Scaffolding Instruction
in the
Mainstream Classroom
© Rochester Public Schools
Mary Barrett
Mayo High School
1420 SE 11th Avenue
Rochester, MN 55904
These materials may be reproduced for nonprofit, educational use.
3 Levels of Instruction
1. Independent
(96-100%)
The student can work independently while selfmonitoring of comprehension.
 has prior knowledge of subject
 information is at appropriate reading achievement level
 text is well organized and logically developed
2. Instructional
(90-95%)
The students will need assistance in order to read the
assigned text.




pre-teach vocabulary
access prior knowledge
set purpose and rate
discuss what type of questions to ask and how to ask them (ex:
turn bold headings into Qs)
 model comprehension strategies
3. Frustrational
(below 90%)
The student will have great difficulty with this text
and may not be able to comprehend it at all.




choose an alternative text
scaffold the instruction from achievement to grade level
teach comprehension strategies such as RAPT
use strategies such as QAR, Guided Reading, DRTA, etc.
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Scaffolding
“Anyone who has ever taught a child to ride a bike knows what
‘scaffolded’ instruction and learning is. You don’t give the
child 10 minutes of skill lessons pedaling, 10 minutes on
balancing, 10 minutes on ringing the bell, and so on; you put the
child on the bike so he or she can get the ‘feel’ of the whole
activity. The goal is to provide just enough help so that the child
can succeed.
"But you also don’t just go sit on the porch and have a cool
drink while the child tries to ride. Rather, you run alongside the
bike at first (or use training wheels) and hold on, letting go when
the child is riding well, catching on when support is needed.
The learner is put on a bike of the right size, set down to practice
in a safe spot, and given praise for every little thing he or she
learns. This is scaffolded instruction. Learning things with the
help of another – things that a child can’t learn alone – is called
‘learning in the zone of proximal development’ (Vygotsky,
1978). It is learning that can happen because it is supported by a
more knowledgeable other.”
Reading Comprehension
by Camille Blachowicz and Donna Ogle
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SCAFFOLDED INSTRUCTION
Gradual Release of Responsibility
Responsibility: All Teacher
Direct Instruction
I do it.
Teacher models the strategy use
Teacher leads whole class
M
O
D
E
L
I
N
G
Groups of 4
We
do it.
Pairs/Hw Partners
You
do it.
Individuals
Assessment
Responsibility: All Student
Many students do not understand the concept or strategy when you
simply explain it to them. When you model, you are thinking aloud as
you perform the strategy in front of the students. This way, the kids get
to see the strategy in action. The next step is for you to ask the questions
involved in the strategy, but to involve the class in the answers. When
you see the students are becoming proficient, you can let go a little more.
Putting kids into groups at this point gives them the support of their peers
and puts more responsibility for mastery on each student. In other words,
you are gradually releasing responsibility for the learning.
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Scaffolding the “Year”
BEGINNING
I DO IT!
 Pre-teach all key vocabulary terms
 Provide as much background knowledge as you can
 Use guided note taking
o Students will learn what is important
o The notes you model will show students how to represent the
hierarchy of information
 Emphasize direct instruction
 Model everything
 Be active in setting the pace and controlling the pulse of the class
MIDDLE
WE DO IT!
 Be more selective about what vocabulary you teach
o Have students control the Word Wall
o Keep a long-term focus on vocabulary with the Word Jar
 Provide background knowledge as necessary; Rely less on guided note
taking
 Incorporate more graphic organizers
 Put students in groups and pairs
END
YOU DO IT!
 Let students select class vocabulary
o Students keep a class log of key terms
o Students keep individual word diaries of words new to them
 Students can research on any background knowledge they need
 Students decide when and how to take notes
 Students self-select some activities and direct their own learning
Students will never be completely independent of us as teachers, but we need to
encourage students to reach mastery on some skills and strategies and to take
personal ownership of those strategies. When students can use strategies
independently, then it is time to introduce new, more sophisticated or complex
strategies.
