Designated ELD with Collaborative Practice: 2nd grade

Summary

In this second-grade classroom, students explore the concepts of supply and demand, goods, and services through engaging hands-on activities and collaborative tasks. The teacher provides scaffolding tailored to English language learners, focusing on sequencing language and verb tenses. Students work on graphic organizers to understand processes like how cotton is transformed into jeans, and engage in various group projects, such as creating business plans and researching product transformations. The lesson emphasizes oral language practice, content retention, and building student confidence, culminating in a dynamic, interactive learning experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 The classroom is focused on teaching second-grade students about supply and demand, goods and services.
• 😀 Students are engaged in learning how the process of making goods works, such as how cotton is grown and transformed into jeans.
• 😀 The teacher uses graphic organizers to help students sequence the steps of a process, in this case, from cotton to jeans.
• 😀 The teacher adapts her teaching strategies for different levels of English language learners by scaffolding language and providing support.
• 😀 The teacher uses 'dual language superstars' as a special group for intensive language development during designated ELD (English Language Development) time.
• 😀 The students practice oral language skills by telling the story of how cotton turns into jeans, using sequencing language such as 'next,' 'after that,' and 'then.'
• 😀 The teacher provides high-level collaborative activities for her English-only students, ensuring that activities are meaningful and content-based.
• 😀 Activities such as cooperative narrative retells, supply and demand posters, and research projects allow students to practice sequence and content-specific language.
• 😀 In addition to academic tasks, students participate in role-play activities, such as a 'Research Center,' where they take on different consumer and seller roles.
• 😀 At the end of the lesson, students move back to heterogeneous groups, continue practicing sequencing language, and chant to reinforce content learned throughout the day.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the second-grade classroom in this script?

The main focus is on teaching the concept of supply and demand, as well as goods and services, using a hands-on approach to help students understand the sequence of events in the production process of cotton to jeans.

How does the teacher support English language learners (ELLs) in this classroom?

The teacher supports ELLs by scaffolding language learning with visual aids like graphic organizers and by teaching sequencing language such as 'following this,' 'after that,' and 'next step.' The teacher also works with small groups of ELLs during designated English Language Development (ELD) time.

What role does sequencing play in the lesson?

Sequencing is central to the lesson as students learn the steps in a process, like turning cotton into jeans. The teacher focuses on teaching sequencing language so students can accurately tell the story of a process, both in oral and written formats.

How are students grouped for the activities, and why?

Students are grouped in heterogeneous groups, with a focus on collaborative tasks. This allows them to practice language skills and work together on projects like creating graphic organizers or business plans, which reinforce content and language concepts.

What is the purpose of the 'Research Center' in the classroom?

The 'Research Center' provides an opportunity for students to take on roles like consumers, sellers, and distributors. Through this role-play, students practice language related to commerce and business, reinforcing content in a fun and meaningful way.

What is the significance of the 'dual language superstars' group?

The 'dual language superstars' group is a small, focused group of English language learners who receive more targeted instruction. The teacher pulls this group during designated ELD time to help them develop language skills, particularly around sequence and verbs.

What is the 'living wall,' and what do students contribute to it?

The 'living wall' is a display where students contribute projects they've worked on, such as business plans and storefront designs. These are collaborative projects where students apply what they have learned about supply and demand and business concepts.

What is the purpose of having a 'collaborative task menu' for students?

The 'collaborative task menu' provides students with a range of activities that support their learning, such as creating supply and demand posters, retelling narratives, or working on research projects. This helps keep students engaged and reinforces content while allowing for differentiation in how they learn.

How does the teacher differentiate instruction for different levels of language proficiency?

The teacher differentiates instruction by providing varying levels of support based on the language proficiency of the students. For example, she uses graphic organizers and sentence starters for less proficient students and gradually removes these scaffolds as students gain more confidence in their language skills.

What is the overall goal for students by the end of the lesson?

The goal is for students to develop a strong understanding of the content (such as supply and demand) and to be able to express that understanding using sequential language. By the end of the lesson, students should be able to discuss processes like cotton to jeans independently, using proper sequence language.