You caught a beauty!!!
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Download PDF of scaffold here.
Download PDF of scaffold here.
theory behind the scaffold…
An interesting consequence of the digital age is that speech therapists have found their work has multiplied exponentially in the past few years. They attribute this to a generation of students who spend more hours on their phones and computers, sending and reading short texts, rather than connecting verbally.
Scaffolds that offer opportunities for verbal interactions compensate for this lack. They help students to strengthen, build and diversify language as well as to use skills they might not develop by themselves.
This scaffold focuses on reported speech, an essential skill in language mastery, given that it is an integral structure that we use in everyday conversation. Ironically it is also one that is often overlooked in oral activities in the classroom or one that educators find difficult to incorporate in lessons.
As scaffolding work best (as do all lessons in general) when grammar is embedded in a context (a story, a video, a podcast, instructions for an art project, etc.), this activity uses information from whatever source your students are using.
As an added bonus, whenever possible we include images so that students have even more context to process information. The example given in this scaffold is from a book that combines these three factors: verbal, linguistic and visual.
To top of this multi-layered scaffold, students not only change statements into Reported Speech, but they have to simultaneously identify inaccurate words in the statements and adjust them so that the resulting reported statement is accurate as well.
The example used in the template is from a Social Science lesson. The activity asks students to anthropomorphise facts, giving dry information a little life and so being more accessible to students who may not be interested in the subject. During the activity, they also have to pay close attention to their what their partner says so that they can repeat the information in Reported Speech. In all, this activity combines a variety of important skills in a very engaging way.
step by step:
Note: These instructions use a unit from a Social Science class; however, you can use whatever video, podcast, laboratory instructions, sports rules, explanations of genres of music, etc., that you are about to study in your lessons.
- Students study the images and captions and write 5-10 dialogues in their charts that anthropomorphise the information. (You’ll need to model this for them. Examples below and in the template.)
- In pairs, students read their dialogues to each other. One person reads the dialogue from her/his chart and the other person listens and repeats the information in Reported Speech. (See example below.)
Possible dialogue between a pair of students based on this chart:
- Student 1: Cells ‘A subatomic level includes protons, neutrons and electrons.’
- Student 2: The cell said that a subatomic level includes proton, neutrons and electrons. Is that accurate?
- Student 1: That’s accurate. Your turn.
- Student 2: Atoms ‘An atomic level is formed by atoms.’
- Student 1: The atom said that an atomic level is feared by atoms. Is that accurate?
- Student 2: No, that’s not accurate. I’ll repeat. Atoms ‘An atomic level is formed by atoms.’
- Student 1: Oh. The atom said that an atomic level is formed by atoms. Is that accurate?
- Student 2: Yes. Now that’s accurate. Your turn.
- Etc.
- Formative assessment: Hold up images from the worksheet. Pairs of students negotiate, and one volunteers to verblise the information about that image.
Phrases to help conversation advancing fluidly.
video explanation of scaffold…
Scaffoldingmagic.com is your entryway into DYNAMIC bilingual learning methodologies, such as Phenomenon-Based Learning, CLIL, EMI, and ESL. You’ll find ways to implement critical thinking tools (DOK) to promote higher level thinking, the growth mindset, instill an ethic of excellence, deep reflection on learning, and all through multi-cultural, interdisciplinary activities. We have the keys to turning competences into action and to creating collective efficacy in your school so you move ahead as a unified, enthusiastic team.