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ESED 5234 - Master List ESED 5234

7-1-2008

Teaching English Language Learners: What the

Research Does - And Does Not - Say
Claude Goldenberg

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Recommended Citation
Goldenberg, Claude, "Teaching English Language Learners: What the Research Does - And Does Not - Say" (2008). ESED 5234 -
Master List. 27.
http://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/esed5234-master/27

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 CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
Teaching English Learners the SIOP Way
By Susan Hanson and Canisius Filibert

T
eaching English learners they leave feeling confused and dis- prehensible to students.
(ELs) is not an easy task for couraged. What is needed to bridge Although the model began as an
regular classroom teachers this gap between teachers and ELs is a observational tool called the SIOP,
who have not received train- framework that fully supports content through the work of Echevarria, Vogt,
ing in how to instruct ELs. instruction, while utilizing proven and Short collaborating with middle
In fact, teaching ELs has become such methods of language teaching that school teachers, it evolved into a
a highly specialized field, there are incorporate reading, writing, speaking, framework that includes eight major
professionals who devote their whole and listening. Such a framework exists components and 30 features that guide
careers to researching and perfecting in the Sheltered Instruction lesson plan development and instruc-
strategies for EL instruction. In addi- Observation Protocol (SIOP) model. tional delivery. The eight components
tion, ELs also face a formidable task Years of research have proven that stu- are:
when they attend mainstream class- dents in classrooms implementing the • Preparation.
rooms where English is the medium of SIOP model understand what is being • Building background.
instruction. Although there are pro- taught and have experienced success • Comprehensible input.
grams that assist these students, it is in learning grade-level content while • Strategies.
developing their ability in • Interaction.
English language skills. • Practice and application.
Sheltered Instruction (SI) is • Lesson delivery.
not a newly developed instruc- • Review and assessment.
tional technique. In fact, SI has
been around for more than 20 Let us take a closer look at each
years, but never had the research component and its implications for
background to support claims of teaching.
reliability and validity. It was not 1. Preparation: Teachers state the
until 1993 that the Center for content objectives that are taken
Research on Education, Diversity from the state or national stan-
& Excellence (CREDE), which dards. They plan meaningful activ-
was a national research center ities to meet the objectives. In
funded by the U.S. Department addition, they select language
of Education’s (U.S. ED’s) Office objectives for each lesson that are
of Educational Research and drawn from language arts stan-
Improvement (since replaced by dards or ESL standards. The
the Institute of Education selected standards for the content
Sciences [IES]), conducted a 7- and language arts are posted so
year research project to study both the students and teachers are
the impact of SI on ELs. As a clear on the focus of the lesson
Photo by Susan Hanson

result of this study, the SIOP with the ultimate goal of the stu-
model was developed. The model dents mastering the content while
was initially designed as a growing in academic English.
research observation instrument 2. Building Background: Teachers
called a protocol, created by connect the students’ background
not enough to simply pull ELs out of Echevarria, Vogt, and Short in 2000, and past experiences with the new
classes for English as a second lan- to determine if teachers were includ- learning. They help students com-
guage (ESL) instruction for an hour ing effective sheltered instruction in prehend by teaching the vocabu-
out of the whole school day. Regular their lessons. Sheltered instruction lary that is key to understanding
classroom teachers need to be able to means that the students receive help of the material. They explicitly
teach content effectively, while at the in developing academic English while teach the content vocabulary in
same time supporting full language they are learning grade-level content areas such as ecosystems, coastal
development of ELs. In some class- material. Students are provided extra nations, and exploitation. In addi-
rooms, ELs comprehend fully what is support by including instructional
being taught, while in other classes techniques that make learning com-
Continued at the top of page 13

12 Pacific Resources for Education and Learning

 CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
Continued from the bottom of page 12

techniques that provide the right

amount of support and help move
the students to the next level. The
students are given the time to
practice the strategies with sup-
port from their peers and the
teacher, as well as opportunities
to implement the strategies inde-
pendently. An example of a strate-
gy encouraged in the SIOP model
is the use of graphic organizers to
assist students with visually
organizing their learning.
According to Echevarria, Vogt, &
Short (who cite Fisher, Frey, &
Williams, 2002; Pressley, 2000;

