Contributed by Lisa Sibaja
When I first started teaching ESL in 2011, I knew giving sentence frames to students was important for the following reasons. Sentence frames help:
- build productive language skills in the domains of speaking and writing
- scaffold information in all content areas
- develop academic vocabulary
- support all students, especially struggling learners
Even though I knew they are beneficial, I wasn’t sure how to use them. I asked ESL leadership, attended workshops, and tried lesson after lesson to help utilize this strategy to support our ELs. Over the past few years, I have realized that many content area teachers have no idea how to use them either. So, here are several ways I have had success with sentence frames…
Warm Up Activities:
To elicit complete responses from students using complex sentences, transition words, and modal verbs, write the phrase on a small white board and have students respond orally as a warm-up activity.
· During summer break, I would like to ________________.
· If I had a million dollars, I could ____________________.
Another idea is to create a circle of chairs in the classroom. While using a word bank, students write their own sentence frame on individual white boards to practice dependent clauses (If it snows, _________. While on vacation, _______. When I leave school at 2:45, ___________. If I get a new puppy, ________). Everyone then switches chairs to finish writing the sentence someone else started with an independent clause in a different colored marker. Students share their complete sentences (and laugh!).
During Partner Work:
Before teaching a lesson, write sentence frames on index cards. Easier frames can be written in green on one side and more challenging frames in orange on the back. Students can choose the difficulty level of the frame they attempt to complete.
_______ (title) and _____ (title) are similar/different because ____________.
______ (title) is ______; however, _______ (title) is ______. They both have _____ in common.
During QSSSA Strategy or Roving Paragraphs (Salva and Matis, 2017):
Use sentence frames to structure student responses. For example, while students are analyzing an IXL graph during a graphing unit, provide the following QSSSA activity:
✔ Question: How can you read the graph and determine the correct answer to the problem?
✔ Signal: Think about the solution and stand up when you have the answer.
✔ Stem: Use the stem, “I can prove that ___ is the correct answer because __________.”
✔ Share: Share with a partner using the sentence frame.
✔ Assess: Tell the group using the sentence frame.
Here’s another example: After reading a text such as Habitat Rescue with a fourth grade group, type the following on the SmartBoard and help students uncover each sentence as they progress through the Roving Paragraph assignment.
Saving animal habitats is important because ________________. [Students write the frame on a sheet of notebook paper and fill in the blank. Then, they “rove” around the classroom and share a sentence with a partner. The teacher then reveals the next frame.]
To begin, humans can ___________________. [Students can write an original sentence or “steal” the idea they previously heard from their first partner. Then, they find a second partner and read the entirety of what they had written. The process is repeated with sentences three and four to create a complete paragraph. Each student can then read his or her paragraph for the group.]
In addition, ____________________________.
Finally, _______________________________.
As Conversation Starters:
While reading the text _________, I noticed ________.
During Group Conversations:
In my opinion, ______________. I can support my point of view with evidence from the text. For example, the author stated______________ in paragraph ______.
I would like to add to your idea by saying ___________________.
As A Cheat Sheet At A Student’s Desk:
Have a half-sheet of sentence frames laminated that include responses to the Key Uses of Academic Language from the WIDA Can-Do Descriptors: recount, explain, argue, discuss. English Language Development Researcher, Cynthia Lundgren, shares concepts to develop language in each of these areas. Examples include: “Studies showed that __________.”(p. 6)“This occurrence is called _______.” The event ________ “occurs/ happens when/started from” ___________. (p.10)
Many other sentence frames can be created using precise language to serve as models for our English Learners and support their language production.
References:
Lundgren, C. (2015, November). WIDA: Introducing the Key Uses of Academic Language. Presented at the Minnesota English Learner Education Conference, Minneapolis. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/MELEdConference/wida-introducing-the-key-uses-of-academic-language
Salva, C., & Matis, A. (2017). Boosting achievement: reaching students with interrupted or minimal education. Irving, TX: Seidlitz Education.
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