Building Background for English Learners Through Sheltered Instruction

Content Objectives: Recognize the importance of building background knowledge to lesson concepts. Identify strategies for linking past learning with new information. Language Objectives: Discuss how to teach key vocabulary and incorporate vocabulary development activities into lessons. Session Objectives Read and Tell your neighbor what we will do today

Sheltered Instruction is an approach to teaching content to English language learners in strategic ways that make the subject matter concepts comprehensible while promoting the students English language development. --Echevarria, Vogt, and Short What is Sheltered Instruction?

Lesson Preparation Building Background Comprehensible Input Strategies Interaction Practice/Application Lesson Delivery Review/Assessment 8 Components of Sheltered Instruction

Concepts explicitly linked to students background experiences Links explicitly made between past learning and new concepts Key vocabulary emphasized (e.g., introduced, written, repeated, and highlighted for students to see) Features for Building Background Vogt, M., Echevarria, J. (2006). Teaching Ideas for Implementing the SIOP Model

Schema Activity Complete the cloze activity on the next slide by yourself

On a w_____ evening, the s_____ is home to what most a­­­­­­­ ________ agree is the grandest of all ­­­­­c___________. A rectangle of br­­­___ s______ which includes, at o ______ corners, 1st-magnitude B­­­_______and R______, bisected by a diagonal row of three br______ s_____(the "____"). Beneath the b_____ hangs a row of three s_____ O_____ "sword." Don't be fooled by their uninspiring n_______-eye appearance; the middle s_____ in the s_______ isn't a s______ at all. It's the O____N_____, one of the grandest t________ showpieces the night s_______ has to offer. In b_______, it appears as a f_____ patch of li_____. When you gaze at this wondrous glowing c______, you view c_______ itself, for within this luminous g_____, s_____ are being born. Complete the Scaffolded Cloze

Word Bank Glow creation sky telescopic astronomers belt Star/s fuzzy Orion binoculars opposite naked Constellation/s light Nebula winter bright sword Betelgeuse Rigel Suggested Proficiency Levels 4 & 5 On a w_____ evening, the s_____ is home to what most a ­­­­­­­ ________ agree is the grandest of all ­­­­­ c___________. A rectangle of br ­­­ ___ s______ which includes, at o ______ corners, 1st-magnitude B ­­­ _______and R______, bisected by a diagonal row of three br______ s_____(the "____"). Beneath the b_____ hangs a row of three s_____ O_____ "sword." Don't be fooled by their uninspiring n_______-eye appearance; the middle s_____ in the s_______ isn't a s______ at all. It's the O____N_____, one of the grandest t________ showpieces the night s_______ has to offer. In b_______, it appears as a f_____ patch of li_____. When you gaze at this wondrous glowing c______, you view c_______ itself, for within this luminous g_____, s_____ are being born.

Stars Constellation Orion Nebula Building Background with Visuals

On a winter evening, the sky is home to what most astronomers agree is the grandest of all constellations Orion the Hunter. A rectangle of bright stars, which includes, at opposite corners, 1st- magnitude Betelgeuse and Rigel, is bisected by a diagonal row of three bright stars (the "belt"). Beneath the belt hangs a row of three stars Orion's "sword." Don't be fooled by their uninspiring naked-eye appearance; the middle star in the sword isn't a star at all. It's the Orion Nebula one of the grandest telescopic showpieces the night sky has to offer. In binoculars, it appears as a fuzzy patch of light. When you gaze at this wondrous glowing cloud, you view creation itself, for within this luminous glow, stars are being born Check Your Answers

Assign partners an EL Proficiency Level 1 -2 or 3-4 Using the previous astronomy lesson, design a lesson to build background at the assigned EL Proficiency Level Use laptops and internet to explore options Present to whole group YOUR TURN

…provides a basis for understanding, learning, and remembering facts and ideas found in stories and texts. Individuals with knowledge of a topic have better recall and are better able to elaborate on aspects of the topic than those who have limited knowledge of the topic. Echevarria, Vogt and Short, Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners, 2004 Schema, Knowledge of the World…

Velcro in the brain Schema is like

Reflection Think-Pair-Share To what extent is there discrepancy between students experiences and what you believe they have experienced?

Remember… Students from different cultural/socio-economic environments will not have had the same prior personal experiences. Links to Background Knowledge

Link new concepts to previous knowledge Building Background

Personal Experiences Sensory Memory Working Memory Permanent Memory How is Background Knowledge Initiated? Background Knowledge Taken from Robert Marzano, Building Background for Academic Achievement

Identify key vocabulary essential to understanding the content. Pre-teach these essential words. Provide experiences. Introduce framework. Building Background: Importance of the Language Base

Step 1: Provide a description, explanation, or example of the term as well as a non-linguistic representation for EL. Step 2: Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words. Step 3: Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representing the term. Process for Teaching New Terms

Step 4: Engage students in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the terms in their notebooks. Step 5: Periodically ask students to discuss their terms with each other. Step 6: Involve students in games that allow them to play with terms. Process for Teaching New Terms Continued Marzano, R., Pickering, D. (2005) Building Academic Vocabulary.

All EL students have background knowledge… BUT… Not all EL students have academic background knowledge

We Will… Turn and Discuss What are some reasons why EL students do not have academic vocabulary knowledge? Share

Content Objectives: Recognize the importance of building background knowledge to lesson concepts. Identify strategies for linking past learning with new information. Language Objectives: Read and discuss how to teach key vocabulary and incorporate vocabulary development activities into lessons. Review Session Objectives

Echevarria, J., Short, D., Vogt, M. E. (2004). Making Content Comprehensible: The SIOP Model. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Marzano, R. J. (2004). Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement: Research on What Works in Schools. Alexandria, VA.: ASCD. References

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