The CALLA Handbook – Chapter 2 The Content-Based Curriculum in CALLA Dr. Ellen de Kanter University of St. Thomas Instructional Strategies for the Content Area in ESL BIED 5336

Why Teach Content?  Knowledge Base  Subject-area concepts and relationships provide a foundation for learning grade-level information in important subjects.  Procedures  Students can practice skills and processes needed in the content area.  Motivation  Content is more motivating than language alone.  Learning Strategies  Content provides a context for learning and applying learning strategies.

How to Select Content  Content Teachers  Ask content teachers to help select high priority topics and skills for the grade level.  Curriculum  Study curriculum frameworks to see how topics selected are sequenced and reentered over several grades.  Textbooks  Read my schools adopted textbooks for different subjects—for this grade level plus lower and higher grades.  Curriculum Analysis  Identify major components for each content topic.  Student Interests  Allow students to select some content topics for in-depth study.

How to Teach Content  Activities  Provide hands-on and cooperative experiences.  Prior Knowledge  Start by linking the lesson topic to student prior knowledge.  Technical Vocabulary  Teach and have students use technical vocabulary appropriate to the content subject.  Learning Styles  Address different student learning styles: use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic means.

How to Teach Content  Overviews  Follow a general overview of the lesson or unit with new information in chunks; include active practice.  Questioning  Show students how to ask and answer high-level questions about content.  Teacher Monitoring  Monitor students comprehension on an on-going basis.  Student Monitoring  Teach students how to “know when they don’t know”—and what action to take.

How to Teach Content  Graphic organizers  Show students how to use graphic organizers to identify prior knowledge, prepare study guides, and restructure prior knowledge.  Resources  Provide books, articles, and other resources on content topics; teach students how to use them.  Learning Strategies  Provide explicit instruction on learning strategies for understanding, remembering, and using content.

The CALLA Handbook – Chapter 2 The Content-Based Curriculum in CALLA Dr. Ellen de Kanter University of St. Thomas Instructional Strategies for the Content Area in ESL BIED 5336