Mainstream English Language Development
(Build proficiency in Standard English for SELs)
Grade: K -1 Primary Elementary Week: Start Smart
Day
MELD Activities
Resource(s): Protocols for Culturally Responsive Learning and Increased
Student Engagement
Material(s): pictures of traffic signs (attached), pictures used for poster, and
construction or poster paper, participation protocol poster
Objective: To learn and practice protocols for student participation.
1
Introducing Participation Protocols into the Classroom
• Display common traffic signs, instruct students to shout out what they
think each one means
• Ask students to discuss why traffic signs are important for our safety
Explain that participation protocols are like traffic signs, they tell when and how
to participate with the class as a whole.
• Have students utilize the Raise a Righteous Hand protocol to share their
knowledge of traffic signs as you record their ideas on chart paper.
Small Group IWT: Create a poster using one of the traffic signs showing its
purpose. Students can draw pictures, use words, etc. For example: A car
stopped at a stop sign.
• Have students utilize the Whip Around protocol to share the traffic sign
they see most often in their community.
Whole Group: Practice responding protocols
• Call and Response – Students will actively respond in unison to the
speaker either verbally or with a movement (such as a clap) to an either
improvised or pre-taught “call”.
• Call and Response will be used to call students’ attention from either
small group or independent activities.
• Select a few Call and Response protocols that you will use with your
students and practice using them with the students. Examples: Teacher
says, “Welcome”. Students respond, “Back”, or, Teacher says, “When I
say peace, you say quiet.” Teacher: Peace, Students: Quiet, or Catch the
beat: Teacher claps out a rhythm and then students clap out the same
rhythm.
Resource(s): Protocols for Culturally Responsive Learning and Increased
Student Engagement
Material(s): participation protocol poster
Objective: To learn and practice protocols for student participation.
Introducing Participation Protocols into the Classroom
Review with students that participation protocols are like traffic signs, they tell
when and how to participate with the class as a whole.
•
•
2
•
•
•
•
Display the participation protocol poster.
Remind students that just like traffic signs there are certain expectations
for different situations in the classroom.
Introduce and practice using different participation protocols with
students as examples of different ways for them to participate in the
classroom.
Select a few participation protocols that you will use with your students
and practice using them with the students. Some examples you can use
are: Pick-A-Stick: Ask students “What their favorite flavor of ice cream
is, and why?, Roll “Em: Ask students “What do they think the cafeteria
should serve at lunch, and why? Give-A-Shout Out: Ask students
questions such as “What day is it?” “What month is it?” or “What city
do we live in?”
Use the “I do, we do, and you do” to model and demonstrate the
protocol.
The goal is to have students “Think First” before attempting to answer
and to know how they are expected to respond in class.
Resource(s): Protocols for Culturally Responsive Learning and Increased
Student Engagement
Material(s): Culturally Relevant Book selected by teacher from classroom
library, drawing/writing paper
Objective: To learn and practice protocols for student discussion.
3
Introducing Discussion Protocols in the Classroom
• Teacher will review story elements with students focusing on identifying
characters in a story.
• Teacher reads the book selected from classroom library and charts the
characters they encounter in the story.
• Teachers give students drawing/writing paper to illustrate/write about
their favorite character from the story.
• Prior to using the discussion protocols ask students to think about why
they think working together and sharing ideas is important. Briefly
explain that working together is a part of cooperative learning and it
involves explaining your thoughts and ideas to your classmates (which
helps you to learn and remember things) and learning from your
classmates thoughts and ideas to understand something better.
• Introduce the Discussion protocols and tell them what good listeners and
speakers do.
Ask students questions about the story and have them practice using the
discussion protocols.
• Use the “I do, we do, and you do” to model and demonstrate the
protocol.
• Select a few discussion protocols that you will use with your students and
practice using them with the students. Some examples you can use are:
Think-Pair-Share, Put Your Two Cents In, or Give One, Get One.
Resource(s): Protocols for Culturally Responsive Learning and Increase Student
Engagement, GLC Module 2
•
Material(s): Shapes/Colors Handout/ Jobs Handout
Objective: To work cooperatively with a group.
4
Introducing Cooperative Learning Protocols
Return to the idea of teamwork by telling students that, it sometimes helps teams
be more successful when team members have assigned jobs or responsibilities.
Analogy, (what would happen if there was not a teacher in the classroom?).
Think-Pair-Share
• Once students have the opportunity to discuss this concept, tell them that
everyone is going to work in their teams of four today, but they are going
to have to plan with their teammates (assign jobs in order to get the task
accomplished).
• Hand each student the Shapes/Colors handouts and the four
corresponding colored crayons. Explain the need to have the whole
team’s papers colored correctly according to the handout within an
allotted time, but they will need to share only those four crayons.
• Allow 5 minutes or so to plan with their group and instruct them to
begin.
• When time is up, students share their group’s strategies, successes, and
difficulties, providing affirmation for teamwork and use of “roles” within
the group.
• Teacher and students can also discuss the responsibilities of each job
from handout.
Resource(s): MELD Instructional Guide pg.8
Material(s): slides of pictures of “It’s a Small World “ and taping of song/
Power Point (attached), artifacts from classroom AEMP center (if applicable)
5
Objective: To build students’ knowledge of diverse languages and cultures
from around the world.
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Languages and Cultures Around the World
Play the song, “it’s a small world” and show pictures or slides of dolls from
around the world:
• The Polar Regions
• The British Isles
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe
• The Middle East
• Asia
• Africa
• South America
• The United States
Engage students in a discussion as to who they are, the places that they come
from, and the languages that they might speak. Use discussion protocols during
discussion.