Photo by Susan Hanson

Shearer, Ruddell, & Vogt; and
Slater & Horstman, 2002), “There
is considerable evidence that
teaching students a variety of self-
regulating strategies improves
student learning and reading.”
tion, emphasis is placed on teach- 3. Comprehensible Input: Teachers
ing the students the academic make lessons comprehensible by 5. Interaction: The teacher provides
vocabulary that is so essential to using vocabulary that the students the students with continual
understanding the content. understand, stating directions opportunities to interact with
Examples of academic vocabulary orally and in writing, and demon- peers through flexible grouping.
include such words and phrases as strating what the students are Sometimes the students are in
“calculate,” “predict,” “in compar- expected to do. In addition, the small groups, triads, or pairs
ison,” and “as a result.” According students are given guided practice where every student has an oppor-
to Saville-Troike, “Vocabulary and are involved in a variety of tunity to speak and work on proj-
development is critical for English techniques that provide hands-on ects together. Through the various
learners because we know that practice. The students are provid- group activities, students are
there is a strong relationship ed with support such as prediction encouraged to interact with each
between vocabulary knowledge in guides, visual aides, and other other and have time for extended
English and academic achieve- supplemental materials. The infor- academic conversations with their
ment” (as quoted in Echevarria, mation is shared at an appropriate peers. Teacher talk is reduced and
Vogt, and Short’s 2004 book pace and enunciated clearly. the students are encouraged to
Making Content Comprehensible According to Echevarria, Vogt, talk more with such questions as,
for English Learners: The SIOP and Short (p. 78), “Effective shel- Tell me more about that, or Can
Model [2nd Ed.], p. 49). Through tered teachers provide explana- you tell us why you think that?
the SIOP model, teachers utilize tions of academic tasks in ways Students are given adequate wait
techniques to provide active that make clear what students are time so they can communicate
involvement, personalize word expected to accomplish and that their answers.
learning, immerse students in promote student success.”
words, and provide repeated expo- 6. Practice and Application: This
sure to words in more than one 4. Strategies: Teachers use explicit component of the SIOP model
context. As a result of the in- instructional strategies, such as reinforces the importance of using
depth teaching of the vocabulary, questioning techniques, to sup- hands-on material and manipula-
the students are better able to port higher-level thinking that tives. Teachers plan small-group
comprehend the content and fur- involves predicting, summarizing, activities involving hands-on expe-
ther the development of their aca- problem solving, organizing, eval- riences that provide students with
demic English. uating, and self-monitoring. The relevant information about the
instructional strategies also
involve the students in scaffolding
Continued at the top of page 14

PACIFIC EDUCATOR FALL 2006 13

 CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
Continued from the bottom of page 13

content and an opportunity to the lesson plan accompanying this sors can use it to coach preservice
practice what they are learning. article for an explanation of an SIOP teachers; teachers can use it to self-
Echevarria, Vogt, & Short (p. 118) lesson with the integration of the evaluate after reviewing a videotape of
state that, “Manipulating learning eight components). their lesson, or they can use it as a les-
materials is important for ELs According to Echevarria, son plan checklist; and it can be used
because it helps them connect Vogt, and Short, in 1997–1998: to determine fidelity of implementation
abstract concepts with concrete Researchers compared of the model. Findings by Guarino,
experiences.” The students are English language learning Echevarria, Short, Schick, Forbes, and
provided opportunities to discuss students in classes whose Rueda indicate that the SIOP is a high-
and apply what they are learning teachers had been trained in ly reliable and valid measure of shel-
through integration of reading, implementing the SIOP to a tered instruction (as cited in Center for
writing, listening, and speaking. high degree to a control Applied Linguistics, 2005).
By integrating all of the language group (taught by teachers not If teachers want their students,
arts areas, the ELs grow in their trained in the SIOP Model) including the ELs, to grow in their
English language ability as well as using a prompt that required academic content knowledge and
learn the content. narrative writing. They scored English ability and leave the classroom
the prompt using the writing feeling successful and excited about
7. Lesson Delivery: The teacher rubric of the Illinois Measure what they are learning, the SIOP
focuses on the content and lan- of Annual Growth in English model is a framework to consider
guage objectives of the lesson and (IMAGE) Test. The English implementing. For more information
involves the students actively in learners in classes whose regarding implementation of SIOP, see
meeting the objectives. Lessons teachers had been trained in the resources listed in the sidebar.
are delivered at the appropriate implementing the SIOP to a
pace so that the students can Susan Hanson, Reading Specialist, may
be contacted at [email protected].
high degree demonstrated
learn the material and not be
Canisius Filibert, Director of PREL’s
significantly higher writing
Territories & Freely Associated States
bored. Students are engaged in scores than the control
Education Grant Program (T&FASEGP)
the lesson 90% to 100% of the group. (p. 217)
and Pacific Vocational Education
time through well-planned lessons
that are understandable to the In addition, in 1998–1999, during Improvement Program (PVEIP), may be
students, create opportunities for a writing assessment requiring exposi- contacted at [email protected].
students to talk about the con- tory writing, “the English learners in
cepts, and include hands-on activ- classes whose teachers had been
ities that reinforce each lesson. trained in implementing the SIOP to a
Resources
high degree demonstrated significantly
8. Review/Assessment: The teachers higher writing scores than the control
provide the appropriate feedback group and made greater gains from English-Language Development
so that the students can continue the pre-test to the post-test” Standards for California
to grow, review the key concepts (Echevarria, Vogt, Short, p. 217). Public Schools Kindergarten
to ensure long-lasting learning, The SIOP model includes an through Grade Twelve
and provide assessment to track observation tool called a protocol, www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/el/
student progress. The teachers are which is used to measure the imple- documents/eldgrd.pdf
involved in the “Effective Teaching mentation of the eight SIOP compo- Overview of English Language
Cycle for ELs,” which includes the nents. Each component has three or Development (ELD)
following steps: teach a lesson, more features that outline what must Standards
assess, review key concepts and be included in an effective lesson. The www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/
vocabulary, make adjustments to observer assigns anywhere from 0 to 4 documents/englangdevstnd.
improve student comprehension, points, with a 0 meaning the feature pdf
and reteach as needed. This was not implemented and 4 meaning SIOP Institute
process is a cycle that is recursive the feature was fully implemented. www.siopinstitute.net
in that each of the steps can be The protocol allows for rating the The SIOP books can be
repeated as needed. SIOP lesson, as well as space for writ- ordered from this website.
Each of the above components are ing comments that will help with the In addition, you can down-
woven into an SIOP lesson that may instruction of ELs. The protocol can be load lesson plans at this
span approximately 1 to 3 days, used by administrators to provide website.
depending on the lesson design (see teachers with feedback; college profes-

