Say More! With Nina and Ms. Lee

Plato says, “A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool speaks because he has to say something”, but was Plato ever forced to make a recording for Ms. Lee?

Jenna Maneri

Speaking is notorious for being one of the most difficult domains for Multilingual Learners to demonstrate growth year after year when taking the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs. This article will share a series of ideas that can be used as mini lessons to support all teachers in incorporating oral language skills in their classrooms. We can build and improve oral literacy through scaffolded mini lessons addressing areas such as language stems, transitions, restating questions, expanding with conjunctions, and applying academic vocabulary.

Enhancing your classroom environment and instruction with interactive student practices will empower your Multilingual Learners and help them to extend their ideas and connect their thoughts clearly using the appropriate discourse structures. With this confidence, they will ultimately achieve and demonstrate higher levels of language proficiency in the domain of Speaking. Let’s build oral language competence with Multilingual Learners, and all students, even if Nina does steal your answer!

Let’s (not) Teach to the Test:

I know what you’re thinking: we shouldn’t be teaching to the test. But let’s not forget, knowledge is power! It’s also fairness too. Students should be tested on language and concepts that they’ve had the opportunity to learn.

Having administered the WIDA ACCESS test to Grades K-12, completing the training certification courses year after year, using the WIDA Speaking Rubric nearly every day (and now the newly released WIDA Language Charts), and attending the Annual WIDA Conference, I now know the oral language expectations students need to increase English language proficiency. Just as educators review the test to prepare for instruction, students should be assessed on the language skills they have already learned.

Recently, I reviewed sample ACCESS test items and took a closer look at what types of questions were being asked for Multilingual Learners to orally respond to.

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  Identifying

• Retelling/Restating
• Citing evidence
• Summarizing
• Predicting
• Inferencing
• Explaining
• Sharing Opinions
• Arguing
• Narrating
• Sequencing
• Comparing/Contrasting
• Similarities/Differences
• Pros/Cons (Advantages/Disadvantages)

 

We aren’t directly teaching to the test, but if we are teaching language through content, using our New Jersey State Learning Standards, while also considering the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, then aren’t we ultimately preparing our students for success in life (and also the test)?

Mini Lessons Matter!

Mini Lessons are a time-effective way to directly address some of these ACCESS essential skills that need refinement and strategies for success. Mini lessons are widely used in reading, writing, or language development, and can be used for ACCESS Speaking success.

Mini lessons can be embedded into daily instruction, literacy centers, or content-based discussions. These are especially effective for multilingual learners because they’re concise, structured, and predictable. Some examples of mini lesson topics that can be taught to support oral language development are:

• Transition/Sequencing Words
• Conjunctions
• Restating Questions
• Opinion Words
• Language Stems for Citing Evidence
• Building, Stretching, and Expanding on Sentences
• SWBST (Someone Wanted But So Then) for Summarizing
• Frayer Models for Vocabulary Building

 

An example of a mini lesson could be teaching transition words using a stoplight transition words tool (see Figure 1). When students are telling you about their weekend, remind and refer them to this tool to assist with organization, cohesion, and flow. Now, make the connection to how they can use the same words to explain the steps in a life-cycle in your science class. Once this becomes routine, it will be embedded in your classroom and will transfer to other academic settings.

Another example could be to teach coordinating conjunctions. The WIDA Expressive Language Charts aim for students to connect and elaborate on ideas as they become more proficient. Mini lessons on conjunctions such as, and, but, because, so, when, although, will help students stretch beyond simple sentences.

A final example could be to use both domains of producing language – speaking and writing – to scaffold for each other. Often, before writing, having an oral discourse leads up to it. Why not also do this the other way around? If students wrote a piece, they could then orally present it or record themselves reciting it.

This is a great way for them to practice speaking in a more academically structured way, which is often required in school for writing, but not always addressed when speaking.

