This document provides an overview of scaffolding strategies to support English language learners' access to content area curriculum. It discusses the use of verbal, procedural, and instructional scaffolds. Specific scaffolding techniques are explained, such as think-alouds, graphic organizers, cooperative learning groups, manipulatives, and modeling. Sample activities demonstrate how to implement strategies like THIEVES, GIST, and conga lines in the classroom. The objectives are to help educators identify effective teaching methods that support both content and language learning.

1. Scaffolding for Success
Increasing ELL Access to Content Area
Curriculum
Presented by Carla Huck and Beth Amaral
SIOP Instructional Coaches
Danbury Public Schools, Danbury, CT

2. About us. . .
Danbury Public
Schools
10,803 students in the
district
2,266 English Language
Learners
43 languages spoken
13 elementary schools
2 middle schools
1 high school

3. Think-Pair-Share
• What does scaffolding mean to you?
• How do you scaffold content within your
classroom?

5. Objectives
Content Objectives:
(1) We will be able to identify effective teaching strategies, tools
and techniques that lead to academic content and language
learning in all classes.
(2) We will be able to organize instruction so that student
learning is scaffolded throughout each lesson -- using verbal,
procedural and instructional scaffolds.
Language Objectives:
(1) We will read a text and create a graphic organizer.
(2) We will view a video clip and listen for 10 new vocabulary
words to use in a written summary.
(3) We will orally explain our summary to a partner in a
CONGA LINE and revise our responses accordingly.

6. Why Use Scaffolding?
• Effective scaffolding can increase the students’ independence in performing
a task or learning a new concept through the gradual release of
responsibility (Echevarria, Vogt & Short, 2010; Fisher & Frey, 2008).

7. THREE Types of Scaffolding
1. Verbal Scaffolds
2. Procedural Scaffolds
3. Instructional Scaffolds

8. Verbal scaffolds
Techniques focused on language development:
• Paraphrasing
• Using “think-alouds”
• Reinforcing contextual definitions
• Providing correct pronunciation by repeating
students’ responses
• Slowing speech, increasing pauses, and speaking in
phrases
• Purposefully using synonyms, antonyms and
cognates

9. Verbal Scaffolding
Using Think Aloud Strategy in your classroom
http://vimeo.com/10118244

10. Vocabulary Strategy Modeled
1. Teacher says the word. substitution
2. Teachers states the word in context
from text.
Use substitution to solve for x and y.
3. Teacher provides the dictionary
definition.
1. A person or thing acting in place of
another
2. The replacement of a term of an
equation by another that is known
to have the same value in order
to simplify the equation.
4. Teacher explains meaning with
student-friendly definitions.
I am going to substitute low fat milk for
regular milk in my cereal.
5. Teacher has students repeat word
orally 3 times.
Say substitution 3 times with me
6. Teacher engages students in activities
to develop word/concept knowledge.
In sports, when would there be a
substitution? What does a substitute
teacher do?
7. Teacher highlights grammar, tense,
cognate, spelling, synonyms/antonyms,
etc.
Substitution is a noun; to substitute is a
verb; synonyms: replacement, switch

11. Procedural Scaffolds are techniques that relate to
grouping and activity structures:
• It is important that explanations are very clear
about what students are to do, and how they are to
do it. When steps to processes and procedures are
written, orally presented, and modeled, students
will be more likely to succeed.
• Providing opportunities for peer collaboration and
tutoring.
• Cooperative learning activities. Students support
one another as they are learning the subject matter
and accomplishing their roles. They practice their
oral language skills as they interact verbally.
• Use of routines

12. Procedural Scaffolding
Intentional Grouping
Explicit directions, roles and
procedures

13. Procedural Scaffolding
Independent application opportunities that
have clear explanations

14. Instructional scaffolds are tools that support
learning
• visuals and imagery
• manipulatives
• models and diagrams
• making a variety of resources available in the
classroom, e.g. dictionary, thesaurus, computers.
• posting schedules and project timelines
• graphic organizers (GIST)
• chapter outlines (THIEVES)
• word walls
• pictographs
• sentence starters and academic language frames

15. Instructional Scaffolding
Modeling using a document
camera Demonstrating lab
procedures

17. Instructional Scaffolding
Using manipulatives in
Pre-Algebra class
Using technology to
differentiate in Chemistry
class

18. Anticipation Guide
Fast Food Nation
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june01/fast_food.html>
My
Opinion
Group Author Agree or Disagree?
1. The average American knows fast food isn’t
good for him/her but eats it anyway.
2. Children can identify Ronald McDonald
more than they can recognize Santa Claus.
3. The percentage of children and teenagers
who are overweight has tripled over the past 10
years.
4. Type 2 diabetes is linked to the obesity
epidemic.
5. Despite the influence of fast and sugary
foods, most people’s weight is more strongly
influenced by genes than diet.

