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Matrix of Strategies for Gap Populations

by
Evelyn Egan, M.Ed.
Strategy: Male ELLs Low-income
1. Expand the range
of genres used for
instruction:
Look for texts that
Play into boys sense
of mischief; Are fast-
paced texts that make
boys feel like they are
part of the action;
Provide cool
exportable
knowledge that boys
can refer to in casual
conversation with
peers; Allow boys to
apply their reading to
activities related to a
sport, hobby, or other
interest; Spark
controversy or have
themes that are
somewhat edgy;
have strong and
likeable (and
dislikeable) main
characters (Luthy,
2006).
This specific strategy
may be used in any
content area.
The texts that have the
greatest appeal for
boys frequently fall
outside the collection
of texts traditionally
included in the
language arts
curriculum. The key is
to get boys reading.
(Luthy, 2006)
This specific strategy
may also be used for
ELLs but with
modifications to suit
their special needs.
Example: Picture
books that deal with a
specific culture that
ELLs are familiar
with

2. Connect real
reading to school
reading.
Integrating motivating
Too often, boys,
particularly those who
struggle,
underestimate the
social aspect of
This specific strategy
may also be used for
ELLs but with
modifications to suit
This specific strategy
may also be used for
students that come
from low-income
background. The
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topics, such as
popular music,
computer technology
and innovations, war
history, cars, and
gaming, provides
opportunities to make
connections between
out-of-school
literacies and
academic literacy.
(Luthy, 2006)
This specific strategy
may be used in any
content area.
reading. School
reading is viewed as
a solitary activity and
is completely
unrelated to the real
reading that takes
place outside of
school. Many of the
strategies boys use to
access and process
information for real
reading have
pertinent applications
for school reading.
(Luthy, 2006).
their specific needs.
Example: ELL
teachers may tap into
what the ELL students
actually read outside
of school. The reading
strategies that the
ELL students employ
in their real reading
may be generalized
into school reading.
example is the same
with the example
provided in the ELL
group.
3. Use thematic ideas.
Reading and writing
are taught together
and are integrated
across the curriculum.

Boys like depth and
powerful ideas.
(Whitney, 2006)
Some important
characteristics of
thematic ideas:
In-depth
investigations of a
topic, concept, or
theme.
High-interest
topics that are
broad enough to
be divided into
smaller subtopics.
Not
geographically or
historically
limiting.

4. Select texts that
function as roadmap
texts.
Identify texts that can
provide African-
American teenage
Reading materials
benefited African-
American males when
they functioned to
help them develop:
A healthy psyche

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boys with a roadmap
that helps them
answer the questions,
Who am I? and
What can I
become?
in a society where
they were treated
as second-class
citizens;
A modern-day
awareness of the
real world;
A blueprint for
striving for
equality in a racist
and imperialistic
society;
Intellectually;
Spiritually.
(Tatum, 2006)
5. A cognitive
strategies approach to
reading and writing:
Reading and writing
are taught as
essentially similar
processes of meaning
construction. Students
should be taught
cognitive and
metacognitive
processes and that,
regardless of the
program used,
instruction should
include modeling,
scaffolding, guided
practice, and
independent use of
strategies so that
students develop the
ability to select and
implement
appropriate strategies
independently and to
monitor and regulate
their use. Research
also suggests that
The National
Research Council
(NRC) committee
identified the
following attributes of
effective schools and
classrooms that
benefit all learners,
especially ELLs:
curriculum that
balances basic and
higher-order skills,
explicit skills
instruction for certain
tasks (particularly in
acquiring learning
strategies),
instructional
approaches to enhance
comprehension, and
articulation and
coordination of
programs and
practices within and
between schools.
A cognitive approach
strategies to reading
and writing may also
be used for students
who come from a
low-income
background. Usually,
these students have
low foundational
skills in reading and
writing, and they
would greatly benefit
from a reading and
writing program that
employs modeling,
scaffolding, guided
practice, and
independent use of
such strategies.
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when reading and
writing are taught
together, they engage
students in a greater
use and variety of
cognitive strategies
than do reading and
writing taught
separately. (Land &
Olson, 2007)
6. Standards-based
instruction for ELLs:
It presents a ways to
ensure that all
students are exposed
to challenging
curricula and prepared
to contribute
positively to an
increasingly complex
world. SBI is
characterized by
content standards,
which define what
students should know
and be able to do,
benchmarks, which
identify the expected
understandings and
skills for a content
standard at different
grade levels, and
performance
standards (or
indicators), which
describe how well
students need to
achieve in order to
meet content
standards. By
focusing on detailed
descriptions of
expected
understandings
Has the potential to
reverse the tendency
to assign ELLs to
unchallenging
curricula and presents
an opportunity for
schools to engage in
substantive
communication with
the parents of ELLs
regarding
achievement.
Sets high learning
expectations for
ELLs, who have
traditionally been
provided with
instruction focusing
on low-level skills.
Allows ELLs to build
upon their prior
knowledge and
provides for diverse
ways of solving
problems.

