Bartlett - Established 1884 in New York City
ELL, Title III, & ALS, Ellie Brady

Strategies and Resources

SIOP Definitions

Content Objectives identify what students should know and be able to do in the content area. They will guide the teaching and learning in the classroom.

Language objectives support the student’s language development in the content area. Language objectives may cover a range from process-oriented to performance-oriented statements to enable students to explore and practice while participating in the second language acquisition process.

Sheltered Instruction is an approach for teaching content to ELL in strategic ways that make the subject matter concepts comprehensible while presenting the students’ English language development.

Academic Literacy – age-appropriate knowledge of the English Language is a prerequisite in the attainment of content standards. Language is the medium through which we learn and express understanding.

Peer Coaches – use the SIOP protocol to self-reflect and reflect in collaboration with others to recognize the areas of strengths as well as areas that need attention. Peers also assist each other in implementation of the SIOP model. This is a non-evaluative form of feedback to teachers.   

Self-Study – What is Language Immersion Education in Utah Elementary Schools?

The Utah State Office of education, due to the historical and current misuse of the term “immersion in elementary schools,” offers the following clarification and definitions provided by CARLA (Center for advance Research on Language acquisition) to clearly identify the two types of language immersion programs in Utah schools:

Definition of Key Terms and Acronyms:

Majority language

The language spoken by the majority of people iin a given regional or national context,
for example, English in the U.S., Spanish in Spain, French in France, etc.

Minority language

A language other than the one spoken by the majority of people in a given regional or
national context, for example, Spanish in the U.S., Basque in Spain, English in Japan,
etc.

L1 = Student’s first language / Language spoken in the home.

L2 = Student’s second language

L3 = Student’s additional language

Core Characteristics of Immersion Education

  • Additive bilingualism with sustained and enriched instruction through the minority language and the majority language is promoted
  • Subject area instruction through the minority language occurs for at least 50% of the school day during the elementary school years
  • Teachers are fully proficient in the language(s) they use for instruction
  • Support for the majority language is strong and present in the community at large
  • Clear and sustained separation of languages during instructional time

What is the difference between Foreign Language Immersion and Dual Language Immersion programs in Utah?

In addition to the core and variable characteristics cited above, the following two main program types are currently found in the Utah schools (1) Foreign Language Immersion (one-way) and (2) Dual Language Immersion (two-way). Each of these program types are further distinguished by the characteristics identified below:

1.   Distinguishing Characteristics of Foreign Language Immersion (One-way) Programs

  • Foreign Language Immersion programs are sometimes referred to as partial (at least 50% instruction in the L2 versus total immersion (100% instruction in the L2, or somewhere between.
  • Student population consists of English language speakers with limited to no proficiency in the immersion language (e.g., Spanish, French, Chinese, etc.)
  • Teachers are required to have a world language endorsement in the L2 of instruction.

2.   Distinguishing Characteristics of Dual Language Immersion (two-way) Programs

  • Dual Language Immersion programs are sometimes called two-way immersion (TWI), bilingual immersion, dual language immersion, two-way bilingual, Spanish immersion (or whatever the minority language of focus might be), or developmental bilingual education (DBE – a term used by the U.S. Department of Education).
  • Student population consists of majority language speakers and minority language speakers with dominance in their first language and home language support for this language (e.g., Spanish dominant students whose parents use primarily Spanish in the home and English dominant students from English-speaking homes).
  • A 1:1 ratio is ideally maintained for these two language groups, but a minimum of one-third of each language group (i.e., a 2:1 ratio) is required.
  • An academically challenging learning environment is provided to bring children from two different language groups together to learn from and with each other in an integrated setting.
  • Instruction through the minority language is viewed as an enrichment experience for all, not as remedial or compensatory education for the language minority students in the program.
  • The languages of instruction will involve both the majority and a minority language in a 50:50 ratio. The minority language may be a more commonly taught language (e.g., Spanish-English), a less commonly taught language (e.g., Vietnamese-English, or an indigenous language (e.g., Navajo-English).
  • Teachers are required to have a bilingual endorsement in the L2 of instruction.

Three Principles to Help ELL Students Succeed

Increase Interaction
  • Think Pair Share
  • Chunk n’ Chew
  • Tea Party
  • Inside-Outside Circle
  • Paraphrase Passport
  • Rotating Review
  • Mix and Match
  • Round Table
Increase Comprehensibility
  • Teach Text Backwards
  • THIEVES
  • ABC Summarize
  • Visuals and Charts
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Web of Understanding
  • Think Aloud
  • Information Gap
  • Save the Last Word for Me
Increase Thinking Skills
  • Numbered heads
  • Explicit Questioning
  • Question, Story matrix
  • List Group Label

“You’ll notice that many of the recommended practices for children learning a second language parallel our recommendations for all students. Though all kids benefit from them, children learning a second language depend on these practices. Without them, school can be a confusing and frustrating place. With these practices, school makes sense for second language learners and they join their classmates in learning throughout the day.”
- Stephen Cary

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Copyright 2005 Project Seven Development