Eileen Smith

ELL
Live Lesson Reflection
Fall 2014

This lesson was very different than any other lesson that I have planned in
the past. The SIOP model is a validated way of teaching English learners. Through
this model, teachers are able to address both the academic and the linguistic needs
of ELL students.
The objectives that we set for our student were achieved. The student was
informed about the Vietnam Memorial, and he was also able to recall important
information about the text that was given. This is known because the student was
asked some comprehension questions after reading the book.
I feel that we challenged the students vocabulary/language development.
Although this student speaks English, there were still some words that he was
unfamiliar with. By the end of the lesson, however, the student was able to recall
what the new vocabulary words meant.
The part of the lesson that I felt was the most difficult was explaining what a
war was. To adults, the word, war, is used so frequently that it is difficult to
articulate what the real definition of it is. The concept may have been too
complicated for a young student to understand. If I were to do a lesson like this
again, I would be sure that I had an in depth, kid-friendly definition of war.

If this lesson were actually being taught to an ELL student, the activity at the
end would be a little difficult for the student. I would adjust the assignment so that
the student would only have to write one sentence using one of the vocabulary
words. The student would still be able to draw the picture to accompany the
letter.