Keondra Lawrence

Wednesday 14, 2016

Discussion Questions Chapter 1

1. In reflecting on the content and language objectives at the beginning of the chapter, are you able to: a.
List characteristics of English learners that may influence their success in school? b. Distinguish between
content-based ESL and sheltered instruction? c. Explain the research supporting the SIOP Model? d.
Discuss the benefits and challenges of school reform and their effects on English learners? e. Develop a
lexicon related to the SIOP Model? f. Compare your typical instruction with SIOP instruction? 2. Consider
one class of English learners. Identify the individual and sociocultural factors that may influence the
educational success of these students. In what ways might instruction using the SIOP Model help them? 3.
How would you characterize the type(s) of instruction offered to English learners in your school or schools
you know: traditional ESL, content-based ESL, sheltered content, bilingual content, traditional content?
Provide evidence of your characterization in terms of curricula and instruction. Are the English learners
successful when they enter regular, mainstream content classes? Explain. 4. Many teachers using sheltered
instruction, whether they had special training in a subject area or in second language acquisition, fail to take
advantage of the language learning opportunities for students in sheltered content classes. Why do you
think this is so? Offer two concrete suggestions for these teachers to enhance their students academic
language development. 5. Look at one of your own lesson plans. Which characteristics of the SIOP Model
do you already incorporate? Consider the components and features of the model as found in Appendix A.

1. There are many factors that can influence an ELL success in

school such as, age. Second language acquisition is

influenced by the age of the learner. Children, who already

have solid literacy skills in their own language, seem to be in

the best position to acquire a new language efficiently.

Motivated, older learners can be very successful too, but

usually struggle to achieve native-speaker-equivalent

pronunciation and intonation. Personality, Introverted or

anxious learners usually make slower progress, particularly

in the development of oral skills. They are less likely to take

advantage of opportunities to speak, or to seek out such

opportunities. More outgoing students will not worry about

the inevitability of making mistakes. They will take risks, and

thus will give themselves much more practice. Motivation,

Intrinsic motivation has been found to correlate strongly with

educational achievement. Clearly, students who enjoy

language learning and take pride in their progress will do

better than those who don't. Extrinsic motivation is also a

significant factor. ESL students, for example, who need to

learn English in order to take a place at an American

university or to communicate with a new English

boy/girlfriend are likely to make greater efforts and thus

greater progress. Experiences, Learners who have acquired

general knowledge and experience are in a stronger position

to develop a new language than those who haven't. The

student, for example, who has already lived in 3 different

countries and been exposed to various languages and cultures

has a stronger base for learning a further language than the

student who hasn't had such experiences.Cognition, In

general, it seems that students with greater cognitive abilities

will make the faster progress. Some linguists believe that

there is a specific, innate language learning ability that is

stronger in some students than in others. Native

language, Students who are learning a second language

which is from the same language family as their first

language have, in general, a much easier task than those who

aren't. So, for example, a Dutch child will learn English more

quickly than a Japanese child.

a. The difference between content-based ESL and

Sheltered instruction is, the area in which you focus.

With content-based, you focus on academic language

development. With sheltered instruction you emphasis

on content instruction with classes usually consisting of

mostly ELL students.

b. SIOP started as an observation tool so that researchers

could measure the implementation of the sheltered

 instruction practices. It evolved over a seven year

period into a lesson planning and delivery approach.

The SIOP model helps to provide a consistency that

was initially missing as various teachers used a wide

variety of techniques, causing inconsistency from class

to class, teacher to teacher, and school to school.

c. Positives of school reform are; more attention is paid to

providing better educational opportunities for the

learners and monitoring their language proficiency

growth and academic progress. More funding is

available to help teachers strengthen their instruction so

students develop academic literacy skills and can access

core content. More schools analyze assessment data to

determine the progress of their efforts and adjust

programs, instruction, and resources as indicated. The

negative aspects of School reform efforts, standards,

and increased state accountability measures is that it

puts pressure on schools, districts, and teachers to

 improve their educational opportunities and practices

with English learners. Schools are labeled low

performing or needs improvement if their

subpopulation of English learners does not attain testing

achievement targets set for native English speakers on

tests that have not been designed or normed for English

learners.

d.

SIOP Lexicon

Components - eight major instructional practices that make up the SIOP

Model

Content Objectives- oral and written statements tied to specific grade-level

content standards
of what students will learn or do in a given lesson (emphasis on connection
to content)

Features - thirty areas of consideration which relate to the components

HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) - questions that go beyond the lower
levels of Bloom's Taxonomy to the higher levels of analysis, evaluation, and
synthesis

Language Objectives - oral and written statements related to the

development of language skills (such as speaking, reading, writing, &
 listening) within a given lesson
Six Categories for Language Objectives

1. Key Vocabulary (e.g. technical terms, concept words, general academic

words)
2. Language Functions
3. Language Skills
4. Grammar or Language Structures
5. Lesson Tasks
6. Language Learning Strategies

Realia - real objects shown or displayed in the class to increase

understanding of concepts and make instruction more comprehensible (e.g.
show an actual soccer ball rather than just a drawing or photo of a ball)

Scaffolding - supports built into a lesson or activity in order to help students

at lower English proficiency levels understand instruction

SIOP Model - lesson planning and delivery system

SIOP protocol - instrument used to observe, rate, provide feedback on

lessons

e. I do not have much of a background in teaching but my

ideal instructions and teaching techniques would be

very similar to SIOP instructions and model. I would

focus heavily on the reading and writing initiatives,

Differentiated Instructions, Technology, cooperative

learning, and tying curricular into their native language.

 The one area I would more than most likely be lacking

in, is following the core and state standards.

2. Recent arrival with recent or interrupted schooling student,

with parents that have received little to no formal English

teaching and do not speak it at home. By utilizing the SIOP

Model you can find out about their limited knowledge of L2

and design teaching techniques that will better help them.

You can tie lesson subject matter into things that deal with

their pervious home country and try a variety of

differentiated instruction.

3. I have no earthly idea but from my observations, I believe

traditional content instruction is what is used mostly at my

school. In my experience at FSU, when taking a mainstream

class, I have never seen a teacher give any extra help to a

student that may have been an ELL. I have also never seen

any of the curriculum or reading/writing materials modified

to assist an ELL or tie into their particular cultural

 background (but just because I havent noticed it, doesnt

mean it doesnt happen).

4. ELLs are separated from their peers, who use English as

their primary language. The teacher is limiting the amount of
conversional experience the student is receiving. First
teachers must first simplify their discourse to make class
content comprehensible and then gradually make their
language more complex, without sacrificing the quality of
instruction or depth of comprehension in the process. Second
require the student to get a pen pal with whom they can
converse with that speaks English as a L1.
5. In my lesson, I plan activities that tap into the auditory,

visual, and kinesthetic preferences of the student. I make

specific connections between the content being taught and

students experiences and prior knowledge, and I focus on

expanding the students vocabulary base. I also like to tie in

lessons with the students cultural background.