Sheltered Instruction Strategies That Actually Work for All Students Used Over and Over Again by Practicing Teachers Suzanne Kaplan & Alisa Leckie |
Introduction
The PEW Hispanic Center estimates that by the year 2020 the number of school aged immigrant children attending public schools will reach 17.9 million. A significant portion of these children will need English language services. In 2006, Mexican immigrants represented the largest single immigrant group living in the United States, and nearly 75% of Mexican immigrants in the year 2006 were classified as limited English proficient. More likely than not, public schools with high concentrations of English Language Learners (ELLs) are often designated as Title I schools. In the state of Arizona alone, 92% of the public schools that report test scores for ELLs are eligible for Title 1 funds. Additionally, there is little evidence to suggest that these students will be or are adequately supported during instructional time. Research shows that the current teaching force is unprepared to teach Latina/os students and other learners whose primary language is not English.
As former middle level teachers and current instructional coaches who have worked with English Language Learners (ELLs) for the past 18 years, we are well acquainted with the complexity of working with language learners. Teachers need to develop students’ academic language as well as specific content area skills and understandings. This is no easy task and as such, we are always on the hunt for engaging instructional strategies that invite our students to grow academically.
This book is a compilation of instructional and learning strategies that we have found provide students with the most engaging opportunities for them to practice English and engage with content. The strategies presented in this book are student centered strategies that allow each student access to his/her grade level content area curriculum (regardless of English language ability), and they allow for students to support each other through multiple avenues. They provide ELL students with opportunities for authentic academic language practice and make it virtually impossible for any student to say no.
It is essential that ELL students be provided with opportunities which encourage them to practice their academic language skills and at the same time allow us to include questions that are directed toward evaluating students’ thinking. Each of the strategies is framed in such a way as to allow teachers alternative ways to pose questions that do not solicit dichotomous responses from students. They allow for student “talk” which is not vague, but yet, discloses great amounts of information about their thinking. These strategies permit teachers to better assess the substance of their students’ learning.
We found our teaching became more exciting by using the strategies in the book since they provide us with situations from which we can learn more about our ELL students than we might have otherwise. Simply put, the kinds of activities we have presented in this book have permited us to discover our students’ true academic and language potential. High levels of student achievement are possible for all ELLs. Enjoy!
Alisa & Suzanne © 2009
Table of Contents
Strategy Language Skills Page
All the Room is a Quiz………………………………R, S………………………………5
Alpha Blocks…………………………………………V.………………………………5
Am I Napoleon?...........................................................R, S, V.…………………………6
Anticipation/Reaction Guide………………………...R, S………………………………6
Beach Ball……………………………………………S, L………………………………7
Building Consensus………………………………….S. L………………………………7
Café Manager………………………………………..R,W,S, L…………………………8
Chalk Talk……………………………………………R, W……………………………..9
Cloze Paragraphs……………………………………..R, V.……………………………10
Consensus Board……………………………………..R, W, S, L……………………….11
Content Area Vocabulary…………………………….R, S………………………………12
Double Column Notes……………………………….W, Q……………………………..13
Directed Reading-Thinking Activity…………………R, Q……………………………..14
Exit Cards…………………………………………….W………………………………..15
Find the Fib…………………………………………...R, W, L…………………………15
Flyswatter Vocabulary………………………………..L, V.……………………………16
Fold the Line………………………………………….L, S……………………………..16
Found Poem…………………………………………..R,W……………………………..17
Four Corners…………………………………………..R, S…………………………….18
Grammar Cards……………………………………….L………………………………..18
Grouping Cards……………………………………….R, S, V.………………………..19
Headline Poster……………………………………….R, W……………………………20
Hot Seat………………………………………………R,S, L, V.……………………...20
Human Continuum……………………………………S,L……………………………...21
Jigsaw…………………………………………………R, W, S, L………………………21
Name That Visual……………………………………..R,S…………………………….22
Outcome Statements………………………………….W, S, L………………………….23
Questions Game…………………………………R, W, S, L, Q………………………..24
Quickwrite……………………………………………W………………………………..25
Rate that Word……………………………………….R, V……………………………..
Rotating Discussions…………………………………W, L, S………………………….25
Say Something………………………………………..R, S, L…………………………..26
Shared Roundtable……………………………………R, W……………………………26
Silent Gallery Walk …………………………………..R, W……………………………27
Sketch to Stretch………………………………………S………………………………..28
Skeleton Outline………………………………………R, W, L…………………………28
Snap Reading…………………………………………R, S, L…………………………..29
SQPR2S (Squeepers)…………………………………R, W, Q…………………………30
Stay and Stray………………………………………..S, L………………………………31
Story Frame…………………………………………..R, W…………………………….32
Sum It Up…………………………………………….R, W, L………………………….32
Teaching Mural………………………………………R, W, S, L……………………….33
Talk to the Text ………………………………………R, W……………………………34
Text Rendering……………………………………….R, S……………………………...35
Ticket Out …………………………………………….W……………………………….36
The Conversation Game………………………………S………………………………..37
Tree Map Graphic Organizer…………………………R, W…………………………….38
Triple Venn Diagram ………………………………..W………………………………..38
Vocabulary Continuum……………………………….W, S, V…………………………
Vocabulary Graffiti…………………………………..W. S, L………………………….39
Vocabulary Race……………………………………..W, V.…………………………..40
Vocabulary Sort………………………………………R, S, L, V.……………………..40
Wear A Word…………………………………………R, V.…………………………..41
Word Link…………………………………………….S, L, V.………………………..41
Zip Around……………………………………………R, S, L………………………….42
The Importance of Interaction…………………………………………………………...43
Appendix
R = Reading
W = Writing
S = Speaking
L = Listening
V = Vocabulary Development
Strategy: All the Room is a Quiz Purpose: This is an excellent strategy for an interactive review before an assessment. Language Skills: Reading & Speaking Procedure:
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Strategy: Alpha Blocks Purpose: to activate prior knowledge about a topic Language Skills: Vocabulary development Procedure:
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Strategy: Am I Napoleon? Purpose: An interactive way to review vocabulary Language Skills: Speaking, Listening, Vocabulary development Procedure:
Original source: Gibbs, J. (2006). Reaching All by Creating TRIBES LEARNING COMMUNITIES. Windsor, CA: CenterSource Systems. |
Strategy: Anticipation/Reaction Guide Purpose: Focuses students on key concepts in a reading and provides a purpose for reading a text Language Skills: Reading and Speaking Procedure:
A sample Anticipation/Reaction Guide can be found in the Appendix. |
Strategy: Beach Ball Purpose: This is a great way to close a lesson especially when time is running out. It also provides an opportunity for oral language practice. Plus, students love throwing the ball. Language Skills: Speaking and Listening Procedure:
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Community Building Tip # 1 Purpose: A quick way to build community, especially with small groups Language Skills: Speaking and Listening Procedure:
Timekeeper Recorder Speaker Task Master
A blackline master can be found in the Appendix. |
Strategy: Café Manager Purpose: A variation of the Jigsaw strategy that involves all four language domains. Students work to become experts on one topic and build background on several related topics. Language Skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Procedure:
-a large piece of butcher paper that covers the table and acts as a “tablecloth” -markers for everyone -a note-taking graphic organizer for each group member -a copy of one of the readings for each group member.
