Preparing and Using the Lesson Plan Protocol to Monitor Protected Instructions - Research Paper Example

? SIOP Lesson Plan SIOP Lesson Plan The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) is an effective instructional model thataddresses the English language learners’ (ELL) academic as well as linguistic needs, developed at the California State University and Center for Applied Linguistics by researchers. SIOP enables teachers to plan and deliver lessons by use of interrelated modules, which include preparation, background building, strategies, application and assessment. It combines the teacher’s knowledge and understanding of the language, subject content and ability to purposefully teach the ELLs (McCarthy, 1991). Learners in all the grades benefit both in the content area and the bilingual aspects. This paper will prepare a SIOP lesson plan for grade five students under the food and nutrition topic whereby, working in collaborative groups, they will be required to identify the nutritional values of food served in the school cafeteria. This paper will describe a learning project whose length is five class periods covering multiple content and sheltered instructional approaches that address learners with special needs and the ELLs. The standards used are contained in the New York State ELA, and the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). New York State ELA Standards Standard 1: The students will read and write, then listen and speak for the purpose of understanding and information. Standard 3: The students will read and write, then listen and speak for the purpose of evaluation and critical analysis. This lesson plan will address the above requirements by ensuring students read, listen, write and speak effectively so as to comprehend content, present information, communicate with fellow students and evaluate their own progress. TESOL Standards Standard 1: Within the school environment, ELLs will communicate in English for both instructional and social purposes Standard 2: ELLs will communicate ideas, concepts and information that facilitate their academic success in the art of language. The lesson plan will require the ELLs to use English in their communication of ideas, concept and information throughout the project (Tharpe & Gallimore, 1988). Content Objectives Students will be able to know nutritional values of food offered for lunch on the school menu by engaging in learning groups and investigative methods to research on the content. They will then present their findings in PowerPoint form in groups. Language Objectives Students will be able to communicate information verbally. They will re-tell the contents of the curriculum and use appropriate vocabulary to describe what they have learnt. Although content and language objectives are presented as distinct objectives, they are with the standards as well as each other. Vocabulary The key vocabulary words are vitamin, sodium, fiber, mono-unsaturated fat, poly-unsaturated fat, protein, carbohydrate and calorie. Materials KWL chart, graphic organizer created by the teacher, computer projection screen, PowerPoint, classroom laptops, internet resources, and recipe cards. Strategies The strategies are driven by language and content standards, and the implementation is done with consideration to the theories of language acquisition that appeal to an assorted scope of learners. The learners are presented with an opportunity to utilize technology resources and graphic organizers, re-state information, work in mutual learning groups and discover information through research. Because the plan is designed for both learners with special needs and ELLs, strategies like jigsaw are used for their proven instructing effectiveness. A meaningful, thematic mode of instruction facilitates acquisition of second language, gives room for collaboration, provides scaffolding, and allows opportunities for use of oral and written English while building background. Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, the strategies are also designed to develop the learners’ mental skills, grow their emotional or feelings aspects and enhance their physical or manual skills (Scarcella & Oxford, 1992). The cognitive, affective and psychomotor parameters will thus be addressed. This lesson plan uses two widely accepted theories of second language acquisition; the interactionist perspective and Krashen’s Five Hypotheses. Krashen’s Hypotheses influence the learners’ abilities to acquire a second language through a collection of five theories. Krashen drew the hypotheses from the difference between acquiring a second language and acquiring a second language (Gass & Selinker, 1994). A second language may be acquired through a natural process, much in the same way as acquiring the first language. As described by the monitor hypothesis, formal study during the acquisition of a second language results in an interior grammar monitor, while the hypothesis of natural order provides that students learn grammar in a natural and predictable order. Krashen then shows how the natural order hypothesis leads to ELLs acquiring a second language by their understanding of comprehensible input natural communication. The role played by anxiety, confidence and motivation are identified in the affective filter hypothesis. On the other hand, although the interactionist perspective puts considerable emphasis on comprehensible input, the interactionists consider the natural communication that occurs between non-native and native speakers is the vital component in the acquisition of a second language. The learners will, hence, actively engage in natural, although focused, communication with both teachers and fellow students (Gass & Selinker, 1994). The ELLs are then able to acquire vocabulary skills and fundamental grammar structures through the process. It is the interactionists’ belief that ELLs need not be