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Why is This Issue So Important? Every year, classrooms around the United States are becoming more and more ethnically and linguistically diverse. According to the 2000 census, over 3 million school aged children were identified as limited English proficient (LEP) students in public schools. As these numbers continue to exponentially grow, the academic achievement of the LEP students continue to trail considerably behind that of their language majority peers. Therefore, to meet the challenge of educating these students well, drastic changes in teaching methods, materials, and curriculum need to be instilled. While other ESL teaching approaches have been introduced and attempted in elementary schools, the sheltered instruction approach is now becoming the favored method in teaching ELLs.
Issue Brief: English Language Learner Students in U.S. Public Schools: 1994 and 2000
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Other ESL Programs ... ESL Pull-out - ELL students are pulled out of their classrooms for a specific amount of time each day to be given intensive instruction in English language development. criticism to this program Two-way Bilingual Programs- Students from the same language background (ex- Spanish) are grouped in a classroom with language majority students (English speaking students). The goal is to have an equal amount of students in each group, so that instruction would be provided in both English and the other language (Spanish). Native English speakers will have the opportunity to gain proficiency in a second language. criticism to this program Early Exit Bilingual Programs - Initial instruction is provided in the students' first language (until English skills are acquired) and quickly phased out by 2nd-3rd grade. criticism to this program
List of ESL and Bilingual Programs Used in the US
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What is the SIOP Model? In a nutshell, the sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) is an ESL program model that teachers can employ while instructing English language learners in the classroom. This model requires teachers to alter their lesson plans in strategic ways in order to make subject matter comprehensible for these ESL students. All lessons should focus on: 1) direct connections between the students' personal experiences and the new material, 2) verbal interactions between fellow peers and the teacher that incorporate the vocabulary that is relevant to the lesson, and 3) the use of hands on materials and/or manipulatives during every lesson to support language acquisition. This model does not prohibit teachers from continuing to teach in their specific style. Rather, the SIOP provides teachers with a set of guidelines and strategies to better help them educate their ELL students.
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The Nuts & Bolts of the SIOP Model There are three main components of the SIOP - what types of elements should be considered during the preparation of the lesson, what needs to be included during the actual instruction, and what should be done when reviewing the lesson. Since skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing are all integral parts of the process that students experience when acquiring language proficiency, it is imperative that all lessons incorporate these practices. Through modified instruction and the study of content, the SIOP model will effectively help teachers educate their ELL students in content areas all the while developing their language ability. **all information gathered from Jana Echevarria's Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners Echevarria, Jana. Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners: The SIOP Model. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon, 2000.
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Putting It Into Practice ... The SIOP model can be incorporated into every aspect of a typical school day, from the morning message to story book read alouds and guided reading. 4 tips to consider before executing any lesson: 1) Teachers should clearly state the purpose of every lesson to communicate to the students what is expected of them, and to remind herself of the focus of the lesson. 2) Throughout the entire lesson, teachers should strive to build the students' vocabulary base. 3) Teachers should try to minimalize the amount of "down time" (time where students are not actively learning) and maximize the amount of time where children are actively learning about material that they will be assessed on. 4) Teachers should try to find a "comfortable" pace in which to teach lessons so that all students can understand the material and still maintain interest in the lesson.
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