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learning targetsSBI
engages teachers in
raising the
expectations for all
students, promotes the
use of multiple
assessment strategies
which allow for
students to reach
proficient levels at
different times and in
a variety of ways, and
requires teachers to
differentiate
instruction to meet the
readiness levels,
learning profiles, and
interests of students.
(Laturnau)

Focuses more on how
ELLs think and what
they understand rather
than on whether or not
they have the one
right answer.
(Laturnau)

7. SIOP (Sheltered
Instruction
Observation
Protocol):
is a lesson-planning
and delivery approach
composed of 30
instructional strategies
grouped into eight
components:
Preparation, Building
Background,
Comprehensible
Input, Strategies,
Interaction,
Practice/Application,
Lesson Delivery, and
Review/Assessment.
SIOP teachers use the
regular core
curriculum and
modify their teaching
to make the content
The SIOP Model
offers a framework
for organizing
instruction, with key
features that promote
the academic success
of ELLsfor
example, the inclusion
of language
objectives in every
content lesson, the
development of
students' background
knowledge, and the
emphasis on academic
literacy practice. Our
research found that
ELLs whose teachers
were trained in
implementing the
SIOP Model
performed
significantly better on
an academic writing

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understandable for
ELLs while
promoting these
students' academic
English language
growth. (Echevarria &
Short, 2005)

assessment than did a
comparison group of
ELLs whose teachers
had had no exposure
to the model.
(Echevaria & Short,
2005)
8. Find ways to
connect school to
students lives every
day:
Contextualize or
connect to students
everyday experiences;
Integrate classroom
learning with out-of-
school experiences
and knowledge of life
inside the community.
(NEA, 2011)
The urgency for
educators to expand
their understanding of
the role of culture in
learning is increased
by recent findings that
when students of
color are taught with
culturally responsive
techniquestheir aca-
demic performance
improves
significantly. (NEA,
2011)
The urgency for
educators to expand
their understanding of
the role of culture in
learning is increased
by recent findings that
when students of
color are taught with
culturally responsive
techniquestheir aca-
demic performance
improves
significantly. (NEA,
2011)
9. Recognize that
intelligence can be
changed by learning
experiences:
Optimal instruction
for culturally and
linguistically diverse
students:
acknowledges that
students come with
unrecognized abilities
and underdeveloped
potential;
integrates multiple
abilities and higher
order thinking skills,
and fosters autonomy.
(NEA, 2011)
Challenging our
assumptions about
student intelligence(s)
and abilities opens the
possibility for
students to use their
unique ways of
understanding the
world to grow their
intelligence.
As you work with
students from
different cultures,
economic
backgrounds, and
home languages, you
may find that they are
adept at
demonstrating what
they know using a
Challenging our
assumptions about
student intelligence(s)
and abilities opens the
possibility for
students to use their
unique ways of
understanding the
world to grow their
intelligence.
As you work with
students from
different cultures,
economic
backgrounds, and
home languages, you
may find that they are
adept at
demonstrating what
they know using a
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wide variety of
abilities. In addition,
you may find that
students may start out
slow, pick up speed,
and catch up with
their peers. This can
happen when what
they are taught builds
on what they know
from their everyday
experiences. (NEA,
2011)
wide variety of
abilities. In addition,
you may find that
students may start out
slow, pick up speed,
and catch up with
their peers. This can
happen when what
they are taught builds
on what they know
from their everyday
experiences. (NEA,
2011)
10. Schools, families,
and communities
work together to
support learning:

This strategy stretches
across the 3 gap
populations.
Research indicates
that when families are
engaged, students:
Earn higher grades
and test scores;
Enroll in higher-
level programs;
Pass their classes,
are promoted, and
earn their credits;
Attend school
regularly;
Have better social
skills, show
improved
behavior, and
adapt well to
school;
Graduate and go
on to
postsecondary
education.
(NEA, 2011)
Children and families
that are at the short
end of the wealth and
income gap, however,
display a level of
resiliency that must be
acknowledged,
supported and
nurtured. Research in
the area of family
resilience has shown
that families
demonstrating
perseverance and
resourcefulness in the
face of challenging
situations can bounce
back from stress,
crises, and trauma to
experience life
successes. (NEA,
2011)


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REFERENCES:
Echevarria, J., & Short, D. (2004-2005). Standards-based instruction for english language
learners. Educational Leadership, Retrieved from
http://www.wce.wwu.edu/Depts/SPED/Forms/Kens Readings/Vocabulary/Vocab
Teacher skills to support ELL Short 2004-2005.pdf

Land, R., & Olson, C. B. (2007). A cognitive studies approach to reading and writing instruction
for english language learners in secondary school. Research in the Teaching of English,
Retrieved from
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/download/nwp_file/8538/Booth_Olson,_Carol,_et_al.pdf?
x-r=pcfile_d

Laturnau, J. (2012). Standards-based instruction for english language learners. Pacific Resources
for Education and Learning, Retrieved from http://www.prel.org/products/pc_/standards-

Luthy, N. (2006). Raising the reading achievement of boys. ADLIT in Perspective, Retrieved
from http://www.ohiorc.org/adlit/InPerspective/Issue/2006-03/Article/feature.aspx

National Education Association. (2011). Retrieved from National Education Association
website: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/CAREguide2011
Tatum, A. (2006). Motivating african-american teenage boys to read. ADLIT in Perspective,
Retrieved from http://www.ohiorc.org/adlit/InPerspective/Issue/2006-
03/Article/feature.aspx
Whitney, K. (2006). Boys' literate lives: A nonfiction collaboration. ADLIT in Perspective,
Retrieved from http://www.ohiorc.org/adlit/InPerspective/Issue/2006-
03/Article/vignette3.aspx