Massachusetts Sheltered English Instruction Teacher
Endorsement Course
Session 9: Reading for ELLS I
Participant Manual
Version 1.0
Participant Manual for the SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Contents
Overview of the SEI Teacher Endorsement Course Sessions ....................................................... 1
Introduction to Session 9............................................................................................................... 2
Session Overview .............................................................................................................. 2
Regulatory Requirements Addressed in this Lesson.......................................................... 2
Preparing for Lesson 9 .................................................................................................................. 3
Session Objectives ............................................................................................................ 3
Agenda .............................................................................................................................. 3
Session 9 Participant Handouts .................................................................................................... 5
What do we do when we read? Quick Write ...................................................................... 5
Reading Complex Texts .................................................................................................... 6
Components of Reading and Considerations for ELLs ...................................................... 2
Identifying and Analyzing Text Features ............................................................................ 4
Think Aloud ....................................................................................................................... 6
Reciprocal Teaching .......................................................................................................... 8
Modeling Reciprocal Teaching Text: Using Dogs to Sniff Out Mold in Homes ................. 11
Practicing Reciprocal Teaching Text: Always, Running: La Vida Loca, Gang days in L.A.13
Partner Reading .............................................................................................................. 14
There are many ways of structuring partner readings. Below are several examples: ....... 14
Lesson Plan Template – Mini-Lesson .............................................................................. 17
Strategy Implementation Self-Assessment Tool .............................................................. 19
Upcoming Assignments .............................................................................................................. 21
Assignments due by Lesson 10 ....................................................................................... 21
Session 9 Notes .......................................................................................................................... 22
Participant Manual for the SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Overview of the SEI Teacher Endorsement Course Sessions
Current Session
MODULE A: ELLs: Their World and Second Language Acquisition Process in the SEI
Classroom
(Sessions 1—4)
2: Diversity
4. Second
1: Examining Data &
within ELL
3: Cultural & Social
Language
Policies Relevant to
Populations
Aspects of Teaching
Acquisition in the
ELLs
(ONLINE 3
in the SEI Classroom
SEI Classroom
HOURS)
MODULE B: Academic Language and Literacy Development in the SEI Classroom
(Sessions 5—16)
5. Sheltering Content
(ONLINE 3 HOURS)
6: Vocabulary for ELLs I
7: Vocabulary for ELLs II
8. Vocabulary for ELLs III
(ONLINE 2 HOURS)
9: Reading for ELLs I
10: Reading for ELLs II
11: Reading for ELLs III
(ONLINE 2 HOURS)
12: Writing for ELLs I
13: Writing for ELLs II
14. Writing for ELLs III
(ONLINE 2 HOURS)
15: Large-Scale Assessments for ELLs and
Lesson Planning Presentations
16. Capstone Lesson Presentations and
Final Course Evaluation
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 1 of 6
Introduction to Session 9
Session Overview
This session is designed to provide participants with key considerations and strategies for
developing ELLs reading comprehension skills.
Regulatory Requirements Addressed in this Lesson
CMR 7.14: Endorsements
(1) SEI Teacher Endorsement
(b) Subject Matter Knowledge:
1. The basic structure and functions of language.
2. Second language acquisition factors as they affect access to the Massachusetts
standards.
3. Social-cultural, affective, political, and other salient factors in second language
acquisition.
4. Sheltered English immersion (SEI) principles and typologies:
i. General academic and domain-specific discourse practices relevant to the
grade level (k-5 or secondary), English proficiency level, and content area
(English language arts and history; science and mathematics; other content
areas).
5. Implementation of strategies for coordinating SEI and English language
development instruction for English language learners.
6. Federal and Massachusetts' laws and regulations pertaining to English language
learners.
7. Understanding of diversity and background of English language learner populations,
including family systems, and communities, and their impact on teaching and
learning.
8. Theory, research, and practice of reading and writing for English language
learners.
i. Practices and approaches for developing reading and writing skills and
comprehension in English for English language learners who are at different
levels of English language proficiency.
9. The role of oral language development in literacy development for English
language learners.
10.
Formative and summative assessments for English language learners.
11.
Literacy and academic language development.
i. The role of vocabulary development in accessing academic language.
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 2 of 6
Preparing for Lesson 9
Session Objectives
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