Things to consider: There are a variety of ways to get the information from other groups to the café manager who does not rotate. Visiting groups can explain their selection to each manager, or one of the original group members can take notes for the manager on an additional graphic organizer and reports back at the end of class. |
Strategy: Can We Trade? Purpose: This is a very interactive strategy that provides oral and reading practice as well as a review of key concepts and vocabulary prior to an assessment. Language Skills: Speaking & Reading Procedure:
Things to consider: It’s a great idea to play along with students so you can be an oral model for students who need extra help with their oral English skills. |
Strategy: Chalk Talk
Purpose: This is a great pre and post activity that provides an opportunity for all students to participate especially, those students who tend to be quiet and shy.
Originally this activity was done on the chalk board with chalk. However, we like to tape a large piece of butcher paper to the board so we can keep the final product and use it during lessons.
Language Skills: Reading and Writing
Procedure:
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Post a prompt in the middle of a large piece of butcher paper.
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Leave five markers on the chalk tray.
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Discuss the prompt with students to make sure they have a clear understanding.
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Let students know they do not need to be concerned with grammar. It’s the content of their response that is most important.
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Turn on some kind of soothing music and then “open” the chalk talk. The music reinforces the idea that the conversation takes place through the marker and not out loud.
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During the time the Chalk-Talk is in session, students are not allowed to speak out loud during the chalk talk. The conversation takes place through the marker. The music reinforces this requirement. Students may make their own comments, ask questions, and respond to each other remarks through the marker. They may also draw a response.
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The teacher should be included in the conversation.
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Each student is required to participate at least once.
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If the prompt includes solving a math problem, you can allow students to work individually at their desk first and take their work with them to the chalk talk.
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Sometimes, you may want to consider sending the same prompt home for parent responses.
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Things to consider: It’s a good idea to leave the Chalk Talk up for a few days allowing students to continue to respond on their own. You can also use the Chalk Talk as a teaching tool throughout a unit or lesson.
Original Source: Originally developed by Hilton Smith, Foxfire Fund
Other Resources: http://www.nsrfharmony.org/protocol/index.html
Strategy: Cloze Paragraphs Purpose: Develop vocabulary and improve reading comprehension. Language Skills: Reading and Vocabulary development Procedure:
Hint: The more blanks, the more difficult the task. Since the paragraphs are teacher generated, it is possible to differentiate instruction for the varying proficiency levels in your classroom. A sample Cloze paragraph can be found in the Appendix. Research support: McKenna, M.C., & Robinson, R.D. (1980). An introduction to the Cloze Procedure: An annotated bibliography (2nd; ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. |
Did You Know… In order for students to independently comprehend a text they should know about 93% of the words. Students reach a level of frustration when more than 7% of the words in a text are unknown to them. An ideal instructional level is when students know 93-97% of the words. Try the following exercise if you don’t believe us. The bogo also recognizes the need to invest more in cucio themselves, 40 percent of which now lack basic sumwalz. Ligachev said cucio for 28 million monos will be frazequack by the year 20210, and that capital expenditures in blocka will increase drastically. There are only 8 unknown words in that selection (about 80% known words). Can you explain in your own words the main idea of the passage? Vocabulary instruction is essential! Statistics were taken from: Glickling, E. & Thompson, V. (1992). Curriculum based assessment. |
Strategy: Consensus Board
Purpose: This activity allows students to work both individually as well as in a small group. Since each student must brainstorm some kind of a solution, individual accountability is built into this strategy. This is also a great way to build community among small groups of students.
Language Skills: Writing, Reading and Speaking
Procedure:
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Students are in groups of four with a large piece of butcher paper placed in the middle of the group.
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One student draws a square in the middle of the paper and lines leading from the square so there are four sections.
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Each student writes his/her name on one section of the butcher paper.
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Students spend 5 minutes brainstorming alone without speaking about how to solve a math problem or writing down thoughts about a particular topic in their own section of the butcher paper.
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After the 5 minutes, students come to discuss each of their sections and then they come to consensus about how to solve the problem or create a group list about key concepts regarding a content area topic.
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In the middle square, students either show how to solve the problem or they can write out the steps for solving the problem.
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For other content areas, students list key concepts about the topic in the middle square.
Original Source: Harste, J., Short, K. & Burke, C. (1996). Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Things to consider: This strategy works with all content areas and we are waiting for our students to tell us they are just plain sick and tired of consensus boards. So far, we have not heard one complaint or any groans. Students just love this activity.
We have also used this activity as a way of taking group notes during videos. Students individually use their section for note taking. Every 10 to 15 minutes, the video is stopped so students can share their notes and come to consensus about one key idea. They then write this key idea in the middle square.
For literature content, the square in the middle contains the title of the book or a key theme. In the individual sections of the consensus board, each student writes down personal connections to that theme or book. There is no discussion between students during this part of the strategy. The group then takes turns sharing these individual connections. After each student has shared, the group then comes to consensus on the tensions, issues, or big ideas they want to consider for further exploration. Their consensus items are listed in the middle of the board and can be shared with the whole class.
Strategy: Content Area Word Work
Purpose: This strategy enables students to comprehend both fiction and nonfiction by building the ability to determine the main idea of a passage.
Language Skills: Reading, Writing and Speaking
Procedure:
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List all the words from the chapter that you feel may give the students difficulty. After each word, provide space for note taking.
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Distribute the words to students. Have them circle all the words which they cannot define.
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When this is done have the students pair up. Student #1 can ask student #2 to define and use any un-circled (familiar) word on his/her paper in a sentence. When they have discussed those words and feel comfortable with all the un-circled words, they compare meanings of the circled words on either person’s paper. When agreement is reached on a word meaning, they should both make sure that it is recorded on their word list sheet.