14 Pacific Resources for Education and Learning

 CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
SIOP Lesson Plan Outline with Guidelines
STANDARDS: Select standards from your standards and PRESENTATION (Content and language objectives, compre-
benchmarks document. hensible input, strategies, interaction, feedback; modeling)
THEME: Think of the broad understanding that the lesson • Place the content and language objectives on the board
includes, such as cooperation, courage, environment, justice, for the students to see as well as state them orally or
perseverance, or diversity. have them read aloud.
LESSON TOPIC: What is the lesson about? For example, pro- • Comprehensible input:
tecting coral reefs. • Use speech appropriate to the language level of the
CONTENT OBJECTIVES: What will the students know and be students.
able to do as a result of this lesson? For example, Students • Enunciate clearly and speak slowly.
will: • Provide repetition.
• Understand the fragility of coral reefs. • Avoid jargon, such as, “It’s like the pot calling the
• Form an opinion as to how to protect the reefs. kettle black.”
LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES: How will listening, speaking, read- • Provide hands-on experiences.
ing, and writing be included in the lesson? For example, stu- • Teach vocabulary so they can learn and retain the
dents will: words.
• Read information about the coral reefs. • Use gestures, body language, pictures, and real
• Orally state one or more ways coral reefs can be pre- objects when possible.
served. • Model what you want them to do.
• Summarize their opinion in writing. • Provide step-by-step directions both orally and in
writing.
LEARNING STRATEGIES: Select a strategy or strategies that
will assist and support student understanding. For example, • Strategies: Model the strategies you want the students
teach the students to use the “gist” method (Muth & to use.
Alvermann, 1999), which assists students in summarizing. • Interaction: Provide a variety of grouping patterns
Steps for this strategy include the following: where students have an opportunity to talk with each
• The teacher and students read a section of the text other and learn from each other. For example, small
together. groups, pairs, individuals.
• Together, they select 10 or more words that are most PRACTICE/APPLICATION (Meaningful activities, interaction,
important to understanding the text. strategies, practice/application [guided and independent prac-
• Together, they use as many of the 10 words as possible tice], feedback)
to write a summary sentence. • Provide guided practice where the teacher helps lead
• The process is repeated with the remainder of the text. the students before they are expected to independently
• At the conclusion, a main idea or topic sentence is apply the new learning.
added to the beginning of the summary sentences. • Some examples of meaningful activities are:
• The students now have a summary paragraph.
• Writing in a journal.
KEY VOCABULARY: Select a few vocabulary words that are • Participating in discussion circles.
essential to the understanding of the material to be taught as • Partner sharing using new vocabulary.
well as the academic words needed to process the concepts, • Solving problems in cooperative groups.
such as the word summarize. Provide user-friendly defini- • Using graphic organizers to scaffold learning.
tions, examples of the words from different contexts, multi- • Conducting science experiments.
ple exposures, and active involvement with the words.
MATERIALS: List what you will need in order to teach the REVIEW/ASSESSMENT (Review objectives and vocabulary,
lesson. For example, paper, pencil, chart paper, pictures. assess learning [individual, group, written, oral])
• Review the objectives on the board and ask the class if
LESSON SEQUENCE they were met.
• Use Outcome Sentences (complete orally or in journal
MOTIVATION (Building background; links to background and writing).
to past learning)
• What activities, pictures, experience, and vocabulary • I wonder . . .
development do you need to provide the students to • I discovered . . .
build the background needed? • I still want to know . . .
• How can you link the new material to something the • I learned . . .
students are familiar with? • I still don’t understand . . .
• What have you taught them in the past that will help EXTENSION (this part of the lesson is optional)
them learn the new material? Connect past learning • Assign “big idea” questions that relate to the topic for
with the new learning by referring to a chart, a book, or homework, such as, “Why do you think . . ?”
a lesson that the students have done previously.
• How can you get them excited about the new learning? Adapted from Echevarria, Vogt, and Short, Making Content Comprehensible for
English Learners, 2004, Pearson.

PACIFIC EDUCATOR FALL 2006 15