Source # 2
In her article "Scaffolds to Help ELL Readers" Barbara Fagan explains two strategies that she uses to help her ELLs develop literacy: T-charts and sticky notes. The author has faced the challenge of her students merely decoding the text without much comprehension. In her classroom she used the strategies targeted at helping her students recall critical information and then synthesize that information.
The first intervention strategy used to help students stop and think about what they have just read is "T-charts." Students will read the designated passage silently and then write the main idea sentence on the left-hand side. Students would share in class the sentences they wrote and the whole class would talk about the maion idea. The passage would be re-read for reinforced comprehension. Students would list 2-3 words that were unknown or unfamiliar on the right hand-side of the chart. T-chart would help students organize information and focus on what was important in that passage, as well as reinforce the concept of the main idea. This scaffold will help students think about how they have learned and remember new information.
Once the students are comfortable with using T-charts, they can graduate to using sticky notes. After reading a segment, instead of writing down a sentence about the main idea, students would write a few key words on the sticky notes that would constitute their "tracks" in reading. They would share and discuss their key words as a whole class. Then, using their sticky notes, students would write a short summary of what has been read so far. The sticky notes would help the students retell the events in sequence focusing only on the main events. Using sticky notes is a scaffold to help ELL's do what independent readers do - actively respond or question text as they read. Sticky notes is a way to train students to stop and gather important information. Once the skill is developed - the notes will be no longer needed, as pausing and reflecting will become internalized as a part of their reading process.Fagan, B. (2003). Scaffolds to Help ELL Readers. Voices from the Middle. 11(1).
Anya, these are two great strategies for ELL students! I especially like the sticky note one. Scaffolding and structure are critical to an ELL student, but really all students would benefit from these two strategies. I would love to try both of these strategies out with my future classes in biology. Sometimes concepts can get confusing and I think these two strategies would help the students focus on the main concepts. Awesome article!
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