Making Content Comprehensible for
English Language Learners—SIOP Model
SHELTERED INSTRUCTION—
for Academic Achievement
Key Components – Teaching language and
content effectively:
1. Preparation:
.. Clearly define content objectives
.. Write on the board
.. State orally
.. Clearly define language objectives
.. Write on the board
.. State orally
.. Choose content concepts for age
appropriateness and “fit” with
educational background of students
.. Use supplementary materials to make
lessons clear and meaningful
.. Adapt content to all levels of student
proficiency—use graphic organizers, study
guides, taped texts, jigsaw reading…
.. Provide meaningful and authentic
activities that integrate lesson
concepts with language practice
opportunities—surveys, letter writing, making
models, plays, games…
2. Building Background:
.. Explicitly link concepts to students’
background experience
.. Make clear links between students’ past
learning and new concepts
.. Emphasize key vocabulary
3. Comprehensible Input:
.. Speak appropriately to accommodate
students’ proficiency level
.. Clearly explain academic tasks
.. Use a variety of techniques to make
content concepts clear--modeling, hands-on
materials, visuals, demos, gestures, film clips…
4. Strategies:
.. Provide ample opportunities for students
to use strategies--GIST, SQP2R, Reciprocal
Teaching, mnemonics, 12 minute research paper, 2 column
notes, repeated readings, …
.. Consistently use scaffolding techniques
throughout lesson --think-alouds, paraphrasing,
partnering…
.. Employ a variety of question types—use
Question Cube, Thinking Cube, Bloom’s Taxonomy…
5. Interaction:
.. Provide frequent opportunities for
interaction and discussion—Supplies much
needed “oral rehearsal”
.. Group students to support language and
content objectives—use at least 2 different
structures during a lesson—pairs, triads, teams, varied by
language proficiency or interest
.. Consistently afford sufficient wait time—
let other students write down answers while waiting for one
student to respond
.. Give ample opportunities for clarification
for concepts in L1—use bilingual
paraprofessionals, native language materials, notes by
students…
6. Practice/Application:
.. Supply lots of hands-on materials
.. Provide activities for students to apply
content/language knowledge— discussing
and doing make abstract concepts concrete; allow students
to work in partners before working alone
.. Integrate all language skills into each
lesson--listening, speaking, reading, writing
7. Lesson Delivery:
.. Clearly support content objectives—
objectives apparent throughout lesson; no “bird-walks”
.. Clearly support language objectives—
students given ample opportunities to “show off” their
language capabilities in speaking, reading, writing
.. Engage students 90-100% of the
lesson—less “teacher talk”, no “down-time”, students
are actively working in whole groups, small groups,
individually…
.. Appropriately pace the lesson to
students’ ability level
8. Review/Assessment:
.. Provide comprehensive review of key
vocabulary—teach, review, assess, teach…; use
word study books, Content Word Wall, …
.. Supply comprehensive review of key
content concepts—review content directly related
to objectives throughout lesson; use graphic organizers as
review
.. Regularly give feedback to students on
their output--clarify, discuss, correct responses
.. Conduct assessment of student
comprehension and learning—use a variety
of quick reviews: thumbs up-down, numbered wheels, small
dry erase boards; include student self-assessment…
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, Michigan 2002
Making Content Comprehensible—
1. Lesson Preparation
Adaptation of Content:
.. Make texts accessible to all students without “watering down “
texts
.. Use before, during, and after reading or writing
. Graphic Organizers:
Schematic visuals that assist students to grasp the
“wholeness and parts” of a concept. Use to supplement
written or spoken words--
--Before reading or writing: guides and supplements to build
background for difficult or dense text and helps organize writing
--During reading: focuses students’ attention and makes connections,
helps with taking notes and understanding text structure
--After reading or writing: assists in recording personal understandings
and responses; double-checks organization
Examples: “I Wonder”, Venn Diagrams Timelines,
Discussion webs, Thinking maps…
Tip: With English Language Learners, it is helpful to actually construct
the graphic organizer in front of the students on chart paper or
transparency for deep understanding
. Outlines:
Teacher prepared outlines that help students take notes in
an organized manner
Tip: T-charts are useful outlines to begin organizing
Tip: Some students need picture support, or to see the completed
outline first
. Highlighted text:
For newcomers: highlight (using blue highlighter) key
concepts, important vocabulary, and summary
statements in students’ textbooks. Newcomers only read
highlighted sections. This reduces stress yet maintains
key concepts.