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Next, students group in fours and continue the process. A fifth person should be added who will be the only person with a dictionary/thesaurus and the textbook. This person may speak only when spoken to, and h/she will settle disputes and look up the words.
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By this time all the words should be defined. The teacher then asks the “contact” person to report which words were the most difficult. In this way, the list of words will be narrowed to only a few, which the students still should work on.
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List the reported difficult words in the order they appear in the text. Have students read the selection, record the page number on which the word first appears, and then verify the definition, changing their original definition when necessary.
Things to Consider: Students can be encouraged to create illustrations to enhance the word meanings.
Community Builder Tip # 2 T-Shirt This is a great way to have students think creatively about whom they are and their interests. Students are given a blank outline of a T-shirt and are asked to create a design that represents who they are. They may include words and short phrases. However, students should be encouraged to think of symbols and drawings that would tell the class interesting facts about each student. (See appendix for blank T-Shirt.) |
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Strategy: Double Column Notes/ Cornell Notes Purpose: A note-taking and study skills strategy that fosters independent learning. Language Skills: Writing and Questioning Procedure:
Original source:
Pauk, W. (2001). How to study in college. New York: Houghton Mifflin. |
A Word About Comprehensible Input… Just because you are teaching doesn’t mean your students are learning. If students are not understanding what you are saying, what is the point of saying it? Making our content comprehensible to students is our task, a task that requires us to combine the art and science of teaching. Cummins (1984) utilized a four quadrant framework for evaluating the language demands in content area activities.
Cummins states that contextual support assists comprehension when faced with difficult academic tasks. Realia, pictures, manipulatives, a variety of texts and tasks are all forms of contextual support. |
Strategy: Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DR-TA)
Purpose: Model how students monitor their understanding through questioning
Language Skills: Reading and Effective questioning
Procedure:
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1. In preparation the teacher should segment text using natural stopping points as a guide
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As a class, brainstorm questions related to the topic of the reading. Using a K-W-L strategy is helpful at this point.
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Identify each question as either literal or interpretive.
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Introduce relevant vocabulary
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Scan text to identify text structures (cause/effect, problem/solution, etc.) students can anticipate.
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Choose several questions from the brainstorming session to act as springboard questions. Good springboard questions should focus on some of the main ideas, are not easily answered in a few words, and are higher-level in nature.
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Read the segmented selection using three central questions:
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What do I think about this?
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Why do I think so?
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How can I prove it?
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Students should take notes on paper or post-its as they answer the three questions for each segment of the text.
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In small groups have students discuss their answers and thinking related to the three questions for the different segments.
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As a class, discuss the springboard questions and have students support their responses using the text.
Caution: There are many steps and skills involved in this strategy. Give you and your students plenty of opportunities to practice this strategy.
Original source:
Stauffer, R.G. (1969). Teaching reading as a thinking process. New York: Harper Collins.
Strategy: Exit Cards Purpose: An excellent way to close a lesson and provide you with information about what your students understood. Language Skill: Writing Procedure:
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Strategy: Find the Fib Purpose: A fun form of assessment and critical thinking Language Skills: Reading, Writing and Listening Procedure:
Things to consider: It is a good idea to model how to develop the three statements so students are better able to write a fib that sounds like a truth. |
Strategy: Flyswatter Vocabulary Purpose: Vocabulary practice and review Language Skills: Listening and Vocabulary Procedure:
Things to consider: When students aren’t racing they can be reviewing vocabulary lists for extra practice. |
Fold the Line Purpose: Oral language practice and content review. Language Skills: Listening and Speaking Procedure:
Things to consider: Spread your line out as far as possible to provide space between partner groups. This minimizes the noise interference. This is a great strategy for review due to the amount of repetition and is one of our favorites for revising student writing for ideas. Students add details to their writing with each new partner. |
Strategy: Found Poem Purpose: Practice with word choice, poetic devices and structures as well as literary analysis skills. Language Skills: Reading, Writing, Procedure:
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Affective Filters – How does your classroom feel? As one of his five hypotheses regarding second language learning, Stephen Krashen proposed the existence of an emotional filter that impacts how much learning takes place. Anxiety and stress decrease the amount of learning whereas self-confidence and motivation increase the amount of learning. Pay attention to the feel of your classroom. Are students experiencing success and feeling confident? English language learners are much more willing to take those language risks when they know they are in a situation that is free from ridicule if they make a mistake. Here are some hints about creating a classroom with a low affective filter: -Take time to connect with your ELL students. -Provide enough wait time for students to formulate a response before you call on them -Integrate team building and community building lessons into your curriculum -Like the Outcome Statements strategy, give students choices about how to respond |
Strategy: Four Corners Purpose: You can use this activity to assess your students’ understanding of a particular math topic. If desired, this technique can also give students opportunities to practice their paraphrasing skills after students have studied a particular math concept. Language Skills: Speaking, Reading Procedure:
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Strategy: Grammar Cards Purpose: This strategy holds students accountable for their understanding of the content. Students enjoy showing the cards and I find they tend to be very honest with the card they show. Many students who would not indicate they had a question in a whole group setting do not hesitate to show the grammar card with the question mark. Language Skills: Listening, Comprehension Procedure:
Card 1: ? = I have a question Card 2: ! = I understand Card 3: . = stop – I’m confused Card 4: , = slow down |
Strategy: Grouping Cards
Purpose: This is an excellent way to motivate students to speak to each other about content vocabulary and put them into small groups.
Language Skills: Speaking & Reading
Things to consider: Encourage students to use each other as resources for finding the correct definition. It is just delightful to watch students help each other out while discussing key vocabulary terms.
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Don’t Forget About Bloom’s Taxonomy!!! Throughout a lesson students should experience multiple levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Here are some helpful verbs for formulating questions and activities. Knowledge: tell, locate, list, define, match Comprehension: explain, compare, describe, estimate, distinguish Application: interpret, demonstrate, construct, predict, solve Analysis: separate, categorize, arrange, connect, infer Synthesis: combine, create, devise, generate, develop Evaluation: assess, decide, rank, convince, prioritize |
Strategy: Headline Poster Purpose: To review a concept and produce visuals that can be hung around the room which help all students stretch their thinking about the concept. Language Skills: Writing & Reading Procedure:
Things to consider: Showing students tabloids from the supermarket and pointing out the catchy headlines, helps students become creative with producing an amazing final product. |
Strategy: Hot Seat Purpose: To review key vocabulary in a really fun way. Language Skills: Speaking, Listening & Reading Procedure:
Original Source: This strategy was first published on the website: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/ |
Strategy: Human Continuum Purpose: This is a great pre and post activity in order to gauge students’ learning. As a pre-activity to a lesson or a unit, you will be amazed, surprised and pleased by the information you receive regarding students’ prior knowledge. As a post activity the same is true in terms of the new knowledge students have acquired. Language Skills: Speaking and Listening Procedure:
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Strategy: Jigsaw Purpose: A cooperative group structure that divides work and facilitates individual accountability within the group structure. Language Skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing Procedure:
Original Source: Aronson, E. (1978). The jigsaw classroom. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
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Strategy: Name that Visual
Purpose: To review a particular topic by creating a visual. The visual allows students to think more deeply and purposefully about a particular subject.