forced to speak. They will speak when they are comfortable, and communication will take place in a natural setting. As vocabulary and comprehension levels increase, output errors will be naturally corrected. In this lesson plan’s context, the instructor provides comprehensible income, builds confidence, employs motivation techniques and encourages students to communicate naturally. The plan’s opening lecture constructs the background, activating learners’ prior knowledge and providing comprehensive input. In their collaborative groups, students participate in unstructured form of language communication. As the lessons progress, both the learners and the teacher will model vital terms of vocabulary and what they mean. Sufficient time will allow sufficient time to practice presentations in order to reduce anxiety, and the learners will not be coerced to participate or speak beyond what their comfort can accommodate. The probability of a meaningful and successful lesson will significantly be increased through identifying and applying the language acquisition theories. Procedure 1. To activate prior knowledge, build background and motivation, the lesson will start by discussing the cafeteria’s favorite foods. Every learner will identify their favorite food available in the cafeteria and describe why it is their favorite. This activity will be extended by the teacher through asking the learners to the food items that possibly reflect their different cultures. 2. Technology will be employed by the teacher by use of the promethean board in the classroom to construct a bar graph illustrating the favorite items as indicated by the learners. To determine whether confidence is growing, the teacher will ask for volunteers to describe the graph’s axis. Upon the graph’s completion, ELLs will be called upon to identify the menu item with the highest votes, that with the lowest and those that have an equal number. The learners will then be informed that they will complete a group resource project involving the investigation of nutritional values in different menu items and explain what they understand by proper nutrition. 3. The teacher will facilitate a proper-nutrition discussion by creating a chart. The teacher will then ask learners to give examples of what they have gathered on proper nutrition and what more they would like to know. Topics and answers from the learners’ discussion will be displayed in a brief but precise manner on the chart. 4. The teacher will give an opening lecture on the significance of nutrition in the lives of the learners. The teacher will then describe the course of action of creating meals that uphold proper nutrition by offering meat, dairy, grains, vegetables and fruits options every day. The teacher will use a food pyramid chart to give details of correct daily values. 5. The teacher will hand out his creation of guided notes worksheet that contains vocabulary terms. The teacher will then hand out a copy of a label with nutritional values obtained from a cereal package. The learners will identify where each vocabulary term they have learnt appears on the label of nutritional values and make a record of the values. The learners will finally use the dictionary applications on the classroom laptops to record definitions of the words they have used. Practice/Application The lessons will be delivered through Bloom’s Taxonomy. 1. The teacher will divide the learners in groups of five. They will be diversely grouped into mixing ELLs and learners with special needs students with those who have shown the ability to understand and support their peers’ needs. The teacher will assign a recipe card to each group and distribute a graphic organizer outlining the specified requirements for identifying the recipe’s nutritional values. Learners will demonstrate cognitive skills and show their knowledge, understanding and critical thinking about nutritional values on the lunch menu. They will also demonstrate their memory of previous learning by recalling basic concepts, terms and facts in their answers. The learners will also demonstrate their comprehension of ideas and facts by stating, comparing, interpreting and organizing the key ideas (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). 2. The teacher will make each group understand that they will identify nutritional values in the items on the recipe after which they will work out the total values of nutrition on the recipe by adding them up. The teacher will make available methods and websites to complete the task. The teacher will break down the ingredients and let the group assign a member responsible for each item. The total values will then be recorded on the provided graphic organizer. The students will compare the health benefits of the values they have recorded. The students will be able to solve new problems in different situations. The students will be able to analyze the broken down information by identifying the causes or motives. They will make conclusions and give evidence supporting their generalizations. 3. Technology will be used after completing the graphic organizer, and the teacher will explain to the groups how to prepare PowerPoint presentations of their work. The teacher will hand out a PowerPoint presentation outline to each group where they will initially write a draft. All group members will then contribute towards the creation of the final presentation. The teacher will remind the learners about their previous experience with PowerPoint and demonstrate the significance of creativity and originality. All group members will write their personalized notes that they will use to present. The synthesis element of Bloom’s Taxonomy will be addressed by the students’ ability to compile information in various ways by combining different rudiments in new patterns or proposing alternatives (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). They will be able to produce a unique communication. 