. Marginal notes:
Like highlighted text, teacher notes in the margins of a
newcomer’s textbook assist in focusing attention on
important ideas, key concepts, key words and their
definitions, or draw attention to important supporting facts
for “why” or “how”. The Teacher’s Edition marginal notes
may help in choosing key facts, etc. Parent volunteers
could assist in putting in marginal notes in multiple
textbooks. If you didn’t want to write in actual student
textbooks, you could use sticky notes that are
removable.
. Taped Text:
Teacher, paraprofessional, or older student tapes textbook
for newcomers. This allows for multiple exposures to
text and should improve reading and understanding.
Students can take home text and tape for homework.
. Adapted Text:
Sometimes it is necessary to rewrite dense text in order
for English Language Learners to comprehend a content.
Short, simpler sentences are easier for newcomers to
understand. The format should follow a topic sentence
followed by several supporting detail sentences. All
sentences need to be relevant to the content. Maintaining
a consistent format affords easier reading and more
connections to prior knowledge.
. Jigsaw text reading:
One or two members of each cooperative team are
chosen by the teacher to form an “expert” team. Each
“expert team” is responsible for one section of assigned
text. Text sections are read aloud in the “expert team”,
discussed and reviewed for essential information, key
vocabulary, and better collective understanding. When
clear understanding is reached, “expert team” members
return to their original cooperative teams to teach their
teammates—demonstrating peer-modeling. English
Language Learners benefit from this system because they
are learning from others while not burdened with reading
the longer text.
. Leveled study guides:
Teacher composes guides to accompany students’
textbook –may include:
Summary of text—Questions-- Statements of learning
Teacher can designate questions for different levels by
marking with * (easiest), ** (moderately challenging, and
*** (most challenging)
Supplementary Materials: Sources
. Hands-on manipulatives and realia—connects abstract concepts
with concrete experiences and student’s own life
. Pictures, Photos, Visuals: provide visual support to harder
concepts. Helps relate to prior knowledge and oral presentations.
Include models, charts, overheads, maps, timelines as you are
presenting concepts
. Multimedia: film clips, songs and chants, posters, computer
games, etc.--related to concept solidify key concepts into the
deep memory
. Demonstrations: Model step-by-step completion of tasks, or
model language to use with presentations. This scaffolds and
enhances learning
. Related Material: Most Dearborn schools have a multitude of
leveled books—both fiction and non-fiction that supplement
science and social studies themes. Check your school’s resource
room for materials.
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, 2002
Making Content Comprehensible—
2. Building Background
.. There is a strong correlation between vocabulary knowledge and
student achievement
.. Select fewer key terms to focus on
.. Explicitly teach “school language”—ex. Identify, compare,
summarize, define…
1. Contextualizing Key Vocabulary:
Review the content and select key terms that are critical to
understanding the lesson’s most important concepts. The
teacher
. Introduces and defines terms simply and concretely
. Demonstrates how terms are used in context
. Explains use of synonyms, or cognates to convey meaning
2. Vocabulary Self-Selection:
After reading a content text, students self select
vocabulary they think is essential to the understanding the
content concepts.
. Words are selected by individuals, partners, or teams
. Shared, discussed, and agreed upon by whole class
. Empowers students in choosing the most appropriate key
vocabulary
3. Personal Dictionaries:
Personal dictionaries are created as an individual
vocabulary and spelling resource for students.
. Students read text in partners or teams and select unknown
words
. Teacher works with teams to review each student’s personal
dictionary and providing clarifications where needed
. Words can be arranged alphabetically, by concept, or
structure
4. Content Word Wall:
This is a Content Word Wall specific to one content area,
reserved for key vocabulary that relates to that content.
