# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Emerging level students benefit from explicit use of visuals to support their comprehension and language acquisition around a specific topic. The PWIM explicitly and systematically teaches essential nouns, verbs, details, grammatical structures, and vocabulary words associated with a topic using a single visual. The strategy can be used in any content area to support emerging level students as they develop academic language and content.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Choose a highly detailed image that teaches a concept.

2. Share the picture with the class on a large screen.

3. Write the name of the noun on the image in one color and draw a line from annotation to that particular noun.

4. Then write the verb for this noun in another color.

5. Complete the sentence with the details of that noun in a different color.

6. Repeat this process for the rest of the nouns in the image.

7. Ask students to tell their partner about the picture using the annotated image.

8. Ask students to write about the picture using the annotated visual.

Lessons Learned

Limit the number of sentences per image to only the most essential as this process can take a long time.

Provide students with their own image so they can also write the sentences as the teacher models.

Ask students to contribute ideas for vocabulary and sentences during the annotation process.

Have students orally practice the sentences with a partner throughout the process.

Use pictures for review regularly.

As students gain more vocabulary and sentence structures, have them contribute more ideas for each sentence and eventually create their own PWIM.

Pair this process with a Sentence Pattern Chart.

Differentiation

This process is designed for entering and emerging level students. Additional differentiation ideas include the following:

Write words and sentences in the students' heritage language in addition to English.

Encourage students who are literate in their heritage language to write words and sentences in their heritage languages.

You can also add a Sentence Pattern Chart at the bottom of the picture to make the patterns written in the colored-coded sentences more explicit.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Choose the detailed image that captures key concepts for the grade-level lesson.

2. Share key vocabulary with the ELD teacher.

3. If the concept is a process, number the annotations so students see the sequence in the process.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Use PWIM with small groups of beginning level students before the content lesson to build background knowledge and vocabulary.

2. Encourage beginning level students to use their PWIM pictures during the grade-level class as a support.

3. Add heritage language words to the PWIM.

4. For students at the Developing phase of proficiency, provide the image and have students work together to add the sentences.

5. For the students on the Expanding phase of proficiency, have them write the annotations for the image. Then write a one-paragraph summary that includes transitions (provided in a word bank).

Examples

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentEmerging level students benefit from explicit use of visuals to support their comprehension and language acquisition around a specific topic. The PWIM explicitly and systematically teaches essential nouns, verbs, details, grammatical structures, and vocabulary words associated with a topic using a single visual.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Students' Language Development

Matching, sorting, and putting things in order gives students hands-on opportunities to practice the content and language they are learning. Extension activities such as providing explanations or writing summaries can also provide valuable practice of skills such as speaking, writing, and critical thinking.

Students can use a variety of items in these activities, including:

Vocabulary flashcards

Images

Numbers, math facts, or math visuals

Realia

Parts of a story

Dates, facts, or events

Different types activities include:

Match: Students match different items, such as vocabulary and pictures.

Sort: Students sort items into categories that you assign, or they can come up with their own categories for a group of items.

Order: Students put items in order, such as the stages of a life cycle, the parts in a story, or historical events. (See more in our Picture Retell strategy.)

Photo gallery: In this activity, student match photos and vocabulary words. However, there are multiple matches possible, and students must then explain their reasoning for their matches.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Before the activity

As you plan your activity, determine:

Your target content

What kind of activity (match, sort, or order) is the best fit for your objectives

If the students will be using hands-on items or doing the activity digitally

If students will be working individually, in partners, or in small groups

How students can practice academic language and whether any scaffolds are needed, such as word banks, sentences frames, or graphic organizers

How to incorporate students' languages, either through translated terms or peer discussion

During the activity

Explain how the activity works to student. Model a few examples.

As students start the activity, walk around to check their comprehension.

After the activity

Ask students to explain their answers to their partners or group.

Be sure to leave time for any extension activity you have planned, such as explanation or summarization, or to plan it as a follow-up activity for the next day.

