Newcomer Educator Support

Empowering Newcomer Educators and their students through History Instruction.

The UC Berkeley History–Social Science Project (UCBHSSP) partners with K-12 schools to strengthen instruction for newcomer students, multilingual learners, and Long-Term English Learners (LTELs). Our goal is simple: help students build English Language skills while also learning grade-level content in every class—not just ELD.  We support educators through flexible professional learning options that can be offered schoolwide or through departments.

What UCBHSSP Offers:

• Professional Development for K-12 School Staff - We share practical tools and strategies for language development in Newcomer, ELD, and Long Term English Learner students that teachers can use immediately in their various core content and elective classes. These resources strengthen student’s academic language, writing, and oral discourse skills by using classroom practices that build confidence, belonging, and student identity.

  • What does UCBHSSP Professional Development look like?

• Curriculum and Content Development - We support schools by developing and/or co-constructing original, shareable classroom content and curriculum that embeds language supports into unit and lesson plans. We also held educators to modify existing lessons and assessments to better serve multilingual learners. Curriculum developed by UCBHSSP centers inquiry and critical analytical thinking, using strategies that have been tested and refined in classrooms around the State of California.

  • How does UCBHSSP partner with schools around content and curriculum development?

• Community Convenings and Educator Workshops - These regular public convenings connect UC Berkeley Scholars to K-12 teachers of all experience levels, and guides the work UCBHSSP does on behalf of the educators serving language learners around California.  Previous convenings have centered adapting content instruction for newcomers in mainstream classrooms, systems and routines for newcomer programs and classes, creating common routines/ procedures and strategies, building effective newcomer teacher teams, and developing models for cohorting students/master schedules. 

• When is the next public program for Newcomer Educators, and what is the topic?

To learn more, contact:   ucbhssp@berkeley.edu