Strategic English Language Arts

1. 1 TRAINING AUGUST 11, 2008 KATHY BELLAH AND DARA MOSHER Strategic English Language Arts

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3. 3 Agenda Welcome What is Strategic English Language Arts? SELA Classroom Video Accessing Prior Knowledge and Building Background Knowledge Interactive Strategies Text and Materials Lesson Plans Questions and Answers

4. 4 Reflective Writing Think of 1 or 2 strategies that you use regularly in your English Language Arts classroom. Write the strategies. Share your strategies and explain why you believe these strategies work well for English learners or struggling readers.

5. 5 Purpose of SELA To provide support to both English learners and English-only students who are .5-1.9 years below grade level in language arts To ensure that these students have an extended opportunity for success with the English language arts curriculum To assist in closing the academic gap between English learners and their English-speaking peers

6. 6 In SELA, teachers provide opportunities for students to access prior knowledge and/or build background� build and increase academic vocabulary� use specific language structures� interact with others to build language and fluency� learn and apply specific learning strategies� so that students will have the knowledge, skills, and language needed to succeed in the English Language Arts.

7. 7 Therefore, in the regular ELA classroom, we expect to see an increase in academic success more student participation a higher level of student confidence increased student effort stronger oral language abilities

8. 8 Strategic ELA is frontloading, not remedial instruction structuring the curriculum to build student success in ELA pacing the curriculum to preteach concepts for ELA planning collaboratively with grade-level ELA teachers to ensure consistency of instruction and curriculum between the ELA and the SELA classroom

9. 9 Essential elements of a SELA classroom

10. 10 A SELA classroom in action As you watch the video, note how the teacher incorporated the elements on the guided note-taking sheet. Discuss your assigned element with your partner. Share with the group.

11. 11 Accessing Prior KnowledgeBuilding Background Knowledge Rationale: Students learn more effectively when they already know something about the content. Students learn more effectively when concepts in that area are linked to their own particular background and culture. Students learn new information more effectively when connections are made between the new learning and prior learning in the classroom.

12. 12 Accessing Prior KnowledgeBuilding Background Knowledge Accomplished Strategic ELA teachers� tie new information and concepts to students� own background experiences. make explicit connections between new learning and the material, vocabulary, and concepts previously covered in the class.

13. 13 Accessing Prior KnowledgeBuilding Background Knowledge How do you link concepts to students� background experiences?

14. 14 Other Suggestions Ask questions that prompt students to think about/talk about prior experiences that relate to upcoming lessons, content, etc. For example, Has anyone ever gone camping? Has anyone ever watched a scary movie? Has anyone ever been out in a lonely place at night? The woods? The desert?

15. 15 Other Suggestions KWL chart Video or video clip that provides background for content teaching (watching clips from Sword in the Stone before reading King Arthur and Merlin stories) Brainstorming Use of visuals or realia to stimulate prior knowledge

16. 16 Accessing Prior KnowledgeBuilding Background Knowledge How do you explicitly link between past learning and new concepts?

17. 17 Other Suggestions Questioning � Ask a simple question. �Who remembers what we did yesterday?� and solicit responses Charts � Make a chart of key information being studied and keep the chart as a reference as you move through the story/the unit Student Journals (e.g., What I learned today) Lesson Connections � Make explicit statements to connect what the students are going to study today with what they studied yesterday/last month/last trimester. Help students see a continuum of the content concepts and build a bigger picture in their minds.

18. 18 And finally�

19. 19 Interaction

20. 20 Effective Interaction in the Classroom Rationale: Interactions in the classroom provide English learners and struggling readers additional opportunities to listen, produce, practice and manipulate academic language. Interactions aid students in the socialization process. Interactions give students opportunities for mutual academic support . Interactions promote mastery of academic skills. Interactions provide the teacher with an opportunity to check for student understanding.

21. 21 Effective Interaction Accomplished Strategic ELA teachers � Provide frequent opportunities for interactions and/or discussions between teacher/student and among students that encourage elaborated responses and require academic language. Design flexible grouping configurations that support language and content objectives of the lesson. Ensure sufficient wait time for student response.

22. 22 Interaction What interactive strategies and opportunities do you provide students in your classroom?

23. 23 Interactive Strategies Reflective Writing Collaborative work in groups of 2 to 4 Advanced Organizers Think/Write/Pair Share Carousel Walk Jigsaw Partner Reading Anticipatory Guide

24. 24 How do I begin? Teach kids to work together Set up flexible grouping configurations Become familiar with several interaction strategies

25. 25 Teach kids to work together Kathy Divide into groups of 4 � number off Ask each to write a movie, celebrity and book they like and dislike From the list � the group must agree on one they like and dislike With students � start with the familiar � then move to more academic Kathy Divide into groups of 4 � number off Ask each to write a movie, celebrity and book they like and dislike From the list � the group must agree on one they like and dislike With students � start with the familiar � then move to more academic

26. 26 Determine roles: Recorder, Reporter, Facilitator and Time Keeper (1 minute) In your group, fill out the Opinion Chart (4 minutes) Score your chart (5 points for each correct, complete response) Practice this strategy using familiar material first! Instructions for Consensus Chart Kathy Keep time limit short Force collaboration and agreement in short timeKathy Keep time limit short Force collaboration and agreement in short time

27. 27 Conga Line

28. 28 Beach Ball Comprehension DaraDara

29. 29 Hot Onion

30. 30 Bridging from individual to group work Dara SchlechtyDara Schlechty

31. 31 Holt Materials Holt Reading Solutions Lesson Plans Reading Skills and Strategies Holt One Stop Planner Holt Adapted Reader Holt PowerNotes Holt Literature and Language Arts Universal Access Materials Interactive Reader Writing, Listening, and Speaking

32. 32 Plot Chart-Story Form

33. 33 Lesson Plan Guide Instructional Elements of SELA Pre-Assessment Prior Knowledge/Building Background Knowledge Academic Vocabulary/Language Functions/Sentence Frames Word Work/Content Vocabulary Reading Strategy Instruction/Independent Reading Interactions/Collaborative Group Work Tutorial Test Taking Strategies Checking for Understanding

34. 34 Questions and Answers What is the grading policy?

35. 35 Trainings

36. 36 Did we meet our objectives for the day? By the end of today�s session, participants will understand the purpose and design of the SELA class learn strategies for frontloading the ELA curriculum become familiar with the text and support materials analyze and expand lesson plans for teaching SELA as shown by participation in the training activities. AllAll