The focus of mini lessons are not similar to test drills, or teaching skills in isolation, but on building the capacity within learners by giving them practical linguistic tools and authentic communication opportunities aligned with the New Jersey State Learning Standards (New Jersey Department of Education, 2025) and the WIDA ELD Standards Framework (WIDA, 2020) that they can then apply to a variety of scenarios.

Bridging Content to the WIDA Framework

You may already be familiar with the WIDA Speaking Rubric for Grades K and 1–12, which is being phased out. But have you seen the newly released WIDA Language Charts? The Expressive and Interpretive Language Charts were released in May 2025. The charts span all grade levels, which are clustered (K, 1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12). They are organized by 2 modes of communication (Expressive and Interpretive), six levels of language development, with a focus on the three dimensions of language use, which are: Discourse, Sentence, and Word/Phrase. The Charts are aligned with the 2020 edition of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, making them consistent with the updated standards used in the revised assessment format. The overarching purpose of the WIDA Language Charts is to tie the WIDA ACCESS Scores to the classroom (WIDA 2025).

Additionally, WIDA previously analyzed learning standards throughout the country and identified 4 Key Language Uses which are present across all grade levels and disciplines. They are: Narrate, Inform, Explain, and Argue. Their prominence is evident in each content area and grade level cluster in the WIDA ELD Standards Framework (WIDA, 2020). Supporting the Key Language Uses orally, in content areas, is a meaningful and effective way to target the speaking skills needed to become more orally proficient.

Other Implementations and Tips

Teachers can embed necessary language skills into a variety of learning activities like role-playing, reader’s theater, Kagan cooperative learning structures, oral presentations, Picture Word Inductive Model, etc. There are always quick and easy ways to add in oral discourse and structured interactions to existing classroom routines and learning activities. Teach your MLs the chant “Say More! Don’t Press Stop!” It will remind students to elaborate and expand their speech, so when ACCESS rolls around, they remember to “tell me more” and not click “stop” when recording their responses. Another helpful strategy is to allow students to record themselves throughout the school year when completing assignments, when privacy, anxiety, or limited proficiency may prevent them from speaking in the moment or in front of others.

Conclusion

Effective ACCESS preparation is not about rehearsing test items or drills, rather it’s about embedding and building oral language competence in everyday learning across all content areas, which will then turn into student confidence. By using targeted mini lessons that focus on language structure, vocabulary, and organization, teachers empower all learners to demonstrate their linguistic abilities. When Multilingual Learners have the tools to “say more,” they will succeed as expressive speakers in every classroom.

To learn more about Saying More mini lessons and oral discourse strategies, come visit my poster session at the NJTESOL/NJBE Annual Spring Conference this May!

Author Biography

Jenna Maneri is a dedicated Multilingual Learner Educator with over a decade of experience in ESL instruction, presently working as the District-Wide ESL Coach in Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District District. She is passionate about supporting the field of multilingual education through research-based instructional practices, professional learning, and advocacy.

As an ESL K-12 Coach, she collaborates by supporting educators in differentiating instruction and implementing scaffolding strategies to ensure MLs have equitable access to grade-level content. Her expertise in language acquisition, cultural responsiveness, and instructional design enables her to guide teachers in combining best practices that support both academic success and linguistic development.

Beyond her district-level work, she is proud to be serving a second term as the ESL Elementary SIG Representative serving on NJTESOL/NJBE. Through this role, she collaborates with other professionals in the field to promote best practices, share valuable insights, and ensure that MLs receive the support they need to succeed.

Furthermore, she was honored to be selected by the New Jersey Department of Education Commissioner to serve on the NJ Literacy Working Group, where she added to statewide recommendations on evidence-based literacy strategies, universal literacy screening tools, and high-quality instructional materials. This experience has deepened her ability to align instructional practices with policy implementation, ensuring that multilingual learners are prioritized in literacy education at the state level.

She is a two-time presenter at the NJEA Convention and has presented countless times at NJESOL/NJBE’s Annual Spring Conference. You can keep up with her on Instagram @Jenna.ESL.

She currently resides with her husband, daughter, and new(ish)pup, Millie Moo. Millie is developing a command of English more and more every day.