Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Mr. Tran had an excellent lesson on mummies. He listed easy-to-understand content objectives, posted key vocabulary words, then brainstormed about the words, and added words to the wall the students selected during their reading. He frequently referred back to the words. The students made a sequence chain, which broke down and explained steps used by the scientists and used the words from the word wall (further review). The students worked with a partner, and then shared their graphic organizers with other peers to help make corrections or additions.
The students seemed to enjoy reading the text and each other’s papers and finding new words for the word wall. They had great discussions about the meaning of the words, such as the different meanings of the word “tissue.” Also the different forms of the words, such as “embalm,” “ embalmer,” and “embalming.”
Mr. Tran had a number of informal assessments during his lessons, including listening to the group’s individual discussions, full group discussions, and their graphic organizers. He gave appropriate feedback and corrections throughout the lesson, then at the end of the lesson he reviewed and evaluated the vocabulary and content objectives.

Chapter 8

We all have learned that in order for the SIOP lesson to be effectively taught and delivered, we to need to have clearly defined, student friendly content and language objectives. I have learned that writing student friendly objectives makes it easier for both myself and the students. It helps my students to know what lesson will be taught ahead of time. Content and language objectives should not include abbreviations from the state standards that would be confusing and meaningless to the students.
On FEATURE 25: Students engageed 90% to 100% of the time. My students already know what it means to be on task all the time. I do not allow my students to off task most of the time. Before we start the day, I have more than enough pencils already sharpened with earsers ready to be used (nobody sharpens pencils, if it breaks they get a sharpened one), they all have to hit the bathroom when they come in, blow their noses, and wash their hands. That way way we lessen the movment during class and maximize actively time on task.
The lesson Ms. Chen did was great. Her content and language objectives were all clearly supported by her lesson. The pacing of her lesson was also well done. The way she must know her students very well in order how to pace all of her lesson well. The way she paced along by reading aloud and how she did the whole class activity. Reading the lesson activities have made me see more of how I should do my activities too. When I read the lesson for SRA ahead of time, I gather pictures and objects for the vocabulary words that I know the students may not know. Like for an example for the word shore, I got a picture of the beach, seashells, and have a dried starfish. We discuss where they come from and they get a better understanding of what the words mean.

Chapter 9 - Sabrina

Constant review throughout a lesson is the way to keep tabs on student understanding of what you are teaching. Through various methods, you can test the skills of your students while you are teaching the lesson. For example, during a math lesson concerning patters, you can ask students to name particular patterns while moving forward through the lesson. Constantly asking questions to random students within the group will give you a better understanding as to who is getting your lesson, and who might need a bit more help. These random assessments not only help the teacher understand where the students are, but also gives the rest of the class a chance for an extra review of information. With any lesson including vocabulary, you can ask students to give you definitions of important vocabulary terms at the beginning and throughout the lesson as review. To compare, once again, to the Reading Mastery program, there are ample opportunities to test student levels throughout the lesson; lead, model, test.

I have found that repetition is a fabulous road to student understanding, and retention. I find myself repeating the information three times to my students, emphasizing particular words, and then having the students repeat the information back to me. For example, I might say, "Glad is another word for happy. Glad...is another word for happy. What's another word for happy?" The students will respond with, "Glad."

To ensure students are learning the appropriate way to use the English language, it is important to correct their responses, if they are incorrect. When my students answer with one to three word responses, I repeat back to them the full sentence response, and have them repeat it back to me. This helps them understand what is expected of them within the classroom.

Chapter 9, Review and Assessment - Voni

It is necessary to introduce new vocabulary at the start of the lesson.
During the vocabulary preview, students see the word written and hear it spoken. I like to give the students an opportunity to share how the new word is relevant to them or I will give an example of how it is used. For example, a story we were going to read used the word “dock “, during the preview, the students were baffled as to what it meant, but with the use of a ruler, pretend water and pretend boats we were able to understand what a dock was and its function. When the students came to the word “dock” we did a quick review of the meaning before they read on. This technique introduces the word by seeing the written word and hearing or telling how it is used and then gives the student a chance to recall and reinforce the meaning. I feel this helps them to better visualize and understand the story while helping to cement the vocabulary into their minds. It’s a mini spiral of learning effect.