Language: Vocabulary Development, Speaking
Procedure:
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The teacher provides a vocabulary term or key concept to students who are in groups of three to four students.
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Students have 15 minutes to create a poster of their vocabulary word or key concept. They may not write their vocabulary word or key concept on their poster, but they may use antonyms, synonyms and short phrases. The vocabulary word or key concept must be kept a secret from the other students.
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After 15 minutes, the teacher collects the posters and redistributes them so that no group receives their original poster.
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Students now work together to try and figure out the vocabulary word or key concept the poster represents.
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After a few minutes, the groups share out loud what they believe their poster represents. The original creators of the poster say absolutely nothing. They neither confirm the group’s guess is correct nor deny the guess.
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Repeat steps 3 through 5 for a second round.
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During the second round, the original group now confirms or denies the guess. If the guess is incorrect, the original group identifies the correct vocabulary word or key concept and they explain their poster.
Things to Consider: The visual does not have to be a poster. Students could use other materials such as pipe cleaner. It’s a good idea to post on the whiteboard a list of the key vocabulary and/or key concepts for students to refer to during the game.
Community Building Tip # 3 Two Truths and a Lie This is a great activity for students and teacher to get to know each other. 1) Each student writes down two true statements about his or herself and one lie. 2) Each student finds a partner and they exchange papers. 3) Each student tries to choose the statement that is the lie. 4) Share a few as a whole class. |
Strategy: Outcome Statements Purpose: This is another excellent way to close a lesson when time is short. Your students will amaze and surprise you with their responses.
Language Skills: Speaking and Listening/ Procedure:
I think . . . . I feel . . . . . . I learned . . . . I wonder . . . . . Things to consider: Instead of having students orally respond, students can choose a sentence stem and write their answers on a piece of paper that the teacher collects as the students exit the room. |
Community Building Tip # 4 Purpose: A quick and easy community building activity that works particularly well when students have just formed new groups of 4. This works well to lower the affective filter and foster team identity and cooperative spirit. Language Skills: Listening and Speaking Procedure:
Original Source: Gibbs, J. (2006). Reaching All by Creating TRIBES LEARNING COMMUNITIES. Windsor, CA: CenterSource Systems. |
Strategy: The Questions Game
Purpose: To acquire self questioning strategies, to provide a purpose for reading a text, and to develop a foundation for discussions.
Language Skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening and Questioning
Procedure:
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Students read the assigned text and on a colored index card write down three questions. The questions can be areas of confusion or topics they would like to know more about.
2 Students choose a partner that has the same color index card. (Feel free to use other grouping strategies in lieu of the index cards). Students trade cards with their partner. Each student reads their partners card and jots down notes/ideas for answering.
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The two students discuss the reading using their six questions as the foundation for that discussion.
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After about 10 minutes, ask each pair of students to create three questions that have emerged from their discussion. These may be questions that are still unanswered from the original six, or they may be three new ones that were prompted by the discussion.
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Each pair of students trades their card with another pair of students. Each pair discusses the questions on the new card and attempts to answer them.
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The two student pairs then sit together and discuss the text using their six questions.
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After about 10 minutes, ask each group of four to create one new question that is still unanswered and intriguing enough for a whole class discussion.
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Chart the questions and use them as a basis for a whole class discussion and/or research topics.
Things to consider: It will be helpful for your ELL students if you provide a selection of question stems for them to use. Encourage students to formulate questions that do not have obvious answers in the text.
Original source:
McTeague, F. (1996). The questions game, in A. Chambers, Tell me: Children, reading, and talk. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
Strategy: Quick Write Purpose: This strategy helps students to generate prior knowledge as well as new thoughts and ideas about a topic. Language Skills: Writing Procedure:
Things to consider: The Quick Write strategy is also very useful with sensitive types of topics. You can tell students they will not be sharing their writings out loud. You will be the only one who reads their writings. This way, students are more apt to open up and provide you with insights into their thinking. |
Strategy: Rotating Discussions Purpose: Increase student accountability during small group discussions Language Skills: Listening, Speaking, Writing Procedure:
Additional Resources: Great graphic organizers can be found at: |
Community Building Tip # 5 Toss and Tell This icebreaker combines math and reading to spark a lively round of sharing among students. Make two oversized number cubes by covering square tissue boxes with craft paper. On one cube, write the numbers 1 to 6. On the other, write things that children can tell about themselves, for example: "my favorite stories," "things I like to do," "places I've visited," Gather students in a circle and model the game by going first. Toss the cubes, and then tell something about yourself based on how they land--for example, if you rolled a 3 and "my favorite foods," you would then name three foods that you like. |
Strategy: Rate that Word Purpose: To develop students’ metacognitive skills in relation to word knowledge. Language: Reading, vocabulary development Procedure:
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Community Building Tip # 6 Two on A Crayon This activity promotes cooperation and allows student to represent terms and concepts visually.
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Strategy: Say Something
Purpose: This strategy teaches students how to read dense and complex text. The idea is to teach students how to read difficult and dense text so when they are later faced with a complex text alone, they have a strategy they can use to work their way through the reading.
Language Skills: Reading & Speaking
Procedure:
This is a reading strategy that students do with a partner.
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Each pair of students chooses one student to begin reading a text out loud while the other student silently follows along.
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The student reading out loud decides when to stop reading.
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At this point, the pair of students takes turns discussing and commenting on the reading in order to support each other’s comprehension of the text and any difficult and complex vocabulary.
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After a brief discussion of the read text, the second student continues the reading and the process begins again.
Things to consider: The discussion supports students with reading difficult and dense text. It allows students to talk their way through the reading in order to share their confusions, feelings, ask questions and make possible connections to background knowledge and experiences. The discussion portion of the strategy also allows students to make predictions and to convey the text in their own words. Instead of teaching students formulaic ways of reading such as summarize and then create questions, this more open-ended approach teaches students how to monitor their reading in any way that is appropriate for them. It also teaches students how to reflect on and revise their own meanings of a reading as the events in the text are disclosed.