19. THIEVES: From Theory to Practice
• Manz, S.L. (2002).
A strategy for previewing textbooks: Teaching
readers to become THIEVES. The Reading
Teacher, 55, 434–435.
• Surveying the specific elements of a textbook
chapter will help students activate prior knowledge,
as well as identify their purpose and expectations
for reading the chapter.
• Perusing the title, headings, introduction, topic
sentences, visuals, vocabulary, end-of-chapter
questions, and summary before reading the text
itself helps readers identify important concepts,
establish a context, and note significant points.

20. THIEVES
T Title
H Headings
I Introduction
E Every first sentence in a paragraph
V Visuals and vocabulary
E End-of-chapter questions
S Summary

21. Sample textbook chapter

22. Your
Turn!

23. GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS: From Theory to Practice
When applied as a tool to support students’ thinking and learning
processes, numerous research studies have shown that graphic
organizers help students:
• brainstorm ideas
• develop, organize, and communicate ideas
• see connections, patterns, and relationships
• assess and share prior knowledge
• develop vocabulary
• highlight important ideas
• classify or categorize concepts, ideas, and information
• examine similarities and differences
• improve social interaction and facilitate group work
• guide review and study

24. Sample informational text

26. GRAPHIC ORGANIZER activity
Your task:
1. You have been given a reading that you will use with your
students.
2. Design a graphic organizer that matches your reading, to be
used before, during and/or after reading the article.
3. Draw and complete your final version on chart paper.
4. Note: Do not write the title of the article on the graphic
organizer.
GALLERY WALK: View your peers’ graphic organizers and
leave a sticky note indicating what you think the article is about

27. GIST: From Theory to Practice
• Rhoder, C. (2002). Mindful reading: Strategy training that facilitates
transfer. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(6), 498–512.
• Train the students in the strategy. Display a passage on the board
and then read it with the class. With the students, pick out eight or
ten of the most important words from a passage and underline or
circle them. Then write a summary of the passage in a sentence or
two using those words. Do this as a class for several passages of text,
then ask students to try the technique on their own or in pairs.
• Alternatively, use this strategy with your content-based video clips.
Students with less proficient listening comprehension skills will be
able to “get the GIST” with structured listening tasks.

28. GIST
(Generating Interaction between Schemata and Text)
• Watch the video clip from Discovery Education
(Fair Trade Chocolate 2:16)
• Take note of 10 key terms
• Turn your terms into a summary statement

30. CONGA LINE: From Theory to Practice
• Jana Echevarría, MaryEllen Vogt, and Deborah J. Short
(2012), Making Content Comprehensible for English
Learners: The SIOP Model.
• The application of language acquisition requires
students’ frequent opportunities to interact with one
another and with the curricular information on a daily
basis.
• This is an interactive activity to share ideas while
fostering listening and speaking skills. It is also useful
for formative assessment, as the teacher can monitor
student responses.

31. CONGA LINE
• Count off by twos
• Form two lines of “ones” and “twos” facing each other
• For 30 seconds, ones will share their GIST summary
with the person across from them and how they will
implement this strategy in the classroom.
• After 30 seconds, the “twos” will share.
• Then, the head of the line of “twos” will conga through
the center to the end of the “twos” line and everyone will
shift up one, giving everyone a new partner.

32. Closure
• Did we meet our objectives?
Paper: Please complete your 3-2-1 Exit Ticket
3 things I learned today
2 ideas I will implement in my classroom
1 strategy I would recommend to a colleague
OR
Plastic: Please use your phone, laptop, ipad or ipod
to log into m.socrative.com
Room #: xxxx