Use the activity regularly so that students get more familiar with it and you can increase the level of challenge over time.

Differentiation

Use scaffolds such as sentence frames or word banks.

For entering/emerging students, you may wish to group "like" items together; for more advanced students, mix up the items they will be working with to add to the challenge.

Give entering/emerging students "clues," such as blank spaces for the letters of the correct word or the first letter of the word.

Give students a chance to get familiar with the activity in their heritage languages first.

Ask students to create a matching or sorting activities for their peers.

Lessons Learned

There are many ways to structure a match, sort, or order activity. Think carefully about what you which skills and content you want students to practice.

Think about whether any of the terms you are using have multiple meanings or whether there might be anything confusing in the content you are asking students to work with.

Try different variations; make note of what works best for future activities. Matching and sorting are great activities to use across the curriculum, especially if students are comfortable with the format and process.

See more ideas on how to use visuals with ELLs in our related strategy.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Choose the key content.

2. Find images or items that match the content if needed and create any visuals.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Purposefully partner students for the activity.

2. Provide sentence frames.

3. Monitor students' explanations.

4. Work with a small group, if necessary.

Examples

Here are some brief examples from across the curriculum. You can see more in our slide show about using visuals.

Topic

Activity

Science: The four seasons

Match pictures to season

Sort items by season

Put seasons in order

Language Arts: Flash cards for putting parts of a story in order

Source: Burro's Tortillas by Terri Fields. Illustrated by Sherry Rogers. All images used with permission.

Science: Putting a butterfly life cycle in order

Math: Matching shapes and vocabulary words

Social studies: Matching vocabulary words and images

Science: Sorting pictures based on whether they are biotic or abiotic

Source: Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Disruptions in Ecosystems, a middle school unit aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and available on the NGSS website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Students' Language DevelopmentMatching, sorting, and putting things in order gives students hands-on opportunities to practice the content and language they are learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Orally retelling stories and information from texts is a foundational skill for all students. It helps multilingual learners develop reading comprehension and other skills like sequencing, vocabulary, and identifying the main idea and key details. Pictures support the retell by providing visual cues for vocabulary, sequencing, and key details. Orally retelling also supports writing.

The pictures can be created with teacher sketches, copies of pictures from the text, or student sketches. This activity can be used at any grade level and across content area.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Choose the text for retelling and writing.

2. Determine 3-8 key points for the retell, depending on the students' age, language development level, and the genre (narrative or informative).

3. Determine which type of visual to use to support students (teacher sketches, copies of pictures from the text, or student drawings).

4. Read the text. This can be done aloud, in partners, chorally, or independently, etc.

5. Stop reading at each key detail or event to ask questions and point out a visual representation of that detail or event. Students can draw a sketch or look at a copy of the picture from the text or a teacher sketch.

6. After reading the story or informational text, have students review the visuals for the story. If they have the visuals on individual note cards or papers, they can work with a partner to put the events from the story or informational text in sequence.

7. Provide a word bank or label the drawings. Provide appropriate transitional phrases.

8. Have students work with a partner to retell the story or information using the key vocabulary and transitional phrases.

9. Have students write what they retold using the visuals and linguistic support.

Lessons Learned

Introduce the strategy with a basic 3-4 part story or informational text.

Add labels of key vocabulary to each visual.

Provide transition phrases for students to use as they talk about each of the visuals.

Ask the student with the higher proficiency level to retell first in their teams to provide a model for the other partner.

After practicing with a partner, ask a couple of students to retell for the whole class using projected pictures.

As a final step in this activity, ask students to write their retell. They may use their labeled pictures and word banks with transition phrases as support.

Teach older students how to stop reading at each paragraph or chunk of text and make their own labeled drawings of the key event or concept in that chunk of text.

Differentiation

Entering/Emerging

Purposefully partner students with a heritage language speaker who has more developed English proficiency.

Allow students to retell in their heritage language or a mix of English and heritage language.

