Scaffolding Instruction for All Students:

A Resource Guide for English Language Arts

The University of the State of New York
State Education Department
Office of Curriculum and Instruction
and Office of Special Education
Albany, NY 12234
Grade 3

Table of Contents

Reading

• Modeling Graphic Organizers
• Choral Reading

Writing

• Paragraph Frame
• Writing Frame
• Guided Practice

Speaking & Listening

• Sentence Starters

Language

• Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
• Frayer Model

References

Introduction

The Next Generation English Language Arts (ELA) and Math Learning Standards are meant to help students build the skills they need for college, careers, and lifelong learning. Think of the standards as a "destination"—they show what students should know and be able to do. Teachers create the "map" that helps students get there through excellent teaching.

Lessons should be designed so that every student can learn from the general curriculum, even students who learn differently. This includes students with disabilities, English Language Learners (students learning English as a new language), and any student who finds the material challenging. Teachers should use many different research-based teaching strategies. Classrooms should be centered on students, considering their learning styles, interests, and abilities.

Classrooms should feel safe and supportive. When planning lessons, teachers should think about each student's age, academic skills, language background, culture, prior knowledge, and any disabilities. Teachers should also use ideas from Universal Design for Learning. This means giving students many ways to receive information, many ways to show what they know, and many ways to stay engaged in learning. These approaches remove barriers to learning and give every student a fair chance to succeed.

This guide gives teachers examples of scaffolds—supports that help students learn—along with strategies to use alongside their ELA and math lessons. Scaffolds are supports that teachers plan ahead of time to give students exactly the help they need, right when they need it. Scaffolds do not mean giving different students different texts or different math problems. Instead, scaffolds help every student access the same grade-level content. Scaffolds help students build the knowledge, skills, and language they need to succeed on their own. Over time, as students master a skill, the scaffold is slowly removed.

The scaffolds in this guide are based on ideas from Archer and Hughes (2011) about explicit instruction. Explicit instruction is a clear, step-by-step way of teaching. It guides students toward learning something new by:

• clearly explaining why they are learning a skill or topic,
• showing and explaining the new skill,
• and giving students practice with helpful feedback along the way.

The scaffolds in this guide can be used with any subject or curriculum. The examples come from ELA and math lessons in the EngageNY program, but teachers are encouraged to adjust the scaffolds to fit any lesson. All teachers—general education, special education, English language teachers, and bilingual teachers—can use these scaffolds to help every student succeed, without making the lessons easier or less challenging.

How to Use This Guide

Scaffolds should be planned carefully so that no student feels singled out or "different" for needing extra help. To create a classroom that welcomes and supports everyone, try these ideas:

• Give all students access to scaffolded worksheets or activities, not just some.
• Mix students with different skill levels together for group work when it makes sense.
• Let English Language Learners use their home language to help them learn.
• Offer individual supports or adjusted materials without making a big deal about the difference.
• Use technology thoughtfully to make materials easier for all students to use.

In this ELA guide, the Table of Contents is organized by teaching focus—reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. Under each focus, you'll find a list of scaffolds you can use. (In the math guides, the Table of Contents is organized by the scaffolds themselves.)

Each scaffold in this guide includes:

• What the scaffold is and who it can help,
• How to use it in a real lesson.

The example scripts show what a scaffold might sound like in the classroom. Teachers should feel free to change the words and style to fit their own students' needs. The lesson examples come from EngageNY, but the real goal is to show teachers how they can add these scaffolds into any lesson.

Each scaffold section includes:

Title of Scaffold
Module: Unit: Lesson:

Explanation of scaffold: A description of what the scaffold is and how to use it. This helps teachers use the scaffold in other lessons too.

Teacher actions/instructions: Step-by-step directions for how the teacher should use the scaffold.

Student actions: What students do during this part of the lesson.

Student handouts/materials: Any materials needed for students to use the scaffold.

Modeling Graphic Organizers

Exemplar from: Module 1: Unit 1: Lesson 2: Work Time B

Explanation of scaffold:
A graphic organizer is a tool that helps students organize their ideas and information so they can communicate more clearly. Some students need extra help and clear teaching to learn how to use a graphic organizer while reading. Below is an example showing how a teacher can explain and model this tool. The example uses the "Gathering Important Details in a Story" section of the Close Read Recording Form, used throughout Module 1. This same process can be used with any lesson that includes a graphic organizer.

Teacher actions/instructions:

1. Add extra words or explanations to the graphic organizer to help students understand it better (see the example on page 3).
2. Add pictures if needed to help students understand the words on the organizer.
3. Show students how to fill out the organizer by thinking out loud as you do it yourself.

Teacher says: "We are going to use the Close Read Recording Form to help us gather details about a story we read. We'll reread the story Rain School and fill in the form with the important parts. We'll listen for several things in the story as we go."

Show a large copy of the Close Read Recording Form on chart paper, or project it using a document camera. Give each student their own copy, and have them fill it in as you demonstrate.

• The first box says, "Somebody…" (character). This is the person or animal the story is about.
• The next box says, "in…" (setting). The setting is where the story happens. If we wrote a story about our class, the setting would be our classroom.
• The next box says, "wanted…" (motivation). This is what the character wants or needs.
• The next box says, "but…" (problem). This is what stops the character from getting what they want.
• The next box says, "so…" (resolution). This is how the problem gets solved—how the story ends.

"As I read, listen for these parts of the story. When I read about a character, the setting, what the character wants, a problem, or how it's solved, I'll stop and add it to my Close Read Recording Form. Then you can add the same information to your own form."

Read the story again with the class, pausing at the right moments to fill in the form while thinking out loud. Some students may need more support—try breaking the text into smaller sections that match each part of the form. As students get more comfortable, use less modeling and instead guide them to work more independently.