explain the relationship of reading to

language subsystems

the four language domains

essential shifts relating to literacy and the Common Core standards

WIDA’s Functional Components of Academic Language

oracy

sheltered educational theory and practice. (SEIT 1, 4.1, 8, 11)

explain the relationship between discrete reading skills (i.e., phonics, phonemic
awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency) and reading comprehension, and articulate
areas of potential challenges for English learners. (SEIT 8, 8.1)

explain the importance of reading comprehension as a predictor of success for all
students. (SEIT 8, 9, 11)

apply modeled and practiced strategies that feature explicit reading comprehension
instruction and reflect upon the effectiveness of those instructional practices in the
sheltered instruction classroom. (SEIT 8.1, 11)

apply interactive strategies to increase comprehension, engagement, and oral language
in the SEI classroom. (SEIT 5, 9)
Agenda
I.
Session Introduction (8 min)
II.

Agenda and Review (1 min)

Connections to Prior Sessions (5 min)

Course Roadmap (1 min)

Objectives (1 min)
Overview of Reading (15 min)

Language subsystems and language domains (2 min)

Common Core and ELA/ Literacy Framework Shifts & WIDA connection (8 min)
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 3 of 6

III.
IV.
Importance of Reading & Current ELL Instruction (4 min)
Components of Reading (31min)

Differences between oral language proficiency and reading (2 min)

Elements of Good Reading (19 min)

The Role of Background Knowledge (7min)
Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension (20 min)

Strategy: Identifying and Analyzing Text Features (20 min)
V.
Break (10 min)
VI.
Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension – continued (20 min)

Strategy: Think Aloud (20 min)

Strategy: Reciprocal Teaching (25 min)

Strategy: Partner Reading (25 min)
VII.
Summarizing Learning: Think-Pair-Square-Share (10 min)
VIII.
Assignments and upcoming session (5 min)
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 4 of 6
Session 9 Participant Handouts
What do we do when we read? Quick Write
Write down ideas of what’s involved in reading, and what you do when you read.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 5 of 6
Reading Complex Texts
One volunteer will read the following text. Please follow along and keep track of the
following:

What the reader can do

What the reader struggles with
Abstract: Carbon-13 spin–lattice relaxation times are measured for poly (octadecyl acrylate)
above and below the melting point of the crystalline side chains. The chain backbone has long
spin–lattice relaxation times below the melting point that shorten by more than an order of
magnitude as the melting point range is traversed. Below the melting point, the backbone is
nearly immobilized with spin–lattice relaxation changing very slowly with temperature. Above the
melting point, the shorter spin–lattice relaxation times are typical of a rubber above the glass
transition and decrease with increasing temperature. The methylene groups in the side chain
are quite mobile well below the melting point, indicating fairly rapid anisotropic motion within the
crystal.
Source: Giotto et al. 2001. An NMR study of mobility in a crystalline side-chain comblike
polymer. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, (39) 13, Abstract. Retrieved from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/polb.1127/abstract
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 6 of 6
Components of Reading and Considerations for ELLs
Read the definitions, implications and suggested strategies/approaches. Think about your own
experience with ELLs. Discuss:
1. What could our volunteer reader do with the Science Journal Article Abstract?
2. What have you seen ELLs be ABLE to do and NOT do in your class based on the
reading skills discussed below?
Component and
Definition
Phonemic Awareness is
the understanding that
spoken words are made up
of separate sound units
that can be manipulated
(blended, separated,
recombined)


Component and
Definition
Phonics is the
understanding of the rules
that specify the relationship
between the sounds of
spoken language, and the
letters and spellings that
represent those sounds in
written language.
Suggested
Approaches or
Strategies
Implications for ELLs
ELLs who have developed phonemic
awareness in their own language transfer
this skill into English but will need help
when sounds, letters and sound/letter
correspondences are different than their
first language.

