Strategy Implementation Report
Name: Deborah LaPierre
Dates: Week of 1/13/14 Grade Level: 5th
How does this strategy connect my content and language objectives? How does this strategy facilitate my students’ ability to access the content?
How does this strategy facilitate my students’ ability to comprehend the mentor text, build essential knowledge, or produce oral or written
discourse connected to the content objective? How does this strategy provide comprehensible input for my students?
Lesson Sequence:
Day 1: The Gray Wolf, reading
level L
1. Pre-teach vocabulary
using seven step
vocabulary instruction
strategy.
2. Students read text
independently highlighting
any words they can’t read
or do not know.
Sheltered Instruction Strategy:
1. Use 7 steps to pre-teach key vocabulary from mentor text,
The Gray Wolf, reading level L and Red Fox level L.
2. Use sentence frame strategy to express key vocabulary in the
related language function.
Tier I
4.
Pre-teach vocabulary
using seven step
vocabulary instruction
strategy.
5. Students read text
independently highlighting
any words they can’t read
or do not know.
Tier III
pups
solitary
alphas
howls
offspring
vixen
packs
communicate
regurgitate
3. Students complete
organizer with main idea
and four supporting details
from the text.
Day 2: The Red Fox, reading level
L
Tier II
1. Both red foxes and wolves use such things as the position of
their tails, ears, mouths, as well as barks, whimpers and
____________ in order to ______________ or “talk” to
other foxes or wolves.
2. The female fox, called a _____________ feeds its babies or
_______ small mammals, while the gray wolf feeds its
_________________ warm meals that it eats and then
__________________.
3. Gray wolfs hunt in groups or __________, led by the lead
male and female or ____________, while red foxes are
____________________ hunters.
6. Students complete
organizer with main idea
and four supporting details
from the text.
Day 3: Students will use the
sentence frame strategy to
compare and contrast a gray
wolf and a red fox. Students
will use their two main
idea/supporting detail
organizers and their sentence
frames to complete a Venn
diagram comparing a gray
wolf and a red fox.
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Strategy Implementation Report
Days 4 and 5: Students will write
and edit a three paragraph
essay using their Venn
diagram comparing and
contrasting a gray wolf and a
red fox.
Content Objective:
Language Objective: Language Objectives should be directly linked to the language
Students will demonstrate
comprehension of non-fiction
texts at their instructional
reading level.
skills students will need to be successful in achieving the content objective.
Students will compare and contrast two related animals using a Venn
diagram and writing a three paragraph essay.
Language Objective Differentiation for Proficiency Levels:
All of my 5th grade students are level 4 ELL students.
Content and Concept Language Integration:
How have I integrated all possible domains into my teaching and learning strategies and activities?
How did this strategy help to make the content comprehensible to ELLs in my classroom?
By using the seven step strategy to pre teach the vocabulary in conjunction with the sentence frame
strategy the students are able to better comprehend the content. After the students have completed the
content area reading, the students are being given an opportunity to read the vocabulary words in the
context of the sentence frames and in the actual text. They are given an opportunity to listen to the
words and the definitions as both me and the other students work through the seven step pre teach
process and as I ask students to read their completed sentence frames to a partner. They are writing
the vocabulary as they complete the final step of the seven step pre teach and during the sentence
frame activity. So, the students are integrating all four key domains of language: listening, reading,
speaking, and writing. These strategies allowed my students the best possible chance for success
when it becomes time for them to engage in the content objective.
How did this strategy help the ELLs in my classroom to produce academic language and discourse?
This strategy helped the ELL students in my group access the academic vocabulary that is necessary in
order to successfully meet the content objective for the unit. Kinsella (2005) reminds us that “many
English language learners lack adequate academic language in their home language and in English to
be successful with complex academic tasks.” Because my students are both ELL and special
education students the difficulty of completing academic tasks is even greater. My students were able
to listen to the vocabulary words being spoken; they were required to say the words in the context of
the sentence frames and in the context of the seven step strategy. The students were also required to
write the vocabulary words in the context of sentences structured to deepen and reinforce the
meanings of the words. The students were also required to read the words in a text that was
specifically selected at their independent reading levels in order to minimize difficulties in decoding
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Strategy Implementation Report
and comprehension of text above their independent and/or instructional levels. By using these
vocabulary strategies and engaging them in the four components of language the students were better
prepared to independently read and comprehend the text.
To increase my ELLs’ engagement and interaction, the next time I try this strategy, I would …
I selected the two similar animals to compare and contrast for this unit. The next time I use these
vocabulary strategies to focus on comparing and contrasting as a language objective I would allow
each student to choose his or her own similar animals to compare and contrast. Now that the students
are familiar with the format of the lesson and the steps involved, I believe they would be even more
engaged if allowed to choose two animals that interest them.
Next time I would also put more emphasis on the importance of the speaking component of these
vocabulary strategies. My students are not as comfortable speaking to each other using academic
language as they should be. This awkwardness was demonstrated by a bit of silliness when they were
required to engage each other in conversation.
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