This is not a whole group strategy. Although all students may be reading the same text, pairs of students will need different amounts of time to complete this strategy since they are working independently of the other pairs of students in the classroom. You may want to consider teaching students how to do this strategy by predetermining where each pair of students stops and begins to discuss the text by ringing a bell every 3 to 5 minutes. You will only need to do this as a whole group once. Students will catch on quickly. Once students understand the strategy, you will be pleasantly pleased with the depth of conversations that take place as well as the level of questions students begin to create regarding the text.
Original Source: Harste, J., Short, K. & Burke, C. (1988). Creating classrooms for authors. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Strategy: Shared Roundtable Purpose: This strategy assists students with supporting each other with review of content area material before an assessment. It is particularly helpful to the student who has been absent and needs to figure out what’s been going on. The strategy also incorporates students’ love of note writing with review of key content material. Language Skills: Reading and Writing Procedure:
Things to consider: It’s a good idea to try to exchange notes between a student who is struggling with the concept posed in the question and with a student who has a firm grasp of the concept. Three to four rounds is best. |
Strategy: Silent Gallery Walk Purpose: Promotes individual accountability and allows students to learn from the projects of their peers. Language Skills: Reading and Writing Procedure:
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Strategy: Sketch to Stretch Purpose: This strategy helps students think deeply about the meaning of a text in a non-traditional manner. This is a strategy that allows students to creatively stretch their thinking about a particular reading by inviting students to draw their interpretation of the text. This strategy allows students to take their understanding of the written text and express that understanding in a pictorial interpretation of the text. This is an excellent activity after students have completed the Say Something strategy. Language Skills: Speaking Procedure:
Things to consider: If some of the drawings seem simple, don’t be deterred. Once you hear their interpretations of the text and picture, you’ll be stunned at the depth of their understanding of a reading. Original source: Harst, J., Short, K. &Burke, C. (1988). Creating classrooms for authors. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. |
Strategy: Skeleton Outline Purpose: A note taking strategy that minimizes time spent copying and facilitates engagement throughout a lecture/lesson. Language Skills: Listening, Reading and Writing Procedure:
Original source: Dr. Maria Montaño-Harmon: Cal State Fullerton. |
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Strategy: Snap Reading Purpose: This is an excellent strategy for having students produce oral language in an environment with a low affective filter. Language Skills: Reading and Speaking Procedure:
Things to consider: We like to use this strategy in conjunction with the Cloze paragraph strategy. This provides students with an additional way to practice key content area vocabulary |
A Little More About Comprehensible Input… Stephen Krashen (1982) represents his idea of comprehensible input with the formula i + 1. The i is input that is immediately comprehensible to the learner, and + 1 is the next level where language and content are slightly challenging. Taking your students one step beyond where they are currently facilitates comprehension and growth. The learner is neither frustrated nor bored. How do you manage i + 1 in a classroom where not all of your students are not at the same i level? That is the art of teaching, and that is why employing a variety of strategies across all four language domains is essential. |
Strategy: SQPR2S (Squeepers)
Purpose: A reading strategy that works really well with content area text books or other informative texts with features such as headings, bold words as well as pictures and other visuals. There are many reading skills embedded in the strategy; skills that proficient readers employ automatically. After a few times utilizing the strategy, students are better able to engage with texts that are often difficult.
Language Skills: Reading, Writing and Questioning
Procedure:
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Each student needs a text (science and social studies textbooks are ideal for this strategy) and a piece of paper.
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Give students about 2 minutes to scan the selection. The selection should be about 5-7 pages and contain visuals.
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As a whole class or with partners, students write about 5 questions that they think will be answered in the text.
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Below their questions, students predict the answers to those questions. At this point we do not want them reading the text to find answers. Students should use what they learned from scanning the text and their own prior knowledge to make logical predictions.
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Students then read and respond by finding the answers to their questions. If their prediction is correct, they simply put a star or some other symbol next to their prediction to indicate that it is correct. If their prediction was incorrect or incomplete, students write the correct answer on their paper.
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When all questions have been answered, students summarize the entire section in 2-4 sentences.
Things to consider: We like to use this strategy in conjunction with the Poster Headline strategy as the summary portion. It works really well at the beginning of a chapter/unit. Each group/partner pair is assigned a section of the chapter to “squeep”. They then make their poster and share with the class. It is a nice way to build background for the content and a great visual display to use throughout the unit.
Original sources:
Vogt, M.E. (2000). Content learning for students needing modifications: An issue of access. In M. McLaughlin and M.E. Vogt (Eds.), Creativity and innovation in content area teaching: A resource for intermediate, middle, and high school teachers. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers.
Vogt, M.E. (2002). SQPR2S: Increasing students’ understandings of expository text through cognitive and meta-cognitive strategy application. Paper presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference.
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Strategy: Stay and Stray Purpose: Promotes individual accountability during small group and partner presentations. Language Skills: Speaking and Listening Procedure:
Things to consider: There is a lot of movement in this strategy that can get confusing. Additionally, students typically are not accustomed to being held accountable to this degree. Be prepared for some confusion and poor teaching by students for the first rotation or two. Students will, however, learn the strategy and rise to the occasion. |
Multiple Paths…Multiple Intelligences Students who are English language learners are similar to non-ELL students in many ways. Their need for multiple pathways to learning is one of those ways. Howard Gardner is recognized as the guru of multiple intelligences – one theoretical framework that recognizes the many different ways our students learn and demonstrate that learning. When you are lesson planning, keep in mind the eight different intelligences to assist you in meeting the needs of all of the students in your classroom. Students with strengths in the following intelligences tend to be… Verbal-Linguistic: Readers, talkers, writers, good spellers Logical-Mathematical: Puzzle doers, chess players, Chart and graph makers Visual-Spatial: Map makers, daydreamers, doodlers, illustrators Bodily-Kinesthetic: Movers, lovers of manipulatives, athletes, touchers Musical-Rhythmic: Instrument players, finger tappers, rappers, music aficionados Interpersonal: Organizers, teacher helpers, socializers, friends Intrapersonal: Quiet, self-aware, independent Naturalist: Aware of surroundings, nature lovers, creator of categories For a multitude of ideas about multiple intelligences please visit the following website:
http://www.lth3.k12.il.us/rhampton/mi/ LessonPlanIdeas.htm |
Strategy: Story Frame Purpose: An organizational tool that chronicles events in a story and facilitates work with story elements. Language Skills: Reading, Writing Procedure:
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Strategy: Sum It Up Purpose: This strategy supports students in their ability to summarize a text. Language: Writing, Oral Language Procedure:
Things to consider: This strategy can be used as a learning center activity with articles and short stories in a folder ready to go for students to read with each other. Students can work alone or in pairs to create their classified ad at the center. Original Source: Pat Widdowson of Surry County Schools in North Carolina Additional Resource: A great reading website for most content areas can be found at: |
Strategy: Teaching Mural
Purpose: One of our favorite strategies that promotes very high student engagement, and truly lends itself to a student centered classroom. This is an excellent strategy to use when students are faced with difficult concepts and/or dense information
Language Skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening
Procedure:
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Place students in groups of four.
