Question

Source: Developing academic language with the SIOP Model, by Short and Echevarría

1.     On page 27, Short and Echevarría offer examples of verbal scaffolding. explain three scaffolds why they are important. (p. 27)

2.      What are the four categories of language objectives? please explain each category. (pp. 42-43)

Answer 1

Introduction:

Question # 1:

Scaffolding - The term "Scaffolding" was first used in a educational context by Bruner, who used the term "to characterize mother's verbal interaction when reading to their young children". Defined by Wood, Bruner and Ross Scaffolding is "A process that enables a child or novice to solve a problem, carryout a task, or achieve a goal which would be beyond his/her unassisted efforts". The link to Vygotsky's (i.e the distance or cognitive gap between what a learner can do without assistance and what the learner can do with a more capable peer or skilled adult) should be clear. Scaffolding, then, in a nutshell, means support, but "it is the nature of support - support that is responsive to the particular demands made on learning through the medium of a second language - that is critical for success".

The three scaffolds are categorized as below:

1. Verbal Scaffolding - Techniques that are focused on Language development.

2. Procedural Scaffolding - Techniques that relate to grouping and activities structures.

3. Instructional Scaffolding - Tools that support learning.

Below scenario is an example of verbal scaffolding -

Student - I am having a hard time answering this question.

Teacher - Let me take a look at it. Ok, The question is "what was significant about the Spanish Armada?"

Let's look back through the chapter and try to find the word Armada. I see it here, it is bold. Do you know what that word means? How about significant - is that a cognate?

Student - "Significativo" - it means important.

Teacher - Are there any pictures on the page to help us visualize an Armada? Yes, look at the picture and compare the size of the Spanish ships to the English ships.

Now let us read the sentence it is in, the sentence before and the sentence after and try to see if the answer we are looking for can be found there.

A list of Verbal scaffolding are - Paraphrasing, using"think alouds", reinforcing contextual definitions, developing questions with blooms taxonomy in mind, writing prompts, follow oral text with written text, use of cognates, effective use of weight time.

Importance of Scaffolding:

Scaffolding is important because it helps students to become independent and self regulating learners, performing a task or learning a new concept through the gradual release of responsibility and problem solvers. Besides, it facilitates students ability to build on prior knowledge and helps them to internalize new information.

Question # 2:

The four categories of language objectives are listed below:

1, Academic Vocabulary:

a) Content Vocabulary - These key words and technical terms are subject specific. ELLs need them to understand lesson concepts but they may be low frequency words particularly those in high school courses.

b) General Academic Vocabulary - These words include cross curriculum academic terms and language function words. This category includes medium and high frequency words used in academic and social conversations.

c) Word parts - This category refers to roots, prefixes, suffixes. Attention to the structure of words can help expand a student's vocabulary knowledge considerably. for eg, if a student knows VIS is the root meaning to see, they can begin to guess the meaning of words like vision, visual, invisible, and visualize.

2, Language Skills and Functions: The reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills students need to understand and convey meaning in a lesson and their purpose for using language.

a) English learners need direct, progressive instruction in language skills and opportunities to practice. The skills taught need to link to the topic and - or tasks of the lesson.

b) Students have to use language for a specific purpose in a lesson - to describe, to compare, or to predict, for example. English learners need instruction particularly in ways to articulate their description or comparisons or predictions.

3, Language Structures and Grammar: The pattern, the structures, rules, and descriptions of expressions in a language. It includes parts of speech, sentence formation, usage, and punctuation.

a) Teachers teach the language structures in the written or spoken discourse of a subject.

b) Having a list language structures and grammar points is a valuable reference tool for content and language teachers alike.

4, Language learning strategies : Mental strategies and ways of thinking that gives students resources to learn on their own.

a) Analytic strategies (eg, use cognates, roots, or affixes to guess word meaning)

b) Corrective strategies (eg, reread confusing text)

c) Self monitoring strategies (eg, make and confirm predictions)

d) Prereading strategies (eg, relate to personal experience, preview pictures)

e) Language practice strategies (eg, repeat or rehearse phrases, imitate a native speaker)