Strategies #4

Date of Strategy Implementation: 4/15/21

Topic/Content Area: Social Studies- Speaking/Reading

Grade Level/Grouping: 1st Grade/Whole Group (15 students)

Strategy Used: Speech-to-text

Rationale- How does the strategy connect to the ELs proficiency level; Justification for
using the strategy: Must include a specific (grade level) WIDA standard for your EL.


There are several students in the class who struggle spelling

independently. During computers, the teacher has been showing the
students how to work Google Earth. The students may not be able to
type in something the search it. Having them speak into the microphone
will be a quicker way to type and search. This will also work on their
pronunciation of certain words. Students need to learn how to speak
clearly. This focuses on that skill.

My fictitious EL is at level 2 (emerging) for reading. This skill

this strategy focuses on is matching voice to print by pointing to
icons, letters, or illustrated words. The student will listen to the
academic vocabulary words from this lesson and speak these words into
their iPad. They will have practice with speech-to-text. Then they
will label the correct continents by speaking the word into the iPad
and finding the matching word on the word bank. The EL is at level 3
(developing) for speaking. A WIDA descriptor under level 4 (expanding)
is being able to ask questions for social and academic purposes. The
lesson this strategy will be implemented with has a discussion time
for what the student’s learned about different cultures. The student
will have opportunities to ask different questions about these
cultures or cultures different from their own.

Step-by-Step Description of Strategy Implementation:

1. Students will get out their iPads and open the Google Earth app.
 2. Project the geography and culture PowerPoint. Introduce the seven
continents and explain to children that they will be visiting a
few countries on these continents.
3. Walk through each continent and pronounce the name clearly. Ask
students to search that continent on Google Maps by speaking into
their microphone instead of typing.
4. Ask students to describe what physical features the continent
has.
5. Clearly state the name of the country the students will be
visiting. Display the name on the Smart Board.
6. Students will say the name of the country into their iPad and
search for it on Google Earth.
7. Repeat this process for all seven continents and the countries
they will be visiting. Check that students are pronouncing the
names correctly and model the correct pronunciation.
8. Give students the label and color sheet for the continents with a
word bank. Students will label each of the continents and color
them using the color key on the worksheet.
9. Remind students that they can search for the continent using
their iPad if they do not remember where it is.

Results of The Strategy: including how you intended your strategy to benefit your EL:

The students were able to locate the continents and countries

using the speech-to-text method. For the students in the back of the
classroom, it was easier for them to speak into their microphone since
they cannot see the words on the screen as well. The students who
struggled pronouncing the continents and countries, I encouraged them
to type by looking at the word on the screen. I think this strategy
saved time during the lesson since students were able to search
quicker than typing in every word. I needed to explicitly state that
students could type the continent or country into their iPads if they
could spell it. Some of the students were yelling into the iPad. I
need to set expectations for voice level.

This strategy would have benefitted my fictitious EL. She would

have been able to speak the name of the continent into the microphone
and watched Google Earth take her there. Then she could connect that
the name she spoke into the microphone was the landmass on Google
Earth. The student would have been able to see a satellite picture of
the continent instead of having to look up at the Smart Board. The
student would also have been able to use the iPad and Google Earth to
search for the continents when completing the worksheet. She could
have spoke the name of the continent to figure out what shape it
matches on the paper.

*Must Include an Artifact (Student Work Sample, Photographs, Organizer Tools, Etc.)
for Each Implemented Strategy.