Out of Her Mind -- Musings on Education and Life

Students in my SIOP English II class overcoming their shyness and presenting in front of the class How SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Meets the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards What Is SIOP? SIOP is a research-based instructional model originally designed for English Language Learners (ELLs), though as is true with most differentiation, this model is a good instructional model for any student. North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards and How SIOP Aligns Standard I:     Leadership in the Classroom   Promotes Collaboration. Encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning. Advocates for students. Standard II:  Respectful Environment for Diverse Students Has high expectations for all students. Collaborates with specialists to meet the special needs of all students. Creates a flexible, supportive learning environment. Capitalizes on diversity. Adapts teaching using researc...

What Is Comprehensible Input? Comprehensible Input Is… Communication made clear --it’s all about comprehension-- & Can be achieved by: --enunciating --speaking more s-l-o-w-l-y --reducing the complexity of speech with simple sentence structures (subject-verb-object)   “You circle the answer” NOT “Circle the correct answer.   Only choose one.   Eliminate some answer choices” –at least not for beginners OR CONFUSION ensues! --avoiding idioms --paraphrasing (say it another way) --repetition --oral and written directions (crystal clear expectations) modeled, step-by-step --teaching homographs & homophones, synonyms & cognates --using multimedia, gestures, body language, pictures,  & objects --previewing material --providing graphic organizers, taped texts, & sentence strips Comprehensible input is --repeated exposure --in a variety of ways --in a variety of contexts ...