Session 4: Student-Teacher Interactions: The Foundation of Powerful Instruction
Sequence of Sessions
This one-day training supports users of the Listening and Learning strand of the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program. The intent of this training is to
provide ongoing support to those using the program, to foster deeper understanding of the program, and to continue to build expertise in the program and in
using the materials. The training will:
1. Continue to frame the L&L program in the context of the larger Common Core shifts, 2. Will draw upon the growing expertise of the audience, allowing time
for information sharing and teacher-to-teacher connections (these activities are designed to also be a model for instructional leaders- as a way of structuring the
sharing among learning communities/teacher teams) 3. Will provide opportunity for ‘digging deep’ into specific aspects of the Listening and Learning program to
support high-quality implementation and differentiation.
Overarching Objectives of this February 2013 Network Team Institute
1. Participants will be able to articulate the three necessary components of a high quality Listening and Learning read aloud (text, teacher, student) and
how their interaction creates a high-quality ‘experience’ of learning within an L&L Lesson.
2. Participants will be able to describe 5 dimensions of complexity in text and analyze the ways that in-text scaffolds (GLS’s) and discussion questions
guide children’s interaction with text.
3. Participants will identify the specific ways that the Supplemental Guide scaffolds children’s interaction with text to support their engagement,
attention, and learning.
4. Participants will reflect upon their own experiences and knowledge about Listening and Learning implementation in order to collaboratively engage in
information-sharing and problem-solving with peers.
High-Level Purpose of this Session
Participants will consider how to support all children’s ability to access complex text during the Listening and Learning read aloud. Teachers will examine ways
that the supplemental guide and teacher anthology offer options and exemplars for individualizing instruction by varying the level of support and demand within
the teacher-child interactions that occur during a lesson. Aspects of teacher-child interactions that will be examined closing include: Pacing, Supports to active
listening, Scaffolds to verbal participation, and Modeling/Consistency.
Related Learning Experiences
This training assumes general prior knowledge about CKLA and the Listening and Learning strand and is not appropriate for someone who is not yet implementing the
program. For schools, teachers, or administrators who have not had training on CKLA, Modules 1, 2 of the PD Turnkey Kit will be important to review prior to this
training (see . http://www.engageny.org/resource/professional-development-turnkey-kit-ela-p-2-overview for modules of training, on-demand webinars, etc.).
Key Points

Participants will consider how to structure/adapt teacher-child interactions within the read alouds to support a variety of learners, using the
Supplemental Guide as a resource and model.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of this
session?
How will we know that they are able to do this?
In this session participants will:
1. Build familiarity with the supports and modifications of the
Supplemental guide.
2. Examine how aspects of teacher-child interactions (e.g., pacing,
supports to listening, scaffolds to verbal participation) can be tailored
to support the diverse needs of students.
In-session activities
Session Overview
Section
Review aspects of
teacher child
interactions
Time
Overview
Prepared Resources
15
Session 4: Teacher-Child
Participants are introduced to four
Interactions: Supporting All
different aspects of teacher-child
Learners PPT, slides 1-8
interactions that can be adjusted
to support diverse learners.
1.
Session 4: Teacher-Child
Interactions: Supporting All
Learners PPT, slides 9,10
Treasure Hunt and
Debrief
35
Participants look for evidence of
how teacher-child interactions can
HANDOUTS:
be adjusted by examining the
1. Treasure Hunt recording
Supplemental Guide.
form
2. Supplemental Guide packet
Facilitator Preparation
(includes lessons from K, 1,
2 from Domain 2 from the
Supplemental Guide).
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Review Aspects of Teacher Child Interactions
Time:15
[15] In this section, participants will be introduced to four different aspects of teacher-child interactions that can Materials used include:
be adjusted to support diverse learners
(listed in slides)
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions
Slide 1
Slide 2
Key Points:
1. We have spent most of today within the read aloud.
2. But let’s step back away from the read aloud to consider the
dynamics that occur, moment-by-moment, to make this a
high quality learning environment.
3. At the most fundamental, a high quality read aloud begins with
your presence and enthusiasm. (Animation)
4. That fosteres engagement, and, in the context of these read alouds
that engagement is in the content and language.
So there is language development and knowledge development
GROUP
(animation).
