Michael Rutledge

EDUC 359
Vocabulary Lesson Reflection: Importance of vocabulary for ELLs SIOP
Process
After learning about the various parts of the SIOP process, the
importance of vocabulary does not go unnoticed. Vocabulary
knowledge is very important for EL students to develop for overall
comprehension of context. When developing a SIOP lesson, a teacher
must think about key vocabulary and how they are going to introduce
it to the students. The goal in SIOP for vocabulary is for students to
develop vocabulary in a way that is meaningful, and this will allow
them to enhance their vocabulary knowledge. Multiple meaning words
should be avoided when teaching vocabulary because EL students
could easily be confused by such words.
Comprehensible input is another key idea in SIOP that focuses on
clear speech when speaking with the students. All academic tasks
should be explained clearly and in terms that EL students can
understand. Confusion usually takes place when teachers make
assumptions that EL students understand. Visuals are also useful tools
for teachers to use when explaining meaning of academic language.
Another outstanding concept in the SIOP process is to provide
opportunities for EL students to use academic language. When
teaching in a constructivist setting, we know that students better learn

when they are given multiple experiences with content. If EL students

are purposefully given multiple and frequent opportunities to use
academic language, they will become better adept for retaining the
meaning of vocabulary words.
In SIOP, we identify four language domains that coincide to
establish a thorough understanding of language. These domains are
reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Reflecting on the importance
of multiple opportunities to experience academic language, these
domains should be what teachers build these opportunities from. If an
EL uses a vocabulary word in the realms of reading, writing, speaking,
and listening, he/she is applying meaning to this word in 4 different
scenarios. By diversifying the experiences with academic language
that we provide for students, they can become so much more adept for
developing meaningful cognitive connections with vocabulary.