. Key words are displayed alphabetically
. Revisited frequently during lessons
. Students use words throughout unit of study
. Remove some words regularly in order to keep words
displayed to a reasonable number
Ex: Social Studies Word Wall: Revolutionary War
A Battle Constitution decide
concede Declaration
E flag G H Independence
J K liberty M notify…
5. Concept Definition Map
A simple graphic system used to discuss complex
concepts and clarify the meaning of a concept.
Ex: Concept Definition Map—Revolution
What is it?
What is it like?
What are some examples?
6. Cloze Sentences:
Used to teach and review content vocabulary in context.
. Teacher chooses a sentence that has a strong contextual
support for the vocabulary focus word.
. Possible replacement words are brainstormed
. Teacher assists students in choosing correct word
Ex: During a _______________ a group of people tries to overthrow an existing
government or social system. (revolution)
7. Word Sorts:
Students categorize words or phrases (previously introduced) and
sorts them according to meaning, structure, word endings, or
sounds. This reinforces word relationships, spelling, and word
structure.
Ex: Word Sort by endings—American Revolution
revolution tension representation
taxation passion plantation
frustration mission
participation vision
solution
8. Word Generation:
This is a review of new content vocabulary through analogy.
Students brainstorm words that contain a “chunk” of a word.
Ex: Port “to carry”—portable, export, transport, deport…
9. Visual Vocabulary:
English Language Learners benefit from a “picture” of a term
added to a definition of the word. Use stick figures, a picture
dictionary format, or a photograph.
10. Vocabulary through Songs:
Use the “Jim Walters Approach” –“Science Through Song CD” for
teaching difficult concepts through a song format. Concepts and
relationships are explained and remembered easier for some
students through this multiple intelligence medium.
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, 2002
Overthrow of Government
Revolutio
Can be violent
Often emotional
Usually political
May result in
changed system
American Revolution French Russian Revolution
-tion -sion -tation
Making Content Comprehensible—
3. Comprehensible Input
Appropriate Speech:
.. Use speech that is appropriate to students’ proficiency level—
slow down and enunciate where applicable
.. Avoid jargon and idiomatic speech as much as possible
Explanation of Academic Tasks:
.. Present instructions in a step-by-step manner and/or with
demonstrations. Write oral directions on board—ask students to
re-explain
.. Use peer-modeling—Focus attention on one group that is
functioning well on activity. Let those students explain step-bystep
instructions to whole class using an overhead transparency
Scaffolding: Use verbal and procedural scaffolding routinely:
. Verbal scaffolding: Paraphrasing—restating student’s
response to model correct English
Think-Alouds—saying out loud what you are doing as you
try to use a strategy
Reinforcing contextual definitions—restating a term by
giving a context or definition Ex. Aborigines, the native
people of Australia, were being driven from their homes.
. Procedural scaffolding:
Explicit Teaching Modeling Practicing Applying
--Small group instruction with less experienced students
practicing with experienced students
--Partnering students for practice
Questioning:
.. Use a variety of question types: see “Thinking Cube” for
examples.
.. Use “Question Cube” to promote students asking a variety of
questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why,
How
Interaction:
.. Effective classes are characterized by a variety of grouping
structures
. At least 2 different grouping structures should be used
during a lesson—partners, triads, teams, etc.
. Vary group configurations from day-to-day across the
week to pique interest, and increase student involvement
Wait Time:
.. Effective teachers wait 20 seconds or more for a student to
respond—many English Language Learners need longer time to
formulate answers.
.. While waiting for a student to reply other students can be
writing down their response then confirm with answer.
Clarifying Key Concepts in First Language:
.. Allowing students to confer with each other, teacher, or
paraprofessional in their native language about subject matter
material provides needed support for true understanding of
content while student is learning English
Application of Content and Language Knowledge:
.. Discussing and doing make abstract concepts concrete,
therefore projects, discussion teams, reports lend themselves to
true comprehension
.. Include opportunities to practice English—reporting out orally
and in writing, working with teams or partners
Integration of Language Skills:
.. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are mutually
supportive and need to be developed in an integrated
manner. Practice in writing promotes development in reading.
