The ESL Unit Developers SIG is for K-12 teachers throughout the state who are interested in creating and implementing ESL curriculum units using the materials and processes of the Massachusetts Next Generation ESL Project. The goal of the ESL Unit Developers SIG is to facilitate collaboration in writing, reviewing, implementing, and sharing WIDA ELD Standards-based units in order to promote effective English language development for EL students state-wide. Visit the ESL Unit Developers SIG page for more information.

Join the ESL Unit Developers SIG for the second part of their webinar on Wednesday, February 4.
This follow-up session will answer more questions, and use more concrete examples of lesson planning with AI.
Please read below for what we learned from January 7 Webinar:

This webinar was planned out by the ESL Unit Developers' Steering Committee and Flashlight Learning sponsors this SIG!
This webinar and its follow-up is a MATSOL member benefit, only MATSOL members will be able to register.
If you're not a member, consider joining us to get access to this session and many other member benefits!

Design Smarter, Not Harder: Leveraging AI to Build Integrated, Standards-Based ELD Units and Lessons

Supercharge your unit-planning process. Discover how AI can strengthen Focus Language Goals, align your units with CEPA, and streamline backward design through targeted prompts, templates, and workflows. Learn how to build sharper, more integrated ELD lessons while avoiding the AI rabbit hole—and without rebuilding your units from the ground up.

Join Lynn Shafer Willner for an engaging 90-minute session that cuts through the hype and demonstrates how AI can genuinely support teacher planning—while keeping teacher judgment at the center. The webinar breaks the work into four practical, teacher-friendly lenses: Myths and Templates, Prompts that Prevent the Rabbit Hole, Sources and Workflows, and Google NotebookLM Setup.

Lynn will demonstrate how tightening your Massachusetts-specific source documents, designing smarter templates, and “training” AI through intentional dialogue and workflow management can dramatically improve the precision, accuracy, and usefulness of AI-generated drafts.

Outcomes

By the end of the webinar, participants will leave with a practical toolkit of templates, structured prompts, refined source documents, and a ready-to-use Google NotebookLM setup.

Key Outcomes

Participants will learn how to:
• Use AI to support—rather than replace—standards-based planning and teacher judgment.
• Build templates that generate consistent, scaffolded objectives across units and lesson sequences.
• Create and refine Focus Language Goals aligned with CEPA tasks and backward-design principles.
• Design prompts that embed content standards, language expectations, and grade-level targets.
• Prepare source documents that allow LLMs to accurately reference content and language standards.
• Review and adjust AI-generated drafts for accuracy, alignment, and developmental appropriateness.
• Streamline curriculum sharing through vetted, reusable Google Drive templates and tools.

Resources Provided

• Editable FLG and objective-writing templates
• PREPare-aligned prompt bank
• Workflow checklist for accuracy and ethical review
• Access to the MATSOL Google Drive Toolkit (MA-specific source documents, templates, prompts)

Interactive Elements

• Quick self-assessment of AI familiarity and preferred tools
• Live poll: “Which AI tools do you use most?” (ChatGPT, Gemini, NotebookLM, Copilot)
• Guided practice with real-time coaching
• Optional February 4, 2026 follow-up conversation on participant experiences and lessons learned

This meeting will take place online via Zoom. Log in and register here, then make sure to follow the instructions in the confirmation emails:

ESL Unit Developers' Webinar Registration