Integrated ELD in the ELA Classroom

About this video

• Video Title: Integrated ELD in the ELA Classroom
• Channel: SBCUSD
• Speakers: Sarah Gapp
• Duration: 00:12:03

Overview

This video demonstrates how an English teacher integrates English Language Development (ELD) strategies into an English Language Arts (ELA) classroom for eighth-grade students. The focus is on preparing students for a debate by explicitly teaching vocabulary, modeling academic language, and using collaborative activities with sentence frames to improve their language production.

Key takeaways

• Integrated ELD: The video highlights the importance of integrating ELD within the regular ELA curriculum, contrasting it with pull-out ELD programs. This approach involves explicit instruction, meticulous modeling, and constant monitoring of students' language use during collaborative activities.
• Vocabulary Instruction: Teaching tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary explicitly, such as the word "refutation," is crucial for students to understand academic registers and engage in scholarly conversations.
• Language Objectives: Language objectives are derived from Common Core and ELD standards and are designed to encourage students to purposefully use English, both written and spoken.
• Collaborative Learning and Sentence Frames: Students work in heterogeneous groups, using sentence frames to structure their arguments and practice speaking in an academic register. This approach supports peer learning and helps students articulate their ideas effectively.
• Research and Debate Preparation: The lesson focuses on preparing students to argue appropriately using textual evidence, specifically in the context of a debate about banning homework. Students share their research, gather facts from peers, and practice refuting counter-arguments.

About this video

• Video Title: Integrated ELD in the ELA Classroom
• Channel: SBCUSD
• Speakers: Sarah Gapp
• Duration: 00:12:03

Overview

This video demonstrates how an English teacher integrates English Language Development (ELD) strategies into an English Language Arts (ELA) classroom for eighth-grade students. The focus is on preparing students for a debate by explicitly teaching vocabulary, modeling academic language, and using collaborative activities with sentence frames to improve their language production.

Key takeaways

• Integrated ELD: The video highlights the importance of integrating ELD within the regular ELA curriculum, contrasting it with pull-out ELD programs. This approach involves explicit instruction, meticulous modeling, and constant monitoring of students' language use during collaborative activities.
• Vocabulary Instruction: Teaching tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary explicitly, such as the word "refutation," is crucial for students to understand academic registers and engage in scholarly conversations.
• Language Objectives: Language objectives are derived from Common Core and ELD standards and are designed to encourage students to purposefully use English, both written and spoken.
• Collaborative Learning and Sentence Frames: Students work in heterogeneous groups, using sentence frames to structure their arguments and practice speaking in an academic register. This approach supports peer learning and helps students articulate their ideas effectively.
• Research and Debate Preparation: The lesson focuses on preparing students to argue appropriately using textual evidence, specifically in the context of a debate about banning homework. Students share their research, gather facts from peers, and practice refuting counter-arguments.

Ask me anything about this video

1. What is the definition of "refutation" as presented in the video?
2. How does the teacher differentiate between a casual register and an academic register for her ELD students?
3. What are the two types of sentence frames mentioned as being available on the desks?
4. How does the teacher ensure accountability when students are sharing their research findings in small groups?
5. Give me topics and tags to explore this video in detail.

The teacher used several strategies to help emergent bilingual (EB) students understand the concepts presented:

• Explicit Vocabulary Instruction: The teacher explicitly taught the tier 3 vocabulary word "refutation" by writing it on the board, having students repeat it, and providing its definition.
• Meticulous Modeling: The teacher provided detailed modeling of how to use academic language and sentence frames.
• Sentence Frames: Sentence frames were provided to help students structure their arguments and practice speaking in an academic register, aiding in both comprehension and production. Examples include "To refute the counter-argument which is..." and "I believe... because..."
• Hand Signals: A hand signal was introduced for the word "refute" to aid recall and connect the word with its meaning.
• Collaborative Activities: Students worked in heterogeneous groups, allowing them to learn from peers and hear the academic register modeled by a fellow student.
• Pre-selected Sharing: The teacher pre-selected some students, particularly English language learners, to share their prepared responses. This gave them a chance to articulate and prepare their thoughts using sentence stems and vocabulary, building confidence.
• Focus on Academic Register: The overarching strategy was to consistently encourage and practice the use of an academic register in all student communication.

Based on the transcript, the teacher does not explicitly link the current concepts to students' backgrounds and experiences or reference previous specific lessons on similar subjects.

The lesson focuses on the debate topic of homework, which is a common experience for students. The teacher also uses the concept of "refutation" in the context of a debate, which is a transferable skill. However, the transcript does not provide details on how the teacher connects these topics to students' personal lives or prior learning in a way that is explicitly stated as drawing from their backgrounds or previous lessons. The emphasis is more on the academic skills of argumentation, vocabulary, and using an academic register within the context of the given debate topic.