Scaffolding Instruction with Graphic Organizers

Blog #9

Scaffolding can assist students' responses to literature, non-fiction texts and poetry.  Just as a scaffold holds up a building while it is being constructed, a scaffold assists a student in comprehending, analyzing and sythetizing their learning before, during or after a literacy experience.  Graphic organizers are powerful tools to help readers organize their thoughts and visualize them in a written format.  They can be used to brainstorm, take notes, summarize, compare & contrast and to perform other higher level thinking tasks.  They can be especially useful for ELL's (English Language Learners) whose vocabulary might be limited even though their understanding is great.  Graphic organizers can assist an ELL student in reaching more sophisticated levels of written responses to literature, non-fiction texts and poetry. 

There are three main things to consider when choosing a graphic organizer to scaffold instruction.  First, consider the type of text or genre.  Then, consider your grade level and the level of language acqusition of your students.  How much modeling and assistance will they need to complete the task?  Lastly, keep in mind the outcomes that you desire.  What are your standards and objectives?  Will this graphic organizer help your students reach these outcomes?

In this blog, I will give some examples of graphic organizers to scaffold instruction.  I will indicate the type of text (narrative (fiction), expository (non-fiction) or poetry) which each graphic organizer serves best.  Then, I will suggest a grade level or stage of language acquistion for that tool.  Lastly, I will give some reflections on the purposes and outcomes of each activity. 

Type of Text:  Narrative (Fiction)

Comic Strip:  All grades, all stages
This tool allows the students to use drawings to depict scenes in a story.  Narration can accompany these drawings in the ovals above or they can serve as bubbles for dialogue.  This is good for summarizing, visualizing and even predicting. 

Three Part Summary:  Grades 2-4, all stages
The three part summary assists a student in identifying the three main parts of a story:  beginning, middle and end.  In many states, this is a standard for the second or third grade, but can be continued to be practiced in the fourth grade.  It can be used in all stages of language acquistion because pictures may be drawn  or words may be written to depict the three parts of the story.


Character Web:  all grades, all stages
This classic web design can be used for brainstorming about a topic, associating traits & actions with a particular character or for multiple other uses.  This particular web was designed for defining a character.  It can be as simple as pictures around a central name or topic, words or sentences.

Cause and Effect:  grades 3-8, stages intermediate/advanced
This tool helps a reader analyze the internal features of the text.  Although this graphic organizer begins with "cause," it is often easier to begin with "effect."  This is what the reader notices first.  Then, the students can go back and find the causes. 

Character Chart:  grades 1-8, all stages
This tool gives room for pictoral representations of the characters being analyzed, their physical appearance and personality traits.  It could be especially helpful for students in stages 2-3 of language acquisiton who are just learning to put words to their ideas.  For stage 2, it may only be in words and for stage 3 it may be in simple sentences. 

Venn Diagram, all grades, all stages
This classic diagram with overlapping circles assists the reader in identifying similarities and differences.  This particular example is for comparing characters, but it can be used for many other story elements or non-fiction topics (such as animal species).  Understanding can be reflected with pictures, words or complete sentences on the diagram.

Important Elements, grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
This tool assists the reader in identifying key story elements such as setting, characters and plot.  It also goes one step further in requiring the readers to provide evidence (from the text)  to support their claims. 

Type of Text:  Expository (Non-fiction)

Three Main Ideas, grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
This outline guides the reader to identify three main ideas and supporting details.  It works especially well when taking notes from reading in social studies or sciences texts or biographies. It can follow the external features of a text (such as titles and subtitles).  It is really designed for independent readers although it could be completed during or after a read-aloud.   The teacher should pre-view the text and identify how many supporting details are required for each subtopic. 

Non-fiction Text Outline, grades 3-8, all stages
Similar to the graphic organizer above, this tool assist the reader in identifying key points during a non-fiction reading.  The advange to this format is that pictures may be used to support the learner in expressing meaning or to reiforce new meanings encountered in the reading (as in note taking).

