Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol

1. Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol EDU 6301 Edwin D. Bell

2. Objectives • To understand the background and purpose of the SIOP Model. (content) • To understand and apply some of the SIOP Model. (content) • To understand the meaning of the eight components and the 30 features of the SIOP Model (language)

3. Background • Our work on the SIOP Model began with reviewing the literature and examining district-produced guidelines for English Learners to find agreement on a definition of sheltered instruction, or SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English). (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008, p. xi)

4. Background (continued) • Through this process of classroom observation, coaching, discussion, and reflection, the instrument was refined and changed, and eventually it evolved into the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (Vogt & Echevarria, 1999), or as it has come to be known, the SIOP. The SIOP operationalizes sheltered instruction by offering teachers a model for lesson planning and implementation that provides English learners access to grade-level content standards. (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008, p. xi)

5. Background (continued) • A preliminary observation protocol was drafted and field-tested with sheltered teachers. A research project through the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence (CREDE) enabled us to engage in an intensive refinement process and to use the SIOP Model in a sustained professional development effort with teachers on both the East and West Coasts. (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008, p. xi)

6. Background (continued) • The foundation of school success is academic literacy in English. Although not understood by many educators, age-appropriate knowledge of the English language is a prerequisite in the attainment of content standards. We learn primarily though language, and use language to express our understanding. (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008, p. 10)

7. Background (continued) • Lack of vocabulary is a major handicap for low-income native English speakers in schools as well English Language learners The data showed us that ordinary families differ immensely in the amount of experience with language and interaction they regularly provide their children and that differences in children’s experience are strongly linked to children’s language accomplishments at age 3. Our goal in the longitudinal study was to discover what was happening in children’s early experience that could account for the intractable difference in rates of vocabulary growth we saw among 4-year-olds. (Hart & Risley, 2003, par 5)

8. Background (continued) • Simply in words heard, the average child on welfare was having half as much experience per hour (616 words per hour) as the average working-class child (1,251 words per hour) and less than one-third that of the average child in a professional family (2,153 words per hour). These relative differences in amount of experience were so durable over the more than two years of observations that they provide the best basis we currently have for estimating children’s actual life experience. (Hart & Risley, 2003, par 18)

9. The SIOP Model • “The theoretical underpinning of the Model is that language acquisition is enhanced through meaningful use and interaction” (Echeverria, Vogt, & Short, 2008, p. 16). • “In effective SIOP lessons, language and content objectives are systematically woven into the curriculum of one particular subject area” (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008, pp. 17).

10. Elements of the Model • The SIOP Model contains 30 features, which are grouped into eight components: Lesson Preparation, Building Background, Comprehensible Input, Strategies, Interaction, Practice/Application, Lesson Delivery, and Review/Assessment. (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008) • The Model supports lesson plan templates. (SIOP Institute, n.d.)

11. Lesson Preparation • Content objectives – clearly defined, displayed and reviewed with students • Language objectives – clearly defined, displayed and reviewed with students • Content concepts – appropriate for age and educational background level of students • Supplementary materials – used to a high degree, making the lesson clear and meaningful, e.g., visuals, graphs, computer programs

12. Lesson Preparation (continued) • Adaptation of content – (e.g., text and assignment) to all levels of student proficiency • Meaningful activities – that integrate lesson concepts, e.g., interviews, letter writing, simulations, models,) with language practice opportunities for reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking.

13. Building Background • Concepts explicitly linked – to student’s back ground experiences • links explicitly made – between past learning and new concepts • Key vocabulary – emphasized (e.g. Introduced, written, repeated, and highlighted for students to see)

14. Comprehensible Input • Speech – appropriate for students’ proficiency levels (e.g., slower rate, enunciation, and simple sentence structure for beginners. • Clear explanation – of academic tasks • A variety of techniques – used to make content concepts clear (e.g., modeling, visuals, hands-on activities, demonstrations, body language)

15. Strategies • Ample opportunities – provided for students to use their learning strategies. • Scaffolding techniques – used consistently, assisting and supporting student understanding (e.g., think-alouds) • Questions or tasks – that promote higher order thinking skills (e.g., literal, analytical, and interpretive questions)

16. Interaction • Frequent opportunities for interaction and discussion – between teacher/student and among students, which encourage elaborated responses about lesson concepts. • Grouping configuration – support language and content objectives of the lesson.

17. Interaction (continued) • Student responses – consistently receive sufficient wait time • Students receive ample opportunities to clarify concepts in L1 (First Language) as needed with aide, peer, or L1 text

18. Practice/Application • Hands-on materials and/or manipulatives – provided for students to practice using new content knowledge. • The students take part in activities - to apply content knowledge and language knowledge in the classroom. • The students take part in activities – to integrate all language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

19. Lesson Delivery • Content objectives – are clearly supported by lesson delivery • Language objectives – are clearly supported by lesson delivery. • Students engaged approximately 90% to 100% of the period. • Pacing of the lesson – is appropriate to students ability levels.

20. Review/Assessment • Comprehensive review – of key vocabulary. • Comprehensive review – of key concepts. • Regular feedback – provided to students on their output (e.g., language, content, work). • Assessment of student comprehension and learning – of all objectives (e.g., spot checking, group response, throughout the lesson).

21. Summary • The eight components and 30 features of the SIOP Model can provide a useful tool for planning, implementing, assessing, and reflecting on your instruction as you work toward effectively educating all students.

22. Assignments • Please use the nine features in the two components, lesson preparation and building background, to diagnose a lesson that you planned recently. • Please post your diagnosis on the appropriate thread in the Blackboard discussion board with suggestions on how you might improve your performance in these two components.

23. Assignments (continued) • Please respond to, at least, two of the posting of your classmates. • Please use all eight components as guidelines/checklist in the planning, implementation, and reflection on your case study lesson (You may find the template hyperlinked on Slide 10 useful). • You may find the resources on the next slide useful for our case study.

24. Resources for Assignments • SIOP Mathematics Objectives - http://documents.cms.k12.nc.us/dsweb/View/Collection-1778 • NC DPI SIOP - http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/esl/archives/2005/07/nc_guide_to_the.php

25. Resources for Assignments (continued) • Mathematics and the SIOP Model - http://www.cal.org/saill/siopmathproject.html • Center for Applied Linguistics SIOP Model - http://www.cal.org/siop/

26. References • Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., Short, D. J. (2008). Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. • Hart, B. & Risley, T. R. (2003, Spring). The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3. American Educator. Retrieved on 12/22/07 from http://www.yarravalleyandenvirons.vic.edu.au/ Files/Articles/4th%20grade%20reading%20ga p.doc

27. References (continued) • SIOP Institute (n.d.). SIOP Lesson Plans. Retrieved on 12/22/07 from http://www.siopinstitute.net/lessonplans. shtml • Vogt, M. & Echevarria, J. (1999). The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol: A Tool for Teacher Researcher Collaboration and Professional Development. Retrieved on 12/22/07 from http://www.cal.org/crede/pubs/edpractic e/EPR3.pdf