In addition to labeled visuals and a word bank with transitional phrases, provide sentence frames for the retell.

Developing

Encourage students to retell using complete sentences and transitional phrases between each picture.

Provide a sentence frame to encourage students to use more complex sentences.

Expanding

Ask a student at this level to share first in their partnership.

Partner this student with a heritage English speaker.

Encourage this student to add more details to each picture.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Choose the text for the retell.

2. Determine key details or plot points for a visual representation in the retell.

3. Make copies of visuals from the book or teacher drawn pictures for each pair of students OR plan for time for students to draw the key points during the read aloud or while they read.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Purposefully partner students.

2. Create a word bank with transition phrases appropriate for the genre and grade level.

3. Monitor students during the retell.

4. Work with a small group of entering/emerging level students to support their picture retell.

Examples

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentOrally retelling stories and information from texts is a foundational skill for all students. It helps multilingual learners develop reading comprehension and other skills like sequencing, vocabulary, and identifying the main idea and key details. Pictures support the retell by providing visual cues for vocabulary, sequencing, and key details.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

A sentence pattern chart sequences each component of a sentence and provides words that students can put together to communicate their own ideas. Charts can include images, icons, and examples for student modeling.

These charts build students' ability to speak and write with 'sentence patterns' that can be used in multiple contexts. A sentence patterning chart can make students' speech and writing more structured and accurate.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make a table that contains columns for the essential elements of the sentence pattern students will need to communicate about the topic: nouns, verbs, and details (adjectives, adverbs, prepositions).

2. In each column, provide a list of possible content-specific words or phrases.

3. Have students speak or write in sentences using the chart.

Lessons Learned

Choose a model sentence with the pattern students will be practicing from a familiar text or context.

Work with the students to list additional words and phrases for each column.

Model the first few sentences for students.

Point out the explicit sequencing of the parts of the sentence (e.g., an adjective goes before a noun, an adverb can go before or after the verb).

While the columns can be labeled with linguistic terms (nouns, verbs, prepositional phrases, etc.), teachers do not need to spend a lot of time teaching those terms to students in early phases of English acquisition.

Start with an image to build comprehension of the words and phrases in the chart.

Differentiation

Entering/Emerging

Include a visual for each of the words and phrases on the chart (e.g., pictures of the nouns, picture for verb actions, arrows to show preposition).

Use students' heritage language as needed.

Offer sentence pattern charts with simple sentence structures (noun, verb, object).

Begin with the Picture Word Induction Model to build sentence patterns with a detailed image.

Developing

Create sentence pattern charts for more complex sentence structures such as those that start with a dependent clause (e.g. Although...; While...; Since...)

Have students contribute more of the words and phrases to the chart for each column.

Expanding

Choose a lengthy complex sentence from the text used in class. Have advanced students identify the 'sentence pattern' in that sentence and create their own sentence pattern chart.

Have students work in teams to complete the chart with possible words and phrases for each column in their chart.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Develop a grade-level speaking or writing prompt.

2. Write a grade-level model response.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Review the model response for one or two simple sentence patterns students will need to speak or write in their responses.

2. Create a sentence pattern chart with several columns.

3. Ask students for ideas for words and phrases to add to the chart.

4. Hold a discussion to reflect on how this strategy can be used in another class.

Examples

Type of chart

Sample charts

Chart w/ visuals

Sentence examples

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentA sentence pattern chart sequences each component of a sentence and provides words that students can put together to communicate their own ideas. Charts can include images, icons, and examples for student modeling.These charts build students' ability to speak and write with 'sentence patterns' that can be used in multiple contexts.

# data[].attributes.headline
Part 1: Explaining Literacy Squared Strategy

# data[].attributes.subject
Part 1: Explaining Literacy Squared Strategy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Webinar: Approach to Phonics, Phonemic Awareness and Word Work (Part 1)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Webinar: Approach to Phonics, Phonemic Awareness and Word Work (Part 2)