One thing that stood out to me was how we really have highly inaccurate information about MLs because we do not test in heritage languages. It was disappointing to read this.

1Q2) The SIOP Model has been implemented by teachers since 2000. Why do you think it is still relevant today?

Like others, I agree that it can be a helpful and relevant framework for effective teaching practices for MLs.

1Q3) Look at one of your own lesson plans: Which components/features  of the SIOP Model are strengths in your instruction? Which are areas targeted for growth?

I appreciated hearing the different approaches others shared, such as sentence stems, scaffolding, etc. The simple task of carefully planning and mapping content and language objectives and sharing these with students is a powerful way to get started.

1Q4) How might written content and language objectives affect student and teacher performance in the classroom?

See above. I think in addition to getting to know students, careful planning is an essential best practice for MLs that will impact teacher and student knowledge and thus performance.

1Q5) How can ELD and grade-level or subject-area teachers collaborate to share the responsibility for teaching both content and language objectives to students?

Middle Fork’s co-teaching model provides a perfect opportunity for coteaching and coplanning to support MLs.

2Q1) How do you access information about your students in order to link lessons to their experiences? 

The teachers that I work with go beyond looking at student records and data to access info about students. They do home visits, spend time interviewing and talking with students and families, and build close relationships. This helps them work together in service of the children.

2Q2) A: Why is it essential to activate students’ prior knowledge and build background for new concepts? B: How do those two elements show up differently in your lessons?

Students who are MLs will not excel if we lower our expectations of them, that is why it is essential to build on background knowledge and build new background knowledge simultaneously. One example of the ways these show up differently is through the way teachers teach vocabulary. Teachers could activate students background knowledge (eg knowledge from their heritage language or culture) AND introduce new and complex academic vocabulary.

2Q3) What are your favorite tips, tricks, or activities for teaching academic vocabulary?  

I love the idea of quantity and quality in teaching academic vocabulary. We need structured methods for teaching in quality ways, as some others mentioned (eg sentence stems and graphic organizers) and we also need to be able to talk with students about complex vocabulary in the moment (quantity).

2Q4) How can teachers scaffold directions for academic tasks to make sure the process/steps are clear?

I think the examples in the book — especially in the opening of chapter 1 where the teacher had visual aides and sentence stems and multimodal learning activities that were clearly carefully planned—were great illustrations of how to make academic process steps clear.

2Q5) List techniques for presenting content information that enhance comprehension for MLs.

Here are a few—

-Providing sentence stems

-Providing visual aides

-Translanguaging

-Getting to know students and leveraging their strengths

-careful planning of content and language objectives for MLs and all learners

2.I believe it is still relevant today because it works for ML students. It helps bridge the gaps and allow their strengths to shine. It is important to give students the tools they need to be successful and stay in school. Many teachers are learning to differentiate and support ML students as they go, so this gives a specific model for teachers to follow.

3.As an interventionist I think a lot of what I plan and modify aligns well with the SIOP model. For example, I lean on the sentence stems provided by both our reading and math curriculum specifically for ML students because they benefit all students that I work with. I liked that the chapter mentioned academic language is a second language for most students, not just MLs. It is taught and acquired over time with support. That is why I am a huge believer in sentence stems and differentiated graphic organizers to give students a place to start and be successful. I think that I could grow in providing students multiple ways to demonstrate their knowledge, not just a typical assessment on mastery connect. I used to do more observational assessments but then my students did not perform well on standardized tests even though they seemed to have master it from watching them.

4.Students know the goal they need to achieve and so does the teacher. When everyone knows exactly what they are working toward and the success criteria there is more opportunity for success and achievement.

5.Co-teaching, co-planning and co-assessing is a great place to start. The more communication between the two, the better because then students have consistency.

2) I think the SIOP model is relevant today because it hones into two key areas for MLs- teaching grade level content and language and incorporates three knowledge bases: knowledge of English, knowledge of the content topics, and knowledge of how the tasks are to be accomplished.

3)Reflecting on past lesson plans, I think I provided instruction that was rigorous and aligned to grade-level standards, made connections to previous learning, using different techniques to make the content comprehensible, promoting social interactions, and looking at students linguistic backgrounds as assets to their learning. I think areas for growth include more explicit language goals and teaching, differentiating the texts for levels of proficiency, and connecting more with families.

4)Written content and language objectives allow the teachers to use high-quality instructional techniques that make the content concepts accessible and develop students' skills in a new language.

5)I think that by working collaboratively both educators can brainstorm and implement ways for organizing a SIOP lesson or unit of study that is organized around best practices by "sharing" the load of content creation.