4. The teacher will train the pupils to practice individual speaking roles in their groups and attempt to use the key vocabulary terms correctly. Their capability to evaluate will be exhibited by the way they present and defend their opinions and judging information. Their judgment will be based on both external criteria and internal evidence. 5. Working on prescribed time structures after practice, the students will give a presentation of their findings in PowerPoint form. At the same time, each group member will be given an opportunity to communicate significant nutritional information verbally. The other groups will listen to all the presentations, paying close attention and write down the important information they were able to pick. The teacher will be able to gauge the skills developed in the psychomotor domain by the students’ use of the projector and laptops. Review/Assessment 1. After completion of all PowerPoint presentations, the teacher will assess the students on each recipe by means of an assessment that constructs the outlines used by the students to record information in the group presentations. The students will record each recipe’s nutritional value using the graphic organizers they were provided with during their presentations. 2. The chart will then guide the teacher to the complete the section learned through class discussion. 3. The teacher will distribute to each student copies of their groups presentation that were recorded, which they will take home for viewing. The teacher will instruct each student to list their two areas of personal excellence with at least a single area that requires improvement regarding presentation effectiveness, presentation content, speaking or writing. Extension The teacher will once again revisit the bar graph that was created previously illustrating the students’ favorite menu item and identify nutritional contents in each. The teacher will then facilitate a discussion on the healthiest items as well as the least healthy ones. The students will then carry out another vote to establish if there are changes in their opinions basing on the nutritional values. Future assignments will require students to track their personal consumption of nutrients in one full day. Summary Although the content objectives and theme were created by the author to suit a SIOP lesson plan, learning strategies and language objectives were successfully included in the learning exercise. Specific examples include the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy, the theories of second language acquisition and the exhaustive use of graphic organizers. The success of the lesson was observed in the manner in which the instructor put into practice the jigsaw strategy in a social studies class lesson. In the lesson, the instructor provided the students with numerous graphic equalizers to help them record and accumulate information. By use of these strategies, the instructor enabled the students to better understand the curriculum content and key vocabulary terms. For this purpose the jigsaw method was included by the author while planning for the utilization of the graphic organizers. The TESOL standards’ application was observed by the author in the instruction strategy in both exercises. The students’ attention was sufficiently summoned by asking them to list their own favorite menu items at the beginning of the first lesson. At the beginning level, the students were encouraged to answer simple, suggestive questions and directions with up to two words. Non verbal communication, such as pointing an answer or matching symbols was used. They would then begin speaking in a few words or short sentences using grammatical sounds and form as well as using social greetings and repetitive phrases. Retelling previous sessions was of considerable significance. At the intermediate level, they would ask and respond to instructional question using sentences. They were encouraged to listen to information attentively and attempt to identify significant concepts and details. A further strategy was for students to be asked and respond to instructional questions with supporting elements, for example, describe the part of the information that was important. At the advanced level, students were directed towards demonstrating an understanding of most natural expressions by responding to the expressions and reacting appropriately. They were encouraged to initiate and negotiate social conversations through restating, paraphrasing, questioning and soliciting information from their peers. These strategies helped to build the students’ comprehension and organization skills as well as execution of oral communication. The strategies were also planned bearing in mind that the initial stages of simultaneously learning a new language and subject content involves considerable trial and error and imitation on the learners’ part. Hence, competence in performance can only be achieved through practicing (Tharpe & Gallimore, 1988). For examples, the students were requires to reconstruct broken information by the jigsaw method in order to demonstrate their comprehension and memory. Another example was the strategy of students using laptops and the projector to present their work. References Anderson, L. & Krathwohl, D. (2001). Taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives New York: Longman. Gass, C., & Selinker, L. (1994). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. McCarthy, M. (1991). Discourse analysis for language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Scarcella, R., & Oxford, L. (1992). The tapestry of language learning: The individual in the communicative classroom. Boston: Heinle and Heinle. Tharpe, R., & Gallimore, R. (1988). Rousing minds to life: Teaching, learning, and schooling in social context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More