Teacher: Katie Elder Grade Level: 2nd grade

Subject: Reading/ ELA Unit or Chapter: N/A

Acquisitions Stages of ELLs in my class: 1 Starting (1) and 2 Developing (3)
1. What are the ELL or content area standards?

HISTORY/SS
2.3 The student will compare the lives and contributions of three American Indian
cultures of the past and present, with emphasis on
a) the Powhatan of the Eastern Woodlands;
b) the Lakota of the Plains; and
c) the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest.
READING
2.9 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction texts.
c) Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
d) Set purpose for reading.
e) Ask and answer questions about what is read.

2.7 The student will expand vocabulary when reading

e) Use vocabulary from other content areas.

2. What key concepts will students learn, and what strategies will be used to
teach them?

The students will learn contributions that the native American tribes have given to us
that we use today. (farming)

The students will compare and contrast how we get food today vs. how the native
American got food. This will use student background knowledge and tie into text-to-
self connections.

The student will ask and answer questions about the text using post-it notes, think-
pair-share, and whole class participation.

The student will learn and use new vocabulary by matching the words to the
definitions, and labeling pictures (a diagram)

3. What background knowledge will students need? How will it be activated?

-Students will need to know how to answer questions about text before, during, and
after a text is read.
What do you think the book is going to be about?
Do you see something that looks familiar to you?
How many of you have seen corn being grown?
When and where do you see corn?
Who plants the corn?

-Maize is another word for corn. (vocabulary)

These questions will be used to make students think about what was read in the story
to compare and contrast how we get our food today vs how the native Americans got
their food.

4. List key terms, words, idioms, and phrases (TWIPs) to be pretaught. Include
simple, student-friendly definitions. Identify words that are likely to be used
outside class as well as academic words that are content-specific.
1. Kernel- the seed

2. Sprout- the little plant that shows in the ground first

3. Maize- another word for corn

4. Stalk – the tall, green part on the plant corn

5. Husk- the part that covers the corn before we pick it

6. Nodes- breaks that the leaves come off on the tall part of the corn plant

7.

8.
5. Design one or more of the following activities for TWIP instruction:

• Matching vocabulary with definitions

-Students will match words with definitions in pairs. First, they will sort them so

that the teacher can use this as a “pre-assessment.” This will help the students

become familiar with the words prior to reading and talking about the story. The

teacher will then go over and explain/reveal the correct matches.

• Drawing/matching pictures

- Students will draw or match a picture to help them think of the vocabulary

word/definition to help them put a visual with the word. The students can use these

visuals as “tools” to help the students listen for the vocabular words. As the teacher
reads the story and the student hears a vocabulary word, they would hold up the

picture of the word they here. The teacher would make this an interactive discussion

after each set of pages to ask the students what they heard and why they held which

picture up, and the teacher would ask or restate the definition.

 Putting in order

Students can put labeled pictures in order for the vocabulary words. This would work

as a “sequencing” activity. For example, the student would need to know that we plant

the kernel (seed), then we get to a sprout, then the nodes would come, then the talk,

then the corn. The objective would be to see that all of these words connect because

it results in the corn. This would put a mental image and it could relate to what they

could see in real life at their own house or driving down the road.

 Creating a class diagram

The teacher would bring in different parts of a corn plant. The students would be

guided to put the plant together by helping each other out using the vocabulary words.

The goal would be a finished corn stalk. The teacher would point to a part each day

and ask the students to name the part to get the repetition of the vocabulary word.

6. Check which of the following strategies you will use in class:

 Buddies- Students will gain confidence by working with their peers. Appropriate

social interactions will help ELs learn how to interact and follow procedures.

□ 2. Cooperative groups

 3. Graphs, charts, photos, drawings- the pictures will help students connect to

the vocabulary and be engaged in the story. The students will also complete a
 venn diagram to compare/contrast farming today vs native American farming

□ 4. Graphic organizers

□ 5. Hands-on activities

□ 6. Taping explanations and photocopying notes

 Highlighting, sticky notes, Wikki Stix- the sticky notes will be used to create and

answer questions when reading the story.

□ 8. Using body language, skits, storytelling, music, videos

□ 9. Vocabulary box wherever possible

7. How will you modify text for beginning learners of English?

A text modification I could do for ELs is having pictures along with the words the

vocabulary words. For example, if the book says maze, I would have a picture of corn

to let them know what the meaning of it is and then have them practice saying the

word maize. (labeling) Also, I could add a vocabulary word bank that would have the

word in English and Spanish. (bilingual) Students could practice reading with the

words in Spanish and then reread the text with the word in English. This could work

for other languages, too. I could also change the lexile level to make it have easier

words to read.
8. What kind of homework will you assign? How does it explicitly connect to and
provide additional practice for the day’s lesson?
9. How will you modify assessments for ELLs?