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 & 5On 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

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

Questions?

Comments

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