The document discusses strategies for building background knowledge for English language learners. It begins with an activity where participants try to determine the meanings of educational acronyms. It then outlines the objectives of observing a modeled sheltered instruction lesson, discussing how lack of background knowledge challenges students, and learning methods for assessing prior knowledge and building student background. Specific strategies are presented for assessing background knowledge, providing information to fill knowledge gaps, and explicitly linking new concepts to past learning. The document encourages participants to brainstorm ways to incorporate building background into their own lessons.

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Building Background for ELLs
February 14, 2013
Andrea Mullen & Ashley Chastain

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Welcome!
As you come in…
take an “Alphabet
Soup” sheet from the middle of
your table.
Please
Try
to figure out as many of the
acronyms as you can!

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SIOP
Sheltered Instruction
Observation Protocol

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ELL
English Language
Learner

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ESL
English as a Second
Language

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LEP
Limited English
Proficient

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WIDA
World Class
Instructional Design
and Assessment

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ACCESS
Accessing
Comprehension and
Communication in
English
State to State

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W-APT
WIDA-ACCESS
Placement Test

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L1
First Language
(Native or Home
Language)

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L2
Second Language
(Target Language)

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ELD
English Language
Development

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BICS
Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills

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CALP
Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency

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Introductions

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Objectives
Today we will:
 Observe
a modeled SIOP lesson
 Discuss
the challenges lack of
background knowledge can cause for
students
 View
methods of assessing prior
knowledge
 Gather
tools to build student background
knowledge

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CCS Elementary PD
Wikispace
http://ccselementarypd.
wikispaces.com
Building Students’
Background
Knowledge and

18. +Lesson Preparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Building Background
Comprehensible Input
Strategies
Interaction
Practice and
Application
Lesson Delivery
Review and
Assessment
The SIOP
Model

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Lesson 1

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Turn and Talk
What
was the lesson
about?
What
How
did you learn?
did you learn?

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Lesson 2

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La comunidad

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La maestra

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El cartero

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El pintor

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El bombero

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El dentista

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Turn and Talk
What
was the lesson
about?
What
How
did you learn?
did you learn?

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Building Background
Read the following and put in your
own words:
The difficulty of your set could be
increased if you do a jam
followed by a peach.

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The difficulty of your set could
be increased if you do a jam
followed by a peach.
means

31. + The difficulty of your set could
be increased if you do a jam
followed by a peach.
The point values you can earn on your gymnastics routine can
be bigger if you include, in sequence, two particular skills on
the uneven parallel bars: the “jam,” which leaves the
gymnast sitting on the high bar; and the “peach,” where the
gymnast moves from the high bar to the low bar.
Source: Retrieved from http://www.readingquest.org/bkgd_sol.html on February 20, 2013.

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The difficulty of your set could be
increased if you do a jam followed
by a peach.
What
makes this text
complex?
Multiple word meanings
Lack of background
knowledge
Technical vocabulary
Culture of gymnastics

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So how do I build
background for my
ELLs?

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The Difference between
Building Background and
Making Connections
Students cannot make a
connection to knowledge or
experiences they have never
had.
The
purpose of building
background is to provide a
foundation for new learning and

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How to Build Background
Knowledge
1. Assess
students’ background
knowledge.
2.
Provide information and/or
experiences to fill in gaps where
there is no prior knowledge
3.
Explicitly link past learning with
new concepts

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1. Assess students’
background knowledge.
KWL
Chart
Thinking
Maps
Pretest
Quick-write
Carousel
in journal
Brainstorming
Anticipation
AlphaBoxes
Guide

37. + Carousel Brainstorming

38. + Anticipation Guide

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AlphaBoxes
Animal
Adaptations
behavior
blubber
claws
change
environment
physical
need
survive
talons

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2. Provide information and/or
experiences to fill in gaps
where there is no prior by:
 Concrete explanations enhanced
knowledge
 Photos
 Videos
 Realia
 Models
 Reading
a story, article, or picture book
about the topic
 Field trips (Including virtual field trips)

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3. Explicitly link past learning
with new concepts
Questioning
Who
remembers what we learned
about…
How can we connect this to…
Do you remember when…
Review
graphic organizers, key
vocabulary, etc.

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Questions?

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Put It Into Practice
Brainstorm
with your table
Think
of how you can incorporate
building background into an
upcoming lesson or unit
Be
prepared to share with the group

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Final Thoughts and Questions
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