Blog #8 Sheltered Lesson

     Sheltered lessons provide the teacher with a wide variety of strategies to help students construct meaning. Because "language varies according to context in which it occurs" (Gibbbons, 2002, p.13)  ELLs need scaffolding to support the two ways language is learned. Linguistic (stored as sentences) and non-linguistic (stored at mental images or sensations) representations help students to think about information (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Understanding the need to shelter a lesson based on what's going on in the mind of the learner is important because too often fluency is interpreted as understanding. In other words, just because a student "sounds" like they are fluent does not mean they are fully comprehending a concept (Gibbons, 2004), (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).

Qualities of a Sheltered Lesson:

Before Reading

Teacher explicitly states verbally and in writing:

• Goal
• What they want the student to know and be able to do.
• Reviews reading strategies students will use.

Strategies to develop context:

• Connect background knowledge
• Preview key vocabulary
• Preview story: book walk: summarizing main idea
• Charts & organizers
• Relates to students background knowledge through personal stories and experiences,
• group discussion
• Provides artifacts
• Use student's first language

During Reading

Teacher and students:

• Clarifies and explains relevant cultural connections
• Group discussion
• Read aloud
• Teacher read aloud uses slower speech and clear pronunciation
• Explicitly states reading strategies needed for comprehension and how to use them
• Scaffold strategies by reminding, encouraging, and reviewing
• Wait time
• Reinforce key vocabulary
• Connections: personal, text to text, teacher scaffolds connections

Post-Reading

Teacher and Students:

• Review vocabulary
• Clarification
• Hands on activities
• Connections
• Visualizing
• Questioning
• Written response
• Engaged in discussion

Reflections for Teacher and Students:

Background on targeted strategy reviewed. Diary board includes review with notes on questions and confusions. Post-it notes to facilitate all sorts of strategies including written response.

My Own Reflections

I appreciated the background from the reflection video! From my experience, all the strategies listed and used are what good guided reading instructions look like. Time is an issue. I believe the time is well worth taking and is essential to all students' learning but imperative to the ELL. I loved the Diary Board and use something similar called the parking lot. It's a big black paper with spots numbering the amount of students in class (so that I can see if some choose to skip participation). Students can park with post-its.

References:

     Freeman, D. & Freeman, Y. (2004). Essential linguistics : what you need to teach reading, ESL,
spelling, phonics, and grammar. Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann

     Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: teaching second language learners

in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann.

     Hill, J. & Flynn, K. (2006). Classroom instruction that works with English language learners. Alexandria, VA. ASCD.