About
My name is Michelle B. Levan
I think like a writer first, then a teacher.
When I was young, I relished writing short stories with weekly lists of spelling words and reading them aloud to the class.
This taught me the power of language. I could entertain, persuade or inform. But to keep an audience’s attention, the meaning had to be clear.
I went on to earn a B.A. and an M.F.A. in English: Creative Writing. Over the years, I've had several print and online fiction and non-fiction publications, earning a Pushcart nomination and a notable mention in the Best American Essays of 2015.
In 2006, I became enamored with teaching, and namely, teaching students how to be concise and have an authentic voice. This led me to specialize in English language development (ELD). Preparing English learners for reclassification became my new passion. I learned first-hand how imperative it is for second language learners to possess language and literacy skills required to manipulate language according to various academic registers.
As a teacher, instructional coach, presenter and trainer, it’s been my job to help teachers and students develop and refine those skills. I’ve been doing it for 18 years and I’ve loved every minute of it.
In my time I’ve worked with school districts and COE organizations to improve outcomes for English learners and Multilingual learners.
I offer professional development, consulting and coaching services in the areas of:
🗣 English learners, Multilingual learners & ELD instruction
✏️ Writing instruction for ELLs
📊 Assessment, progress monitoring & intervention
& so much more
Instructional Coaching
In my work in San Bernardino city schools, I had the pleasure of working closely with model teachers on the development of instructional videos for ELD. Each involved a series of planning, designing lessons, modeling, and coaching feedback to refine the practices we wanted to highlight.
To understand the instructional practices I promote and coach, review the videos below. Each have been featured as exemplars on the California Department of Education's instructional resources website for English Language Development (ELD).
