Wednesday June 4, 2025 1:30pm - 2:20pm CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Leadership & School Culture

Audience EL Specialists, Content Teachers
School/Company Fort Zumwalt

2:30pm CDT

The Go To Strategies: Your “Go To” For Meeting MLs’ Learning Needs

Wednesday June 4, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT

Room 102

Do you find yourself spending time searching for research-based strategies to meet the various needs of your MLs? The GO TO Strategies document from Project EXCELL contains over 75 research-based strategies addressing all four language domains specifically for instructing MLs. Strategies are embedded throughout the session for participants to experience while they explore the document and understand how it is organized. This session is recommended for ESOL and content teachers working with MLs in grades K-12. Educators will be invited to include the Go To Strategies in a future lesson during hands-on planning time.

Speakers

Elizabeth Trapp

EL Educator, St. Louis City

Wednesday June 4, 2025 2:30pm - 3:20pm CDT
Room 102 Fort Zumwalt West High School

Audience EL Specialists, Content Teachers