Reach All Students in a

Multilevel Group?
You CAN(FIT)!
Allies for Immigrants ESOL Corps
Tuesday, April 30
6:00 -7:30 PM
Robin E. Bitters
ESOL Teacher, St. Mark’s Community Education Program
robin.bitters@gmail.com
Diana Satin
Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, ENB
dsatin@englishfornewbostonians.org
617.982.6865
Resources: https://a4itutor.weebly.com/
 Agenda
• Introductions
• Your Questions
• CANFIT
– Challenges with Multi Level Groups
– How CANFIT Works
– Do These Activities Pass the CANFIT Test?
– Modify/Create a CANFIT Lesson
– Your Next Steps
• Evaluation

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 Introductions
• Name
• Role
• Program
• Icebreaker:What is one
word you would use to
describe how you feel
about tutoring?

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You and Your Needs

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Your Questions

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CANFIT

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Challenges with Multilevel Groups
Differences in:
• skill levels in reading, writing, speaking,
listening, and digital literacy
• modes to accurately show evidence of
mastery of what they learn
• rates of learning
• level of education
• and...

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 Criteria for
Student-Centered Activities for
Multilevel Groups
C Challenge all students?

A All students have opportunity to participate?

N Needs and interests are met?
F Freedom and control in how it plays out?
I Interaction with self-expression, communication?
T Task with real-world purpose?

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Which Sample Activities
Meet
CANFIT Criteria?

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 Magazine Mingle
Cut up a variety of pictures from magazines or
from Google Images of people, places, things,
and activities that are related to students’ goals.
Spread them out on a table and have students
pick 3 pictures each. Pair students that share the
same goal and have them create a dialog using
the combined 6 items as inspiration. They can
choose a way to communicate the dialog: write it
by hand or video themselves. Have pairs rotate
and share the dialog they created, and discuss
them.
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 Seven Sentences
Introduce 7 sentences on strips of paper. Ask students
to put them in order. Pair students up to compare their
ordering and explain why they chose that order. Have
them try changing the order and discussing further.
Have them share with full group.
-John has no job.
-John is very unhappy.
-John’s boss yells at him
-John starts a new job.
-John starts doing crazy things at work.
-John thinks about quitting.
-Other employees talk about John behind his back.
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 Finding Things in Common
Tell the class a few things about yourself (I like…, I don’t like…, I
can…, etc.) With a volunteer, model finding things in common
and keeping track of them on a flipchart grid. For example, “Do
you like ice cream?” “Yes.” “Oh, me too!” and write “ice cream”
on your grid, indicate that you like it and that s/he does, too.
Continue with “Do you like snakes?” “No.” “Me neither!” Have
the students work in pairs for 2-3 minutes finding things in
common, filling out the charts, and including key words as
comments (“favorite!”). Change partners and do again. Wrap up
by pairs posting their charts on the wall and reporting things in
common to the class.
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 Mind Map
Before reading a piece from students’ textbook,
write the title of the reading on the board and
model guessing what the reading is about and
what you think you will find out about the topic,
adding to the mind map. Invite a few students
to do the same. Have student pairs copy the
mind map either by hand or using Mural
(example) and then have pairs explain their
additions with other pairs. 13
 Sentence Starters
Write some sentence starters on the board. (After
school I usually… I want…Next year I…) Have
students imagine how you might answer them. Have
them individually write their own endings about you.
Have students make their statements into questions
and ask you. Answer and have students capture the
new information in full sentences. Have students
compare their speculations to the reality. Have them
repeat the activity in pairs. Share with full group the
speculations and reactions.
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 Listening & Restating
Ask students to listen for 5 key words (aided by
photos) while you read a medical brochure written
in plain English. Read it again so that students
listen for a second time, emphasizing photos of
key words to assist students’ comprehension.
Repeat as needed. Have students work in pairs to
restate the message to each other based on their 5
key words. Share responses with whole group.

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 Try it!
Work in pairs.

Create/adapt your own activity or one on

your handout.

Run it through CANFIT criteria.

Be ready to share with the group.

Challenges? Solutions?
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Challenges and Solutions

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 Resources
Tips for Use with Multilevel Classrooms
• TEFLnet Multilevel ESL Activities
• EnglishClub: Teaching English to Multi-Level Classes
• Calpro: Developing Students’ Problem-Solving Skills in the Multilevel
Classroom

Degree and certification in Teaching English as a second language

(TESOL):
School of International Training Masters degree in TESOL
International Language Institute of Massachusetts TESOL
Certificate

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Your Next Steps?

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 Wrap Up
Your next steps?
Evaluation: tinyurl.com/enbworkshopeval
Today’s resources: https://a4itutor.weebly.com/
Thank you!

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