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Arrange the groups so there are only one or two beginning English speakers in each group. Students in the same group receive the same article to read or the same math problem to solve.
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If students are provided with a reading for this activity, it’s a good idea to provide them with an anticipation/reaction guide first. The guide helps to direct the students as they read, and provides them with clues for the kinds of information they will need later in the activity.
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With the other members of their small group, students become experts on their reading or math problem.
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As they become experts, they are simultaneously preparing a mini-lesson on how to solve their math problem or how to teach the main ideas and concepts in their reading. Eventually, they will teach their lesson to students in their new group. No two students from the same home group will be together in a new group to teach the lesson. This builds in student accountability for the content.
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As part of their mini-lesson, each group must decide on two academic vocabulary terms that are important for the reading or are important for explaining how to solve the math problem.
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Once they have prepared all of their teaching materials, the students “jigsaw” so they are in new groups of four. No one in the jigsaw group has read the same reading material or has solved the same math problem.
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Each new group is then provided with a big sheet of butcher paper. Students place a square in the middle of the butcher paper and then divide the paper into four sections just as if the paper were a consensus board.
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One student at a time stands in front of their group and teaches the group about their reading or how to solve their math problem. While the student is teaching, he/she is drawing pictures, writing key terms and vocabulary and pasting any of the teaching materials on the paper he/she prepared in their original groups.
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After each student has had a turn teaching, the group decides on the commonalities of each of the four sections.
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One of the students writes the commonalities in the middle box.
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The teaching murals then become visual learning aides for later use in the classroom.
Things to consider: This is a complicated strategy. There is quite a bit of classroom management involved in the execution of this strategy. However, it is one of the most rewarding strategies we use. Through this strategy students take on real ownership in regards to their learning and they truly enjoy the teaching aspect of the strategy.
Make sure the students who are being “taught” have some form of accountability. Double column notes would work well here with the idea there will be an assessment of some form in the very near future.
Strategy: Talk to the Text
Purpose: Reading and constructing meaning from a text is a complex and active process; one way to help students slow down and develop their critical analysis skills is to teach them to annotate the text as they read. This reading strategy will support students in their ability to formulate questions in response to text. Students will strengthen their abilities to analyze and interpret elements of poetry or prose while Drawing conclusions and making inferences based on explicit (literal) and implicit (figurative) meaning.
Language Skills: Reading, Writing
Procedure:
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Provide students with a piece of text.
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Create a list of items that you would like for students to annotate as they read the text. Suggestions for annotating text can include: labeling and interpreting: literary devices such as metaphor, simile, imagery, personification, symbol, alliteration, hyperbole and idioms; labeling and explaining the writer’s rhetorical devices; elements of style such as tone, diction, syntax, narrative pace, and use of figurative language; and labeling the main ideas, supportive details and/or evidence that leads the reader to a conclusion about the text.
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Annotations can also include questions that the reader poses and connections to other texts that reader makes while reading.
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Perform a think-a-loud to model a few of the items on the list.
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Ask students to share with a partner their annotations.
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Have several students share out with the whole class.
Things to Consider: The first two or three times you use this strategy with students should be done as a whole class so that students see you model how to annotate text. Once students have a solid understanding of the strategy, students can be encouraged to annotate any kind of text they read. This strategy is not only effective with prose and poetry, but with all types of text as well. It is a great meta-cognitive strategy for students to increase their comprehension of text.
Strategy: Text Rendering
Purpose: This is a post-reading activity that allows students to voice the parts of the text that are most striking to them.
Language Skills: Speaking & Reading
Procedure:
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Students read a particular text and highlight the parts of the text they find interesting or striking in some way. Students can mark the parts of the text they make connections with, the parts they disagree with or the sections they just simply find interesting. Encourage students to mark multiple parts of the text. The markings should consist of just a few sentences rather than a whole paragraph or complete pages.
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After the students have read and marked their text, one student reads a highlighted passage and briefly explains why he/she marked that particular passage.
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After the first student finishes their comment, another student reads his/her passage and briefly explains why he/she marked the passage.
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This process continues in “popcorn” style. The teacher does not call on students. Rather, the students spontaneously take turns reading their marked passages and providing brief explanations. The teacher is encouraged to also participate.
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Following completion of the text rendering, it is important that students be given the chance to reflect on and share the connections they made. This can be done in numerous ways, but typically involves a Think-Pair-Share
Things to Consider: If the text is duplicated on copy paper, students could write directly on their copy; however, if the text is in a book that cannot be marked up, try to provide sticky notes as an alternative. At the end of the class period, the sticky notes can be removed and attached to a bg piece of butcher paper to track the classes’ thinking regarding the text.
Also, by hearing each student’s response, the teacher can quickly determine how successful the reading went, how divergent the thinking was, and possible issues that have to be clarified before moving on. Students are involved with the reading in a way that doesn’t fault them for “wrong” answers, and may actually reinforce their effort or build upon their understanding. The text rendering activity puts the language of the text into an oral form, and weaker students begin to recognize the text as they look for and hear others read it. Additionally, this is a great way to catch up those students who have been absent or just have not done the reading.
Strategy: Ticket Out
Purpose: This activity puts closure on your lesson in order to cement learning.
Language Skills: Writing
Procedure:
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Pass out half sheets of writing paper to students.
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Create a question that prompts students to reflect on what they have learned or demonstrate a skill they have learned. For example, “Write one thing you have learned today and provide an example” or “Solve 2x + 3 = 15
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Collect students’ Ticket Outs as they leave the classroom.
Community Building Tip # 7 Spider Web This is an excellent activity for ending the semester or the school year.
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Strategy: Conversation Game
Purpose: To promotes active and generative processing
Language Skills: Speaking
Procedure:
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The teacher selects enough vocabulary words so that each student in the class can be assigned two or three words. Each vocabulary word should be written on a separate card.
