Sheltered Lesson

During the lesson on inferences Mrs. Krauss sheltered the lesson by using three very important phases. Sheltering the lesson made it comprehensible to the ELL students in the class and provided her students with meaningful connections to the book Esperanza Rising. The three phases she used are as follows.

Pre-Reading

Before the lesson Mrs. Krauss explicitly explained the lesson, content, objectives, and what was expected of the students. The directions were stated both verbally and they were also written for students to see. She reviewed the reading strategies she had previously taught to students and discussed key vocabulary that was essential to understanding the book. Mrs. Krauss wrote the vocabulary words down, said each one aloud, and provided context with the use of pictures for students to look at. She also sheltered the lesson by providing synonyms so students could connect to what was meaningful to them.

Students previewed the chapter and Mrs. Krauss used a graphic organizer to connect to their own learning. She also suggested using the title and having students work in groups to make predictions, ask guiding questions, and have students reflect on how the story might look like in their own culture.

During Reading

Since the book referenced the birthday song, "Las Mananitas" students were asked to explain the song, and talk about birthday celebrations in their culture. This allowed students to make connections. Then while reading the story aloud so ELL students could see and hear the words at the same time, she made sure to go slow so they could understand, while reminding them to use their comprehension strategies to enhance acquisition.

Mrs. Krauss reminds students to use their background knowledge and context clues the author describes to infer. Repetition was often used during the lesson for second language learners. Providing repetition increases engagement and allows students to interact with the text. If students were not able to connect with the text it is okay for the teacher to point connections out to allow them to connect on their own.

Post-Reading

During this stage of the lesson Mrs. Krauss reviewed the strategies, vocabulary, and content along with the goals and objectives. Then students were asked to work independently with text and find three post-its in the pages of their reading to connect to background knowledge, question, and visualize.

Reflection

During the reflection of the lesson Mrs. Krauss spoke about what inferring was and mentioned it was a more challenging comprehension strategy to teach to ELL students. On the diary board students posted their work so the students could see what questions, images, and inferences other students had. She stated that before each lesson she has students write down their questions that confused them in the reading the night before so she can help them connect. They were also encouraged to explain what the text reminded them of and explain their background knowledge.

Conclusion

Sheltering a lesson provides students with the tools and modifications they need to become successful readers. It is important that while sheltering the teacher provide lots of modeling to demonstrate to his or her students what the goal of the lesson needs to look like and sound like. Wait time is crucial for ELL students so they have time to process and respond. Overall, I learned how to strengthen my own teaching practices by watching this video. Although, it was rewarding to see that some of these tools I already have been using in my classroom and now I can build upon my practices to meet the needs of all ELL students as well.