1. ELLs in Texas: What Teachers Need to Know
PLC Guide
Chapter 4 – Create an Accessible, Interactive Classroom (Part 1)
This PLC meeting is based upon Chapter Four in ELLs in Texas: What Teachers Need to Know, Create an Accessible, Interactive Classroom (Part 1). Due to the amount of material to be addressed in the meeting, we elected to divide Chapter Four into two meetings.
Each participant will need their copy of the book, highlighter, pen, and post-its. You might want to have chart paper or a white board available for your use.
Click here to view a video from the authors 1

2. Put it on the Table
Share your products from the last Make It Real activity – Beyond the School Walls
You may use a Gallery Walk or another presentation/sharing approach.
This activity will take some time to complete, but it will be well worth it. The variety of artifacts and information shared will be very engaging. You may want to take photos of the activity for a school or district newsletter.
Classroom Tip: Bringing the students' neighborhoods into the classroom is a way to honor their reality and to highlight the unique characteristics of each neighborhood represented in the class. This activity can lead to ELLs sharing similar information about the neighborhood or culture that represents their family. 2

3. Talk 1 Share your response to the following stem with a partner:
If a erythematous maculopapular presented on the trunk, I would…
If you were a student, what could the teacher do to make this stem more comprehensible?
This activity would be fun to share with the whole group if time permits. See if there are visuals, icons, discussion of multiple meaning words (trunk), looking at word parts (base words, affixes), writing the stem on the board, pronouncing the words, etc. mentioned. 3

4. Read Read pp. 126-128, and survey pp. 130, 133, and 135.
Highlight and mark key sentences with:
confusing or unfamiliar information
I know this
new or surprising information 4

5. Talk 2 As a group, discuss the following questions:
What are some ways in which I can lower the affective filter for my ELLs?
What are some ways I am effective at providing comprehensible input?
How can I make the input I provide to my ELLs more compelling?
Based upon the size of the group and the time available, this discussion may be better suited to small groups. If this is done, a brief recap time for each group to share a couple of their ideas would be helpful.
Classroom Tip: If you do a small group activity similar to this, random groupings would work well. ELLs would have time to practice their contributions and get help with pronunciation. In sharing out with the whole group, use a randomizing/rotating approach that ensures that all participants are prepared to share to the whole group. 5

6. Write
Think of a lesson you are planning on teaching in the next few days.
Write a paragraph describing how you will make your instruction more comprehensible and/or compelling. 6

7. Make It Real Read p. 136 – CI Resource Round Up
Make a list of the resources you already have on hand in your classroom that helps make content comprehensible.
When you next meet, you will share your lists. 7