2)These two areas have been shown to speed up language development and this shows up by presenting objectives to students and connecting these new objectives to prior learning and providing supplemental materials to make the content clear and accessible.

3)Well, I often think I could do a better job teaching academic vocabulary to be more interesting and fun. My favorite is including a sketch to the definition.

4) I think looking at the Ms. Levine scenario presented in the chapter really shows how teachers should scaffold academic tasks.

5)Prior to teaching writing and creating plans for instruction, explicit teaching through stating content and language objectives, defining key vocabulary, including social structures for learning like partner and small group, utilizing learning aids when appropriate like graphic organizers, using a variety of modalities to present information-written, photos, videos, etc., differentiating materials and levels of support when students are working, reviewing and restating information throughout the lesson.

1Q4- I agree completely with the inclusion of content and language objectives in each lesson. Students should have goal-driven instruction that they can understand and strive to reach. The objectives should be clear and concise for comprehension and to be more accessible to the ML students. I find that having the goal(s) on my Classroom Screen board for each gradespan and class helps me stay true to the plan and activities that will be used to reach them and helps me plan more efficiently.

2Q2 - A. Students must find what they are learning to be relevant to their lives and education. When you connect to things they already know, they feel validated and are more open to adding to their knowledge base as it connects to their prior knowledge. B. I highlight each of the cultural heritage months in my classes (Hispanic, Native American, Black History, Women's History and Asian and Pacific Islanders). I share new performers, genres, dances, traditions and invite students voluntarily to share their own familial traditions and connections. Sometimes I turn the teaching over to students.

2Q3 - As a music teacher, anytime I can turn vocabulary into something musical to say/sing in rhythm or on pitch, students connect to it more and understand what the term means because they are doing what the vocab. word is. For example, when I teach ostinatos, we say in rhythm several times "An ostinato is... a short, repeated pattern. An ostinato is.." etc. The rhythm helps the definition be retained and the definition of the word is being demonstrated. For canon, we do "Two or more groups do the same thing but start... at different times..." and I divide the students into groups to say it in canon. Music is a universal language but the western way of organizing it isn't so I do all I can to help my students engage and learn it.

2Q2) A: Why is it essential to activate students’ prior knowledge and build background for new concepts? B: How do those two elements show up differently in your lessons?

2Q3) What are your favorite tips, tricks, or activities for teaching academic vocabulary?  

2Q4) How can teachers scaffold directions for academic tasks to make sure the process/steps are clear?

2Q5) List techniques for presenting content information that enhance comprehension for MLs.

Grade spans at The Academy are doing a great job at focusing on vocabulary through real life activities with science/social studies.

I loved all of the beginning of chapter 3 so much! Such important information about how important it is to get to know multilingual students' (and all students') funds of knowledge, and to not come at them with assumptions or a deficit view in order to plan and teach them effectively. Teachers I work with get to know students by building strong relationships with families. Some ways they do this is inviting families into the classroom to share their funds of knowledge and visiting families homes.

2Q2) A: Why is it essential to activate students’ prior knowledge and build background for new concepts? B: How do those two elements show up differently in your lessons?

Not all students have the same prior knowledge based on their life experiences, cultural values and experiences, and linguistic knowledge. So not only is it important to activate prior knowledge, teachers also need to build background knowledge. The SIOP model is full of strategies for building background knowledge. All of the chapters so far have discussed research-based strategies such as using visuals and artifacts at the beginning of a lesson. Chapter 3 talks about using visuals to help build background knowledge.

2Q3) What are your favorite tips, tricks, or activities for teaching academic vocabulary?  

In the two scenarios (Saunders and Ornelas) the second shows how powerful it can be when a teacher both activates prior knowledge, and builds background knowledge prior to presenting any academic vocabulary. Students were invested by the time she introduced important words they'd encounter in the reading!! A favorite research-based vocabulary strategy that teachers I work with use is self-selecting vocabulary.

2Q4) How can teachers scaffold directions for academic tasks to make sure the process/steps are clear?

Chapter 4 "Comprehensible Input" is all about making sure that you, as the teacher, are using speech that is appropriate for students' language proficiency, and that academic tasks are clearly explained. To scaffold directions for academic tasks and make sure the process is clear to students, the book suggests making sure you always provide clearly written directions (not just verbal). Students also need to be shown examples or exemplars of what they are expected to do.

2Q5) List techniques for presenting content information that enhance comprehension for MLs.