5. Understanding leads to more engagement.
6. And that positive cycle can continue and reinforce itself.
Slide 3
Key Points
1. If any part of this cycle falls down, the experience is less effective.
2. For example (animation) if children do not understand the read
aloud or do not understand some key vocabulary or have no idea
how to answer a question, the engagement of that child can fall
apart.
3. o if children are getting distracted, tired of sitting, or have not yet
Built the stamina for the task as it is designed, that can break the
Cycle.
Slide 4
Key Points.
1. What we want to focus on in this session is the fact that there are
aspects of the way you interactive with children during the lesson
to support varied learners.
2. These are pacing, scaffolds to language opportunities, active
supports to listening, and the power of routines.
Slide 5
Key Points.
1. Review these key questions.
2. Explain that slowed pacing, in the moment, is an important
way to manipulate the natural teacher-child or even child-child
interactions to favor children who have weaker language skill
or are just learning English.
3. Often for these children, information is in there but no time is
Given. The average pause time is 2 seconds between speakers.
This is often not enough for young children and yet slowing it
feels unnatural.
4. Paying attention to the way routines are structured to build in
pause and think time is an important scaffold.
Slide 6
Key Points:
1. Review the key questions.
2. Another way to shift the teacher child interactions during the read
aloud is to share the burden of expression.
3. Formulation of a sentence or an idea is often hardest in terms of
getting started. Providing children a sentence frame can reduce
this and still develop their expressive language skills.
4. Another important way you can shift the interactions is to provide
a child multiple prompts towards a question. This allows you to
give ‘hard’ questions to students you know need more support.
But still scaffold the verbal expression by ‘priming the pump’ before
making the larger demand.
Slide 7
Key Point:
1. Usually its not a surprise to a K-2 audience the idea that sustained attention is a
attention is a skill.
2. Many of you who are using this program in K or in any other grade
where the stamina for these read alouds is just developing need
to shift the demands of listening in ways that stays true to the
materials
3. These questions point to ways to up the accountability of listening
or reduce the load of listening- both are seen as effective ways
to adjust the behavioral support you can provide to children.
Slide 8
Key Point:
1. The best behavior management is not seen.
2. The Listening and learning lessons are best served by very tight
and consistent routines that lay out in very explicit ways the type
of back and forth you want.
3. We modeled some strategies here today – such as the domino
Share for a quick share (you may do in a small group with children)
Or the triad share of listen, think, listen, think, listen, think, open
Exchange.
4. Routines such as these are not built in for you, as different
classrooms work with different norms. But the idea is to rely on
routines that support accountability and structure so children’s
thinking is going to the content and not to ‘what should I do.’
5. Much of this information is not new to you, but it helps to remind
ourselves of how these things fit in, and are layered upon a
structured curricula.
Section 2: Building Student-Teacher Interactions: The Foundation of Powerful Instruction
Time:15
[15] In this section, participants will be introduced to four different aspects of teacher-child interactions that can Materials used include:
be adjusted to support diverse learners
(listed in slides)
Slide 9
Key Points:
1. Organize tables so that they draw index cards to indicate what
aspect of the ‘treasure hunt’ they will focus on.
2. Tell them to use their handout to guide them towards their area
And make notes.
3. Tell them why they are doing this, we will pass out post it flip pads
where the tables can record their information during the table
debrief.
HANDOUTs:
2. Treasure Hunt recording form
3. Supplemental Guide packet (includes lessons from K, 1, 2 from
Domain 2 from the Supplemental Guide).
Slide 10
Key Points.
1. Ask treasure hunt teams to share what they found
2. Ask the recorder to record. Facilitators will need to provide tables
flip tables
3. Facilitators in each quadrant can then ‘debrief’ to the whole group
Patterns and surprises they noted across the treasure hunt.
FINAL MESSAGE: The supplemental guide takes good ideas
on how to adjust teacher-child interactions with the read aloud to
support varied learners. The information can be used as a guide
to you if you feel you want to continue to work with the Anthology
but add in/layer in extra support. The Supplemental Guide is also
available to use as is- but you will likely need to make it your
own so understanding the principles in its design- as you did todayis critical.
Use the following icons in the script to indicate different learning modes.
Video
Reflect on a prompt
Turnkey Materials Provided
Additional Suggested Resources
Active learning
Turn and talk