Supporting Bilingual Oral Language Development in PreK and TK
WORKSHOP CONTENT STRAND
Promoting Effective Practice & Instruction
Session Description
This session will explore current research on meeting the needs of young DLLs, particularly in the area of oral language development in both their home language and English. We will discuss what is meant by “rich, complex, precise language” and the various roles adults can play to foster and advance oral language skills within the context of thematic instruction. Additionally, we will Introduce key strategies to take back to the classroom to support this work.
Speaker(s)
Sara Rizik-Baer
Program Manager
SEAL (Sobrato Early Academic Language)
Sara Rizik-Baer is an equity-minded education leader with almost two decades of demonstrated achievements designing and implementing literacy and professional development programs for schools, county offices of education, and nonprofits. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Sara was raised in a mixed Dominican and German-Jewish family. Sara’s experience as a bilingual, bicultural woman inspires her passion for supporting linguistically and culturally diverse students to thrive socially and academically. Beginning her career as a bilingual teacher in East Oakland, she has also served as a preschool and TK literacy coach, and non-profit director. Currently, Sara serves as a Program Manager on the Early Learning Team at SEAL, providing dual language learner focused professional development for early learning teachers across the state of California. Sara holds a Master’s Degree in Language and Literacy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA in Comparative Literature and Spanish from Oberlin College.