The SIOP
®
Model
INTERACTION

Content Objectives
We will
•
Select from a variety of activities that promote interaction to incorporate into lesson plans.
•
Design grouping patterns that support lesson content and language objectives.
•
Identify strategies to increase wait time.

Language Objectives
We will:
•
Use a common response expression such as I agree…., I think…. I don’t understand…., I believe etc.” during group activities to describe strategies that reduce the amount of teacher talk in a lesson.
•
Use appropriate phrases to add ideas to a common list (another idea…how about…, another option..) to explain how students might use their native language to clarify concepts.

Interaction Features
Frequent
Opportunities for Interaction
Grouping
Configurations
Clarify
Key Concepts in L1
Sufficient
Wait Time

Brainstorm
Interaction in the SIOP Classroom www.lejardinacademy.org
www.michaelserra.net

Benefits of Interaction
• Increases use of academic language
•
Improves quality of student talk
• Encourages elaborated responses
• Provides “oral rehearsal”
• Helps individualize instruction
•
Encourages reluctant learners to participate
• Allows for written interaction with dialogue journals
• Promotes a positive social climate

Activity: Table Discussion
Teacher comment:
“My content is so packed that I can’t cover everything if I allow student talk. Lecture is the best way to ensure I’m where I need to be to complete all objectives before the test”.

National Literacy Panel on Language
Minority Children and Youth
• Reading comprehension and writing are positively correlated with oral language proficiency
+
August & Shanahan, 2006b

Interaction Features
Frequent
Opportunities for Interaction
Grouping
Configurations
Clarify
Key Concepts in L1
Sufficient
Wait Time

Interaction
 “It can be particularly tempting for teachers to do most of the talking when students are not completely proficient in their use of English, but these students are precisely the ones who need opportunities to practice using English the most”
 Echevaria, Vogt, & Short, 2010

Teacher/Student
 Dialogue Journals
 Instructional Conversations
 Tell me more
 What else?
 How do you know?
 Why is that important?
 What does that remind you of?
 What do you mean by …?
 Class Discussion

Student/Student
 Upside Down Pyramid
 Think-Pair-Share
 Trade/Trade/Share
 Inner/Outer Circle
 Frozen Moment
 Dinner Party
 Find Your Match
 Gallery Walk

Example:
Cooperative Learning Activities
- Information gap activities
- Jigsaw
- Four corners
- Numbered heads together
- Roundtable
- Questionnaires & interviews
- Three-step interview
- Story summaries
- Literature study groups
- Writing headlines
- Science & math investigations
- Think-pair-share

Interaction Features
Frequent
Opportunities for Interaction
Grouping
Configurations
Clarify
Key Concepts in L1
Sufficient
Wait Time

Grouping Configurations
 Different Types of Group Configurations
 Individual Work
 Pairs
 Triads
 Small groups of four or five
 Whole group
 Gender
 Language proficiency
 Ability
 How are the groups picked
 Random
 Voluntary
 Teacher Assigned

Why do teachers shy away from using cooperative learning in their classrooms?

How can we make teachers more confident using cooperative learning activities?
 Set group norms
 Model expectations/inappropriate behaviors
 Set guidelines about use of L1
 Set a scoring system
 Recognize successful teams
 Teacher created groups
 ???

Activity: Jigsaw Reading
•
Count off from 1-4 & Move to your group
•
#1 – read Making Content Comprehensible, Feature 17 p.153-156
•
#2 – read/discuss the WIDA Focus bulletin, Group Work for Content Learning, in your handout p.1-3, 8
•
#3 – read/discuss the WIDA Focus bulletin, Group Work for Content Learning, in your handout p.4-5
•
#4 – read/discuss the WIDA Focus bulletin, Group Work for Content Learning, in your handout p.6-7

•
What do the CCSS and NGSS say about student communication?
•
What are perspectives from second language acquisition theory?
•
What are key elements of effective group work?
•
Now that you know this, what are you going to consider when grouping your students?

Interaction Features
Frequent
Opportunities for Interaction
Grouping
Configurations
Clarify
Key Concepts in L1
Sufficient
Wait Time

Think about it…
• Do you give students sufficient wait time to respond?
• Do you complete their sentences?
•
Do you call on a different student before allowing the first student that you called on an opportunity to respond?

ELs need time to translate, often in their head
Share out ways to “wait”
•
Wait 7-10 seconds before moving on
•
Rephrase question so less language work
•
Allow students to write answers while waiting for one student to respond
• Build in wait time: “On the count of 3 we will all respond.”

Interaction Features
Frequent
Opportunities for Interaction
Grouping
Configurations
Clarify
Key Concepts in L1
Sufficient
Wait Time

ﺭﺩﻩ
Using First Language Support
Materials

When, how, and why do you use the students’ native language to clarify concepts?

First Language Support
•
Encourage students to use L
1 at appropriate times
•
Train bilingual paraprofessionals
•
Obtain native language materials (for support)
•
Organize peer tutoring /buddy programs
•
Promote parent/student discussion in L
1
•
Use dictionaries ( use caution with online translators )
 bilingual dictionaries
 native language dictionaries

Sample SIOP Lesson Plan

Owning Interaction
Continue to write a lesson plan you can use including the features of Interaction
•
Frequent opportunities for interaction
•
Grouping configurations support objectives
•
Sufficient wait time for student responses consistently provided
•
Ample opportunities for students to clarify key concepts in L1

Content Objectives
How did we:
•
Select from a variety of activities that promote interaction to incorporate into lesson plans
•
Design grouping patterns that support lesson content and language objectives
•
Identify strategies to increase wait time

Language Objectives
How did we:
•
Use a common response expression such as I agree…., I think…. I don’t understand…., I believe etc” during group activities to describe strategies to reduce the amount of teacher talk in a lesson
• Use appropriate phrases to add ideas to a common list (another idea…how about…, another option..) to explain how students might use their native language to clarify concepts