Explicit instruction

Rhymes, songs,
poems

Rich oral language
use in the classroom
ELLs need lots of opportunities to make
English their own and to play with the
language
Suggested
Approaches or
Strategies
Implications for ELLs


Phonics instruction helps young readers
understand and use the English
alphabetic principle. Phonics rules cover
less than one half of all English spelling
rules, so young Native speakers also
learn sight words (memorized word-sound
patterns).
Phonics does not always constitute the
beginning of reading instruction for ELLs.
If ELLs possess letter-sound
correspondence knowledge in the L1, it
may not be necessary to spend a lot of
time on English phonics. A quick review
with focus on decoding difficulties may be
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0

Systematic phonics
instruction – when
needed

Strategic use of
controlled
vocabulary texts for
beginners

Games to play with
letters and sounds
Page 2 of 23
the most effective way to teach phonics to
ELLs who have good L1 literacy skills.

For ELLs with poor literacy skills, teach
phonics only as needed and always in the
context of the text they are reading.

Don’t confuse accent or non-standard
pronunciation of English sounds with not
mastering letter-sound correspondence.
Some English sounds difficult for ELLs to
pronounce and/or hear.

Phonics is a means to an end:
comprehending text. But ELLs may not
know the meaning of the words they can
sound out and decode. Teachers should
work on vocabulary development, both
oral and written, so that ELLs can make
sense of the words they decode.

Younger ELLs who do not know how to
read in their L1 need explicit instruction in
English phonics as their Native English
speaking peers.
Component and
Definition
Fluency refers to rapid
word and word group
recognition that frees
students from
concentrating on decoding
and word recognition and
allows focus on meaning.
Suggested
Approaches or
Strategies
Implications for ELLs




High frequency word
flashcards

Teachers need to provide a variety of
reading contexts to get a more complete
picture of reading fluency.
Guided reading
opportunities and
teacher modeling of
fluency

ELLs need familiarity with the sounds and
spelling of English to become fluent
decoders.
Opportunities to
listen & follow books
on tape books

Opportunities to
preread and reread
texts read aloud
Teachers need to keep in mind that non
native-like pronunciation or accented
English may confuse teachers into
believing that students are not fluent
readers.
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 3 of 23
Identifying and Analyzing Text Features
Model
What text features in the Participant Manual help communicate information clearly? Identify
features and think about what information they present using the following table:
Text Feature
Purpose (Why was it included? What information does it
convey?)
Practice
What text features in your content area text help communicate information clearly? Work with a
partner and your sample content area texts. Zoom into a specific section, page or chapter and
take turns leading each other through identification and analysis of text features. When leading,
imagine your partner is an ELL. Make sure you explain:
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 4 of 23

The topic or content of the section

The text features you identified

The purposes of each text feature for this specific context (i.e., Why did the author
include this diagram here? What specific information can you glean from each text
feature?)
After both participants have had a chance to practice, debrief:

How could you use this strategy in your content area?

How could you modify this activity for different groups of ELLs (SIFE, ELLs with
disabilities, ELLs at higher or lower proficiency levels)?