Review of Key Vocabulary
.. Review of vocabulary needs to include attention to word
structure and sentence structure
.. Multiple exposures to new terminology builds proficiency
. Use paraphrasing as review—provides context
. Use multiple modalities to remember words
. Have students use Individual Word Study Books for personal
reference—grouping words by structure (-tion, -sion,-
tation…)
Assessment of Lesson Objectives:
.. Use a variety of methods to elicit group responses
. Thumbs up/ thumbs down—Used to obtain a quick summary
of agree/disagree responses. “I don’t know” response is
indicated by a closed fist
. Number wheels or numbered fingers: Used to indicate
responses to multiple-choice questions. Teacher puts
possible responses on board or transparency, waits, then
says “Show me!”
. Response boards: Use individual chalk boards or dry-erase
boards for responses given in unison. Dollar stores or home
improvement centers—bathroom tile board makes great dryerase
boards!
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, 2002
Making Content Comprehensible—
4. Strategies
.. Discussing and doing make abstract concepts concrete
.. Academic language learning is more effective with learning
strategies
Content teaching –One Approach (40-55 minutes):
• Do an “I Wonder” Brainstorming—(5 minutes) about book, topic,
theme—should be in the form of questions (Who, what, when,
what if, why…) or “I wonder if…”
• Do a Preview and Predict strategy—15 minutes:
1. 1 minute—Students individually preview text material,
looking at illustrations, photos, bold print…
2. 3 minutes—With a partner, students write 3 things they think
they will learn about from this text. Write in complete
sentences, note form, or pictures, depending on students’
language proficiency.
3. 4 minutes—Partners share their list with another pair of
students and list is condensed and or expanded. Transfer
final list to chart paper.
4. 3 minutes—4 person teams report out findings and post list.
5. 4 minutes-- Teacher reads first section of text (one page or
less) while students follow along.
• Do GIST summarizing strategy—7 minutes:
1. 3 minutes--After reading a passage or section of text,
teacher and students underline or pick out 10 words and
concepts that are “most important” to understanding text.
2. 1 minute--Write 10 words on the board.
3. 3 minutes--Teacher and students write 1-2 summary
statements using as many of the listed words as possible.
Could be partner work. Post on board.
• 3 minutes--Refer back to Preview Chart. Read each statement,
confirm if it is + or -, depending on reading selection. Erase or
cross out statements that are not likely to relate to rest of reading
selection, and add new predictions.
• 10 minutes--Students continue with reading, either in partners
or small teams and do GIST strategy within their team. If the
selection is too long, teams can jigsaw reading selection and
share out their summary statements with whole group.
• Refer back to ”I Wonder” chart—4 minutes. Write down
answers to questions that were found in reading. If questions
were not answered brainstorm where answers could be found
and form Research Teams to explore other sources.
• Represent new learning in some way—6 minutes—by one of
these:
--Use Thinking Cube to generate at least 6 higher order thinking
questions about text.
Ex: Give a quote from the book that tells what matter is
made of.
How many ways can matter change?
How can you measure matter?
--Make a Word Splash using the important words in this text.
--Construct a graphic organizer (T-list, Venn Diagram, etc.)
depicting the highlights of reading selection.
--Illustrate new learning on a poster including appropriate
captions and details.
--Create a poem, chant, song, or play demonstrating new
learning.
--Do a Graffiti Write representing students’ learning:
1. Each team has chart paper, each team member has a
marker. A topic or question is posed. At the start
signal each person writes a personal comment about
the topic or question on the chart paper—at the same
time. 2 minutes.
2. When time is called, teams rotate to next table, read
comments and add their own—may be same
topic/question or another question or focus. 2 minutes.
3. Rotate again, either to another table or back to own
table. Post results.
• Report Out representations for class to enjoy or problem solve
answers.
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, 2002
I wonder
Matter is everything.
A tree is matter.
A girl is matter.
Matter can change.
matter forms
changes gas
solid living things
liquid space
states of matter atoms
Matter can change. +
A rock is matter. +
Atoms are the largest part
of a thing. -
changes
smallest
atoms
Matter
living things gas
all
Making Content Comprehensible—
5. Interaction
Opportunities for Interaction:
. Learning is more effective when students have an opportunity to
participate fully—discussing ideas and information
. Effective teachers strive to provide a more balanced linguistic
exchange between themselves and their students—ELL students
need the practice in speaking!