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Three teams of students should be formed, and the vocabulary cards should be passed out to each member of each team.
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The teacher begins a “conversation” with the class, saying a sentence or two to introduce a topic. For example, the teacher might say, “I wonder what the world is going to be like in the year 2010. Will schools and workplaces still function in the same ways that we’re used to, or will everything be different?”
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Students raise their hands to request participation in the conversation. After being acknowledged by the teacher, they contribute to the conversation by including one of the vocabulary words on their cards (e.g., “I think that we might see a lot of innovations in the field of medicine, like maybe a cure for AIDS.”)
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The teacher indicates whether students have used their word correctly. The team that uses all of its words first wins the game.
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Things to Consider: Here are a few ways to adapt the game: Allow students to use more than one word per contribution.
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Put 10-12 words on an overhead, and award points to individuals rather than teams.
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Allow students to select the topic for conversation and be the leader.
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Have teams select the vocabulary words that must be used by the other teams.
Strategy: Tree Map Graphic Organizer Purpose: To organize main ideas and supporting details in a text. Language Skills: Reading and Writing Procedure: 1. Students can use preprinted tree map organizers, or they can draw their own on unlined paper. 2. In the rectangle at the top of the page, write the topic of the text. 3. In each triangle write a main idea from the text. 4. In the boxes below the triangles add details to support each main idea. 5. Tree map graphic organizers can now be used to assess reading comprehension or to write a summary paragraph. |
Strategy: Triple Venn Diagram Purpose: Organize comparisons and differences on three topics graphically. Language Skills: Writing Procedure:
Blackline master is available in the Appendix |
Strategy: Vocabulary Continuum
Purpose: This strategy is typically applied in a language arts setting in order to help students move away from overused words in their writing and add words to their working lexicon. This strategy can also be adapted for use across content areas as explained below.
Language: Writing, Speaking, Vocabulary Development
Procedure:
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The teacher determines which words are being overused by students in their writing (ie. sad, mad, happy, said).
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The teacher creates a list of six to seven possible synonyms. Each word is written on a piece of construction paper and randomly given to students.
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As a class, students decide how to order those students/words in terms of intensity. For example, synonyms for mad could be: upset, furious, angry, irritated, annoyed, enraged. The class discussion revolves around ordering those words in terms of intensity.
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After consensus is reached, students copy the order in their graphic organizer (See Appendix).
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This is done periodically as teachers recognize students are using words over and over. The graphic organizer is kept throughout the year for students to refer to.
Adaptations for other content areas: It might be difficult for students to order vocabulary from other content areas in terms of intensity, however, students can be asked to order six to seven vocabulary words in a way that makes sense to them. Students can work cooperatively or as a whole class to justify the way they are ordering and making sense of those words.
Community Building Tip # 8 Pipe Cleaners This activity builds community and helps students to think visually about a topic or term.
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Strategy: Vocabulary Graffiti
Purpose: Whether activating background knowledge or checking understanding after studying a topic, vocabulary graffiti allows to students pull out and think about what they know regarding vocabulary in a visual format.
Language: Writing, Speaking, Vocabulary Development
Procedure:
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Begin by putting students in groups of 3 or 4.
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Give each group a sheet of newsprint/chart paper. Each group's sheet has a different vocabulary word written on it.
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Explain that the students will have a short time (30 seconds) to draw down on their chart paper anything they can think of that would represent their word visually such as symbols associated with their word.
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Explain that they will then have to pass their sheet over to the next group, and a new vocabulary word will be passed to them. Make it clear which direction you'll have them pass the sheets so that this is orderly AND so that each group will receive each of the vocabulary words.
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At the end of the 30 seconds, tell the students to cap their markers pass their sheets to the next group according to the pre-determined path for passing.
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After each passing, double the time because all of the easy ideas for creating visuals of the vocabulary word will have been taken by previous groups and the students will need more time to think and collaborate with each other about the vocabulary term.
Things to consider: Have the groups look over their original chart paper when it returns to them. Students can note all of the other visuals that were added after it was passed around to the other groups. They can then circle the three most creative and essential drawings or symbols and note these in their own notebooks. This will provide the students with an avenue to critically evaluate the term visually and it will allow them to make decisions about which drawings and symbols are most representative of or most closely associated with the given vocabulary term.
Original Source: http://www.readingquest.org/home.html
Additional Resource:
A great reading website for most content areas can be found at:
http://www.readingrockets.org/
Strategy: Vocabulary Race Purpose: Review vocabulary or determine what students already know about an upcoming topic of study Language Skills: Writing and vocabulary development Procedure:
Things to consider: Show students the list of letters before the race begins and give them two minutes or so to think of words. This will help lower the affective filter for your ELL students. Also, use the same letters for both groups, just put them in different orders. |
Strategy: Vocabulary Sort Purpose: Practice and review vocabulary Language Skills: Reading, speaking, listening, and vocabulary development Procedure:
Things to consider: Although a seemingly simple and straightforward strategy, the amount of cognitive activity and language production make the time spent in preparation for this strategy well worthwhile. |
Strategy: Wear a Word Purpose: This is an excellent way to draw students’ attention to key academic vocabulary specific to a content area. Language Skills: Vocabulary development and reading Procedure:
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Strategy: Word Link Purpose: Encourage students to make connections and develop categories for vocabulary words. Language Skills: Speaking, listening and vocabulary development. Procedure:
Things to consider: This strategy encourages students to “think outside of the box”. It is interesting to see how they link vocabulary words, and it is okay for those linkages not to be academic in nature. The purpose is vocabulary practice that will help students remember words. |
Strategy: Zip Around
Purpose: This activity provides students with oral language practice of key content area vocabulary.
Language Skills: Speaking, Listening, and Reading
Procedure:
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The teacher prepares eight to ten large tag board cards. Each card has a key vocabulary word on the front of the card and a definition on the back.
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Each card is given a number on the upper right hand corner of the back of the card so students can anticipate their turn.
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The first student quickly stands up, shows the class the front of their card and reads the definition on the back. Each card ends the definition with, “Who has the term ______?”
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The student then sits down.
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The next student jumps up and repeats the process.
Things to consider: Once students learn the strategy, they can make the cards themselves instead of the teacher. The numbers on the back of the cards can be eliminated so that students learn to listen carefully for their term.
We like to place ourselves behind students who are new English speakers in order to provide them with support while reading the back of the card should they need it. We find many students do not need our help, but they appreciate knowing that we are there to support them.