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Scaffolding the “Year” – Note Taking Sample
STEP 1 – Direct Instruction
Introduce a style of Note Taking. Four common types of notes that I teach are 2
column/ Cornell, HUG, graphic organizers, and mapping.
 Lecture the first part of the note-taking process.
 Take notes in front of the students WHILE you lecture.
 Pause after each segment and discuss two things:
o WHY did your write what you did
o HOW your wrote the notes makes a difference
 Repeat these steps through the whole lecture on the note-taking style.
STEP 2 – Model
 Put up an overhead of a short example of the students’ textbook.
 Read a logical chunk.
 Think aloud about what you just read.
o Think aloud about the content.
o Thing aloud about the hierarchy
o Think aloud about what the notes should look like on the page
 Write the notes
 Review the WHAT and HOW of what you have written.
STEP 3 – Scaffolding #1
 Give a short lecture, or assign a short section of text
 Have students take notes.
 Ask for student volunteers to take notes on an overhead transparency
 Walk around the room and observe student work, making suggestions or
offering praise
 Show your notes and the student notes to the class
 Discuss similarities and difference.
STEP 4 – Scaffolding #2
 Ask for a student volunteer (or volunteers)
 Give a short lecture or have students read a short passage from the textbook.
 Have students take notes, with volunteers taking notes on overhead
transparencies.
 Have volunteers present notes to class, and discuss similarities and
differences.
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STEP 5 – Scaffolding #3
 Give a lecture or have students read a textbook passage.
 Collect the notes all the students write.
 The following day, use the notes or sections of notes for exemplars,
discussing similarities, differences, strengths, weaknesses, etc.
INTERMISSION
Students should now be at a basic level of mastery on note taking for the first style you have
introduced.
INTRODUCE other note taking styles. For example, if you have started with the 2-column
Cornell style, now have students experiment with HUGing text, using highlighters and writing
margin notes. Then move on to Graphic Organizers. The concepts of note taking are the same:
figure out what is important, create a hierarchy, and write notes that reflect the importance of
ideas.
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
PRACTICE
After you have practiced multiple kinds of notes, then you are ready to begin grading notes – the
next level of scaffolding.
STEP 6 – Scaffolding #4
 Lecture or have students read a short passage from a textbook.
 Collect student notes
 Grade with a scoring rubric.
STEP 7 – Mastery
 Give a notes test.
o Part of the test should be from lecture
o Part of the test should be from a textbook passage
 Have students take notes in different formats, such as 2-column, HUG, and
graphic organizers.
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Key Ideas on Scaffolding
1.
Research: Kansas Univeristy Learning Strategies
 Introduce a concept using materials at the student’s achievement level.
For example, if the student is reading at a third grade level, use third
grade level materials to introduce the strategy.
o
o
o
o
o
Describe the strategy (i.e. teach)
Model (think aloud) how the strategy is used by an expert
Make sure students can fluently name the parts of the strategy.
Provide practice of the strategy in achievement-level materials.
Monitor student progress and provide frequent feedback.
 Once the student has mastered the strategy use, move to grade-level
materials. If the student is in seventh grade, move to the materials in the
seventh grade curriculum.
 Strategy use should transfer from the achievement level to grade level,
and comprehension gains should stay constant.
 Monitor student progress.
2.
Choosing a Strategy
 Introduce a strategy that
o is easy to master,
o can provide immediate success for the student, and
o doesn’t take much time to teach or learn.
 Provide practices for correct and fluent use of the strategy
o on achievement-level materials of the lowest achieving student and
o on grade-level materials in your class.
 Monitor student progress.
 Reteach or model as necessary to maintain strategy use and proficiency.
 Regularly expect the students to use the strategy during your class.
Prompt the use if students are not using the new strategy.
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Scaffolding: Gradual Release of Responsibility
TEACHER MODELING
I do it.
 The teacher explains the strategy.
 The teacher demonstrates how to apply the strategy successfully.
 The teacher thinks aloud to model the mental processes and strategies she
uses when she reads.
GUIDED PRACTICE
We do it.
 After explicitly modeling the strategy, the teacher gradually gives the
student more responsibility for task completion.
 The teacher and students practice the strategy together.
