“Comprehensible input…can you give me some ways to do this in my class?” David asks Donna, the school’s ELL Specialist as they talked in David’s classroom. “Let’s say I’m teaching the biological changes that occur with aging. How do I translate the information in the text book so that it becomes comprehensible?”
Donna thinks for a moment. “Perhaps you could show the students pictures of a baby, a toddler, a 5-year-old, an older child, a teenager, and so on, all the way up to an elderly person. Once your students see the concept, you can help them name it. At that point, when you refer to biological changes that occur with aging, they will probably comprehend its meaning. From there, you can show pictures that depict the evolution of an animal species, and apply the term evolution. And don’t hesitate to ask your students to turn to a friend to process these terms and concepts in their first language. This will help them make sense of the language.”
“OK. I think I get that,” David tells her. “What’s the second possibility?”
Donna reaches for a notebook pad and begins to make a list for David. “You have to help your students learn to read science-related material. No one else is going to do it. Donna proceeds to share a teaching strategy called “interactive read-aloud.” She explains that David should choose passages from the textbook carefully and read these passages aloud, while inviting the students to stop him when they have a question, when they can make a connection from the text to something they have seen or experienced, or when they encounter unfamiliar vocabulary. “I will email a document to you that outlines how to do this. I could also come into your class and model it for you.”
David has new issues to consider
What is the difference between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)?
David struggles to convey academic terms and concepts to his students.
- Aukerman argues that academic language needs to be learned by English Language Learners through socially meaningful participation.
What is interactive read aloud?
- Read this short primer on the interactive read-aloud technique
How can teachers’ collaborative efforts positively affect student performance?
David turns to his colleague, Donna, for help when he needed her expertise.
- Bill Hawley explains the benefits of collaboration.
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Next Step >Finale
