Watching the videos the teacher used numerous strategies to promote comprehension and in the reflection pointed out the strategies she used and why. Sheltered lessons are broken into three phases, pre-reading, during reading, and after reading. One thing for all lessons is the importance of going over CLO’s and overall goals for the lesson.
During the pre-reading phase the teacher used key vocabulary words that were written down on a sheet of paper for all students to see and she discussed the meaning of these words, also showing pictures to help with a better understanding of the words. She also had the students talk about strategies when they come to a word they don’t know. What I really liked was that the teacher also incorporated the students own knowledge to help with understanding, like the birthday song. One think I do for all my students is do a picture walk for a book, and I understand now how important it is to also have the students think of the guided question “What does this topic look like in my culture?”
In phase two, during reading the teacher made sure the students were following along, that she read aloud and also used an overhead projector to re-visit key words or sentences in the book. The students were engaged and it was obvious that they were interacting with the text. Also, I thought it was key that it was noted that output is as important as input, second language learners need a wait time to respond to questions.
In phase three, after reading the teacher revisited the objectives and reviewed key words, key facts in the book and if there were any connections made, like the girl connecting it to another book they had read. The diary board was a great visual and helped with revisiting the text in future lessons.
Overall the lesson was engaging and many strategies for vocabulary and comprehension were used with adults modeling how they think being one I had not been aware of how important it was to use
My comments and observations were similar to yours. I thought the instructional strategies the teacher used were very helpful and appropriate. The only thing I noticed is that the level of engagement was not high. The students seemed a bit board as they stretched out accross the table. I almost wonder if she had them sit around her or if she were somehow closer to them if this would have helped???? Just at thought.
ReplyDeleteTracy,
ReplyDeleteYour guided question. "What does this topic look like in my culture." really struck me. I use fairy tales and fables to teach my adult ELLs, however, I have not really explicitly asked them this guided question. I indeed appreciate it that you have included it in your reflection. The way we look at life is really dependent on where we are coming from. Each person, whether an ELL or not, has a history/culture, and every teacher must acknowledge and respect this.
Evelyn
Tracy,
ReplyDeleteI also liked how the teacher incorporated the birthday song and I love your guided question during picture walks. I feel is it super important for students to feel valued for their culture. Living in the United States shouldn't mean you have to give up your traditions and culture. Thanks for the great insights and ideas.
Megan