How could you help your ELLs practice this strategy in your classroom?
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 5 of 23
Think Aloud
Modeling
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Two, Four, Six, Eight—Now’s the Time to Pollinate!
In order to reproduce, most flowers need to be pollinated. For flowers
to make fruit and seeds, pollen from the male parts needs to reach the
female parts. Some plants can pollinate themselves. Others must be
pollinated by wind, water, or animals.
If a flower smells yummy during the day, chances are that it is
pollinated by butterflies, bees, wasps, certain beetles, or other insects
that are attracted to sweet odors. Pollen clings to them and is deposited
on other blossoms.
Practice
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Two, Four, Six, Eight—Now’s the Time to Pollinate! (continued)
Pale or white flowers that are fragrant at night usually attract moths.
Dull-colored, odorless plants are often wind-pollinated. Some bright,
odorless blooms may be pollinated by birds, such as hummingbirds,
which have a poor sense of smell. The birds go to drink nectar, and
the pollen sticks to their feathers or beaks. Colorful but unscented
flowers also appeal to bees, wasps, and butterflies, which look for
blossoms of particular colors and shapes and not just scent. And if a
flower smells—and sometimes even looks—bad, it lures flies,
carrion beetles, or other critters that love the putrid odor of rotten
meat or fish.
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 6 of 23
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Going Batty!
Flies and beetles aren’t the only creatures attracted to smelly
flowers. Many plants are pollinated by bats. What odors do bats
prefer? Some like the smell of rotting fruit. And some like the musty
aroma of fellow bats.
In Africa, the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) produces gorgeous
blossoms that reek rather like these flying mammals. Because bats
are nocturnal, the flowers open at night and are pale in color so the
bats can see (and smell) them more easily. While they are eating the
flowers’ nectar, the pollen sticks to the bats’ fur or mouths. As they
fly from bloom to bloom, they transfer it.
The baobab is a magnificent and important plant. Animals live in
its branches. People use all of it—the bark for cloth and rope, the
leaves for medicine, the fruit for food—and sometimes even take
shelter inside its huge trunk.
Think Aloud Ideas
Create a list of things (questions, ideas) teachers can use to model a Think Aloud using your
notes from each other’s practice
Source: “Foul Flora” by Marilyn Singer, from What Stinks? Copyright © 2006 by Marilyn Singer.
Reprinted by permission of Darby Creek, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Available at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2012/release/g5ela.pdf
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 7 of 23
Reciprocal Teaching
Roles

Summarizer

Questioner

Clarifier

Predictor
Procedure

Read a sentence or paragraph of the assigned text selection.

At the given stopping point, the Summarizer will highlight the key ideas up to this point in
the reading.

Then the Questioner will pose questions about the selection. Sample questions:

I think this part is unclear. What does it mean that ….?

I don’t understand what it says here. How does that go with …?

How is this connected with …? Is this related to …?

The Clarifier will address confusing parts, attempting to answer the questions that were
just posed.

The Predictor can offer predictions about what comes up next in the text. If it's a literary
selection, the predictor might suggest what the next events, character thoughts or
actions in the story will be.

The roles in the group then switch one person to the right, and the next selection is read.
Students repeat the process using their new roles. This continues until the entire
selection is read.

If the teacher is participating, his/her role is to guide and nurture the students' ability to
use the four strategies successfully in the small group. The teacher's role is lessened as
students develop skill.
Source: adapted from Reading Rockets. Available at
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching/
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 8 of 23
Reciprocal Teaching Role Guiding Questions and Sentence Frames
Summarizer
Guiding Questions



Sentence Frames

What does the author want us to remember
or learn from this passage?
What is the most important information in
this passage?
What kind of "teacher" question can you ask
about the main idea?



In my own words, this is about
…..
The main point was….
The author wanted me to
remember….
Another important idea is…
Questioner
Guiding Questions



Sentence Frames


One question I had about what I read was...
What question(s) can you ask about what
you read?
What were you thinking about as you were
reading?


I wonder …
Who …? What…? When…?
How…? Why…?
How are … and … connected?
What do we know about …?
Clarifier
Guiding Questions


Sentence Frames

This is confusing to me. I need to (re-read,
slow down, look at the pictures or graphs, try
to figure out this word, etc.)…?
What I'm thinking is … but that isn't making
sense. I need to ….


One of the words I wasn't sure
about was…?
What other words do we know
that we can use in place of ...?
What words or ideas need
clarifying for you?
Predictor
Guiding Questions


Sentence Frames
Look at the text features. What do you think
we will be reading about?
What do you think might happen next?



