SIOP is an acronym that stands for Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol. This academic program is a product of the United States department of education which funds and overseers its implementation (Moss, and Puma, 2004). According to Echevarria, (2006) the purpose of this academic model is to ensure that students who are learning the English language are capable of accessing the content within the grading system (mathematics, social studies, and art). The program expects the teachers to make changes in their methods of teaching in which students learning English will comprehend. The program entails the implementation of strategies that encourage and facilitate interaction among students and language practice. The discussion below entails elements of a program in which first-grade level teachers may implement into their teaching curriculum for purposes of rendering the first-grade content comprehensible to students learning English. The features of such a program include preparation of lessons, constructing the background, practice, and application as well as assessment with the review.
The first-grade teachers should plan lessons for purposes of meeting the students’ needs in terms of language development. It is, therefore, essential when preparing for the lesson to ensure that communication of the lesson’s objective takes place daily (Echevarria, 2006). This particular method of lesson preparation allows the students to know what to expect in their learning curriculum. it also allows such students to play an active role in their self-assessment regarding their progress at school. (Moss, and Puma, 2004)
In relation to constructing the background, the teachers should teach the first graders new concepts while referring to their experiences at a personal level. In such a case, the lesson should go out the boundaries of classroom learning and integrate the personal experiences learnt outside the classroom and from the students’ families. (Moss, and Puma, 2004) The SIOP fosters comprehension and in the case of first graders songs and games may teach key vocabulary and word structures. According to Echevarria, (2006) this will assist students in practicing the students’ intonation as well as the ability to pronounce words correctly.
The SIOP program should accommodate practice and application of materials for the first grade students. This is essential to encourage practical tasks involving handling, visualization and kinesthetic tasks in the SIOP lessons. The students benefit from such activities as they are able to practice English as well as apply the knowledge acquired from content learning in various settings of their lives (Moss, and Puma, 2004). The effectiveness of the SIOP lessons comes about when the students demonstrate the ability to put into application both the learnt language skills and the content learnt in their first grade studies (Vogt and Echevarría, 2007).
An SIOP lesson should devote some spare time for reviews and assessments. There should be time for revision of the vocabulary and concept knowledge (Vogt and Echevarría, 2007). On the other hand, the teachers should measure the progress made by the students. Assessment may entail comprehension checks as well as assessments that are informal to measure the ability of the students to retain the knowledge learnt in class. The students should be encouraged to demonstrate their understanding for purposes of assessment. The first graders can demonstrate their understanding through pictures, their body language, movements, as well as oral practice (Moss, and Puma, 2000).
References
Echevarria, J. (2006). Using the SIOP Model with Young Learners: Lesson Preparation and Building Background. Web.
Moss, M., & Puma, M. (2004). The congressionally mandated study of educational growth and opportunity. (First year report on language minority and limited English proficient students). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education
Vogt, M., and Echevarría, J. (2007). 99 Ideas and Activities for Teaching English Learners with the SIOP Model. Web.