Tools for ESL Lesson Plans By Terry Skiles 11/02/06

Introduction This presentation reviews tools and resources available to assist the teacher of middle school ESL classrooms with lesson planning. In 2000 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 28.4 million U.S. residents were foreign born. That number has expanded to over 30 million at this time creating a growing need for effective ESL classrooms and teachers in today’s school system.

Overview A brief introduction and explanation of the SIOP Model An introduction and explanation of an alternate model, the CALLA Model A summary of useful websites for teachers with tools and resources for ESL lesson planning

The SIOP Model Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Developed to make content area instruction more comprehensible in the ELL classroom Resulting from the work of Jana Echevarria, Mary Ellen Vogt and Deborah J. Short

Elements of the SIOP Model Preparation – Clearly defined content objectives – Clearly defined language objectives – Supplementary materials used – Adaptation of content according to student proficiency – Meaningful activities that integrate concepts

Elements of the SIOP Model Instruction – Building Background Linking concepts to student’s background Linking past learning to new concepts Key vocabulary emphasized – Comprehensible Speech appropriate for proficiency level Explanation of academic tasks A variety of techniques (modeling, hands on, etc.)

Elements of the SIOP Model – Strategies Opportunities for use of different strategies Scaffolding techniques used throughout the lesson A variety of question types (literal, analytical, etc.) – Interaction Frequent interaction between teacher and student Grouping configurations to support language and content objectives Consistent wait time for student response Opportunities to clarify key points in the student’s native language

Elements of the SIOP Model – Practice/Application Hands-on materials or manipulatives for practicing new content Activities to apply content and language knowledge Activities using all language skills (writing, listening, speaking, reading, etc.) – Lesson Delivery Content and language objectives must be supported by lesson delivery Students must be engaged almost 100% of the time Pacing appropriate to student’s ability

Elements of the SIOP Model Review and Assessment – Comprehensive review of key vocabulary – Comprehensive review of key content concepts – Regular feedback to students on their output – Conducting assessment of student comprehension and learning of all lesson objectives (spot checking, group response, etc.)

The CALLA Model Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) Involves integrating learning strategies into a lesson An alternative, less detailed lesson planning approach than SIOP Developed by Anna Uhl Chamot and J. Michael O’Malley

Elements of the CALLA Model Subject ESL Level Topic Grade(s) Content Objectives Language Objectives Learning Strategies Materials ITEMS TO BE DEFINED PRIOR TO PLANNING

Elements of the CALLA Model Preparation – Reviewing what students already know about learning strategies – Review and assess what is a student’s normal approach or strategy for a given task

Elements of the CALLA Model Presentation – Choose strategies appropriate for the task Present the language task Discuss strategies mentioning them by name – Model Strategies Model strategies through thinking aloud during tasks Discuss the value of strategies used

Elements of the CALLA Model Practice – Provide opportunities to practice the strategies already modeled – Use groups, pairs, and individual activities to think aloud and practice strategies – Re-emphasize the value of strategies as students use them – Coach the students by prompts focusing on the student’s thought processes

Elements of the CALLA Model Evaluation – Students must assess their own learning – Evaluate if strategies were successful – Emphasize which strategies worked well in certain contexts – Practice language skills by discussing which strategies the students find effective

Elements of the CALLA Model Expansion – Create tasks to encourage students to apply what they have learned to new situations – Encourage students to consciously re-use strategies with language tasks and content area learning

Useful Websites EverythingESL.Net model_08621.php.php model_08621.php.php Provides an overview and outline of the SIOP Model Includes related links to many articles and tools for content area instruction Helpful for teachers who are not familiar with the SIOP Model or need tools for content area instruction

Useful Websites CAL Center for Applied Linguistics Provides a historical perspective of the SIOP model and current news related to the topic Provides shopping links for professional development resources Includes sample lesson plans for content area teaching including science and social studies This website is useful for teachers attempting to improve their own professional development using the SIOP Model

Useful Websites CALLA Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach Provides only an outline of the CALLA Model Expands on the preparation, presentation, practice, evaluation, and expansion in the CALLA model Useful only to anyone wishing to familiarize themselves with the CALLA Model

Useful Websites Education World sl.shtml sl.shtml Provides links to articles and reviews of websites and tools for ESL lesson planning Excellent search tool for teacher helps such as classroom activities including online activities The website is a great tool for teachers in the ESL classroom for both professional development and classroom tools for teaching

Useful Websites EnglishClub.com Provides both an explanation of and the actual guides for warm ups, theme-based lessons and skill-based lessons Also provides both a historical perspective of the ESL classroom and a monthly newsletter for the ESL teacher The website does the work for the teacher. Lesson plans are already created for a plethora of content objectives and are categorized so teachers can complete a series of lessons

Print Resources Sheltered Content Instruction Teaching English Language Learners with Diverse Abilities By Jana Echevarria and Anne Graves A college level class textbook covering ESL classroom instruction based on the SIOP Model Useful for professors and students in the post-high school classroom

Print Resources The CALLA Handbook By Anna Uhl Chamot and J. Michael O’Malley Introduces and explains the CALLA Model, and provides direction for both establishing and implementing the model This text is useful in conjunction with other texts on teaching strategies for the college level classroom

Conclusion There is an abundance of web-tools, print resources, and online articles to assist the ESL teacher with effective lesson planning. Many lesson plans are already prepared for the teacher to use with little time and effort. The ESL teacher needs effective training, but the tools seem already in place to produce outstanding lesson plans for teaching content to the English Language Learner.

References Haynes, J. (2006). SIOP: Making Content Comprehensible for ELLs. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from Everything ESL Web site: using_siop_model_08621.php.php The SIOP Model of Sheltered Instruction. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from CAL Center for Applied Linguistics Web site:

References CALLA Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach – Integrating Learning Strategies into a Lesson. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from Jill Robbins Web site: Lesson Planning for the ESL Classroom. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from Education World Web site: ml Using English Club for Teaching in the ESL Classroom. Retrieved October 18, 2006 from English Club Web site:

References Chamot, Anna Uhl and J. Michael O’Malley. The CALLA Handbook, United States of America: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., Echevarria, Jana and Anne Graves. Sheltered Content Instruction Teaching English Language Learners with Diverse Abilities, United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc., 2003.