. Interaction accesses the thought processes of another and
solidifies one’s own thinking
. Talking with others, either in pairs or small groups allows for oral
rehearsal of learning
. Encouraging more elaborate responses:
--going beyond “yes” and “no” answers—
“Tell me more about that”
“What do you mean by…”
“What else…”
“How do you know?”
“Why is that important?”
“What does that remind you of?”
or teacher restates student’s answer—
“In other words…. Is that accurate?”
or teacher allows wait time for student to formulate answer
or teacher calls on another student to extend classmate’s
response
. Fostering student-student interaction:
--Putting students in pairs, triads or small groups
--Types of activities that encourage “table talk”:
Literature circles, think-pair-share, jigsaw readings debates,
science or math experiments
Grouping Configurations:
. All students, including English Language Learners, benefit from
instruction that frequently includes a variety of grouping
configurations
. It is recommended that at least 2 different grouping structures
be used during a lesson
. Variety:
.. Whole class—
To develop classroom community
To provide a shared experience for everyone
.. Flexible small groups—
To promote multiple perspectives
To encourage collaboration
.. Partnering—
To provide practice opportunities
To scaffold instruction
To give assistance before independent practice
. Homogenous or Heterogeneous
grouping
.. By gender, language proficiency, language background,
and/or ability
.. Variety maintains students’ interest
.. Movement from whole class, to partners, to small group
increases student involvement
.. Varying group structures increases the preferred mode of
instruction for students
. Cooperative Learning Activities:
Information gap activities—Each student in a group has
only one or two pieces of information needed to solve the puzzle
or problem. Students must work together, sharing information
while practicing their language, and using critical thinking skills.
Jigsaw—Jigsaw reading task by chunking text into
manageable parts (1-2 pages). Number students in each group
(1-4 or 5). All #1s read the first 2 pages, #2s read the second 2
pages, etc. These expert groups then discuss their reading and
share ideas. The original groups reconvene, discuss the whole
text and share their expertise. Students pool their information.
Numbered heads together—Similar to Jigsaw without
forming expert groups. Each student works on one portion of
assignment and then students share.
Four corners—Great activity to introduce a topic or chapter
of study. Write one question or idea on each chart paper. Divide
class into 4 groups, each group has a different color marker—
students move to one corner chart paper and designated student
begins writing their ideas on chart. Time activity 2-4 minutes.
Students move clockwise to next corner, read responses and add
their comments.
Roundtable—Use with open-ended questions, grammar
practice. 4-5 students are grouped at tables, one sheet of paper,
one pencil. Question or grammar point is given by teacher,
students pass paper around table, each writing their own
response. Teacher circulates room.
3 Step Interview—Students are paired. Each student
listens to the other as they respond to a topic question. At the
end of 3 minutes, each pair joins another pair of students and
shares what their partners said. Good way to practice language.
Writing Headlines—Good way to practice summarizing an
activity, story or project. Provide models of Headlines. Students
work in pairs writing a headline for an activity. Pairs share out
their headlines and class votes on most effective headline.
Send a Problem—One table team sends a question or
problem to another table. Each table team solves or answers
question and passes it back to original table. This is a good way
to review for a test.
Wait Time:
. Wait time varies by culture: The average length
of wait time in US classrooms is clearly not sufficient
--Effective teachers allow students to express their thoughts fully
without interruption
TIP: Allow students to practice their answer with a partner before
calling on them to speak out before the whole class.
TIP: Have more advanced students write down their responses while
waiting, and then check their answers against the final answer.