-Carefully preview what will be learned with students. This connects back to the previous chapter about how important it is to build background knowledge, and how that is different from activating prior knowledge.

-Use gestures, visuals and capitalize on tech tools (video clips, etc), body language, and objects to accompany the information you are conveying.

-Model processes, tasks, or assignments. For example, a teacher can show scaffold students' understanding of the water cycle by showing pictures of each stage and having students describe, then record their responses to what is happening in each stage. This could also be done with a physical experiment that illustrates the water cycle. Having students act out the stages would be another way to make the content comprehensible.

-Use carefully created graphic organizers

-Create opportunitities for repetition

-Explicitly teach cognates of words and compare them across langagues (e.g. colonia/colony)

-Students should be encouraged to talk across both/all of their languages in class; this was emphasized in chaps. 1 -2 as well

-Record step-by-step instructions in an audio or video format so that these are accessible for students when they complete a task. I know one teacher who does this extremely well. For example, when kids are writing independently, they have an anchor chart near their table that visually and in writing tells them the steps of independent writing. This same chart is also hanging up on the shelf where students place their writing tools and notebooks.

-Make sure you are differentiating

-Make sure you are addressing students social and emotional needs. If students feel safe and cared for, the load will be taken off of them and they will be better able to comprehend the lessons and content!

I have been trying lately to push for more academic vocabulary by putting the vocabulary I expect them to use on the worksheet and on the board. I give them multiple opportunities to use the vocabulary. Another strategy is asking students to repeat what other students shared to give all students the opportunity to share.

3Q2) Chapter 5 identifies three different types of scaffolding: verbal, procedural, and instructional. Why is it important to scaffold all three of these areas?

3Q3) We know that MLs who are new to English are still very capable of higher order thinking. How can teachers scaffold lessons so that students at lower levels of English proficiency can effectively communicate elevated thinking? 

3Q4) How do you structure group interactions to ensure that students productively participate? 

3Q5) What types of scaffolds do you provide MLs to support successful participation in peer interactions?

Strategies to enhance comprehension for MLs may be: offering choice in assignments, recording step by step instructions for students, allowing different responses, and provide audible texts.

Scaffolds can be removed, while strategies are ongoing and differentiated.

3Q2) Chapter 5 identifies three different types of scaffolding: verbal, procedural, and instructional. Why is it important to scaffold all three of these areas?

I really loved chapter 5, because all students can benefit from verbal (providing verbal supports like senence stems, but I appreciated the discussion of how these can be overused), procedural (providing cues about classroom procedures; all of the high performing teachers that I work with use procedural cues such as posting pictures and directions for use of materials, etc...), and instructional scaffolds (these are tools that support every student instructionally.

3Q3) We know that MLs who are new to English are still very capable of higher order thinking. How can teachers scaffold lessons so that students at lower levels of English proficiency can effectively communicate elevated thinking? 

One of the main ways that effective teachers of multilingual learners scaffold lower English speaking proficiency with higher order thinking is through instructional scaffolding.

3Q4) How do you structure group interactions to ensure that students productively participate? 

I loved this chapter too, because it talked about the complexity and importance of hetergeneous grouping for multilingual learners.

3Q5) What types of scaffolds do you provide MLs to support successful participation in peer interactions?

When I read chapter 5, I thought a great deal about a teacher I have worked with for years. She provides sentence stems, hetergeneous grouping, visual scaffolds, builds backgroud knowledges, encourages activites beyond the first levels of Bloom's taxonomy, and goes beyond the I do, you do, we do to I do. You watch and respond, We do together, I help and respond, You do together, I watch and help, and You do independently, I watch and respond.

4Q2) What are some of the important criteria to take into consideration when planning for Practice & Application? 

4Q3) The acronym SWRL is used to represent the presence of all four language domains. Share an example of a lesson or activity in which you intentionally planned for SWRL.

4Q4) a) How old are the students you teach and how do you support engagement for that age-group? b) If you noticed disengagement, what steps would you take? 

4Q5) Why does successful Lesson Delivery depend on successful Lesson Preparation?

To effectively connect lessons to the experiences of my multilingual learners, I gather information through multiple sources, including home language surveys, family questionnaires, informal conversations, and collaboration with ESL and grade-level colleagues. These insights help me understand students’ cultural backgrounds, language strengths, and interests. I use this knowledge to create inclusive lessons that incorporate familiar contexts, culturally relevant materials, and opportunities for students to share their own stories. This approach not only supports language development but also fosters a sense of belonging and engagement in the classroom.