For the assessment of vocabulary at the end of a lesson, I like the idea of the students writing a sentence using the new word and reading it aloud to me. Or have a fill in the blank , on the overhead or chalkboard and then have the students write their answer on individual white boards. After they show me their answer I can see who may need further help.

Also whenever an opportunity pops up during the day for a vocabulary word or new concept to be reviewed, I take it. Any opportunity to recall the learning is well worth the time, so whenever possible I refresh and review key points of previous lessons, adding to the repetition repetition of newly learned information.

Voni - Chapter 8 Lesson Delivery

On page 154, the text says “We caution against any inclination to list the state standard in an abbreviated form, like CA history 5.2.3, as an objective”

Using the state standard such as CA history 5.2.3 for an objective does not qualify in serving the purpose of posting the objectives for any learner, especially the ELL. It would be like me trying to decipher the meaning of technical jargon. It would not make sense and I would struggle to attach meaning to it. The objectives need to be clearly defined in a language that is comprehensible to the learner in order to take him to the next level.

Read pages 157-158. List 3 things Ms. Chen did to support the content objectives in her lesson? Which of these things do you do? What techniques can you add to your teaching practice that will help students learn the content goal?

I liked how Ms. Chen built up background knowledge with the piece of “fools gold” and pre-taught the key vocabulary words so that when she presented to the class, the ELL’s were more apt to comprehend the objectives. When teaching action verbs in my classroom, I had action words written on cards and the students came to the front of the class and pulled a card out of the hat and then acted out the word. The audience got to guess. This gave real life practice to the meaning of an action word, fitting into our lesson of sentence structure. Thinking back on it, I should have had the students write the action word on their white boards. Next time! AND have a volunteer say the word in a complete sentence.

She also modeled coloring the map on the overhead and then let the students work in small groups. Working in small groups allow students to help one another and build confidence in knowing how to understand and apply the task. I find in my classroom I basically teach from the standpoint that vocabulary and expected processes and outcomes need to be pre-taught frequently because of the language and the primary grade level of learning.

➢ What makes this component so important to include in your teaching practice?

Time in the classroom is valuable. Clearly stating objectives eliminates the guesswork of where the lesson is going. Starting on a firm base followed by direct and guided instruction leads to comprehensible practice that reinforces the content and language objective.

Component 7: Lesson Delivery, chapter 8!

Chapter 7: Lesson Delivery pages 152 - 185.


Features 23 and 24: Content and Language Objectives Clearly Supported by Lesson Delivery
Feature 25: Student Engaged Approximately 90% to 100% of the Time.
Feature 26: Pacing of the Lesson Appropriate for Students’ Ability Levels


Before reading:  Predictions
➢    How do you know when you know you need to change the pace of your lessons, either to make it faster or slower?

➢    What techniques and strategies have you developed to keep students engaged throughout the lesson?
➢    When and how do you reflect on your lessons to make them better?

➢    What have you learned from your experience with writing SIOP lesson plans this year?


After reading, discuss the following questions:

➢    How do you support the language and content objectives throughout your lessons? How many times during a lesson do you refer to the objectives posted in the front of your class? DO students refer to them on their own?

➢    Why is it important to write out the objectives in student friendly language?

➢    On page 154, the text says “We caution against any inclination to list the state standard in an abbreviated form, like CA history 5.2.3, as an objective”?


➢    What percentage of time do you think students are engaged in learning in your class? What activities work the best for student engagement? Share your ideas with other teachers.

➢    Read pages 157-158.  List 3 things Ms. Chen did to support the content objectives in her lesson?  Which of these things do you do? What techniques can you add to your teaching practice that will help students learn the content goal?

➢    What makes this component so important to include in your teaching practice?

Chapter 8: Lesson Delivery - Sabrina

In order to effectively deliver our lessons, we must prepare ourselves to handle what our students may or may not understand. Posting clear, simple content and language objectives not only help the teacher guide their lesson, but helps the students to track their learning.

