Example 1-
Topic: Modeled Talk/Think Aloud
Purpose: Think Alouds are implemented when teachers verbalize aloud while orally reading a selection; verbalizations include describing cognitive thoughts and self-monitoring comprehension of the text. The purpose of this strategy is to model (for students) how skilled readers construct meaning from a text by demonstrating what questions and statements advanced readers use to make sense of a text. For English learners, Think Alouds encourage students to activate prior knowledge when reflecting on understanding of a text; it allows students to identify questions, form connections, and utilize question prompts to promote comprehension as they read a text.
Instructions:
Identify a text/excerpt that provides opportunities for Think Aloud prompts and promotes a comprehension skill (i.e. drawing on background knowledge, making predictions, visualizing an event, identifying the purpose, recognizing organization, making sense of confusions, etc.)
Pre-read the selected text and identify locations, within the text, that promote the selected comprehension skill.
Create list of prompted questions and/or Think Aloud phrases.
Introduce the text to students and discuss the purpose of the Modeled Talk strategy.
Read the text to students– stopping at designated Think Aloud opportunities to MODEL.
Explain critical thinking skills aloud (“When I read this sentence, it made me think of blank…”, “Because of ______, I think _____ might happen next!”, “After reading this, I think the most important part is… because of…”, etc.).
Make sure to relate it to experiences of English learner students.
Provide background knowledge as needed.
Give students opportunities to practice the comprehension skill– offering feedback when necessary.
Scaffolding/Differentation: This strategy is meant to scaffold students in promoting higher order thinking skills and teaching learning strategies. By demonstrating how skilled readers construct meaning from text and prompting critical thinking questions, teachers are scaffolding students to develop comprehension skills. To differentiate Think Aloud instruction, you could:
Have students complete Think Alouds in small groups– having teacher assistance and monitored faciltiation as needed.
Provide sentence starters (on a reference card/note card) for students to reference.
Complete Think Alouds in a Think-Pair-Share format.
Have students complete Think Alouds orally, in writing, or in a journal.
Considerations: This strategy will not be very effective if students do not have background knowledge on comprehension skills (lower level readers). Likewise, it will be challenging to implement this strategy if the text is not relevant to students’ experiences. Therefore, it is important to select a text that is relatable and understandable for all students.
Example 2-
Topic: Jigsaw
Purpose: Jigsaw is cooperative learning strategy that requires students, within a group, to “divide and conquer” conceptual understanding; each student will become an “expert” on a certain topic/lesson and share findings among his/her group. This instructional strategy is implemented to encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning, provide the opportunity for students to “be the teacher,” build confidence in speaking/listening skills, and work collaboratively with group members to develop overall understanding of concepts.
Instructions:
Determine a set of reading selections.
Introduce the strategy and the chapter/topic to be studied.
Divide students into groups. Discuss roles, within the group, to ensure each student is taking responsibility for learning and contributing for the group. Groups should include 3-5 students– reflecting a range of reading levels.
Assign one reading selection to each student and/or have students determine work divisions.
Create “expert groups” that include students, from across each group, who will read the same section/text.
Give students a framework for managing time.
Observe students and ensure appropriate progress towards comprehensions and topic mastery is being made.
Provide key questions to help “expert groups” gather information.
Have students return to original groups and provide guidelines for “expert” reports.
Students will teach their original group members about his/her topic.
Listening students will complete a graphic organizer and/or summary report to collect information from the other “experts” of their group.
Scaffolding/Differentation: To scaffold student learning, students will be placed in groups of students with various reading levels; therefore, students will help one another develop understanding. However, teacher could also:
Circulate to ensure that groups are on task and managing their work well; ask groups to stop and think about how they are checking for everyone's understanding and ensuring that everyone's voice is heard.
Monitor the comprehension of the group members by asking questions and rephrasing information until it is clear that all group members understand the points.
To differentiate instruction, teachers could:
Have one “expert group” receive additional support in a small-group setting.
Have students fill out a graphic organizer (with sentence starters/cues) to document information.
Provide a different means of information presentation to original groups.
Considerations: It is important to consider the instructional level of assigned reading material; each student needs to be able to understand the reading material.
