SIOP Model: Lesson

Preparation and Building

Background
By Sam Kellar, Danielle Remy, Haley Mulroy, Sarah
Breen, and Katie ONeill
Objectives
Content Objectives

Identify content objectives for English learners (ELs) that

are aligned to state, local, or national standards.

Incorporate supplementary materials suitable for ELs

What is the SIOP Model?
The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model is a research-based and
validated instructional model that has proven effective in addressing the academic
needs of English learners throughout the United States.

As the number of English learners increases in schools across the United States,
educators are seeking effective ways to help them succeed in K-12 ESL, content area,
and bilingual classrooms. Research shows that when teachers fully implement the SIOP
Model, English learners' academic performance improves. In addition, teachers report
that SIOP-based teaching benefits all students, not just those who are learning
English as an additional language.

SIOP instruction also benefits students learning content through another language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSVKj0Ye8dc
 Lesson Preparation
1. Content Objectives 2. Language Objectives

3. Appropriate Content Concepts

4. Supplementary 6. Meaningful 5. Adaptation of

Materials Activities Content
1. Content Objectives
Content objectives explain what students should know and
be able to do by the end of a lesson
Oftentimes, content objectives are written in a way that
is difficult to understand or too general.
Content objectives should be:
Stated simply
Given to the students orally and in writing
Geared toward specific grade-level content
Content Objectives
It is important for students to be aware of the content
objectives.
They should be written on the board and should be shared
verbally.
The students get practice reading, speaking, and hearing
the proper pronunciation of English words.
It also gets the students focused on what they will be
learning.
2. Language Objectives
Statements that identify what students should know and be
able to do while using English
Since learning a new language is a process, language
objectives may range from process-oriented to
performance-oriented statements
Both productive and receptive language skills should be
addressed in language objectives.
Should be written on the board and shared verbally
Language Objectives
Language objectives can be geared toward:
Vocabulary
Reading comprehension
Predicting
Summarizing
Writing
Brainstorm
Outline
Draft
Revise
edit
Writing Content and Language Objectives
Content Objectives
Students will be able to identify the key parts of a flower and
explain each of their functions.
Students will be able to add single digit numbers within 10.
Students will be able to compare characteristics of each of the four
seasons.
Pick one content objective and write a language objective
to go along with it!
Then turn to the person next to you and share your
objective.
3.Appropriate Content Concepts
The following must be considered when choosing the
appropriate concepts to plan into a lesson:

The students first language literacy (L1)

The students second language proficiency (L2)
The students reading ability
Inclusion of cultural and age appropriate materials
The level of reading difficulty
3. contd
It is inappropriate to use the curriculum materials and
books from much earlier grades.
Scaffolding should be implemented in the case where
students are developing literacy for the first time.
Ideally, there should be specialized courses that help
accelerate the students learning
EXAMPLE: FAST Math developed by Fairfax County Public Schools (1993)
Help the student gain several years; worth of math instruction in six
months to a year
3. contd
Lastly, reflect on background experience that is needed
to learn and apply concepts.
Include ways to activate the students prior knowledge
related most to them.
4. Supplementary Materials
The use of materials is very important for students who
do not have grade-level academic backgrounds and/or who
have language and learning difficulties.
With supplementary materials, the student can see, hear,
feel, perform, create, and participate in order to make
connections and construct personal meanings.
4. contd
Examples of materials that can be used to create context and
support content concepts:

Hands-on manipulatives
Realia
Pictures
Visuals
Multimedia
Demonstrations
Related literature
Hi-lo readers
Adapted text
4. realia
Realia are real life objects that allow the student to
make connections to their own lives.

EXAMPLE:

Bank deposit slips for a lesson on banking

Nutrition labels for a lesson on health
4. Hi-lo readers
Hi-lo readers refers to texts that are high in
interest but have a lower readability with many
visuals.

EXAMPLE:

The Big Idea by Ellen Schecter

Luz is determined to turn a run-down vacant lot into a

garden, but she must convince her neighbors to help.
4. Adapted text & related literature
Adapted texts are readings where the reading ability
level is reduced but the major concepts remain the
same.

Related literature enables readers to respond to the

text with personal feeling. AKA Aesthetic Response

Rosenblatts Transactional Experience:

Aesthetic responses to literature promotes a
deeper understanding of the concepts that are
depicted.
5. Adaptation of Content
Many schools require the use of textbooks too difficult for
ELL students to read. The following strategies help adapt
this information so that the content concepts can be
learned.

Suggestions for adapting text to make it more accessible:

a. Summarizing the text to focus on the key points of the

information
b. Elaborating the text to add information
Summarizing the text to focus on the key points
EXAMPLE:

Electrons have negative electric charges and orbit around

the core, nucleus, of an atom

can be changed to

Electrons have negative charges. They orbit around the core

of the atom. The core of the atom is called the nucleus
6. Meaningful Activities
Students are more successful when they are able to make
connections between what they know and what they are
learning by relating classroom experiences to their own
lives.

They are described as authentic because they represent a

reality for a student.

This is important for an ELL student because they are

learning to attach labels and terms to things that are
already familiar to them.
 Building Background

7. Concepts Linked to 8. Links between Past

Students Backgrounds Learning and New Learning

9. Developing Key Vocabulary:

Academic Language
7. Concepts Linked to Students Backgrounds
Knowledge of the world provides a basis for
understanding, learning, and remembering facts and ideas
found in stories and texts.
Children from culturally diverse backgrounds may struggle
with comprehension of a text or concept because their
background knowledge does not match the culture of the
text.
When students lack prior knowledge teachers should:
1. Teach vocabulary as a prereading step
2. Provide experiences
3. Introduce a conceptual framework that will enable students to
develop appropriate background information
8. Links Between Past Learning and New Learning
In order for learning to occur, new information must be
integrated with what students have previously learned.
Many students benefit from having the teacher explicitly point
out how past learning is related to the information at hand.
Links between past learning and new learning can be made
through:
Discussion
Graphic organizer
Previously used class notes
Powerpoint slides related to the topic
This is important for ELs who receive so much input through the
new language
9. Developing Key Vocabulary: Academic Language
Defined as: the set of words, grammar, and organizational strategies used
to describe complex ideas, high-order thinking processes, and abstract
concepts.
Academic language is of critical importance in content classrooms.
Many English learners come to school in the US with well-developed
vocabularies and an understanding of academic language of various
disciplines.
It is important to help them make connections between what they know
about the structure of their home language and what theyre learning
about English.
For beginning ELs, the instruction in English and academic language must
be more explicit and comprehensive.
This is supported by the elementary/secondary classroom teacher
through SIOP lessons.
Works Cited
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/connect-students-back
ground-knowledge-content-ell-classroom