In terms of student engagement, students who are engaged less than 50% of the time is extremely unacceptable. Not only are the students not learning, but if they are not engaged there is a high likelihood they will misbehave because they are bored. When considering the lessons I teach, I like to use Reading as an example. Since the students are in small groups, students are able to feel more like an individual rather than student #3 out of 17. Students are given ample opportunities to shine: individual turns (students will say letter sounds, words, and whole sentences); and pretending to be the teacher (when students come to the front of the group and point to certain words or sounds and take a turn as the teacher). This gives the student leadership opportunities as well as a chance to get out of their seats. Students are more actively engaged in the small group setting because there is less of a chance they will get lost within the material. The direct instruction method, I feel, leads to more student engagement.

This ties right into pacing the lesson so that it is appropriate to the students' ability levels. There are tests every five lessons that give the teacher an idea of how the students are doing (in addition to your daily lessons). If all the students are firm on certain sounds, words, and readings, there is opportunity to move forward within the program, bringing the students to the level at which they are currently at mastery. On the other hand, if students are not firm on the tests, the teacher is able to backtrack, and repeat the necessary lessons in order to ensure their mastery.

As stated in the book, having a general objective and refusing to deviate from a lesson's "flow" is not helpful for English Language Learners. Teachers must recognize when their students are not understanding the concepts being taught in order to accommodate those who might need more assistance. If teachers fail to recognize the needs of their students, they will fall behind. I have experienced this in my classroom, and am coming up with ways to rectify the situation. I have found that using my center time in the afternoon to review topics that are difficult for some students, gives them another chance to cement that information and hopefully retain it. While teaching at a slower pace might be difficult for some teachers, it will greatly benefit the students in their retention of information. As teachers, we must effectively deliver our lessons so our students can be successful.

That was a bit wordy...I apologize!

Perfect Practice

Piggy-backing on Voni's statement...Perfect Practice Makes Perfect. I disagree that we should correct only errors that impede communication. I think we should gently, and in a non-threatening way, correct all mistakes in speaking. "My parents sends congratulations to you," can be corrected simply by saying, "Oh! Your parents send greetings to me?" "Mr. Magoo, I have came to get my stuffs," would be, "I see you have come to get your stuff."
-I want to thank you all for your audience

Chapter 7

SIOP Chapter 7

Material learned must be practiced over and over to stick in a student’s mind. Practices should be kept short and meaningful. When we were kids we played a game called “London Bridge” in which we sang a short little song and passed under our friends’ uplifted hands. It was a very short little song and we sang it over and over again. Even 40 or 50 years later, we remember the song as well as the movements. Students’ learning works exactly the same way. They need short, frequent practices and specific feedback. It is much better if they can use manipulatives as well. One teacher said her elementary students practice making letters by writing the letters with glue, then sprinkling salt on them. You could also use sand, glitter, or any very small interesting items. The students then put their letters on the wall and later added to them to spell simple words. They read their letters and words aloud every day.

Language skills practice needs to be integrated. When students interact by reading, writing, listening and speaking, they naturally reinforce language skills.

Chapter 7 - Voni

As the old saying goes, "Practice makes perfect" and to our students that means ample opportunities to practice new skills or concepts in a variety of ways. Looking back at a science unit that I taught my students, I saw hands on activities, an action song, writing and reading. Through these means, the students learned and expressed what they learned about the body parts of an insect.

I read "insect" books aloud to them and I also checked out books about insects from the library so the students had access to insect books in the classroom for independent or paired reading. We learned an "action" song that taught the vocabulary of the body parts of an insect. Last time I checked, some still remember the parts! Students also made a paper sculpture of a butterfly in which they could identify the body features of the insect. As a class we wrote a report, each student wrote his own copy, sentence by sentence. This gave them the opportunity to hear and write in complete sentences what they had learned.

Throughout the unit the students were able to practice what they learned by means of speaking, writing, and demonstration. The end.

