SAAABE 47th Annual Conference — Agenda

Friday, May 15, 2026

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  Instrucción estructurada de la LECTOESCRITURA en español

  Sponsored by Werling Nexus (Diamond) Sponsored Sessions

  Alejandra Benitez Lead

  May 15, 9:40am – 10:50am

  · 70 min ·

  Mesquite (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 45)

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  Descubre cómo enseñar la lectoescritura en español de forma explícita, sistemática y efectiva. A través de una secuencia progresiva de habilidades —conciencia fonológica, fonética, fluidez, vocabulario, comprensión y escritura— aprenderás a apoyar a los estudiantes desde las etapas iniciales de alfabetización hasta estudiantes mayores con retos en lectoescritura. Los participantes aprenderán a usar evaluaciones y datos para guiar la instrucción y brindar intervenciones efectivas en aulas bilingües. Saldrás con herramientas prácticas que impulsarán la biliteracidad, la confianza académica y un ambiente inclusivo y motivador para todos tus estudiantes.
• EC

  Beyond the hype: AI Empowers Campeones del Lenguaje to Rise

  Technology in Bilingual/ESL Classrooms

  Elmer Castro Lead

  May 15, 9:45am – 10:40am

  · 55 min ·

  Hickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)

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  Artificial intelligence is increasingly present in classrooms, yet many bilingual and ESL educators are unsure how to use it in ways that meaningfully support language development and accountability measures such as TELPAS. This session focuses on everyday uses of AI tools (e.g., NotebookLM) to strengthen listening, speaking, reading, and writing in bilingual, dual language, and ESL settings.
  
  Grounded in translanguaging and culturally sustaining practices, the session demonstrates how AI can function as a language scaffold, not a shortcut, supporting academic language growth. Participants will analyze classroom-ready examples that align to TELPAS proficiency descriptors and preserve instructional rigor and assessment integrity.
  
  Attendees will leave with practical strategies for using AI to amplify student voice, increase access to grade-level content, and center lenguaje, cultura, y comunidad as students continue to rise as campeones de lenguaje.
• 

  AI + ELPS: Streamlining Instructional Planning for EBs

  Technology in Bilingual/ESL Classrooms

  Delia Reveles Gauna Lead

  May 15, 10:55am – 12:05pm

  · 70 min ·

  Hickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)

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  This session will demonstrate how to use AI to streamline planning and design instruction that support emergent bilinguals’ language development. By pairing practical AI workflows with explicit ELPS alignment, teachers can produce clear objectives, scaffolded lesson steps, and quick formative checks that elevate instruction and support students’ growth.
• LV

  Voices Unlocked: Creating Digital Escape Rooms for Bilingual Classrooms

  Technology in Bilingual/ESL Classrooms

  Linda Esmeralda Villareal Lead

  May 15, 1:45pm – 2:40pm

  · 55 min ·

  Hickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)

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  This interactive session demonstrates how to design escape rooms that combine digital platforms such as Google tools, Flippity, and Genially with hands on paper puzzles placed around the classroom to create engaging content review experiences for bilingual, dual language, and ESL classrooms.
  
  Participants will first experience an escape room from the student perspective. The second portion of the session will guide educators step-by-step through the design process, equipping them with practical tools and templates to immediately implement escape rooms in their own classrooms. Aligned with the theme “Still We Rise: Campeones de lenguaje, la cultura, y la comunidad,” this session demonstrates how collaborative learning empowers students to rise as champions of their languages.
• JR

  Beyond Handwriting: Recognizing Dysgraphia in Emergent Bilingual Students

  Technology in Bilingual/ESL Classrooms

  Julissa Romero Lead with Lucia Cintron

  May 15, 2:55pm – 3:50pm

  · 55 min ·

  Hickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)

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  Dysgraphia is far more than messy handwriting, and for emergent bilingual students, it can be even harder to see. This session explores how motor coordination challenges, spelling difficulties, disorganized written expression, and the complexities of second language acquisition can combine to obscure a very real learning difference. This presentation equips educators with the knowledge and tools to identify dysgraphia through a culturally and linguistically informed lens, ensuring that no student's struggles are dismissed as simply part of 'learning the language.'