Developing academic language during content area instruction supports high levels of academic language acquisition (National Academies, 2017).
As cited in Howard et al., 2018, page 47, Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (2016) provided 30 features categorized into eight components for providing sheltered instruction to second language learners.
Teachers can utilize sheltered instruction techniques to make rigorous content more understandable and accessible to second language students. This includes
- using visual aids such as pictures, charts, graphs, and semantic mapping;
- modeling instruction, allowing students to negotiate meaning and make connections between course content and prior knowledge;
- allowing students to act as mediators and facilitators;
- using alternative assessments, such as portfolios, to check comprehension;
- providing comprehensible speech, scaffolding, and supplemental materials; and
- using a wide range of presentation strategies.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Promoting the educational success of children and youth learning English: Promising futures. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.
Howard, H. R., Lindholm-Leary, K. J., Rogers, D., Olague, N., Medina, J., Kennedy, B., Sugarman, J., Christian, D. (2018). Guiding principles for dual language education (3rd ed.). Washington D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved from http://www.cal.org/resource-center/publications/guiding-principles-3rd-edition-pdf-download
Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D.J. (2016). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model. (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.