Chapter 7 - Sabrina

I enjoyed reading about classroom practice concerning new content knowledge. With new knowledge, it's necessary to have lots of practice with the students. In my classroom, after completing our reading instruction, the students need to complete a page in their workbook to practice the skills they just learned. The workbooks also revisit skills from older lessons. To make it real for my students, when discussing "halves" I used our snacks (cherry tomatoes and apples) to demonstrate what constitutes a "whole" and a "half". Not only were they engaged because it was food and interactive, but they were able to hold HALF of an apple as opposed to a WHOLE one - further cementing in their minds that if you cut something "in half" the two pieces are exactly the same size. This was a great hands-on activity to use within the unit.

I try to keep in mind that students must be given various opportunities to practice their language skills. With the "Language for Learning" program, the high structured program allows students to become more confident in their language abilities. Those lessons, and corrections, continue throughout the day - allowing them to achieve the "academic language" necessary for a school setting.

I do have a question. On page 143 it states, "EL's do not need to be proficient speakers before they start to read and write." Maybe I am misreading that, but when students enter my classroom, before they can read and write they need to be able to say the sounds they intend to write. I would like more explanation on the book's statement. Are they saying that just because an ELL they can learn to read and write before they are proficient speakers? I have had a couple experiences, this year and last year, where a student was basically mute, and others that were not strong speakers. Those students are not strong readers or writers. Any further explanation will help! Thanks!

Chapter 6

I like the part where it says in this chapter that we need to provide structured opportunities to practice using the language. It also says, students learning English need to opportunities to practice using the academic language. When doing so, it has to be meaningful to the English learners. We are learning, to me it was going to be a very simple lesson on clock. Only to the hour and half hour. The students had to learn what it is when it's 1:00 and then when it's 1:30. In order for them to show 1:30, they had to learn the word in between 1 and 2. They had learned that when we were learning what number is before, after and in between. Of course they got it, all they needed was a little review on the vocabulary words.

Chapter 6, Interaction

Component 5, Interaction is my favorite component of SIOP. This is the aspect of SIOP teaching which is the most exciting!  The 4 features in this component are:

Feature 16) frequent opportunities for interaction and discussion.

Feature 17) grouping and configurations support language and content objectives of the lesson.

Feature 18) sufficient wait time for student responses consistently provided.

Feature 19) Opportunity for students to clarify key concepts in L1.

Many ESL programs focus on Krashen’s ideas about Comprehensible Input, he wrote about in his book, Input Hypothesis (1985). But now many second language teachers are realizing there has been a lack of emphasis on output.  Linguists and other language acquisition researchers have found many limitations with Krashen´s comprehensible input theory and are conducting more research on student "output" which is the focus of this chapter 6, in Making Meaning Comprehensible.

The beginning of chapter 6 compares the traditional "mainstream" classroom where teacher talk dominates and the classroom that promotes student interaction.
•    Why do you think this is? Why is it especially important for ELLs to be involved in more interactive opportunities throughout the day?
•    Notice the student responses on pages 116 to 118. What is the length of the student responses? What is the difference between the mainstream lesson and the SIOP model?  What would you have done differently?

Feature 16 talks about “frequent opportunities for interaction and discussion,” and begins with a discussion on Oral language Development on page 119.
•    What is your understanding on oral language development?
•    What new things did you learn in this section that can help you with your students?
•    What techniques do you use to get students to elaborate on their responses, if they provide answers that are too short (p. 120)
•    On page 121, it says, “Through meaningful interaction, students can practice speaking and making themselves understood,” and explains that students can interact in pair, triads, and small groups. Brainstorm activities that you can do in your classroom that would promote student interaction.

Feature 18 talks about sufficient wait time for student responses consistently provided. Do you notice some of your students need more wait time than others.

In Western Alaska, Feature 19, Opportunity for students to clarify key concepts in L1, is very important. In one lesson, I asked Maxine to give an explanation in Yup’ik. Since the topic was on traditional storytelling, I wanted her to explain it in Yup’ik as well. What are some ways that students can clarify concepts in their home language? Do you know which students speak Yup’ik in the home?

What are some of the things you learned from the teaching scenarios, which begin on page 129?
I hope you all enjoy reading and discussing this chapter!

I am impressed with your great book study!

I loved the book study in Kipnuk. It was fantastic! Great facilitation and participation on everybody’s’ part. I loved the discussion on strategies, which was intertwined with insights from the classroom. This type of discussion can really help you improve your teaching practice. Many of you brought up relevant topics, like wait time and oral language development.