I use this strategy to teach Reading Vocabulary in my Reading/ Language Arts Blocks. This helps students by allowing them to hear, see and pronounce vocabulary words correctly along with reviewing its appropriate definition as well. The Zip Around activity helps my students to understand complex vocabulary, concepts and ideas that they are expected to know in Reading based on our state’s standards. As students arrive, I like to randomly pass out the Zip Around strips to my students. Once everyone is ready with a strip, I announce that we will be participating in a vocabulary Zip Around to review important content vocabulary. Students who read the strips need to read clearly and loudly for all to hear. Once the students finish the Zip Around for the first time, I ask my students to pass the Zip Around strip to a different student at their table for a second time. This reinforces the vocabulary review for my students. Sometimes I choose to include a picture next to the word along the front side of the sentence. This is very effective for my struggling readers. I also like to put the Zip Around strips up on my whiteboard with magnets so that students have access to them while they are involved in other activities that may require them to use the Zip Around vocabulary.
Gabby Carrillo – 6th Grade Language Arts Teacher – Sierra Middle School
One Last Thought: The Importance of Interaction Classrooms where academic language and content knowledge are being developed are not quiet classrooms. In order for students to develop language and learn content, they need to interact with their teacher, their peers and the content of the class. Remember that noise does not equal chaos. Students who are actively discussing a topic and making connections with prior learning or experiences are on task and are learning. Teachers should not dominate the linguistic aspects of a lesson. If you are consistently talking more than your students, you are taking language learning opportunities away from them. Multiple and varied opportunities for interaction fosters students’ production of complex language and thinking skills. Cooperative groups are one way to facilitate interaction. For additional information you can refer to the masters of cooperative learning, Johnson & Johnson as well as Kagan at the following websites: |
Additional Resources
Allen, J. (2002). On the Same Page. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Anders, P.L. & Guzzetti, B.J. (2005). Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas 2nd ed.. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Borasi, R., & Siegel, M. (2000). Reading Counts: Expanding the Role of Reading
in Mathematics Classrooms. New York: Teachers College Press.
Cummins, J. (1984). Bilingualism and Special Education: Issues in Assessment and Pedagogy. San Francisco, CA: College-Hill Press.
Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. &; Short, D. (2004). Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model. 2nd ed. Boston: Pearson.
Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2008). Improving adolescent literacy: Content area strategies at work. (2nd ed) New Jersey: Pearson.
Gibbs, J. (2006). Reaching All by Creating TRIBES LEARNING COMMUNITIES. Windsor, CA: CenterSource Systems.
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Reiss, J. (2008). 102 Content Strategies for English Language Learners. Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Appendix
Anticipation/Reaction Guide
Ensuring Equity with Alternative Assessments
Instructions: Read each statement
Determine whether you Agree (A) or Disagree (D) with each
Mark your response in the “Me” column
Read the text and determine whether the author would agree or
disagree
Mark your response in the “Author” column
Me |
Author |
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1. Using testing to sort and select students for access to educational and economic opportunities does not achieve equity. |
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2. Different assessments have their own strengths and weaknesses – there is no ONE way to fairly assess all students. |
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3. Providing alternative assessments to students ensures that all students have equitable education experiences. |
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4. Assessment data can be used by educators to make inferences about student achievement. |
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5. Performance tasks are viable alternative assessments for ELL students. |
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Movie |
Book |
Actor or Actress |
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Like |
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Dislike |
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Cloze Paragraph
Word Bank:
refuse |
chemicals |
demands |
Cesar Chavez (March 31, ___________________ - April 23, 1993) was a Mexican-American labor leader who used non-violent methods to fight for the rights of migrant farm workers in the southwestern USA. Migrant farm workers are people who do farm labor, moving from farm to _________________________________ and from town to town as their work is needed - it is difficult work that pays very _________________________________ and can be dangerous due to the use of pesticides (pesticides are _________________________________ that kill bugs and can make people sick).
Chavez founded a union, a _________________________________ that works to help increase the wages and improve the working conditions and safety of farm workers. He also organized strikes (when workers _________________________________ to work until improved working conditions and salary _________________________________ are met) and nation-wide boycotts of agricultural products in order to help workers (a boycott is a protest in which the public is asked not to buy certain products). Chavez went on many hunger strikes, refusing to _________________________________ until violence against strikers ended and until legislators (law makers) voted to make laws improving the lives of farm workers. He was also jailed many times during his fight against terrible migrant worker conditions.
Chavez was born in San Luis, _________________________________. When Cesar was 10 years old, his parents became migrant farm workers after losing their family farm. As a youth, Cesar worked part-time in the farm fields with his family in Arizona and in California as they moved from farm to farm, harvesting the fields. Cesar served in the US Navy during World War 2. When Cesar Chavez returned from the war, he labored as a farm worker in California. Chavez married Helen Fabela in 1948; they eventually had 8 children.
Cooperative Group Roles
S u m I t U p
NAME_________________________________________
DATE_______________
TITLE of READING SELECTION______________________________________
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Read the selection and underline the key words and main ideas. Write these in the blank area below where it says “Main Idea Words.”
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At the bottom of this sheet, write a one-sentence summary of the article, using as many main idea words as you can.
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Imagine you only have $3.00, and each word you use will cost you 10 cents. See if you can “sum it up” in twenty words!
Main Idea Words:
“Sum It Up” for $3.00
____________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ ____________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ ___________ ___________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ ____________ ___________ ___________ _________
__________ __________ ____________ ____________ _____________ __________
Adapted from Pat Widdowson
Surry County (NC) Schools
Triple Venn Diagram
Rate that Word
Name |
Class Period |
Date |
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Vocabulary Term |
I know the word and I can use it correctly |
I have seen the word, but I do not know how to use it us use it. |
I have no idea what this word means. |
Definition |
Vocabulary Continuum
Mad |
Annoyed |
Irritated |
Frustrated |
Upset |
Angry |
Engraged |
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About the Authors:
Alisa and Suzanne were public middle school classroom teachers for 16 and 17 years respectively. Now they serve as middle school instructional coaches. Both Suzanne and Alisa are nationally board certified teachers in the area of Early Adolescents through Young Adulthood/English as a Second Language. Alisa works with English language learners (ELLs) in the language arts content and Suzanne works with ELLs in the area of mathematics. Alisa and Suzanne are district professional development trainers. They provide interactive workshops geared towards instruction for ELLs in content areas. Currently, both Suzanne and Alisa are doctoral students in the department of Language, Reading and Culture at the University of Arizona.