KWL Chart, all grades, all stages (with assistance)
This chart is used before a unit to identify what the students already know about a topic.  If a child expresses this information in their native language, a peer or the teacher can translate it into English and write (and draw) the facts on the grid. The second column is for the students to record what they would like to learn. I write this information in a question format.  In kindergarten or first grade more pictures and less words will accompany this information.  In the younger grades, it may be completed by the teacher in front of the class and in the upper grades, students may complete it individually or in small groups.  After reading or finishing a unit, the class returns to the chart to record what was learned. (What questions were answered?)  The KWL Chart sets purpose for learning and triggers students' background knowledge before reading.

Type of Text:  Poetry

Reflect on the poem:  grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
With this tool, the student reflects on each verse in a particular stanza of a poem. It is very non-threatening because there are no "right" or "wrong" answers and it could be a good tool for an initial response to a poem.  It could serve to prepare students for discussion.  It forces the reader to re-read in order to quote each verse.

Analyze Poetic Elements:  grades 4-8, intermediate & advanced stages
First the reader identifies rhyming words and then makes comments about the rhyme scheme of a poem.  Then, the student is lead to identify other elements of the poem such as images, shape, sound (rhythm), meaning and form.  This can assist language learners in expanding their vocabulary.  Unlike "Reflect on the Poem" there are certain responses which could be considered a correct or incorrect analysis of the poem. 

As I was collecting some graphic organizers for this blog, I ran into this site:
www.washingtonco.k12.nc.us/siteimages/images/uploads/Graphic%20Organizers

In summary, graphic organizers are extremely handy and helpful for scaffolding responses to literature, reflecting the comprehension of texts and analyzing poetry.  I hope this blog can assist anyone looking for some ways to integrate graphic organizers into your instruction, especially for ELLs.

 

How do Students' Primary Languages Affect their English Reading Development?

Blog #7

Without going into great depth to answer this question, let's look at a case study of two second grade students.

While observing the reading of two second grade students who are acquiring English as a second language, I asked myself these questions:

1. How does their first language influence their decoding of English print?
2. What errors or strategies do they use that are most common for children at their grade level (and stage of literacy)?
3. Based on these observations, what techniques or lessons could be implemented to assist these learners with their reading in English?

I chose two students. The first student’s first language was Spanish. The second student’s primary language was German. I chose them because both were reading at a similar level (near or at grade level).

The first student I observed while reading was Ulises. He read “A Job for Karla, “ a passage used as a benchmark fluency test from CA Progress Monitoring Unit Assessment, Grade 2, Theme 3 from a Macmillan/McGraw-Hill text. His fluency was 78 words per minute. He had only four errors in the reading of this passage. The first error was graphophonic, but did change the meaning (although he didn’t self correct). He replaced “across” for “actors.” My guess is that he saw the visual cue“ac” at the beginning of the word and the “s” at the end and he quickly guessed that the word was across.” “Across” is a familiar sight word. This visual miscue resulted in a syntactic error.  Obviouslyn, the preposition "across" couldn't replace the noun "actor.  In a similar way, he substituted “sit” for “still.” Again, they look similar and he was trying to do a quick reading (knowing that he was being timed). None-the-less, this did change the meaning, but he didn’t self-correct. Later, he substituted “at” for “like” which is a visual mistake with a substitution that might make syntactic sense (preposition for preposition). Instead of decoding, he predicted from the syntax what word would fit and made an incorrect assumption. The phrase was, “Ann looked like a real queen,” and Ulises read, “Ann looked at a real queen.” . Lastly, he substituted “for” for “from.” These both have the same initial consonant and the same vowel.

This is the only error which I think could be related to Spanish language syntax. In Spanish there are two words for “for.” They are “por” (which could mean doing something for another person) and “para” (which refers to whom an item or action is for). There is a possibility that this student is using “from” for “para.” This could be clarified through a lesson about the meanings of “for” and “from” and how they are similar and different than “por” and “para.” This might help the student internalize the meaning of “for” and predict it in the syntax of a written sentence while reading. Repeated exposure may also correct this problem over time.

