Working Together for our English Learners - 2Facilitated by Laurie Burgos7th grade Bilingual Resource TeacherMcKinley Middle SchoolFebruary 20, 2012

Essential Understandings

• All students can benefit from promising practices for English Learners, including sheltered instruction.

• Language is the key to literacy in all subject areas.

• We can improve our instruction through professional development and peer-coaching.

Today’s Objectives:• Content objectives: • Participants will be able to:

• identify effective teaching strategies for ELLs.• explain the importance of using both content and language

objectives in lessons.• integrate meaningful activities in lessons.

• Language objectives:• Participants will be able to:

• discuss language functions needed for students to be successful in content area classes.

• write a summary of an article regarding ELL instruction.

Who are we?• Without talking, arrange yourselves in order from least to

greatest according to the number of years you have worked in RUSD.

• Introductions

Sharing Strategies• Mitchell Middle School ELL Staff• Dana Sánchez, 6th grade Bilingual• Kimberly Krohn, ESL

Five-to-Three• Make a list of five words or terms that come to mind when

you think of teaching ELLs.

• Work with a pair or trio to discuss your words.

• Each group should select three words to share with the group.

Jigsaw Readings

• Delicate Balance• A second set of eyes and ears• Asking the right questions

• Use Summary Notes to “make notes” about your article.• Select a group member to report back to everyone.

Bloom’s Taxonomy and ELLs• All students are capable of higher-level thinking skills.

• We need to design our questions and lessons to promote the development of these skills.

• Low English Proficiency Level does not mean low cognitive skills or functioning.

Language and Learning• Bricks• Academic terms and

vocabulary• Students must learn the

meaning of the bricks

• Mortar• Language functions and • Students must learn

how to use the mortar

Language Functions• To argue persuasively for or

against a point of view

• To analyze, compare, and contrast

• To evaluate alternative points of view and factual information

• To justify one’s point of view or to debate different points of view

• To synthesize and integrate information

• To follow or give complex directions

• To hypothesize about the causal relationship between events

• To justify a prediction, as in a science experiment

• To present a logical argument

• To question an explanation

Sheltered Content Instruction• Uses an array of instructional techniques so content is

comprehensible to English Learners.

• Provides ELs with meaningful access to content learning.

• Equips students with the language needed for content learning.

What is SIOP©?• Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol• Developed to help content area teachers improve their

instructional practices for ELs in the mainstream.• Considers all teachers to be teachers of content and language.• Includes content and language objectives in each lesson.

• The main goal is to provide English learners with meaningful access to grade-level content language needed for content learning (Echevarria, Vogt, and Short, 2000).

• Language is the key to literacy!

Eight Components of SIOP©

• Lesson Planning• Building Background Knowledge• Comprehensible Input• Strategies• Interaction• Practice/Application• Lesson Delivery• Review and Assessment

Remember to consider…• Students’ affective needs• Cultural backgrounds• Learning styles

• It is important to create a nonthreatening environment in which students feel comfortable taking risks with language.

Tools for your Toolbox• Look at the menus of language functions and activities for the

different phases of a lesson.

• Think of a lesson from your content area.• What academic vocabulary would you target?• What language would your students need to achieve success?• How could you foster higher-level thinking skills?• What activities could substitute lecturing?

Extra! Extra!• In groups, create a headline (3-7 words) to synthesize what

you learned today.

Next Steps…

ReferencesAugust, D., and T. Shanahan, eds. 2006. Developing literacy in

second language learners. Report of the national literacypanel on minority-language children and youth. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

August, D., and T. Shanahan, 2010. Effective English literacy instructionfor English learners. Improving education for English learners:Research-based approaches. Sacramento, CA: California Departmentof Education.

Dutro, S. and K. Kinsella, 2010. English language development: Issues and implementation at grades six through twelve. . Improving education

for English learners: Research-based approaches. Sacramento, CA:California Department of Education.

References Echevarria, J. and D. Short, 2010. Research to guide English language development instruction. Improving education for English learners: Research-based approaches. Sacramento, CA:

California Department of Education.

Saunders, W. and C. Goldenberg, 2010. Research to guide Englishlanguage development instruction. Improving education for

English learners: Research-based approaches. Sacramento, CA:California Department of Education.