SIOP

Comprehensible
Input
Taylor Septer, Briana
Cieszko, and Jenny
Gold
Objectives
● After reading, discussing, and engaging in activities related to this chapter,
students will be able to meet the following content and language objectives.
● Content Objectives:
○ Explore techniques for presenting content information in ways that the students
comprehend
○ Review various ways to model and provide directions for academic tasks
● Language Objectives:
○ Discuss modifications to teacher speech that can increase student comprehension
○ Write the steps needed for students to perform an academic task and have a
partner perform each step
Background: What is
Comprehensible Input?
● Comprehensible Input → making the message understandable for
students.
● Comprehensible Input is achieved when teachers pay attention to the unique linguistic
needs of ELs and consistently incorporate specialized teaching techniques into their daily
teaching routines.
● Comprehensible Input is more than simply showing pictures as visual clues during a
lesson.
○ Rather, it involves an effort to make the lesson understandable through speech that
is appropriate to students’ proficiency levels.
● Comprehensible Input enhances understanding through the use of appropriate speech,
explanation of tasks using clear step-by-step manner with visuals, and variety of
techniques that make content concepts clear.
Video!
Feature 10: Appropriate Speech
● Speech refers to:
1. Rate and Enunciation
2. Complexity of Speech
● Rate and Enunciation
■ Addresses how the teacher speaks.
● Complexity of Speech
■ Addresses what is said, such as vocabulary used, complexity of
sentence structure, and use of idioms.
Appropriate Speech
● Students who are at the beginning levels of English proficiency benefit from
teachers who:
■ Slow down their rate of speech
■ Use pauses
■ Enunciate clearly while speaking
● As students become more comfortable with the language and acquire higher
levels of proficiency, a slower rate is not necessary.
● For advanced and transitional students, teachers should use a rate of speech
that is normal for a regular classroom.
● Effective SIOP teachers adjust their rate of speech and
enunciation to their students’ levels of English proficiency.
Appropriate Speech
● Students will respond according to their proficiency level.
○ Example of responses of the different levels of English proficiency when
describing setting of a story:
➔ Beginning: “Cold day.”
➔ Early Intermediate: “The day is cold and there is snow.”
➔ Intermediate: “The day is very cold and heavy snow is falling.”
➔ Advanced: “It is a cold, winter day and it is snowing more heavily than
usual.”
➔ Transitional: “The unusually heavy snow on the day the story takes place
causes a number of problems for the characters.”
● SIOP teachers carefully monitor the vocabulary and sentence structure they
use with ELs in order to match the students’ proficiency levels.
Appropriate Speech
● Idioms create difficulty for students who are trying to make sense of a
new language.
○ Idioms → common sayings that cannot be translated exactly.
■ Examples:
➔ “below the belt” → unfair
➔ “put one’s foot down” → firm
➔ “see eye to eye” → agreement
➔ “get the hang of” → become familiar with
➔ “get a person’s back” → make someone annoyed
● ELs benefit more from teacher language that is straightforward, clear, and
accompanied by visual representations.
Appropriate Speech
● Practices that enhance understanding:
■ Paraphrasing
■ Repetition → strengthens connections in the brain
● ELs may require repeated exposure to a word in order to hear it accurately
since they often lack the auditory acuity to decipher sounds of English
words.
● ELs need to see and hear the words used repeatedly in a variety of ways.
● SIOP teachers use simple sentence structures with beginning students and
reduce/eliminate embedded clauses.
● It is important to use appropriate speech patterns and terms that are easier
for ELs to understand.
Feature 11: Clear Explanation of
Academic Tasks
Clear Explanations of Academic
Tasks
● Step-by-step modeling (I, we, you)
● Verbal scaffolding: think aloud
● Various groupings of students
● Wait time
● Clarify in first language
● Repetition
● Variety of ways of explaining
● Speech pace
● Enunciation
Feature 12: A Variety of Techniques
Used to Make Content Concepts
Clear
● Many teachers use the same techniques for ELLs as they do for native English
speakers, but they use pictures for the ELLs.
● Teaching techniques have a greater impact on student achievement than
having a lot of pictures to demonstrate concepts.
● High-quality SIOP lessons offer a variety of ways to make the content
accessible to students.
● Not every lesson can include techniques to tailor to every learning style, but
try to incorporate it throughout the week.
Techniques
Accompanying Speech: Provide Models:

● Gestures ● Process
● Body language ● Task
● Pictures ● Assignment
● Objects
Techniques
● Preview material for optimal learning
● Allow alternative forms for expressing understanding of material or concepts
● Use multimedia and technologies in lessons
● Provide repeated exposures to words, concepts, and skills
● Use sentence strips or sequence steps
● Be succinct
● Effectively use graphic organizers
● Audiotape texts for comprehension
What is the Purpose?
● The SIOP Process provides
meaningful, understandable
lessons
● It adapts to the students’
individual proficiency levels,
highlights vocabulary, uses
scaffolding, allows students to
use strategies, and provides
activities for students to apply
content and knowledge
3-2-1 and Discuss!
Learning Styles
● Visual: the students were able to gain a conceptual understanding of the main
ideas and key concepts about comprehensible input through the use of the
PowerPoint, video, pictures, and representation models.
● Independent: the students were provided guided notes and a 3-2-1 sheet as
well as a Kahoot quiz to allow them to enhance/assess their conceptual
understanding of the information taught from the lesson.
● Social: the students discussed the content when completing the 3-2-1 sheet
with their peers to learn from one another as well as enhance ideas and
terminology of the content.
● Auditory: the teachers present the slides to the students to teach the
importance of comprehensible input as well as encouraging the students to
talk to their classmates about the content taught.
Sources
Echevarria, Jana, et al. Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: the

SIOP Model. Pearson, 2017.