MISD Bilingual/ESL Department SIOP Training #2 Building Background

Building and Activating Background Knowledge

Building Background – Content Objectives 1. Identify techniques for connecting students’ personal experiences and past learning to lesson concepts 2. Define the key elements of academic language and tell why it is so important to teach to the ELLs.

Building Background – Language Objectives Write a lesson plan incorporating activities that build background and provide explicit links to students’ backgrounds and experiences and past learning. Identify the academic vocabulary in SIOP lesson and select key vocabulary words to emphasize

Consider… Have you ever taught a lesson that you carefully prepared but with which your students cannot connect? As you are explaining new concepts, you observe confused faces, off-task behaviors and maybe some students mumbling to each other?

Let’s Talk As a group, discuss building background. Share… What is meant by activating prior knowledge? What is meant by building background? How do they differ instructionally? Share…

Building Background Link concepts to students’ background experiences. Bridge past learning to new concepts. Emphasize key vocabulary. Point out slide in handouts on p.4 Get participants involved through hand gestures. Click for feature Read Feature #1 – Model creating a link with thumb and pointer finger interlocking as a chain. Have participants copy creating a link with hands and reading aloud feature. Read Feature #2 – Model creating a bridge sweeping your hand over your head from back to front symbolizing a bridge from past to new. Have participants copy action and read aloud feature. Read Feature #3 – Model turning an imaginary key. Have participants copy action and read aloud feature. Repeat and Review as a group all 3 features using hand gestures. Note: Throughout the presentation the presenter may want to refer back to these gestures while introducing each feature in detail. Click for next slide CMS Ivanna Mann Thrower 2007

The language must be meaningful! Meaningful Language Effective teaching takes students from where they are and leads them to a higher level of understanding (Krashen, 1985, Vygotsky, 1978). But there is a caveat to this - The language must be meaningful!

Reading…Writing…Listening…Speaking Language is the vehicle for intelligence Reading…Writing…Listening…Speaking

Look at these letters CN NFB ICB SCI ANC AA

How many do you remember?

Now try again! Working Memory There were 16 letters on the list, and most people can recall only 7 There is not sufficient space in working memory to maintain more than that Now try again!

Background Knowledge! CNN FBI CBS CIA NCAA Easier, right?

These two lists contain the same information This is called chunking! Same Letters These two lists contain the same information This is called chunking! CN NFB ICB SCI ANC AA CNN FBI CBS CIA NCAA

No Background Knowledge http://youtu.be/zjBQ6hfa3Co

Activating Background Knowledge

Instructional Activities: Pretest with a Partner Activity helpful for students in grades 2-12 and is appropriate for any subject area The purpose of the Pretest with a Partner is to allow English Learners the opportunity to preview at the beginning of a lesson or unit the concepts and vocabulary that will be assessed at the conclusion on the lesson or unit.

Instructional Activities Pretest with a Partner Distribute one pretest and pencil to each pair of students. The pretest should be similar or identical to the posttest that will be administered later. The partners pass the pretest and pencil back and forth between one another. They read the question aloud, discuss possible answers, come to a consensus, and write the answer on the pretest.

Instructional Activities Pretest with a Partner This activity provides an opportunity for students to activate prior knowledge and share background information, while the teacher circulates to assess what students know…recording gaps and misinformation You are not teaching any information at this time

That was ACTIVATING background knowledge

How do I BUILD background knowledge then?

ACTIVATE Background Knowledge

BUILD Background Knowledge 2 1 3 4

Making Connections Explicit connections between new learning, the material, vocabulary, and concepts previously covered in class are vital.

NEW KNOWS Research proves a student will not learn anything Making Connections Research proves a student will not learn anything NEW until he connects it to something he already KNOWS

Links can be made through discussions “Who remembers what we learned about________?” How does that relate to our chapter/vocabulary/unit…” By reviewing graphic organizers, previously used in class notes, transparencies, or power points.

Linking Background Knowledge By preserving and referring back to word banks, outlines, charts, maps, and graphic organizers – teachers have the tools for students to make those critical connections.

Difficulties with Activating Prior Knowledge Cultural Background For children to excel in a classroom, they must be/feel valued there and share in the dialogue of learning. You should encourage the participation of all voices in the classroom. This fosters greater understanding not only of the curricula but of various people and cultures as well.

Who is this?

Who is this?

Who is this?

Hamburgers!

Hamburgers! Sauce Americaine!

Hamburgers! Mixture of: ketchup and mayo Even served with steak!

Cultural Differences Delicacy in Thailand?

Cultural Differences Deep fried tarantulas

Difficulties with Activating Prior Knowledge Differences between cultures are often perceived as threatening or “wrong” rather than just different. Feelings of apprehension, loneliness, or lack of confidence are common when students move into a new, and possibly unknown, culture. What is logical and important in one culture may seem irrational and unimportant to another. All cultures have internal variations. Cultures are continually evolving.

Affective Filter What is an affective filter? Do I know which of my students has the largest affective filter? What can I do during my lessons to reduce my students’ affective filter?

How do I (successfully) build my students’ background knowledge? Vocabulary and more Vocabulary!

Key Vocabulary Emphasized Research indicates a strong relationship exists between vocabulary knowledge and comprehension.

Language of Your Class No matter what subject or content you teach, you must teach the language of your class to all students You are essentially a language teacher This includes all teachers!

Vocabulary Instruction Systematic and comprehensive vocabulary instruction is necessary for English Language Learners…Why??? Content area texts include sophisticated vocabulary Reading performance tests given to ELL rely on wide ranging vocabulary knowledge

Vocabulary Instruction ELLs vocabulary instruction must be accelerated because ELLs are learning English later than their native speaking peers. ELLs’ acquisition of deep understanding of word meanings is very challenging.

Vocabulary Instruction Students should be active in developing their understanding of words and ways to learn them. personalize word learning through practices as Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategies be immersed with words build upon multiple sources of information to learn words through repeated exposure.

Concept of Definition Map What is it like? What is it? Ratio of the change in the y-coordinates to the corresponding change in the x coordinates Slope How is a slope represented on a graph? How is a slop represented on a formula? How is a slope represented in everyday life?

Homework Assignment Work on building background of SIOP on lesson plans and document your successes and challenges. Practice writing language objectives and purposefully utilizing them during your lesson Begin to develop background knowledge into your lessons. Explicitly activate prior knowledge in your lessons. First fifteen minutes of our next meeting will be devoted to sharing with the class. Email us any time if you need additional support – Tina Kelman tkelman@mckinneyisd.net Bryann Caldwell bcaldwell@mckinneyisd.net