Clarify Key Concepts in L1:
. Best practice indicates that ELLs benefit from opportunities to
clarify concepts in their native language L1—
--Use bilingual paraprofessionals, teachers, peers as clarifiers for
vocabulary, concepts, or procedures
--Use native language texts, dictionaries as tools to illuminate or
illustrate topic
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, 2002
Making Content Comprehensible—
6. Practice and Application
Hands-on Materials and/or Manipulatives
for Practice:
. Students have a greater chance of mastering content concepts
and skills when :
. given multiple opportunities to practice
. practice is in relevant, meaningful ways
. practice includes “hands-on “ experiences
. Planning for hands-on practice:
. Divide content into meaningful short chunks
. Time for practice should be short—10-15 minutes
. New learning should have several short practices close
together
. Older learning should be practices distributed further apart—
review material periodically
. Give students immediate feedback on how well they have
done
. ELL students need to connect abstract concepts with concrete
experiences: Material can be organized, created (chart
learning), counted, classified (concept mapping), stacked (index
card review), rearranged, dismantled…
Application of Content and Language
Knowledge:
. Abstract concepts and new information needs to be
applied in a personally relevant way--
. Writing in a diary format through a character
. Making and Playing a game for content review (Jeopardy,
Bingo, Wheel of Fortune…)
. Creating a semantic map
. Writing test questions to ask another student
. Teaching concepts to another student
. Discussing and “doing” make abstract concepts
concrete.
. Clustering
. Making and using graphic organizers
. Solving problems in cooperative groups
. Engaging in discussion circles
. Partnering students in a project before independent work
. Opportunities for social interaction promote language
development.
. Small group discussions
. Working with partners
. Reporting out information orally and in writing
. Modeling correct English after a student has made a
pronunciation or grammar error can gently but effectively
instill appropriate usage.
Integration of Language Skills:
. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are interrelated
and integrated naturally—we read when we write, we
listen when we are talking with someone, etc.
. Most young children become grammatically competent in
their home language by age 5—for ELL students, the
teacher needs to develop language skills in a holistic
manner.
. Practice in any one area (listening, speaking, reading,
writing) promotes development in the others.
. Connections between abstract and concrete concepts are
best accomplished when all language processes—
reading, writing, listening, and speaking—are
incorporated during practice and application.
What does a Classroom that Incorporates
Listening, Speaking, Reading and
Writing…
Does your classroom incorporate a variety of Listening,
Speaking, Reading, and Writing activities during Practice
and Application?
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, 2002
Making Content Comprehensible—
7. Lesson Delivery
Content Objectives:
. Content objectives must be clearly
supported by lesson delivery:
. Should be stated orally
. Should be written on board for all to see—
preferably in a designated space every time
. Purpose:
.. Reminds us of lesson focus
.. Provides a structure to classroom
procedures—before, during, after
.. Allows students to know direction of the
lesson
.. Supplies way for students and teacher to
evaluate lesson in light of content objectives
. Limit content objectives to one or two per lesson
. “When teachers spend their time and
energy teaching students the content the
students need to learn, students learn the
material…”
Language Objectives:
. Language objectives must be clearly
supported by lesson delivery:
. Should be stated orally
. Should be written on board for all to see—
preferably in a designated space every time
. Can relate to ESL Standards from TESOL
. Can be from State Language Arts Benchmarks
. Can be specific to book language studied (certain
verb form, word endings, vocabulary, punctuation,
summarizing, active discussion…
. Needs to be recognizable in lesson’s delivery
Students Engaged:
. Students should be engaged 90-100% of
the period for lesson delivery to be effective
. “When students spend their time actively
engaged in activities that relate strongly
to the materials they will be tested on,
they learn MORE of the material.”
Leinhart, Bickel & Pallay
. The most effective teachers minimize
boredom, off-task behaviors, making
announcements, passing out papers, etc.
. Aspects of student engagement to
consider:
. Allocated time—decisions teachers make regarding
amount of time spent on topic and each academic
task (reading, word study, writing…)
. There is a balance between teacher presentation and
opportunities for students to apply information.
. Engaged time—Time students are actively
participating during allocated time:
The more actively students participate in the
instructional process the more they achieve.
. Students learn more then they are attending
to the learning tasks that are the focus of instruction
. Academic learning time—Students’ time-on-task,
when the task is related to the materials on which
they will be tested—not just-for-fun activities!