 The teacher scaffolds the students' attempts and supports student thinking,
giving feedback during individual conferences and during classroom
discussions.
 Students share their thinking processes with each other during paired reading
and small- and large-group discussions.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
You do it.
 After working with the teacher and with other students, the students try to
apply the strategy on their own.
 The students receive regular feedback from the teacher and other students.
APPLICATION OF THE STRATEGY IN REAL READING SITUATIONS
 Students apply a clearly understood strategy to a new genre or format.
 Students demonstrate the effective use of a strategy in more difficult text.
Based on research by Fielding and Pearson (1994 "Reading Comprehension: What Works" Educational
Leadership 51,5: 62-67.
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Scaffolding and Differentiation
SCAFFOLDING
Scaffolding means the level of teacher involvement in the instruction. Teachers
should gradually release instruction, making students progressively more
accountable for independent performance with the new concept or strategy.
1. I DO IT – at this stage, the teacher is totally in charge of the instruction
a. Direct teaching of the new concept or strategy
b. Modeling/Think Aloud during the process of using the concept or
strategy
c. Engaging students in the process of using the new concept or strategy
2. WE DO IT – the teacher begins to let go, and the students begin to
participate in publicly using the new concepts or strategy.
a. Students and the teacher are equally active during class.
b. Teacher frames questions and leads students through the process of
using the new concepts or strategy.
c. Gradually, student performance begins to dominate the class.
3. YOU DO IT – the students are now beginning to use the new concept or
strategy on their own, first in groups, then individually
a. Students work in groups set up for group accountability while
completing practices that incorporate the new concept or strategy
b. Teacher monitors progress and is available to answer questions or
help groups or students who encounter difficulty.
c. Students begin to work individually.
d. Students are assessed in their comprehension and performance of the
new concept or strategy.
DIFFERENTIATION
Differentiation means the choices you make about how you will deliver the
instruction and how you will ask students to demonstrate their mastery of the
concept or strategy.
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Nine Ways to Adapt Curriculum
Adapted from “Curriculum and Instruction in the Inclusive Classroom: A Teacher’s Desk.”
Size
Adapt the number of
items that the learner is
expected to learn or
complete.
Time
Level of Support
Adapt the time allotted for Increase the amount of
lerning, task completion
personal assistance with a
or testing.
specific learner.
For example: Scaffold
For example: Reduce the instruction so you are not
number of socials studies testing before students
terms the students must
have had time to master a
learn for each unit. Use
concept. Give extra time
key terms only.
for class work. Pace
learning differently.
For example: Use Study
Buddies, cross-age tutors,
groups, peer tutors, or
teaching assistants.
Input
Adapt the way instruction
is given to the student.
Output
Adapt how the students
can respond to instruction.
For example: Use a
variety of visual aids, use
concrete examples, do
hands-on activities, or
work in co-operative
groups.
Difficulty
Adapt the skill level,
problem type, or the rules
on how the learner may
approach the task.
For example: Have a
graded discussion; let
For example: Simplify
students choose how to
tasks and directions,
demonstrate learning
accommodate different
(collage, rap song, written
learner needs and learning questions,bulletin board,
styles.
speech).
Participation
Adapted Assignment
Adapt the extent to which Adapt the curriculum for
the learners are physically individuals while using
involved in the learning
the same materials.
task.
For example: In social
For example: Create
studies, expect a student
activities that allow
to locate a state while
students to move around. other students locate both
the state and its capital.
Substitute Curriculum
Provide different
instruction and materials
to meet a student’s
individual goals.
For example: During a
language test, one student
may be learning computer
skills in the computer lab.
