MISD Bilingual/ESL Department

MISD Bilingual/ESL Department SIOP Comprehensible Input February 5, 2014 Tina Kelman

How have you been doing? We’ve had two sessions so far: • Lesson Preparation • Building Background

Share an idea & a challenge Now, share a strategy that you have implemented this past week for building background knowledge. Take 1-minute each to share what went well and what challenges you may have had. If your group finishes before time, others may interview.

Objectives for Comprehensible Input • Content • Participants will evaluate the significance of intentionally infusing comprehensible input strategies into their lessons. • Language • Participants will discuss a reflection on the progress of their implementation of the components covered thus far with the group.

SIOP Component 3 Comprehensible Input

Comprehensible input means that students should be able to understand the essence of what is being said or presented to them. Comprehensible Input

Comprehensible Input • This does not mean, however, that teachers must use only words students understand. • In fact, instruction can be incomprehensible even when students know all of the words.

What you put in is what you get out!

Teacher Talk • Making teacher talk comprehensible to students goes beyond the choice of vocabulary and involves presentation of background and context, explanation and rewording of unclear content, and the use of effective techniques such as graphic organizers.

Context or Visual cues By using context or visual cues, or by asking for clarification, students enhance their knowledge of English.

When input is comprehensible, students understand most aspects of what is required for learning, and the learning experience pushes them to greater understanding

Think About It… • Just because the students can’t speak English proficiently … doesn’t mean they can’t think! • Just because the students can’t read English… doesn’t mean they can’t think!

Language is mostly acquired when: • Lessons are interesting and relevant • Instruction follows natural language patterns • Input is provided in sufficient quantity • The message is clear so the learner can understand • There is appropriate monitoring of errors, since overcorrection increases student anxiety • There is sufficient wait time to allow for internal translation

Language Acquisition Teachers need to make content comprehensible based on the English Language acquisition level of each student. Stages of Language Acquisition- • Beginner • Intermediate • Advanced • Advanced High (same level as native speakers)

Beginner • I don’t speak any English • Intermediate • I speak conversational English only, no academic English • Advanced • I can use some academic English • Advanced High • I speak English comparable to native speakers Stages of Language Acquisition

Food for Thought…. • It is critical that students know what is expected and that step by step instructions are written for students to see and use. • Many students will begin to disengage or misbehave because they are not certain what they are expected to do, even if you have verbally told them everything they need to know.

Low SES Students • Research shows that consistency and an orderly, predictable classroom environment create a safe setting for our low SES students. • Feeling safe at school increases productivity, comprehension, language acquisition, and test scores.

Continuum of Strategies Type of Strategy Teacher- Centered Student- Centered Teacher- Assisted Peer- Assisted

Rate of Speech • In focus group research, middle school students reported that teachers talked too fast and they couldn’t understand the directions. • Lack of clear explanation – due to teachers’ impatience, speaking too fast, or poor instructions – was consistently cited as a problem by English Learners. • Variety of techniques to make the content comprehensible….

Techniques What do you already do in your classroom to help students understand what you are saying? • Use gestures • Use body language • Use pictures • Use realia • MODEL, MODEL, MODEL • Preview materials • Allow for alternate forms of expressing their understanding of info & concepts

Techniques cont. • Multimedia • Technology • Repeated exposure to words, concepts, skills • Be succinct • Graphic organizers

Turmoil • Anxiety • Confusion • Violence • Disturbance • Riot • Strife • Trouble • Tumult • Turbulence • Unrest Synonyms How many words can you give them that mean the same thing? (Remember those 17 new words a day they need to be learning to catch up to native English Speakers? Here are 11 new words with the same definition!)

Textbooks • What are some assumptions textbooks makes about English Learners, their backgrounds, language proficiency and abilities? • In pairs, create a chart showing the assumptions you feel/see textbooks make. • Discuss whole group

Scaffolding Activity • Find a partner at a different table • Write a definition of scaffolding using no more than 8 words. • Write it on the sentence strips. • Display around the room. This forces you to think about the most important words and concepts

Scaffolding Verbal scaffolding Paraphrasing Using “think-alouds” Reinforcing contextual definitions Procedural scaffolding Practice with others One on one teaching Small group instruction Partnering or grouping with more experienced ones

Verbal scaffolding • Examples of verbal scaffolding include paraphrasing, repetition of key points, summarizing, and using think-alouds. • When the verbal is paired with the nonverbal in the form of facial expressions, gestures, picture, charts, graphs, maps, or realia, this strategy is particularly effective. • Using a variety of visual aides and teaching to all learning styles are the most effective approaches.