ML success depends on both personal and societal factors. Individually, things like prior schooling, confidence, and family support matter. Societally, access to resources, culturally responsive teaching, and an inclusive school climate are key. When we address both, we help create a learning environment where all MLs can thrive.

Even when MLs are new to English, they can still think deeply. Teachers can scaffold by using visuals, sentence frames, and graphic organizers to help students express their ideas. Encouraging group work, using multiple ways to show thinking (like drawing or acting), and pre-teaching key concepts all help students communicate complex ideas while building language.

Use Sentence Frames and Starters. This helps ML students frame their thoughts. All levels of students can use sentence frames in a variety of ways. More students participate, take risks, and feel successful.

Incorporate Visual Supports

Let students draw their ideas first, then build the language to match.

Use images as prompts for discussion or writing.

Pictures and videos are great way for students to get an understanding

Use Manipulatives or Real-World Objects

Hands-on materials help students demonstrate thinking with less verbal pressure.

I teach Kindergarten and First Grade multilingual learners. To keep them engaged, I use hands-on activities, visuals, music, and lots of movement and interaction. If I notice disengagement, I adjust the activity—maybe by adding visuals, simplifying instructions, or offering more choice—and check in to make sure students feel supported and understood. Engagement starts with making kids feel safe, valued, and successful.

MLs often face the double challenge of learning new ideas and the language to express them. Manipulatives provide a visual and physical representation of abstract content, making it easier to grasp.

When students use manipulatives, they’re more likely to remember the terms tied to those experiences. Concrete experiences anchor abstract words in memory.

3Q4) Intentional grouping is important to ensure that all students feel confident and able to participate. Sentence stems are another way to make sure that students participate by providing language scaffolds. I also think it's incredibly important to foster a safe environment for students to feel safe sharing their thoughts because they know what they share will be valued and respected.

They encourage learners to interact with the material, leading to deeper comprehension and retention.

Manipulatives provide real-world contexts, helping MLs connect new vocabulary to physical objects or actions.

While using manipulatives, learners often explain their reasoning, ask questions, or collaborate with peers—building their language skills naturally.

When teachers plan with clear goals, it ensures lessons remain focused and effective. Preparation allows educators to anticipate challenges and select appropriate tools, including manipulatives, that align with learners' needs. A well-prepared teacher is more confident and can pivot when unexpected questions or difficulties arise.

2Q1) How do you access information about your students in order to link lessons to their experiences? 

I use talking points with older students as an engager at the start of many classes. I find out about their music tastes, artist preferences, experiences with musical cultures and styles in addition to general topics so I can build on their comfortable experiences and take them further. With younger students, I visit with them at recess, in the hall and at lunch to learn these things.

I provide various tasks within the group so there are comfortable roles for more verbal and less verbal students. With the art form of music, creations in group projects can be more movement and musical in nature so this is less threatening and safe for all levels of literacy strength.

3Q5) What types of scaffolds do you provide MLs to support successful participation in peer interactions? 

I use pictures and images often with my texts for songs, speech pieces and stories used in my class. I also incorporate Spanish texts and phrases throughout my content choices.

5Q2) Write an Outcome Sentence (p.241) about chapter 9’s content on Review & Assessment

5Q3) Share an example of how you provide feedback to students or have students provide feedback to each other. 

5Q4) How does SIOP support effective Tier 1 instruction for MLs? 

5Q5) What role does collaboration play in MTSS? 

5Q6) What is one way to distinguish language difference from language disability (p.271)? 

6Q1) How could you support colleagues who are new to the SIOP Model?

6Q2) In what ways does collaboration between practitioners positively impact multilingual learners?

6Q3) What makes SIOP a valuable framework for the collaborative instructional cycle?

6Q4) How can content and language teachers leverage their individual expertise and experience using SIOP?

6Q5) What is your biggest takeaway from MCC6?

I teach ages 5-12. I support engagement with whole body and fine motor movement in each lesson; frequent use of manipulatives and instruments; standing and sitting changes throughout a lesson; music listening and song choices that students will appreciate and connect with; structure and routine in my lessons so that students feel safe and able to attend to instruction. When I notice disengagement, I change body positions, use an attention-getter, have students lead activities, let students turn and talk.

4Q5) Why does successful Lesson Delivery depend on successful Lesson Preparation? 

Successful lessons have a well-planned process for what steps to take when so that the teacher is able to keep a reasonable flow to the steps and keep students moving forwards and engaged. Taking time to think of the next step gives students time to lose focus and get off task with their classmates. Also thinking through a lesson ahead of time allows a teacher to plan the order and flow so that it best fits the students needs.