Reprinted with the permission of Kathleen Kryza
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Differentiated Instruction
Is a teacher’s response to learner’s needs
↓
Guided by key principals of differentiation such as
Respectful tasks for
ALL learners
Flexible grouping for
different purposes
Ongoing assessment
and adjustments
Teachers can differentiate:
Content
Process
Product
According to Students’
Readiness
Interests
Learning
Profile
Through a range of instructional and management strategies such as:
Multiple Intelligences
Learning Styles
Cooperative Learning
Varied Organizers
Varied Texts
Supplemental Materials
Anchor Activities
Taped Materials
Interest Inventories
Setting the Tone for DI
(Direct Instruction)
RAFT Writing
Activity Menus
Tiered Lessons
Tiered Centers
Literature Circles
Questioning (QAR)
Independent Study
Learning Centers
Learning Contracts
Group Investigation
Varied Questioning Strategies
Interest Centers
Varied Homework
Varied Journal Writing
Reading/Writing Workshops
Self Assessment
Ongoing Assessment
Rubrics
Varied Assessments
Fat and Skinny Questions
Adapted from Carol Ann Tomlinson, The Differentiated Classroom, ASCD, 1999. Reprinted with
permission of Kathleen Kryza.
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MEMORY and Forgetting
How much do they remember
after 24 hours?
5%
10%
20%
30 %
50%
75% 90% -
As long ago as the 1890s psychologists were trying to learn how people
remembered. The chart above was developed by Dr. David Sousa, an expert in
learning – both remembering and forgetting. When psychologists talk about
forgetting, they use two terms:
1.
Curve of Forgetting shows how quickly we forget
2.
Time-Spaced Review shows how regular study and review
improve memory
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Curve of Forgetting
100%
0%
24 Hours
As you can see, we forget the most in the first 24 hours.
Time Spaced Review
100%
0%
Day 1:
30 min.
Day 2:
15 min.
Day 8:
10 min.
Month 1:
5 min.
If you study for the first time within 24 hours of learning information, and you
review regularly after that, you will put information into long term memory and
can remember it forever. Notice that you forget more slowly and forget less when
you use Time Spaced Review.
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7 Essential Factors
for improving
Reading Comprehension
While the first two strategies are appropriate for elementary school or for reading
specialists, the next five strategies are appropriate for ALL teachers.
Teach decoding skills.
Encourage the development of sight words.
Teach students to use semantic context clues to
evaluate whether decodings are accurate.
Teach vocabulary meanings.
Encourage extensive reading.
Encourage students to ask themselves why the
ideas related in a text make sense.
Teach self-regulated use of comprehension
strategies.
Michael Pressley, University of Notre Dame
Reading Instruction That Works
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BRAIN RESEARCH FINDINGS
from How the Brain Learns by David A. Sousa 2nd Edition ©2001 ISBN 0761977651
• "Save and store" decisions are made by the brain based on
two questions:
1. Does this make sense?
2. What is its meaning to me?
• Survival and emotional data have priority over cognitive
processing.
• A safe, rich, non-threatening classroom environment is
important.
• Students' perceptions on how well they can succeed are very
powerful, whether pro or con. (Mark Twain: "If you think
you can or can't, you are probably right.")
• The more pathways the brain has, the faster and more
accurate retrieval will be.
• Connections of new learning to prior knowledge is critical.
• The number of connections the brain can make for new
information is essential to retention.
• The brain prunes unused neural networks. "Use it or lose it."
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• Active processing and engagement are necessary to retention
of information.
• The brain looks for ways to make things make sense, for
patterns.
• The brain does not like conflict and incompleteness. It will
make up what it can't recall in order to gain completion.
• At least 5 minutes of processing time is needed for every 15 20 minutes of direct instruction.
How much do they remember
after 24 hours?
5%
Lecture
10% - Reading
20% - Audio/Video
30% - Model/Demonstration
50 % Discussion
75% - Practice/Apply the new information
90% - Teach another
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CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS
of BRAIN RESEARCH
• Organizers and graphics help students see the big picture and
how concepts are interrelated.
• Journal writing, paired summarizing, KWWL, and other
activities aid processing.
• Practice does that not make sense or have personal relevance
is ineffective.
• He who explains, learns.
• Teachers need to devote more planning time needs meaning
and relevance in their lessons.
• The teacher has the responsibility to arrange material into
logical chunks.
• Students need to review material using modalities different
from those used in the original presentation. For example, get
information from reading but review aloud with a partner.
• The more your content area is integrated into other
disciplines, the greater will be the rate of student retention.