I think the text will talk about …
I wonder about …
I predict…
Source: adapted from Your Literacy Toolbox – Reciprocal Teaching Prompt Cards. Available at
http://stricklandliteracy.weebly.com/literacy-strategies.html
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 9 of 23
Reciprocal Teaching Fishbowl Observer Notes
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 10 of 23
Modeling Reciprocal Teaching Text: Using Dogs to Sniff Out Mold in
Homes
"Let's go to work. You ready?" [the woman] says to her dog.
Sydney is a two-year-old mixed Labrador retriever who abhors spores. She is sniffing Laura
Herlow's house, hunting for mold.
"She does a passive alert. So she sits when she finds mold."
Sydney is one of about ten animals who have spent hundreds of hours with a police dog trainer
in Florida. Now she's certified to detect mold.
"Good girl."
"So what does that mean? What is she indicating there?" [asks an observer.]
"She is indicating that she has detected mold somewhere in this vicinity right here. She's usually
good for a three to four foot path."
Herlow, whose young son suffers from epileptic seizures, turned to Sydney after getting
frustrated with several other mold contractors.
"Were you skeptical at first that a dog could do this?"
"No. I would rather trust a dog and have an unbiased opinion," says Herlow.
"She's got it. She's found mold where we haven't suspected it and we have looked further and
verified that she was correct," says Sydney's handler.
"The professional mold cleanup company is going to contain this area and take this shower
assembly out," says one of the mold company's employees.
While popular in Europe for years mold-sniffing dogs are relatively new in the US.
"We've been using dogs for bombs and drugs and other scent work but it is just in the last
eighteen months that people are making the connection that dogs are a great tool in the mold
industry," says Mold Detectives employee.
One big advantage is cost. Traditional detection methods can drag on for weeks, sampling and
then waiting for test results and then testing the air at a cost of up to thousands of dollars.
"With the dog we can do that same exact testing for less than $500 and pinpoint exactly where
the mold is so then the cleanup costs are substantially less."
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 11 of 23
Jenelle Nary is a believer; she spent years suffering from mysterious illnesses. "Mostly
respiratory problems, a lot of asthma, trouble sleeping, pain everywhere." Until she moved out
of the family home. Then Sydney found that toxic mold had spread from the bathroom under the
flooring into Janelle's bedroom.
"You couldn't see anything?"
"No."
"But the dog sniffed it?"
"Yes. Which is I think awesome."
While experts say it is unclear just how bad toxic molds can be to human health, worried
homeowners [now] have a new weapon to unleash.
Source: Adapted from a news story by CNN San Francisco Reporter James Hattori, May 2003
by the Learning Resources Net. Available at http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/molddog/home.html
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 12 of 23
Practicing Reciprocal Teaching Text: Always, Running: La Vida Loca,
Gang days in L.A.
"Cry, child, for those without tears have a grief which never ends." -- Mexican saying
This memory begins with flight. A 1950s bondo-spackled Dodge surged through a
driving rain, veering around the potholes and upturned tracks of the abandoned Red
Line trains on Alameda. Mama was in the front seat. My father was at the wheel. My
brother Rano and I sat on one end of the back seat; my sisters Pata and Cuca on the
other. There was a space between the boys and girls to keep us apart.
"Amá, mira a Rano," a voice said for the tenth time from the back of the car. "He's hitting
me again."
We fought all the time. My brother, especially, had it in for La Pata -- thinking of
Frankenstein, he called her "Anastein." Her real name was Ana, but most of the time we
went by the animal names Dad gave us at birth. I am Grillo, which means cricket. Rano
stands for "rana," the frog. La Pata is the duck and Cuca is short for cucaracha:
cockroach.
The car seats came apart in strands. I looked out at the passing cars which seemed like
ghosts with headlights rushing past the streaks of water on the glass. I was nine years
old. As the rain fell, my mother cursed in Spanish intermixed with pleas to saints and "la
Santísima Madre de Dios." She argued with my father. Dad didn't curse or raise his
voice. He just stated the way things were.
"I'll never go back to Mexico," he said. "I'd rather starve here. You want to stay with me,
it has to be in Los Angeles. Otherwise, go." This incited my mother to greater fits.
Source: Rodriguez, Luis. Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Curbstone
Press, 1993, p. 13.
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 13 of 23
Partner Reading
There are many ways of structuring partner readings. Below are several examples:
Note: All Partner Reading activities below presume that students have heard the text read
aloud by teacher at least once.