I appreciated  the comment about how you felt about following a scripted program, without deviating from the script. I know some programs put this message out so that they have fidelity with the implementation of the program.  Language acquisition does not happen in isolation.  Language acquisition has to take into account the learner, the teacher, the community, the culture and the influences of other languages in the community, as well as socioeconomic and political factors.  Every language program should emphasize the influence these factors; thus it is only the teacher who can put these pieces together and teach in a way that is most effective for his or her particular students. That is why research says the greatest factor in approving student achievement is the teacher! There is no one program that  will work the best for all students; so the best answer is that teachers should be highly trained so they can become skillful practitioners.

I like the comment someone said about “Why do experts come from the lower-forty-eight and tell us what is best for our students?” I could not agree more. Many teachers across the state have also said this. When you count the hours you have spent with your kids in your classroom, this make you one of the experts for teaching those kids (along with insights from the parents). It is important to increase the skills in your teaching toolbox and continue to find what works best for your students.  What we do need here in Western Alaska is more research on linguistics, which studies the influence of language, culture, socioeconomic and political that affect language acquisition in this region. We need to have our own experts, and not only rely on outside experts. What they have to offer is great, but we also need our own experts for this region, because this region is very unique compared to Washington DC, New York, California or wherever the research is done.

Your discussion reminded me of critical pedagogy. Critical pedagogy focuses on knowledge, reflection and action as a basis for systemic change. Critical pedagogy use the word “critical,” which in this context does not mean “ to criticize,” but rather it refers to a “turning point” or “transformation.” Critical pedagogy encompasses three steps: 1) Information; 2) Reflection; and 3) Action.  What do you think of critical pedagogy? Do you see your teaching practices as a process of learning new knowledge, then reflecting on it in terms of your students,  which then leads to action? I see the book study in terms of critical pedagogy because of the new information that you are learning from the book and the opportunity for  reflection that you have.

I hope I was not too long-winded, but I kept thinking of what you said reflected on your comments as you discussed the chapter and your students, and I kept mulling these ideas over in my head.  Keep up the great work on your book study! I am looking forward to your discussion on interaction.

Chapter 6 Interaction
Voni

Reading the teaching Scenario – Mr. Charles - got me excited about teaching. I like how he changed things up to keep the students interested and involved. It is easier to assess what they are comprehending when you can see them think through actions, such as the clothes pins on the paper plate activity. I also like how he stressed the vocabulary by having them identify and circle and underline the addends and sums. They need to hear, recognize, and understand the vocabulary. Even at that I wonder what it takes to get some students to learn or make the information stick. today during ELPT testing, I discovered that a number of students couldn’t identify a picture of a calendar. This surprised me because they have been ‘doing’ calendar since they have been in Kindergarten.
The End.

Liane- Chapter 6 Interaction

I like the idea to promote interaction in chapter 6. We just had the Speech Path. come and stay for a couple of days. He brought a Jeopardy game with him and in the game he used several of the techniques described in the book. His game allowed the discussion of information about the four seasons and facts therein and aforementioned. All the kids were involved in thinking and in preparing answers. He allowed kids to work in teams of four and he wouldn't accept answers that weren't in a full sentence.
My students need to be able to write friendly letters properly. So, I practice interaction with them by requiring a letter each week. They keep a journal and every week have to write me a letter on Thursday or on Friday. I use the weekend to respond to them. I've been working more oral interaction into my lessons with the inside/ outside circle exercise. The kids on the inside have to state the content objectives to the kids on the outside. The kids on the outside have to state the language objectives to the kids on the inside.

Chapter 5-Liane

Scaffolding is the gradual transition from dependence to independence. I have noted that sometimes this transition can't be done in one lesson, one week, or sometimes, not even in one month. The more complex a task, the more explicit teaching needs to be done; the more deliberate modeling needs to be done; the more guided practice needs to be offered; and the longer it takes to achieve independent application. Learning is a process and scaffolding is its guide rail.
It is our charge as much to impart information as to teach how to think. We want to produce problem solvers not just students who regurgitate. Therefore, questioning can never be considered a wasted venture. Even when there is no answer, the curiosity of questioning leads to invention.

