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 gratefully thank the following people for their valuable contributions to 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 21st-century skills students need to succeed in college and careers, and to help them become lifelong learners and thinkers. Think of learning standards as a "destination"—a clear statement of what students should know and be able to do. Teachers, in turn, provide the "map," designing high-quality instruction that gets students there.

Lessons must be built so that every student can access the general education curriculum, which is centered on rigorous standards. This includes students who learn differently—for example, students with disabilities, English Language Learners (ELLs) and Multilingual Learners (MLLs), and other students who struggle with the material. To make this possible, teachers need to draw on a range of research-based instructional strategies while creating a student-centered classroom that responds to different learning styles, interests, and abilities. Classrooms should feel supportive and encouraging. When planning instruction, teachers should keep in mind factors such as students' age, academic development, proficiency in English and their home language, cultural background and prior knowledge, and any disabilities they may have.

Curricula should also apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—an approach that gives students multiple ways to take in information, multiple ways to show what they know, and multiple ways to stay engaged. These strategies reduce barriers to learning and help ensure that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed.

The purpose of these guides is to give teachers concrete examples of scaffolds and strategies that can supplement their ELA and math instruction. Scaffolds are supports that teachers deliberately build into a lesson to give students help that is "just right" and delivered "just in time." Scaffolds are not the same as changing the lesson itself—students still work with the same grade-level texts or math problems as their classmates. Instead, scaffolds simply make that grade-level content accessible within the lesson. Over time, scaffolds help students build the knowledge, skills, and language they need to work independently, and they are meant to be gradually removed as students master a skill on their own.

The scaffolds in these guides are based on the principles of explicit instruction, as described by Archer and Hughes (2011). Explicit instruction is a structured, step-by-step teaching method that walks students through the learning process toward independent mastery. It includes: a clear explanation of the purpose and reasoning behind the new skill or content; demonstrations and explanations of that skill or content; and guided practice with specific, immediate feedback.

These scaffolds can be adapted for any curriculum and any subject area. Although the examples in this guide come from ELA and math EngageNY modules, teachers are encouraged to adjust and reuse the scaffolds in whatever lessons make sense for their classrooms. Any teacher—general education, special education, English as a New Language, or Bilingual Education—can use these scaffolds to support student learning and make the general education curriculum more accessible, without lowering the rigor 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 thoughtfully so that no student, or group of students, feels singled out as "different" or in need of extra help. To support an inclusive, culturally responsive classroom, consider the following suggestions:

• Make scaffolded worksheets or activities available to all students, not just some.
• Group students heterogeneously (mixing ability levels) for group activities when it makes sense.
• Give ELLs/MLLs chances to use their home language skills and knowledge as part of the learning process.
• Offer individualized supports or adapted materials without drawing attention to the fact that they're different from what other students are using.
• Use technology consistently and thoughtfully to make materials more accessible for everyone.

In the ELA guides, the Table of Contents is organized by instructional focus—reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language—so teachers can quickly find scaffolds that match a particular need. In the math guides, the Table of Contents is organized by scaffold instead.

Each scaffold entry explains what the scaffold is, which students might benefit from it, and how to put it into practice using a lesson-specific example (see the outline below). The sample scripts are meant only to illustrate what a scaffold might look like in action—teachers should feel free to adjust the wording and presentation to fit their own students' needs. While the examples are drawn from EngageNY lessons, the real goal is to show teachers how they might build similar scaffolds into their own lessons.

Title of Scaffold
Module: Unit: Lesson:

Explanation of scaffold:
This section explains the scaffold in more depth—what it is and how it can and should be used. It's especially useful when you want to apply the scaffold in a different lesson.

Teacher actions/instructions:
This section gives specific steps for the teacher to follow when using the scaffold.

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 to use the scaffold successfully.

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 visual tool—like a chart or diagram—that helps students organize information and ideas so they can communicate more clearly. Some students, though, need extra support and direct instruction before they can use this tool well, especially when organizing information gathered from a text. The example below shows one way to teach students how to use a graphic organizer by combining clear explanation with modeling (demonstrating the process step by step). It uses the "Gathering Important Details in a Story" section of the Close Read Recording Form (see pages 9–11 of the module lesson) from Module 1, but the same approach works with any graphic organizer in any lesson.

Teacher actions/instructions:

1. Consider revising the graphic organizer to include extra wording in each section, which can help students understand it better (see the model on page 3 of this guide).
2. Add visuals where helpful, so students can better understand the language used in the organizer.
3. Model how to fill out the organizer by thinking aloud—that is, saying your thoughts out loud as you work through it.

Teacher: "We're 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 story's most important parts. As we read, we'll listen for specific things to fill in each section."

Display a large version 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 out their own forms as you demonstrate.

"The first box says, 'Somebody…' (character). This is the person or animal the story is about—the character or characters.

The next box says, 'in…' (setting). The setting is where the story takes place. If we were writing 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's stopping the character from getting what they want.

The next box says, 'so…' (resolution). This is how the problem gets solved—the story's ending or solution."

"As I read to you, listen for these five things. Whenever I read about a character, the setting, what the character wants, a problem, or a solution, I'll pause and add that information to my Close Read Recording Form. Then you'll add the same information to your own form."

Read the story aloud to the class a second time, pausing at the right moments to fill in the form while thinking aloud. For students who need more support, 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, gradually reduce the modeling and shift toward supporting them as they work through it themselves.