Skip to main content
World Languages

Understanding Unit Planning Part 2 - Checkpoint A

The Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) presents this next webinar in its 2021 Professional Learning Series.  This webinar, "Understanding Unit Planning Part 2 - Checkpoint A", is offered free of charge for world language educators and administrators working and studying in New York State schools, colleges, and universities.

Original webinar date:  Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Workshop description:  Checkpoint A students deserve rich, engaging units that maximize target language use and build global awareness.  Learn to apply key principles of unit design to your setting.  Explore a case study of how a textbook chapter on the house can be transformed into a thematic unit about the tiny house movement and variations in global dwellings.  You will leave with a toolbox that supports you in transforming an existing unit or creating a new one.

Link to webinar flyer

Webinar presenter:  Rebecca Blouwolff has taught French at Wellesley Middle School in Massachusetts since 1998, but fell in love with middle schoolers while teaching English in France.  Novice students inspire her to create engaging, age-appropriate lessons focused on global awareness.  She served as the 2020 National Language Teacher of the Year, the 2019 MaFLA and NECTFL Teacher of the Year, and is a National Board Certified Teacher.

Link to Handouts folder from webinar

Link to recording of webinar

Link to post-assessments

To receive a certificate of completion (including a CTLE certificate), NYS educators must view the recording of the webinar (see link above) in its entirety and then answer at least seven out of ten questions correctly on the post assessment.  If the minimum required score (7 out of 10) is achieved, the educator will receive a certificate via email within an hour.  For the convenience of our World Language educators, there are multiple versions of the post assessment available, should the required score not be achieved on the first attempt.  Educators may take each version of the post assessment once.

Important notes:

  1. Educators may take each version of the post assessment once.  Credit will not be given for taking a single version of the post assessment more than once. 
  2. Credit will not be given for more than one passing score on any of the post assessments for a webinar (listed below) in a single academic year.  
  3. Educators may receive credit for viewing the webinar recording and passing a post assessment once in each academic year and are encouraged to take a different version of the post assessment on a yearly basis to review and test their knowledge of the webinar's content. 
  4. It is the responsibility of the individual educator to keep track of the information on the professional learning they complete each year, including the number of CTLE hours.
  5. Questions about this webinar or the post assessments, should be directed to Candace Black at (585) 356-0951 or at candace.black@nysed.gov.

Webinar Summary 

# of attendees:  336
# of CTLE certificates issued:  264
# of certificates of attendance issued:  72
# of organizations represented by attendees:

  • 156 districts
  • 246 schools
  • 7 partner organizations
  • 3 colleges & universities

Quotes from Participants of this Webinar

  • “This was fantastic.  What a plethora of ideas/strategies/etc.” ~ Donyce M.
  • “I really appreciate that you have adapted a common theme/unit of study and brought it into the 21st century.” ~ Brenda M.
  • “Merci beaucoup pour cet atelier si inspirant!” ~ Jonatan D.
  • “Your students are fortunate to have you as their teacher.  Your passion and effort is so evident. Thank you for sharing your ideas with us.  The presentation has been outstanding.” ~ Lucille M.
  • “Awesome presentation! Great scaffolding for Novice students.” ~ Huberte O.
  • “I want to be your student! Such an inspiration. Thank you for this amazing presentation.” ~ Andrea H.
  • “I’ve been using the TALK rubric for years but I love the concept of the    kindness as you shared it, especially with an SEL/social interaction component.” ~ Deirdre K.
  • “Thank you so much! Priceless!! YOU INSPIRE, Rebecca!” ~ Carla O.
  • “Rebecca, EVERY teacher of Checkpoint A should watch this webinar! YOU are probing that it is totally doable!” ~ Marisol M.
  • “Thank you for addressing assessment of interpersonal. Sometimes we gloss over that standard.  I am always looking for new and different ideas for how to assess this.” ~ Anna C.

(last updated 9/5/2022)