The second student I observed was at another school. His home language is German. I used a level “N” text (DRA 20+) which was a green, Early Fluency Sunshine Book published by McGraw-Hill. At this school, they don’t use textbooks in reading instruction. I chose a text that was similar in level with the one Ulises was reading. Pascal read this story, Herding Dogs, at 75 words per minute. He had 6 errors. The first error was one many readers make. He substituted “the” for “this.” They are both articles beginning with “th” and the syntactic difference is slight. In analyzing some of his other errors, I decided to consult with his mother (who, obviously speaks German) because I know very little German. My purpose was to see how Pascal may have substituted German phonemes for English phonemes. Three of his errors were related to decoding the “er” sound. He read, “harding” for “herding,” “ranchars” for “ranchers” and “hard” for “herd.” His mother told me that the “er” in German is pronounced like “air’ with the tongue high up arching in the mouth making an “r’ sound. This is similar to what I heard. I believe that Pascal was substituting the German sound for “er” for the English sound “er.” It might seem like a small difference, but this substitution would make these words unintelligible to the English speaking ear. (Although Pascal may have understood those words even though he pronounced them incorrectly). I also asked her about two other sounds. One was the “y” between two consonants. She said that she couldn’t think of a word with the “y” between two consonants in German, but the “y” in general makes the long “e” sound. This could account for Pascal’s graphophonic error decoding “types” as “teeps.” His last error could have also been due to German phonemic information. He decoded “suited” as “suded.” The “ui” doesn’t exist in German. Often, his mother says, the “t” is a soft sound as the “d.” This could account for the error.

In the course of the second grade, they will most likely do mini-lessons related to the “er” sound in words. This instruction Pascal will receive with the rest of the group at his grade level. It might be helpful for a bilingual (German-English) speaker to discuss with Pascal the different “er” sounds in German and English. It may just take time for him to hear the differences and pronounce them correctly. Practicing the hard “t” in the middle of a word (between vowels) might also be helpful to train his ear.

Overall, I was very impressed with both of these second language learners at the two school sites in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, California. Both had began learning to read in English in kindergarten. Both spoke a primary language other than English at home. Both were reading at grade level fluency in English. Ulises is in a Spanish-English Two-way Bilingual Immersion program in which they learn to read in both languages from kindergarten. Pascal learned to read first in English and is learning to read in German school on the weekend and at home in his primary language. It appears that as they are acquiring English, they are decoding very well using English phonemes.  As they continue to hear the language and become more fluent, a sociolinguistic point of view, errors related to language interference should self-eliminate.  From a word recognition philosophy, some direct instruction could help.  Why not both? 

Language Acquistion and Language Learning

Blog #6 Language Acquisition & Language Learning
My Personal Experience
The topic of language acquisition and language learning has fascinated me for years. Currently, I teach Spanish and speak Spanish at home even though I live in the United States and English is my first language. I began learning Spanish in high school with a model that definitely followed a language learning methodology. The instruction was delivered in English and we learned about the language. We read some passages in Spanish and memorized dialogues. We took tests on grammar and we studied verb conjugations. I didn’t take Spanish my Senior year in high school or my first year in college, so I forgot a lot. At that time, I didn’t identify with the speakers of the language much. Oddly, one of the few things I retained from two years of high school Spanish was “limpia para brisas” which means “windshield wipers.”
I remember being in line at a Cinco de Mayo celebration with a bunch of Spanish speakers and feeling very out of place.

Something drastic began to changed when took Spanish my sophomore year in college. My motivation for taking the first two classes was to prepare me for a short-term mission in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. I was going with a team of college students to teach vacation Bible school along with the young adults in the pueblos we visited. At UCSC, they used an immersion methodology. The Immersion method combined elements of language acquisition and language learning. The professor used photos, pictures and physical objects to show us things instead of translating. We could not really much on English (except for our knowledge of language) to learn Spanish. I needed to make a lot of hypotheses, confirm or refute them and take the language in context. Of course, we did use a textbook and we learned formally about the grammar, syntax and spelling of Spanish.

