English through content Scaffolding and Strategies for ELL Students Linda St'Pierre ELLBilingual Con

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English through contentScaffolding and
Strategies for ELL StudentsLinda
St.PierreELL/Bilingual Consultant DPI
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What is scaffolding?

• REDUCE LANGUAGE DEMANDS
• Adapt assessments for your readers
• Find out what they know
• Build student self-confidence
• Scaffolding meets readers language demands

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Assessment Without Scaffolding

• Is not valid
• Teachers cannot use assessments to help students
  learn
• Does not show what students know and can do

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How to Scaffold

• Simplify Language
• Use short phrases
• Reduce sentence length
• Use present tense if possible
• Reduce page clutter
• Space-out text

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How to Scaffold cont

• Provide students with choices example, options
  in tasks, word banks
• Use visuals and graphics allow pictorial
  responses
• Use manipulatives, real artifacts, art projects,
  poster projects, games
• Use cooperative language think alouds, paired
  reading, modeling by teacher, categorizing

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What are the Benefits of Scaffolding?

• Adds validity to assessment
• Allows students to show their strengths
• Allows teacher to gain information for further
  instruction/re-teaching and assessment

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Success with Assessment and Instruction

• For success in assessment and instruction of ELL
  students, teachers need an awareness of language
  dimensions and degree of cognitive demand
• To evaluate comprehension, teachers must use
  multiple types of assessment for ELL students

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Content Language

• We cannot assume students understand the language
  of a specific content
• Modification of content language is essential for
  ELL students academic success

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What is Language of Content?

• Imagine you are in first grade and have been
  given the following problem

What words would you use to solve this
problem?
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Which of the following do you think would be
confusing for Limited English Speakers?

• How many altogether?
• How many in all?
• How much is 3 and 2?
• What is the sum of?
• What is 2 plus 3?
• Add the two numbers.
• Three squares and two more are?
• Three plus two equals

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Content language

• Assumes student has vocabulary necessary for
  understanding.
• May be abstract rather than concrete.
• Assumes common prior knowledge.