Sheltered Instruction @ LPS

SIOP stands for Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol.  In sheltered instruction, content is delivered in such a way that the information is comprehensible and students are able to learn new language and content at the same time.  This model supports general education teachers in any content area in providing language scaffolds for ELLs.  SIOP is not a particular ELL strategy, but rather a framework that helps teachers plan for and target the language students’ learning needs at the time of planning, lesson delivery, practice, and assessment. These sheltered instruction techniques are beneficial for ELLs at all levels of proficiency and in any content area.

If learning a new language and learning academic content simultaneously sounds like “double duty” to you, it’s because it is. Teachers can increase content-learning opportunities by providing ELLs with the language they need to understand and perform academic tasks.  In other words, to be successful academically, English Language Learners must understand and use the “academic” language of the classroom.  In SIOP, academic tasks are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed. For example, if the academic task is to explain a paragraph after reading it, the student needs to understand the meaning of “explain” and possess language structures to be able to perform the task. The performance of the academic task using the new language is the assessment.

The ELL department has been working on contextualizing the SIOP model to the instructional landscape of our district. This work includes modifying the model and creating  implementation  rubrics  SIOP does not replace, it enhances what LPS teachers are already doing in the classroom giving especial attention to ELLs’ academic language needs.  It works congruently with strategies such as Classroom Instruction That Works, MathTalk, Collaborative Conversations.