When I went to Mexico, suddenly I had to apply what I learned in a social context. I also lived with three different Mexican families in three villages. Although I struggled and went through different stages of culture shock, I remember in our last week in Yucatan understanding a sermon for the first time. It was like the clouds had cleared. Something came over me after that summer. I got an insatiable desire to learn Spanish and to hang around Latino people. I continued to take classes to learn the language, but I also looked for opportunities to speak with Hispanic people, volunteer or work with them. I think that the psychologist, Guiora has a point about the “language ego.” “Older learners who acquire a second language and speak with little or no foreign accent are often people who admire and identify with people who live in a country where the language is spoken” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004). I was an older learner (in the formal operational stage) and I suddenly could relate to the speakers of Spanish after living and working with them for six weeks. I felt accepted by them and I felt like a member of their “group.” I think this is a significant part of becoming fluent in a second language- feeling like you are a member. The fact that I associated with people who shared similar beliefs allowed me to be member of their cultural group despite the fact I was still acquiring the language and this transferred eventually to becoming a member of the larger group of Spanish speakers.
I am an usual breed. When I was a teen, I would have never dreamed that I would be bilingual or that I would teach Spanish. I taught my children my second language as their first language. I spoke to them exclusively in Spanish and developed a social context for them through a Spanish language pre-school so that they would develop Spanish early and acquire it naturally before formal instruction. So, I have observed and been an active part in their process which has been different than my own. It was an experiment. It was an experiment that I do not regret and that has been very successful. My only disappointment is that they currently don’t have many peers to speak Spanish with in the community that we are in presently. I  have felt a salmon, swimming against the current, to make gains in their language acquisition without the supportive context (outside of the home) they had when they were young. Yet now, in a Cinco de Mayo celebration, I feel like one of the participants and I may be even one of the organizers!

Essential Linguistics: What You Need to Know to Teach
by David Freeman &Yvonne Freeman
In chapter 2 of this book, there is an activity on page 48 to identify activities of students or teachers as following a language learning (L)or a language acquisition (A)model. Below, I will make a two column analysis of each activity. In the second column, I will justify my decisions for their classifications.
(I had a few formatting issues with the columns...sorry.)

Student activities:Look up words in the dictionary                               This is a formal, analytical activity.
and provide definitions (L)

Make a Venn Diagram to compare                            It is language learning because
two stories (L &A)                                                     it is formal and analytical. It is
                                                                                 language acquisition because
                                                                                  it gives an opportunity for students to
                                                                                express their ideas &                                                                                 reflect their understanding about ideas
                                                                                 in a greater context.

Practice sounding out words.(L)                                It is conscious, formal practice.

Read in a round-robin fashion. (A)                            Round-robin is a structured reading experience,
                                                                                but the learner has no control over
                                                                                what he may be asked to read.
                                                                                The reader needs to have “learned” to
                                                                                 read well before having success in this activity,
                                                                                 but the activity itself isn’t a learning activity.

Correct peers when they make
a mistake during reading (L)                                       This is conscious activity which requires                 
                                                                                   analyzing correct syntax and vocabulary.

Identify words on a big book page                             This is a directed, school-type of activity which re-
that start with the same sound. (L)                               qures breaking down words into parts.

Group cards with classmates’
names classified by first letter                                       The activity requires analyzing graphemes.
or last letter. (L)

Write rhyming poetry and then                                       This requires phonemic awareness brought to
discuss different spellings for                                          a formal, conscious level through spelling and
The same sound. (L)                                                      then analyzing spelling in a formal way.

Ask the teacher how to spell                                         This involves a preoccupation about correct
a word they don’t know. (L)                                          form.

Read a language experience                                           Language experience writing ex-
story they have created with a                                        presses natural oral language production.
teacher. (A)

Work in pairs to arrange words                                     This is a learning experience developing familiarity
from a familiar chant into sentences.                                with syntax.
(L)

Divide words into syllables. (L)                                     This requires consciously analyzing words.