Think-Alouds • What is a think-aloud? • When teacher’s think-aloud - they are providing mental models for comprehension of content text. • Mental modeling gives students an insight into how good readers make sense of text. • It allows students to see options that are available to them and how good readers decide what to do. • It also helps students understand the complexities of reading and that it is an ongoing thinking process.

Outcomes of the Think-Aloud Approach • Students change their view of reading. • They realize that reading is a purposeful activity. • They are more involved in actively building their comprehension. • Verbalization skills increase. • More opportunities for cooperative learning. • Students become more independent readers

TPR Activity • Choose a word from the word bank • With your table group, make up an action or draw a picture to help you remember the word • Describe, in your own words, what the word means on a piece of chart paper Word Bank • Lesson Preparation • Building Background • Comprehensible Input • Strategies • Interaction

Strategies • Strategies are typically taught at a young age (not always true for our ESL students) • Teach the strategy using a text that is 2-4 reading levels below the students’ reading levels • They are practiced throughout their school careers • Provide ample opportunities for students to use and practice strategies • Consistently use the scaffolding techniques throughout the lesson • A variety of question types used* *Refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy

Relevant Background Knowledge • One way teachers can ensure that material is sufficiently comprehensible is to provide relevant background knowledge and content. • Teachers should try to explain ideas or concepts several times using slight variations in terminology and examples.

Consistent Language • To increase the likelihood that students will understand what is being said to them, the use of consistent language from the teacher is a necessity • Comprehensible instruction requires that teachers carefully control their vocabulary and use graphic organizers, concrete objects, and gestures when possible to enhance understanding.

Expressing Ideas • To increase the likelihood that students will understand what is being said to them, provide frequent opportunities for students to express: • their own ideas • in their own way • What ways can students express their own ideas in your class? • Share at your table • Add ideas to our chart paper

Accuracy of Content • During instructional dialogs, the focus should be primarily on accuracy of content, not rigid requirements associated with correct language use • Spending time defining, discussing, and clarifyingvocabulary words unlikely to be familiar to the students prior to reading a passage has demonstrated consistently positive effects on reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension for students with learning, speech, and language disabilities

Using Analogies for Teaching Simple presentation of concepts help students to make connections with new knowledge. An analogy allows students to form a mental model of concepts to be learned based on what they are already familiar with, then transposing it to new knowledge. This process is called mapping. • An analogy works best when the concept is new • Make sure the students understand the analogy • Explain the specific similarities • Be aware of misconceptions the analogy may leave

Manipulatives and Experiments • Manipulatives are concrete objects that are used to demonstrate learning concepts and to enhance the meaning of presented information. • Students have the opportunity to hear, see, and touch manipulatives to promote the learning process and language acquisition. • Realia, or real objects, are the best manipulatives to make learning concrete.

Casual vs. Academic

Word Study Verbal-Visual Word Association Word

Word Analysis Rule Ruler Ruled Ruling Rulable

Bull’s Eye ___________Clue #1 ___________Clue #2 ___________Clue #3 ___________Clue #4 ___________Target Word

Pictionary…sort of! • Pick words the class is working on • As you (or the student) draw the picture for the word…TALK your way through the picture, explain the picture as you talk • Easier for ESL students to guess when they hear familiar words in context • Even low level students can find something to say about the picture as they draw

Homework Assignment • Make input comprehensible!!! • Bring examples of how you are doing this in your lessons. • First fifteen minutes of our next meeting will be devoted to sharing with the class. • Next Meeting: Email us any time if you need additional support, have questions, or need advice – • wburt@mckinneyisd.net – Wendy Burt, Scott Johnson MS • tkelman@mckinneyisd.net – Tina Kelman, Boyd HS • ddavenport@mckinneyisd.net – Dina Davenport, Malvern ES

MISD Bilingual/ESL Department