• Color and music are powerful memory aids.
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Reading
Process
Pyramid
Analyze
Credibility:
Source, Author,
& Evidence
Summarize:
Précis/Abstract/Synopsis
Record Key Ideas:
RAPT, HUG, Map, G.O.
Analyze Pattern of Organization:
Informative: C/E, C/C, Top, Chron, Tech
Persuasive: P/S, O/R, T/P
Establish
Purpose
Assess
Vocabulary:
Critical?
Casual?
Ask
Questions
Read at
Appropriate
Rate
Access Prior Knowledge
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Three Interactive Elements of Reading:
Research Suggests a New Format
Traditional Format
New Format
Pre-reading Activities:
Discussion
Predictions
Questioning
Brainstorming
Setting Purpose
Guided ACTIVE
silent reading
Reading
assignment
given
Independent
reading
Activities
to clarify,
reinforce,
extend
knowledge
Discussion to see if
students learned main
concepts, what they
“should have” learned
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Mosaic of Thought
Direct Instruction:
Metacognition
for Comprehension
Activate
Prior
Knowledge
Identify
Main
Ideas
&
Themes
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Ask
Questions
Create
Visual
&
Sensory
Images
Retell
&
Synthesize
Utilize
Fix-Up
Strategies
Draw
Inferences:
Conclusions
Critical Judgments
Interpretations
Predictions
--Skip Ahead
--Re-read
--Use Context
--Use Syntax
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Mosaics of Thought Strategies Overview
Strategy
Questioning
Inferring
Making Connections
Determining Importance
Synthesizing
Fiction
Additional clues in nonfiction:
 Use bold faced headings to form questions
 Focus on introductory ¶s
 Focus on concluding ¶s
 Record answers to your questions
 Use Patterns of Organization to focus questions
Nonfiction generally has a narrow range of
interpretation, but you make the same sorts of
inferences as you do when you read fiction.
 Access prior knowledge
 Connect new text to old text
 Connect text to world
SCHEMA – Text Structure – Genre
Plot
Theme
Sequence of Events
Characters
Tone
Resolution
Setting
Conflict
SUMMARY
 Include all key points
 Retell what you have read
Word Level:
 Decode new words
Fix-Up Strategies
 Analyze words
 Attend to context clues
Sentence Level:
 Look at syntactic arrangement of words
 Read aloud to check
 Use language conventions (ex. periods,
commas, quotation marks, etc.)
 Re-read, read ahead
Most of these strategies can be used before, during, and after reading.
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Nonfiction
 Monitor comprehension
 Identify the degree to which one understands
 Identify confusing ideas, themes, or surface
elements
 Ask 5 Ws + H
 Focus and concentrate (active reading)
 Draw conclusions
 Support conclusions from text
 Draw inferences from text
 Make predictions
 Make critical and/or analytical judgments
 Interpret
 Create images (sensory and emotional)
 Develop themes
 Compare and contrast
SCHEMA – Text Structure – Genre
Main Idea/ Details
Informative Patterns
C/C, C/E, Top, Chron
Persuasive Patterns
P/S
SYNTHESIS
Summary
+ Opinion
+ Inference
+ Reaction
+ Analysis
+ Interpretation
Schema Level:
 Access prior knowledge
 Create visual images
 Use imagination
 Relate to text pattern and format knowledge
Pragmatic Level:
 Understand what they don't understand
 Decide what is most important
 Work with another person
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Strategies Used by Proficient Readers
 Making connections between prior knowledge and the
text
Readers pay more attention when they relate to the text. Readers naturally bring their
prior knowledge and experience to reading, but they comprehend better when they think
about the connections they make between the text, their lives, and the larger world.
 Asking Questions
Questioning is the strategy that keeps readers engaged. When readers ask questions, they
clarify understanding and forge ahead to make meaning. Asking questions is at the heart
of thoughtful reading.
 Visualizing
Active readers create visual images in their minds based on the words they read in text.
The pictures they create enhance understanding.