On a worksheet, draw a line to the
picture that starts with the same sound. (L)                   This is a formal exercise in phonemic aware-
                                                                                   ness.

Make alphabet books on different topics.(L)              Requires formal learning of the alphabetic
.                                                                                 principal and phonics
The teacher’s activities
Preteaches vocabulary (L)                                          Formally teaching out of context

Does shared reading with a big                                    It is context embedded. Formal
book. (A)                                                                  learning may have contributed to
                                                                                 accurate decoding, but it could be a natural
                                                                                  shared literacy activity.

Makes sure that students read                                  First, it is learning activity because
only books that fit their level. (L &A)                       the child is limited to being exposed to books
                                                                              Only at a certain level. It could still be                                                                         be  an acquistion activity because in reading a lot of
                                                                              spontaneous language learning occurs, the                                                                          the books provide context and could be in the zone                                                                      zone  of proximal development of the learner.

Has students segment words into                          A formal learning experience.
phonemes. (L)

Asks students to look around the room
and find words that start with a certain letter. (L) This requires formal, analytical phonemic awareness skills.

Uses decodable texts (L & A)                                Both. The texts may be structured for language     
                                                                              learning.The texts also may allow children to advance     in                                                                            in their zones of proximal development in a lnatural                                                                    natural (although controlled) way through                       
                                                                              comprehensible input.

Sets aside time for SSR (A)                                 Informal, natural, self-selected reading

Teaches Latin and Greek roots (L)                        Requires formally analyzing language.

Has students meet in lit circles (A & L)                 The spontaneous conversation that emerges around       literature creates an language acquisition experience. Some lit. circles are highly structured and require specific linguistic tasks. Under those circumstances, they would be learning experiences.

Conducts phonics drills (L)                                    Formal language activity invoking memorization.

Chooses predictable texts (L & A)                      Aids in children acquiring the language more easily.
                                                                           May be formalizing the reading experience.
Teaches students different compre-
hension strategies (L)                                             Metacognative & analytical

Does a picture walk of a new book (A)                   Doesn’t control language. Provides context for understanding & developing background knowledge & personal connections to a text.


Uses a variety of worksheets for different
skills. (L)                                                                Formal school activities.

Oral language and the reading process

Blog #3  EDRG 604 Regis

What is the relationship between oral language and the reading process?
Oral language is foundational for literacy.  Without  comprehending oral language, it is impossible to read.  Oh sure, one can read by sounding out words and understanding the graphophonic relationships to pronounce language.  But will meaning be made in the process?  No.  In order to glean meaning, an understanding of oral language proceeds comprehensible reading. 
What about those who can read in their second language without being able to speak fluently? Often, when individuals learn their second language in a traditional fashion, their comprehension of written language exceeds what they can produce.  This is due to two factors.  First, they are tranferring their literate skills from English to their second language.  This is most likely when reading in a Germanic or Romance language.  This transference is very limited or non-existent with languages that have different written systems like Chinese or Arabic.  Second, the receptive understanding of written language without the ability to produce reflects receptive fluency.  Receptive fluency proceeds oral production.  Just think about small children learning language.  Babies respond to verbal commands and demonstrate understanding with their actions way before they can talk.  This is also true of older children and adults acquiring their second language.  A language student may have learned a lot about language, but may not have had the opportunities to produce language to the degree necessary to acheive fluency.   As I understand it, language is developed in the following stages:  receptive (auditory), oral, and then written (as reflected in reading and writing).  This highlights the importance of opportunities for oral language production to increase reading comprehension. Reading is a perfect opportunity to develop more fluency.  Talking about reading can help scaffold understanding and bring learners one step further in their zone of proximal development.  Even if talk isn't centered around the reading itself, developing intentional situations to inspire learning around topics related to reading is crucial for making meaning.  Whether the reader is reading in his first language or second language, social interaction can aide in comprehension and actually develop oral fluency at the same time.  Reading can also create an "excuse" to encounter further concepts and vocabulary which develop fluency.