Partner Reading
for Fluency
Partner Reading
for
Comprehension
Partner Reading
for
Comprehension
(example #2)
Partner Reading
for Vocabulary
Practice
Partner #1 reads one sentence and then gets feedback
about his/her fluency/pronunciation from Partner #2. Partner two
may use the following frames to provide feedback:

I think you did very well with ….

I think when you say … you meant to say …

Next time you should …

Partners switch. Partner #2 reads and Partner #1 gives feedback.

For ELLs at higher proficiency levels, consider asking students to
read whole paragraphs instead of just sentences.

Partner #1 reads one sentence

Partner #1 questions or comments (aloud) about the
content, language structure, or word from the sentence he/she just
read

Partner #2 provides clarification or positive feedback. Partners
switch.

Partner #1 reads one sentence

Partner #2 questions or comments about the content, language
structure, or word from the sentence his/her partner just read

Partner #1 responds. Partners switch.

This format assumes students were pre-taught key vocabulary.

Partner #1 reads a couple of sentences or an entire paragraph.

Partner #2 then, trying to use the pre-taught vocabulary as much
as possible, summarizes the sentences/paragraph trying not to
look at the text. Partners switch.
Source: created by Boni-esther Enquist, 2013
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 14 of 23
Text for Partner Reading Modeling
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Going Batty!
Flies and beetles aren’t the only creatures attracted to smelly
flowers. Many plants are pollinated by bats. What odors do bats
prefer? Some like the smell of rotting fruit. And some like the musty
aroma of fellow bats.
In Africa, the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) produces gorgeous
blossoms that reek rather like these flying mammals. Because bats
are nocturnal, the flowers open at night and are pale in color so the
bats can see (and smell) them more easily. While they are eating the
flowers’ nectar, the pollen sticks to the bats’ fur or mouths. As they
fly from bloom to bloom, they transfer it.
The baobab is a magnificent and important plant. Animals live in
its branches. People use all of it—the bark for cloth and rope, the
leaves for medicine, the fruit for food—and sometimes even take
shelter inside its huge trunk.
Source: “Foul Flora” by Marilyn Singer, from What Stinks? Copyright © 2006 by Marilyn Singer.
Reprinted by permission of Darby Creek, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Available at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2012/release/g5ela.pdf
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 15 of 23
Text for Partner Reading Practice
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Going Batty! (part 2)
Another important relative of the baobab is the silk cotton tree
(Ceiba pentandra). This tree’s fruits produce kapok—a fluffy material
once widely used in lifejackets, sleeping bags, quilts, mattresses, and
pillows because it is buoyant and warm. In many places the wood is
still used to make canoes. Like the baobab, the kapok has
malodorous flowers that attract bats. In some places, bats appear to
be the plant’s only pollinator and seed disperser. Eliminate the bats,
and you eliminate the tree—one of many good reasons to protect
these mammals.
Baobab and kapok blossoms, like carrion flowers, certainly smell
great to their animal pollinators, but there’s a good chance Mom
won’t like them. So when it comes to Mother’s Day, it’s best to stick
with roses.
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The Rancid Rafflesia
What weighs as much as a miniature poodle and smells as bad as
rotten dog food? Would you believe it’s a flower? The rafflesia is the
world’s largest flower. When it’s in full bloom, it can weigh up to
fifteen pounds and be a yard wide. Found on rain forest floors in
Indonesia, Borneo, and Sumatra, it is a parasite that lives off the
roots of a vine related to the grapevine. Having no roots, stems,
leaves, or chlorophyll, the rafflesia gets its food from that plant.
The rafflesia takes nine months to reach full size. Then it bursts
out like a big, orange cabbage and expands into a blossom as much
as three feet wide and up to fifteen pounds in weight. Flowering for
just four to six days, it fills the air with a stench like carrion,* which
has earned it the name “stinking corpse lily.”
Why would any flower smell like that? The answer has to do
with pollination.
Source: “Foul Flora” by Marilyn Singer, from What Stinks? Copyright © 2006 by Marilyn Singer.
Reprinted by permission of Darby Creek, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Available at