 Drawing inferences
Inferring is at the intersection of taking what is known, garnering clues from the text, and
thinking ahead to make a judgment, discern a theme, or speculate about what is to come.
 Determining important ideas
Thoughtful readers grasp essential ideas and important information when reading.
Readers must differentiate between less important ideas and key ideas that are central to
the meaning of text.
 Synthesizing information
Synthesizing involves combining new information with existing knowledge to form an
original idea or interpretation. Reviewing, sorting and sifting important information can
lead to new insights that change the way readers think.
 Repairing understanding
If confusion disrupts meaning, readers need to stop and clarify their understanding.
Readers may use a variety of strategies to "fix up" comprehension when meaning goes
awry.
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5 Key Strategies for Proficient Readers
Strategy and Characteristics
1. Readers ask QUESTIONS to
 construct meaning,
 enhance understanding,
 find answers,
 solve problems,
 find specific information,
 acquire a body of information,
 discover new information,
 propel research efforts, and
 clarify confusion.
2. VISUALIZING
 allows readers to create mental images from words in the text,
 enhances meaning with mental imagery,
 links past experience to the words and ideas in the text,
 enables readers to place themselves in the story,
 strengthens a reader's relationship to text,
 stimulates imaginative thinking,
 heightens engagement with text, and
 brings joy to reading.
3. When readers MAKE INFERENCES, they

draw conclusions based on clues in the text,

make predictions before and during reading,

discover underlying themes,

use implicit information from the text to create meaning
during and after reading, and

use the picture and other graphics to help gain meaning.
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Strategy and Characteristics
4. DETERMINING IMPORTANCE depends on whether the
purpose is to
 remember important information,
 learn new information and build background knowledge,
 distinguish what's important from what's interesting,
 discern a theme, opinion, or perspective,
 answer a specific question, or
 determine whether the author's message is intended to inform,
persuade, or entertain.
5. When readers SYNTHESIZE INFORMATION, they
 stop and collect their thoughts before reading on,
 sift important ideas from less important ideas,
 summarize the information by briefly identifying the main
points,
 combine the main points into a larger concept or bigger idea,
 make generalizations about the information they read,
 make judgments about the information they read, and
 personalize their reading by integrating new information with
existing knowledge to form a new idea, opinion, or perspective.
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Bloom’s Taxonomy
Highest Level
Evaluation
Evaluation questions ask that
judgments be made from information
Signal words: assess, rate, justify,
evaluate, judge, decide, criticize,
defend, argue, support
Synthesis
Synthesis questions combine information in a new
way. Students often use concepts learned to originate
new products.
Signal words: create, design, revise, hypothesize,
arrange, assemble, compose, construct, formulate
Analysis
Analysis questions ask for information to be broken down into
parts. Students may discover unique characteristics of
something by analyzing it.
Signal words: categorize, sort, classify, arrange, compare,
distinguish
Application
Application questions ask that the information be used in some manner.
Students must relate or apply what has been learned to new situations.
Signal words: generalize, infer, apply, predict, use, show
Comprehension
Comprehension questions determine how well information has been understood.
Students translate and interpret information heard or read. Responses are usually
in a student’s own words.
Signal words: define in your own words, explain, tell, paraphrase,
summarize, identify, illustrate, discuss
Knowledge
Knowledge questions ask for facts about what has been heard or read. Information is recalled in
the approximate manner/form it was heard.
Signal words: who, what, when, where, why, how, list, locate, choose, name, repeat, state,
describe
Lowest Level
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Why can’t the ELL students pass my class?
BICS – Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
o contextualized conversation
o informal speech and constructions
o cues from body language, expression, tone of
voice, etc.
o based on prior knowledge and experience
o few, if any, of unknown vocabulary words
o limited number of words in use
o develops in 1-3 years
CALP – Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
o decontextualized reading and discussion
o formal, academic speech and text structure
o very few, if any, cues to prompt understanding
o very little, if any, prior knowledge or experience
o large number of unknown words and concepts
o develops in 5-7 years
My notes, based on the work of Canadian author Jim Cummins.
Scaffolding Instruction
© mabarret@rochester.k12.mn.us
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