Chapter 4- Liane

Maria's illustration of comprehensible input drove the point home. It was much easier to follow her instruction when she used a lot of models and a lot of body language. It also made me want to talk during the lesson. I was lost at some points and I really wanted to turn to someone else to find out if they were understanding. I wanted someone else to explain it to me. Perhaps that is what goes on when audiences chat during presentations??
Eighty-five percent of us are visual learners so it stands to reason that visual aids and models can increase comprehension. Since most of us are not auditory learners, the 10th feature of SIOP should be heeded no matter what language we speak. Slowing our speech, especially with enunciation and complexity, will increase the understanding of most people. I love the tip to use gestures, body language, pictures, realia, and objects to accompany speech. This takes more time to prepare and requires more initial investment of energy. However, if that gives a net gain in less repetitions, we can save time and energy in the end.

Chapter 6 - Sabrina

Even in my Kindergarten room, I encourage the students to talk as much as possible. This is much easier to do at this point in the year, seeing as in the beginning they are pretty much clams. The Language for Learning program I am using encourages students to use language properly. For example, when pointing, in my teacher's book, to a dog I will ask the students, "What is this?" I will not accept "dog" as a response - it must be "a dog." I utilize this throughout the day; the learning doesn't stop when we're through with the Direct Instruction. Taking off my "Direct Instruction" hat, when discussing a story, or with anything we are doing, I will ask students if the topic reminds them of anything else. We were discussing "equal parts" a few days ago and that led into a discussion about past birthday parties, and sharing your cake, cookies, and jello equally - so that it would be fair. Anything can lead into a discussion amongst the students; the teacher just needs to take those opportunities when they come up.

The hardest thing for me to keep up on is "wait time." It's hard to gauge the wait time, and it differs with each student. I find it interesting that some of my students who speak Yugtun at home need less wait time than other students; and with other students it's the opposite.

One thing I try to do throughout the year is vary my instructional groupings. As it says in the book, if you switch it up every now and then, you will keep the students interested and help them retain the information. I am utilizing the SMARTBoard mostly for Math so that they can be more interactive in their learning. Allowing the students to get up and participate in a giant video game keeps their attention for a longer amount of time (sometimes...).

I use whole-group instruction to introduce new topics, split into smaller groups if the topic is not being absorbed well and eventually move into independent work. I would like to work on adding more independent structure to my center time; giving the students a chance to work in pairs or triads on their own. I now have students working independently with file folder games, and other math games.

Chapter 5 * Voni

In the midst of a science unit on ‘Insects’, I did an art lesson using an Art Kit from the media center. Maria had recommended using the Art Kits because of their colorful pictures and step-by-step instructions. The project was excellent because it reinforced our new knowledge using a kinesthetic approach, allowing the students to create the body parts of an insect and show their understanding of symmetry on the butterfly’s wings.
Before we started the lesson I had the students verbally identify the parts of an insect and I wrote them on the board. I referred back to the words during the step-by-step instructions, pointing out or asking them what part of the insect are we now making?
The art kit I used taught the works of E.A. Seguy, providing beautiful intricate, designs of butterflies, all of which were researched, drawn, and labeled from different parts of the world. I keep the globe close by during instruction so we can locate “where in the world” is ??????This also overlapped a class written report about butterfly’s, including where they live.
Directions for the butterfly paper sculpture were clearly posted on a laminated fold out. After reading each step as a group, the students independently followed them. When most of the students were finished we moved on to the next step. At each step, or body part, we referred back to the words written on the board prior to beginning the art project.
The Art Kit provided a great way to integrate the unit on insects into social studies and math AND the general concept of following directions. If I were to do this lesson again I would have them choose a specific butterfly to replicate the symmetry rather than design their own. Then I’d have them make a card identifying the butterfly by scientific name and where it lives. I would frame the sentence indicating that information.
My initial plan was to just use the pictures from the Art Kit, but after seeing the lesson set-up, it turned out to be a great way to help cement and extend the learning.