TPE 7.1 Knows and uses a) English Language Development (ELD) principles and instructional practices (e.g., structured English immersion, contextualizing key concepts), b) students’ prior learning and background, and c) analysis of students’ errors in oral and written language to develop students’ literacy in English and provide instruction differentiated to students’ language abilities.
I use a variety of English Language Development principles and instructional practices to provide differentiated instruction to all students based on their language abilities. For example, we have different thinking maps up on the wall as models for what students can use to express their knowledge. Some of these charts include a bubble map, cause and effect map, KWL chart, etc. We often use these maps together as a whole class, as it allows students to express what they know, chunking the information in small parts. For example, we did a whole class lesson on sequencing after reading a story. We used a flow map to help organize our thoughts. As a whole class, we worked together to find what happened in the beginning of the story, in the middle, and at the end. After coming up with the three main parts of the story, we verbally talked about different pieces of evidence that could support each one of our parts of the story. I also had students pair share with their elbow partners about their supporting details before having them write about them. This lesson allowed students to work on brainstorming their thoughts and organizing them.
In a geometry lesson, students were given a vocabulary sheet with the word and a visual that helped describe the word. For EL students, having a visual next to the vocabulary word is very impactful. I also had students use different colors to box each vocabulary word as we went through them, to help differentiate them. While explaining the vocabulary words, I showed visual examples with crayons and had students do the same. For example, when we talked about parallel lines, I had students demonstrate what parallel lines looked like with their crayons or colored pencils, as shown in the picture to the right. This allowed me to quickly walk around the room and check in with students. After we reviewed the vocabulary words, I had students 'quiz' each other by asking them to demonstrate the different angles, rays, and lines with their crayons and colored pencils. This allowed students to practice using the vocabulary words in a low-risk environment with a peer. I moved students' seats around based on their EL levels. For example, I placed a well developed EL with a level 2 EL to help pull them up. This vocabulary review sheet is something that will help EL students and all students remember the different meanings of each vocabulary word while working on geometry in the future.
In this lesson, I used multiple ELD instructional practices. I used sentence strips to help structure writing, as well as modeled writing the first sentence and thought out loud for students to hear. Next, students practiced rearranging the sentence with a partner and talked about what they came up with as a group, by reading their sentence out loud. Students then practiced writing a sentence independently based on different picture vocabulary cards, while using correct grammar and punctuation. Once students wrote their sentences, I had them read their sentences out loud. Next, I had them rearrange them to make a new sentence and practice reading them out loud to make sure they made sense. Students practiced rearranging their sentences multiple times. This lesson allowed students to practice writing and reading a sentence in multiple ways. This lesson helped ELL's physically move words around and practice writing sentences in a fun and engaging way.