Example 3-
Topic: Read, pair, share/ think, pair, share
Purpose: Read, pair, share or think, pair, share are used to have students respond to a question related to whatever topic the students are studying with confidence. This strategy has students engaging in group cooperation as well as practicing voicing their answers. These strategies are beneficial to ELLs because it engages them in paired conversations in a low-risk environment. The entire class is talking in small groups at once and ELLs are only engaged in conversation with one peer at a time. If they provide an answer that is not quite right the partner can help redirect them. In addition, when called on to share out with the class, the student has already had a chance to think and voice their answer to another student and revise if needed. They are not caught off guard and put on the spot with this strategy.
Instructions:
The teacher will first determine partners so that each student is paired with another student. The teacher will then explain that students will first be thinking about their answers individually, will then be sharing with a partner and then some groups will be called on to share out their answers with the class.
The teacher will then pose a question to the entire class related to whatever topic the students are currently studying. The question should promote critical thinking for students and may or may not have a correct answer. Questions should also promote students discussion.
Students are then given time first to think about their answer to the given question and write down a few notes if they choose, then at the teacher’s signal, they discuss their answers with a partner.
During the “pair” time, the teacher should be walking around listening to partner conversations and providing support and feedback as needed.
After a few minutes of partner discussion the teacher may call on some groups to share their answers with the class. Students should already know what they will say as they have discussed it with their partner.
Scaffolding/ Differentiation:
To scaffold student learning:
The teacher should design partner pairs with ELLs and their abilities in mind. Partners groups should be designed so that there is a higher level student paired with an ELL.
The teacher can also help scaffold students' learning by walking around monitoring student discussion and offering redirection and clarification when needed.
The teacher should rephrase questions and ask clarifying questions to help scaffold student thinking.
To differentiate student learning:
The teacher can rephrase the question with easier vocabulary while still retaining the same intent of the question.
The teacher can provide sentence frames for students to answer the question.
The teacher can also have students write down their answers and provide graphic organizers or charts for students to take notes in.
Considerations: It is important to consider the students reading and writing comprehension levels as well as their comfort speaking infront of the class. For beginner EL students, it is important to place them in an environment and group in which they are comfortable and have the support needed to succeed.
Example 4-
Topic: Sentence Starter and frames
Purpose: Sentence frames and starters provide students with a structured way to answer content questions in a way that allows them to focus on the content rather than the english conventions. It helps to take the stress off of answering questions because students only have to fill in the blank with their ideas instead of focusing all their attention on coming up with and forming entire sentences. Sentence frames allow ELL students to answer with confidence in the classroom.
Instruction:
When teachers pose questions related to the current content that students are studying, they will design a way for students to answer the question.
The teacher will provide on the board a sentence that answers the question but leaves out the explanation that the student will fill in.
Sentence starters can also be used to provide students with a prompt for how to start their answer.
Examples of sentence frames or starters could include: I think that the animal survived because (fill in the blank). Or “We believe that (fill in the blank) is the reason that light passes through some materials but not others.”
When students answer the posed content question they will phrase their answer in the format of the sentence starter or frame.
Scaffolding/ Differentiation:
To scaffold student learning:
The teacher can walk around the room monitoring progress and rephrase the sentence frame or the question as needed.
The teacher can offer support for students that are confused on the question or the content.
To differentiate student learning:
The teacher can reword the sentence frame or question with easier vocabulary.
The teacher can provide guided notes that include potential answers for students to use so that they have to read to find the answer instead of knowing the answer.
Considerations: it is important to consider the vocabulary levels of your students as well as their background knowledge of the content area. If students require readings or extra notes, it is important to consider their reading comprehension levels as well.
Example 5-
Topic: Manipulative
Purpose: Manipulatives can be used for students to understand vocabulary words more clear. The manipulative I would have my students use lego connecting blocks to help them with their vocabulary words and the use of their structure form. The purpose of knowing vocabulary is to be able to understand content and readings. The lego words would allow them to see the words together in front of them within patterns for the color blocks. They will be able to place their how they would like to what makes sense to them. It is a good way for the students to practice seeing the words visually. The vocab wording blocks allows them to see the words that stand out with color and move them around as much as they want. It can deal with different parts of speech language that can be difficult.
