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

Scaffolding Instruction for All Students: A Resource Guide for English Language Arts – Grade 3

Scaffolding Instruction for All Students:

A Resource Guide for English Language Arts

Grade 3

Acknowledgements

The New York State Education Department's Office of Curriculum and Instruction and Office of Special Education thank the following people for their valuable help in creating this guide:

Annmarie Urso, Ph.D., Associate Professor, State University of New York at Geneseo
Dee Berlinghoff, Ph.D., DB Consulting
Dawn Hamlin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, State University of New York at Oneonta

September 2019

Scaffolding Instruction for All Students: A Resource Guide for English Language Arts – Grade 3

Table of Contents

Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... i
How to Use This Guide....................................................................................................................... ii

Reading
Modeling Graphic Organizers............................................................................................................. 1
Choral Reading ................................................................................................................................... 4

Writing
Paragraph Frame ................................................................................................................................. 5
Writing Frame ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Guided Practice ................................................................................................................................. 11

Speaking & Listening
Sentence Starters ............................................................................................................................... 14

Language
Explicit Vocabulary Instruction ........................................................................................................ 16
Frayer Model ..................................................................................................................................... 18

References .......................................................................................................................................... 23

Scaffolding Instruction for All Students: A Resource Guide for English Language Arts – Grade 3

Introduction

The Next Generation English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Learning Standards are designed to build the skills students need for college, careers, and lifelong learning in the 21st century. Think of the learning standards as a "destination"—they describe what students should know and be able to do. Teachers, meanwhile, provide the "map," using high-quality instruction to help students get there.

Lessons must be designed so that all students can access the general education curriculum, even though the standards themselves are challenging. This includes students who learn differently, such as students with disabilities, English Language Learners (ELLs), Multilingual Learners (MLLs), and any other students who find certain content difficult. To make this possible, teachers need to use a variety of research-based teaching strategies and create a student-centered classroom—one that pays attention to each student's learning style, interests, and abilities.

Classrooms should feel supportive and encouraging. When planning lessons, teachers should think about each student's age, academic growth, English and home-language skills, cultural background and prior knowledge, and any disabilities. Teachers should also apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning, a teaching approach that gives students multiple ways to take in information, multiple ways to show what they've learned, and multiple ways to stay engaged. These approaches remove barriers to learning and give every student a fair chance to succeed.

The purpose of these guides is to give teachers examples of scaffolds—and strategies for using them—that support ELA and math instruction. A scaffold is a support that a teacher intentionally builds into a lesson to help students at exactly the right level and exactly the right moment. Scaffolds do not mean giving different students different texts or different math problems. Instead, scaffolds help every student access the same grade-level content within a single lesson. They help students build the knowledge, skills, and language they need to succeed on their own—and are meant to be gradually removed once students can perform the skill independently.

The scaffolds in these guides are based on the ideas of explicit instruction, as described by Archer and Hughes (2011). Explicit instruction is a clear, step-by-step teaching method that walks students through the learning process toward independent mastery. It includes: clearly explaining the purpose of a new skill, demonstrating it, and then giving students supported practice along with specific feedback.

These scaffolds can be adjusted for use in any curriculum and any subject. While the examples in this guide come from the ELA and math EngageNY lesson modules, teachers are encouraged to adapt the scaffolds for any lesson they see fit. All types of teachers—general education, special education, English as a New Language, and Bilingual Education teachers—can use these scaffolds in any classroom to support learning. This helps make the general curriculum accessible to every student without lowering the challenge of grade-level content.

Scaffolding Instruction for All Students: A Resource Guide for English Language Arts – Grade 3

How to Use This Guide

Scaffolds should be planned carefully so that no student or group of students feels singled out as "different" or in need of extra help. To keep classrooms inclusive and respectful of all cultures, consider the following suggestions:

• Make scaffolded worksheets or activities available to all students, not just some.
• Group students with a mix of abilities for group activities when it makes sense.
• Give ELLs/MLLs chances to use their home language and knowledge as part of the learning process.
• Offer individualized supports or adapted materials without drawing attention to the difference.
• Use technology thoughtfully and consistently to make materials more accessible for everyone.

In the ELA guides, the Table of Contents is organized by teaching focus—reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language—so teachers can find the strategies that match their needs. In the math guides, the Table of Contents is organized around the scaffolds themselves.

Each scaffold description includes: what the scaffold is, which students might benefit from it, and how to use it in an actual lesson (see the example below). The sample scripts are just examples of what a scaffold might sound like in the classroom. Teachers should feel free to adjust the wording and delivery to fit their own students' needs. The examples are drawn from EngageNY lesson modules, but their main purpose is to show teachers how they might use these scaffolds in their own lessons.

Title of Scaffold
Module: Unit: Lesson:

Explanation of scaffold:
This section explains the scaffold in more detail—what it is and how it can and should be used. This part is useful when applying the scaffold to other lessons.

Teacher actions/instructions:
This section gives step-by-step directions for teachers on how to use the scaffold successfully.

Student actions:
This section describes what students are doing during the scaffolded part of the lesson.

Student handouts/materials:
This section lists any materials teachers need to prepare for students.

Scaffolding Instruction for All Students: A Resource Guide for English Language Arts – Grade 3

Modeling Graphic Organizers

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

Explanation of scaffold:
A graphic organizer is a tool—like a chart or diagram—that helps students organize their ideas and information so they can communicate more clearly. However, some students need extra teaching and support to learn how to use this tool while reading. The example below shows one way to teach students to use a graphic organizer, using clear explanations and modeling (showing students exactly how it's done).

This example uses the "Gathering Important Details in a Story" section of the Close Read Recording Form (see pages 9–11 of the module lesson), which is used throughout Module 1. However, this same teaching method can be used with any graphic organizer in any lesson.

Teacher actions/instructions:

1. Consider adjusting the graphic organizer by adding extra words or phrases to each section to help students understand it better (see the model on page 3 of this guide).
2. Add pictures or visuals when needed to help students understand the language used in the organizer.
3. Model how to fill out the graphic organizer by thinking out loud as you work through it.

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

Display a large copy of the Close Read Recording Form on chart paper, or project it using a document camera. Hand out copies to students and have them fill in their own forms 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 takes place. For example, 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, and how the story ends.

"As I read to you, listen for these five things: the character, the setting, what the character wants, the problem, and the solution. When I read about one of these, I'll stop and add it to my Close Read Recording Form. Then you'll add the same information to your own form."

Reread the story with the class, pausing at the right moments to fill in the form while thinking aloud. For students who need more help, you may need to break the text into smaller chunks that match each section of the form. As students grow more comfortable with the process, use less modeling and give students more chances to practice on their own.