. Class time needs to be planned efficiently—and
therefore effective use of time and resources
. Factors that contribute to high levels of
student engagement:
1. Well planned lessons
2. Clear explanation of academic tasks or instructions
3. Appropriate amount of time spend on an academic task
4. Strong classroom management skills
5. Opportunities for students to apply learning in meaningful
ways
6. Active student involvement
7. Lesson design meets the language and learning needs of
students
Pacing:
. Pacing refers to the rate at which
information is presented during a lesson.
. Rate for ELL students must be brisk enough to
maintain students’ interest but not too quick to lose
their understanding.
. Practice will reward a perfect pace.
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, 2002
Making Content Comprehensible—
8. Review and Assessment
Review of Key Vocabulary:
. Key vocabulary can be developed through
analogy:
. Relating newly learned words to other words with the
same structure or pattern (ex: photosynthesis .
photography)
. Drawing students’ attention to tense, parts of speech,
and sentence structure
. Repeating and reinforcing language patterns for
words to become automatic
. Ways to scaffold :
. Paraphrasing—oral rehearsal of what student is going to
say with group before saying it to the whole class or saying the
definition of a word right after the word
. Systematic study—remember “research says isolated
word lists and dictionary definitions alone do not promote
vocabulary and language development. Words should be
studied through multiple modalities—see them, say them,
write them many times in different ways, act them out, sing them,
draw them, find them in context….
. Word Study Books—This is a student-made personal
notebook in which the student includes frequently used words and
concepts. Book can be organized by language structure: -tion, -
sion, -tation and/or alphabetical, and/or by topic of study (ex:
Revolution words)
One way to enter words: Write the word, include a
personal definition, use the word in a sentence, and add a
memorable symbol or drawing that will trigger the word
from memory.
. “School Talk” sessions—Teach discussion circle
protocol: taking turns, polite disagreement words, how to ask and
answer questions. Do a practice session with a fun topic of
students’ interest like movie stars, cars…
Review of Key Content Concepts:
. Review key concepts during and at the end
of a lesson:
. Informal summarizing review—ex: “Up to this
point….Discuss in your groups the 3 important things
we have learned so far.”
. Periodic review (chunking) leads into next section to
be studied
. Structured review—summarizing with partners,
listing key points on board.
. Link review to content objectives—ensures focus on
essential concepts
. Final review—allows students to assess their own
understandings and clarify misunderstandings
Providing Feedback:
. Periodic review:
. Clarifies and corrects misconceptions
. Develops students’ proficiency in English
. Allows for paraphrasing students’ responses in correct English
and complete sentences
. Feedback given orally and in writing,
supported by facial expressions and body
language—nod, smile, encouraging look…
Assessment of Lesson Objectives:
. Assessment is “the gathering and
synthesizing of information concerning
students’ learning”
. Evaluation is “making judgments about
students’ learning”. Assessment comes
first, then evaluation
. Informal Assessment:
. On-the-spot, ongoing opportunities to determine the extent
of students’ learning.
. Includes teacher observations, anecdotal reports, informal
conversations with students, quick-writes.
. Authentic Assessment:
. Application to real life—real life contexts
. Multidimensional—ex: students’ writing, taped pieces, interviews,
videotapes, observations, projects, discussion, performances,
group responses…
. Includes multiple indicators to show competency of a content
objective. Use of a rubric defines level of learning and is shared
with students and parents
. Group responses:
.. Agree/Disagree, True/False, Yes/No –index cards that students
or groups of students could use to quickly give their answers to
questions. Teacher can quickly see responses.
.. Thumbs up/thumbs down—Like the index cards, students can
quick respond to questions. For “I don’t know” students can make
a fist. Teacher gets a feel for whole class understanding or
agreement.
.. Numbered wheels-Tag board strips (5” x 1”). Each strip is
numbered 0-5 or 0-10. This allows students to answer multiplechoice
questions quickly by holding up appropriate number. O is
a “Don’t know” response. These are great for review before a
written test.
.. Response boards: Small chalk or white boards, or even plastic
plates can be used for group responses. Use dry-erase markers,
chalk, or crayons that can be erased for next question.
Source taken from: “Making Content Comprehensible for English Language
Learners”, Echevarria, Vogt, Short
Compiled by the Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team,
Dearborn Public Schools, 2002
