SEI Capstone
Into the Soil
Introduction
- Watertown Public Schools
- Grade 3
- I have one ELL student in my class (Sawera - Level 1)
- Sawera: My ELL is from Packastain. She moved to the United States in February of this year. She has been educated in her country's school systems. Pushtu is spoken in the home.
- The content of my Capstone is an informational text, Into the Soil by: Lincoln Bergman and P.David Pearson, that focuses our science unit Soil and Habitats.
Lesson Description
- Seven Step Vocabulary
- Turn and Talk
- Think Aloud
- Partner Reading
- Shoulder Buddy
- Sentence Frame
Content Objective
Content Objective: As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Explain: What soil is?, Where it can be found? and What it is good for?
- Identify 3 types of soil.
- List organisms that call soil their home.
Language Objectives
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
A Level 1 ELL will be able to:
- Students will orally say and practice the vocabulary found in the text with the teacher and discuss the vocabulary used in the text with partners.
- Students will work in partners to identify soil and where it can be observed.
- Students will work in partners to identify text features.
- Students will work with a word bank to fill in simple sentences
A Level 2 ELL will be able to:
- Students will listen and read aloud with a partner, taking turns thinking of questions about the text to promote comprehension.
- Students will work with vocabulary words to fill in more complex sentences
- Students will list text features in the book.
- Students will read aloud a page to other student, partner will listen and then ask some questions they thought of while listening to the text.
- Students will list some living things found in soil
A Level 3 ELL student will be able to:
- Students will work with vocabulary words to fill in most complex sentences.
- Students will use the book to observe, list and identify the text features and functions they provide.
- Students will use the think aloud strategy to read aloud, write down and ask questions of the text and write and tell a summary of the text.
- Students will use the book to observe where soil can be found and illustrate a picture of it.
Differentiating for ELL Students
Accommodations and supports during this lesson include:
- word banks
- sentence starters
- sentence frames
- a native English speaking partner
- visual supports for vocabulary acquisition
SEI Strategies
Seven Step Vocabulary Strategy
1. SOIL: I SAY YOU SAY 3 TIMES
2. Teacher states the word in context from the mentor text.
2. IT IS THE GROUND. SOME PEOPLE CALL IT DIRT. SCIENTISTS CALL IT SOIL. SOIL IS UNDER EVERYTHING
3. Teacher provides the dictionary definition(s).
3. The top layer of the earth's surface in which plants can grow, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with decayed organic matter and having the capability of retaining water.
4. Explains meaning with student-friendly definitions.
4. SOIL: A MIXTURE OF ROCKS, WATER, AIR, PARTS OF DEAD ORGANISMS, AND TINY LIVING ORGANISMS.
5. Highlights features of the word: polysemous, cognate, tense, prefixes, etc.
5. Soiled, soil·ing, soils
6. Engages students in activities to develop word/concept knowledge. The 1 Minute TTYP (Turn to Your Partner) & use the word 5-6 times in complete thoughts or sentences, ping pong style. Ping pong style turn taking in the exchange so that no one partner dominates Once in a while, teachers can check in by asking, “Who wants to tell me what your partner said?”
6. TELL YOUR SHOULDER BUDDY, HOW YOU WOULD USE THE WORD SOIL.
7. Teacher reminds and explains to students of how new words will be used. There is NO writing by students at this time. This is where the teacher explains that students should use this word in their homework, classwork, reading summaries, etc.
7. IT IS UNDER US. IT IS ALL OVER THE LAND. IT HELPS THINGS GROW. SEEDS SPROUT IN IT. ROOTS GROW THROUGH IT. IT’S THE GROUND AND IT IS UNDER OUR FEET AND OUR HOMES. WHERE CAN YOU SEE SOIL WHERE CAN YOU TOUCH SOIL WHAT DOES SOIL SMELL LIKE WHAT DOES SOIL SOUND LIKE
Think Aloud
- Begin by modeling this strategy. Model your thinking as you read. Do this at points in the text that may be confusing for students (new vocabulary, unusual sentence construction).
- Introduce the assigned text and discuss the purpose of the Think-Aloud strategy. Develop the set of questions to support thinking aloud (see examples below).
- What do I know about this topic?
- What do I think I will learn about this topic?
- Do I understand what I just read?
- Do I have a clear picture in my head about this information?
- What more can I do to understand this?
- What were the most important points in this reading?
- What new information did I learn?
- How does it fit in with what I already know?
Partner Reading
This strategy really enabled our ELLs to build their reading skills. Having a partner summarize what was read by the ELL took some of the pressure off of the ELL to read and comprehend simultaneously. The writing tasks held the students accountable and gave them an authentic reason to read and comprehend.
Sentence Frames
- Continue with Soil and Habitats Unit
- Use Mentor Text Into the Soil
- Students will use sentence starters to complete tasks, some will be fill in the blank with word bank, others will grow with difficulty, using complex sentences and no word bank.
Video Clip on Sentence Frames