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2012/release/g5ela.pdf
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 16 of 23
Lesson Plan Template – Mini-Lesson
Using designated components of the Endorsement Lesson Plan Template, plan a mini-lesson
for English learners on academic vocabulary development. Your lesson plan should include the
following:
•
•
•
Content and language objectives.
A plan to pre-teach targeted tiered vocabulary words/phrases.
Modeling and practice activities which promote the development of English language
learners reading comprehension. (L)
Assigned Session #9: Complete selected portions of the template related to reading
comprehension and discrete reading skill development
Lesson Background Information
Name:
Date:
District:
Lesson Length:
Content Area:
Lesson Topic:
Focus Language Domain (R, W, L, S):
Content Objective:
All students will be able to…
Language Objective/s:
Students at the WIDA ELD level ___ will be able
to…
Students at the WIDA ELD level ___ will be able
to…
Key Content Vocabulary:
Tier 1 words
Tier 2 words
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Tier 3 words
Page 17 of 23
Instructional Procedure
Duration Description
Activities to pre-teach targeted tiered vocabulary words/phrases:
Activities to practice strategies to improve ELLs reading comprehension:
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 18 of 23
Strategy Implementation Self-Assessment Tool
Teacher Name: _______________________________
Strategy implemented: _________________________
Description of the Implementation
A. Describe how you integrated the strategies into a rigorous course lesson.
Reflecting on Teacher Implementation
A. Rate your performance for each task using the following scale:
1= Poor
2= Adequate
3= Effective
4= Exemplary
When teaching this strategy…
I presented the strategy effectively (presented steps or procedures, when to use it,
importance).
Rating
I modeled the strategy using comprehensible language, appropriate
visuals/manipulatives, and enough repetition
I gave students multiple opportunities to apply the strategy in a meaningful context
I gave students comprehensible feedback while they applied the strategy
I gave students an opportunity to evaluate their application of the strategy in a way
that made sense to them
I assessed how effectively students applied the strategy
B. How might you refine your implementation the next time?
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 19 of 23
Reflecting on Student Implementation
A. Rate your students’ response to your instruction using the following criteria:
When I taught this strategy, I observed that my students
Rating
Were engaged 90% of the time
Successfully practiced the strategy
Were able to explain why they had applied the strategy or how it was useful to them
Were able to evaluate their own application of the strategy
B. I know that my students were successful in implementing the strategy because …
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 20 of 23
Upcoming Assignments
Assignments due by Lesson 10
A. Lesson plan due at the beginning of Session 10
Using designated components of the Endorsement Lesson Plan Template, plan a mini-lesson
for English learners on academic vocabulary development. Your lesson plan should include the
following:

Content and language objectives.

A plan to pre-teach targeted tiered vocabulary words/phrases.

Modeling and practice activities which promote the development of a discrete
reading skill that may be an area of challenge for English learners, and that support
students’ reading comprehension. (L)
B. Implementation due at the beginning of Session 10
In your classroom, implement a reading strategy modeled and practiced in this Endorsement
course session at least once before the next session. Complete the Strategy Implementation
Self Evaluation Tool and upload it unto Moodle. (I)
C. Required Readings for Session 10
Klingler, J.K., Hoover, J, et al. 2008. Why Do English Language Learners Struggle with
Reading? Helping Classroom Reading Teachers Distinguish Between Language
Acquisition and Learning Disabilities, 57-74. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Lafond, S. 2012. Key shifts of the common core state standards: English language arts
and literacy. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/51433/.
D. Bring a student text from your SEI class to Session 10.
Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
Page 21 of 23
Session 9 Notes
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Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
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Participant Manual for SEI Teacher Endorsement Course
Session 9
Version 1.0
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