Instructions: The students will be given a set of 10 vocab words that are given each week. Those words will be place those into a sentence structure with their understanding of the knowledge with what the vocab words mean. Once they have made a few sentences up they are will say their own to a few of their classmates. After the students get done with the task they are will make it challenging by making up a longer sentence with the vocab words mixed around and see who can do it the fastest with who is sitting next to them. If the students need any pointers, I will walk around and see who is struggling that might need a little extra help.
Scaffolding/Differentiation: The students will use manipulatives which are connecting lego blocks that allows them to stay actively engaged. It will help them to do hands on while doing object sensory motor skills. The visual with the blocks in front of them can be more accessible for students. Understanding the physical concepts allows them to demonstrate the compression concept process. It allows the students to attain and retain the information with their needs and knowledge.
Considerations: It is important for teachers to meet all the students needs where the they can be in a learning environment while being creative using their vocab words.
Example 6-
Topic: Communication Games
Purpose: The purpose of the communication game is for students to be able communicate to one other students. Communication helps emotional and soical problems. It can improve behavior and positive relationships around them. It allows the teacher to understand their students better. The activity the students will be doing is to colloraberte effective communication within the teams. Communication builds self-awareness and builds trust with one another. It is a good thing to have in a classroom. It can manage classroom management.
Instruction: Students will be assigned a group of four. There will be one person assigned for each role. One person will be the director, builder, runner and relay person, as the remaining of the students observe. The builder and director are opposite sides while the runner and relay are on the other side. The director will think of a structure with building blocks and then give the structure to the relay person. The builder will use those directions to create the structure within 10 minutes. Once the task is completed I will talk around and talk with the students with their buildings.
Scaffolding/Differentiation: Allowing students to communicate with one another gives each student an opportunity to see concepts in multiple ways. The director that comes up with the structure allows the relay person to say aloud what the structure is so the builder can demonstrate what the structure is as a visual representation. Students use communication as a way of connecting to others.
Considerations: Within the students being formed in teams it helps to complete projects as a whole together. Building blocks help communicate teamwork. It is important that students feel comfortable enough to communicate with their peers.
Example 7-
Topic: Vocabulary role Play/Readers’ Theatre
Purpose: Readers’ theatre can be used for students to emersme themselves into the content. I would have my students do a readers theatre that was packed with familar vocabulary and when working on plays as the genre. The purpose of this technique is to allow students to completely interactive with the text and with the words that they are struggling with. This is a great tool to use for students to be exposed to the word in another way that isnt reading or writing it. Doing a theatre type of learning will also help those who need to move and work kinestethicly. This is a good way for students to do what the word is, instead of just seeing it but attaching an action to the vocabulary.
Instruction:Students will be given the theatre type text. It is important for the teacher to talk to the students about what type of text this is and the different parts. Make sure to clarify, characters, narrator, text in parenthiese and stage direction. First as a class students will highlight the vocabulary words. Then each character will be given to a students. Then as a class they will read thru the play. Allowing the students to understand the content becore completely acting it out. This will help students to understand their role before they preform. Then each students will stand up and act out the play. Doing this more than one time and having students embrace their character will cement the vocabulary and its meaning.
Scaffolding/Differentiation: Some student are able to read the text multiple times before preforming. Another differentiation you could use if splitting a role if some students are not completely ready. The script could be on a different color paper, the text could also be on an ipad.
Example 8-
Topic: Vocabulary Jounrals
Purpose: The purpose of this technique is to have students practice writing about a prompt but also connecting their experiences to the next level of vocabulary. This helps the student understand that they are able to extent their vocabulary to the next level. Allowing students to journal and express themxelves while also advancing their vocabulary starts to produce confidence. The purpose of this technique is to connect students writing with the vocabulary that they are working on. This helps students when remembering vocabulary and using it in another way than just writing the word and definition.
Instruction: Make sure you have done pre teaching on the vocualry and what each word means. Then the teacher can either provide a prompt that will allow the students to connect the words, students could also make up a story, or they could write about a recent experience they had. Make sure to set a number of words the students need to use, as well as a length. Having students highlight or underline the vocabulary word might also help to quickly identity the words. Then let the students write away. Scaffolding/Differentiation: Having students use different writing materials, they could also type. Students also might benefit from writing and editing their journal work. Having different students use a different set of words that they are ready for. Also using the length as a differentiation or how many words they need to use. Honestly the teacher could do anything that they thing their students would benefit from.