Literacy Components of an Effective Sheltered Classroom

Balanced Literacy and Effective CentersIn Sheltered Classrooms

Lorraine Smith

Balanced Literacy

Balanced literacy programs include:Reading to, with, and by studentsConnecting reading and writingSharing quality literature and nonfictionMatching readers with appropriate textModeling decoding & comprehension strategies

Balanced Literacy

Balanced literacy programs include:Modeling thinking strategies and writing strategiesIntegrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking

READING

Read Aloud

Builds listening comprehensionModels fluencyBuilds vocabularyModels language

Shared Reading

Helps students interact with the text when they cannot read it themselvesAllows you to explicitly teach and model strategiesUse “Language Experience Approach” in whole group or small groupGreat for tapping into background knowledge and building connections

Guided Reading

Provides the small group to talk, think, and question their way through text (Mooney, 1990)Teacher’s opportunity to target specific skillsSheltered model will use this model with MacMillan/McGraw Hill/Santillana core/supplementary programs as well as with Nuevo siglo de espanol

Independent Reading

Offers opportunity to increase fluency, observe grammatic structure, and increase vocabularyWill use Santillana Readers, MacMillan leveled readers, bilingual trade books, 100 Book Challenge Spanish trade books (if available at your school)

WRITING

Reading & Writing

Go “hand in hand”

Modeled Writing

Students can think, talk, and listen as you write their ideas.Helps students with proper structure, vocabulary, spelling.Is a “beginning point for ELL writing.Will use whole and small group “Language Experience Approach”.

Shared Writing

Encourages discussion and exchange of ideas.Gets ELL’s talking. With support from others, helps them formulate their ideas.Again, they see the writing modeled by the teacher.

Interactive Writing

Just like shared writing, but students come up to write.Will use in “Language Experience Approach”.

We want to include all of the above mentioned components during the language arts block and then again during the Social Studies block.

What should my class look like?

The Language Arts Block

One teacher/one tutor conducting Guided Reading Groups using MacMillan Treasures/Treasure Chest and Santillana Intensive English program to focus on the “target language” of English.Literacy centers that extend reading and writing skills in English.

The Social Studies Block

One teacher/one tutor conducting Guided Reading groups using core Social Studies text (presented in English with home language assistance) and bilingual materials (Nuevo siglo de espanol) to teach reading and writing literacy skills in the native language Whole group instruction of key concepts in core Social Studies prior to breaking into guided groupsCenters that reinforce Social Studies concepts and/or reading and writing extension of skills in English/Spanish/Creole

The Literacy Center

Literacy Centers should be opportunities for students to:

Practice and apply strategies that have been taught in guided reading, shared reading and writing whole or small group instruction.Address the development of all language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing.Interact with others and with activity.

Literacy Centers should be opportunities for students to:

Manipulative language in both oral and written form (English/Spanish/Creole).Be engaged in open-ended activities.Make connections to prior learning.Demonstrate and apply what they have learned.

Sheltered Program Centers Should…..

Employ flexible grouping.Display sample work.Always be meaningful and meant to provide practice in a skill or concept of need.

Share some “Literacy Centers”

Mini-lessons

Decide whether you will deliver the lesson in modeled (whole group or small), shared or guided.Let benchmarks and assessments determine what you will include in your mini-lessons and subsequently in your centers.

First few weeks…….

Introduce one center at a time.Make sure rules and expectations are clear.Add on a new center when you think students are ready.

NOTE: Initially the tutor should oversee the centers and give support as students are learning what is expected of them.

Ideas for Sheltered Program Centers ….

Classroom library (Content area reading)ListeningIntegrated reading activity addressing key content area concepts of science/social studiesMaking WordsWriting (Content area)Thematic language concepts (family, school, etc.)Rosetta StoneMath Drill Express

Sheltered Program Centers Should ……

Be open-ended, reflective, expanding, reinforcing……. Have choicesBe designed for 2-3 levels of abilityEvaluated for effectivenessRefreshed regularly to spur interestBe interactive

Questions

Contact Lorraine Smith – 377-0142