Guide students through a discussion of the world map. Point out the various
components of the map i.e. four oceans, seven continents, the four directions.
Explain that people live on different continents of the world and that they speak
different languages and have different cultural practices.
Have students contemplate the different lifestyles of people from various regions
of the world. For example, they can contemplate the differences in dress of those
who live on the continent of Antarctica versus those who live on the continent of
Africa.
Resource(s): MELD Instructional Guide pg.8-9
Material(s): A is for Africa by Ifeoma Onyefulu, MELD Unit 1 Kit, cultural
artifacts, magazines, poster paper, glue sticks, scissors
Objective: To build students’ knowledge of diverse languages and cultures
from around the world.
6
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Languages and Cultures Around the World
Read and discuss stories about culturally diverse people and places
• Have students discuss the differences in dress, speech, and daily
activities of the people that they see.
• Have students describe the different objects, artworks, and artifacts that
are illustrated.
• Have students use magazines, calendars, travel brochures, and such to
create a mural/collage of culturally diverse people and places.
• Use Give One, Get One protocol to discuss the differences mentioned
above.
*** Teacher administers the SEL diagnostic tool (2-4 students per day)
Resource(s): MELD Instructional Guide pgs. 11-12
Material(s): Construction or Butcher Paper, Culturally Relevant literature
7-8
Objective: To build students’ knowledge of diverse languages and cultures
from around the world.
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Languages and Cultures in the United States
How People Came to the United States of America
1. Discuss with students the concepts of migration and immigration use
discussion and participation protocols.
2. Explain that the majority of people who live in America came to this
country from other places in the world.
3. Explain that people who came here from other places spoke different
languages and held different cultural practices.
Read literature about how different groups of people came to the United States.
See Suggested Literature in MELD guide p. 11
Activity: How did your family come to America? How did America come to
your family? Where does your family live in America? What are some family
activities?
1. Create a family tree or a family chart detailing the members of their
family and where various members came from and or live.
***Teacher administers the SEL diagnostic tool (2-4students per day)
Resource(s): MELD pg.16-17
Material(s): World Map, and North America Map, and California Map, colored
push pins
Objective: To develop an awareness and appreciation for languages and
cultures in the school and local community.
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Languages and Cultures in the School and Community
9
1. Map Activity: Students view maps in the following order – a map of the
solar system pointing out the planet Earth: a map of the world pointing
out the continent of North America: a map of North America pointing out
the state of California: a map of California pointing out the city in which
the school is located as well as the neighboring cities in which the
students may live.
2. Discuss with students the fact that people live all over the world, speak
different languages and have different cultural practices.
3. Have students discuss the various cultural groups that live in their
community. Also ask students to identify and describe the language and
various practices of their own cultural group. Use discussion and
participation protocols.
Comparison Chart: Teacher lists the different cultural groups reflected in
student’s school and community. Teacher charts as students identify their
cultural group and note their ancestral origin and language.
4. Students will write a narrative about their own cultural group
***Teacher administers the SEL diagnostic tool (2-4 students per day)
Resource(s): MELD pg. 20
10-11
Material(s): Chart Paper, Culturally Relevant Literature embedded with
Students Home Language (The Patchwork Quilt, Icy Watermelon, Life Doesn’t
Frighten Me, Jamal’s Busy Day)
Objective: To develop an awareness and appreciation of home language
and culture.
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Languages and Culture in the Home
Quick-talk about the language and cultural practices of the home.
1. Select phrases, expressions, and ways of speaking that reflect the
students’ home language. Ask students to share some of the phrases and
expressions as well.
2. Have students identify and discuss the different cultural styles that they
exhibit.
Read literature about home language and culture
1. Read and discuss literature that depicts the students’ home language and
culture.
2. Have students identify and discuss cultural aspects that they personally
identify with.
3. Discuss with students the importance of loving who they are and valuing
the difference that they have from people in other cultural groups.
Extension: Home Language VS Academic Language – chart responses from
discussion.
***Teacher administers the SEL diagnostic tool (2-4 students per day)
Resource(s): MELD Instructional Guide pg. 93
Material(s): Online “I Am” Poem template, listed below items, construction or
poster paper, and glue sticks
Objective: To develop receptive language in Standard English.
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Environmental Print Center
Students make an environmental print collage from the community
advertisements, magazines, and newspapers. The environmental print collage
center is an inexpensive activity that includes newspaper, magazines, community
advertisements, used Christmas cards, and birthday cards.
12-13
SEL’s must be provided opportunities to add school language and literacy to
their repertoire of skills using instructional approached that validate who they
are and build on the learning styles and strengths that they bring to the
classroom.
Activity
1. Students can work independently or in small groups.
2. Students cut out familiar words and glue them to construction paper.
3. Students look for familiar words students that they see in their
community or home, such as Taco Bell, Tide, or words seen in books. On
the word walls, or in the classroom’s print rich environment.
While students are working on collage, the Teacher will work with small groups
to help construct “I Am” poems, first stanza only. Students orally share poems
on the next day.
***Teacher administers the SEL diagnostic tool (2-4 students per day)
Material(s): I Am Poem, 3-prong portfolio, sheets of computer generated lined
paper, Xerox copies of images of cultural icons that represent an event of person
for each letter of the alphabet.
Objective: To develop receptive language in Standard English.
14-15
Whole Group: Students orally present “I AM” poems to classmates. Students
can clap or snap to validate and affirm presenting student.
•
Review and post high frequency words.
Small Group IWT:
• Have students construct a High Frequency word folder, with images of
students cultural historical icons as alphabetical dividers
***Teacher administers the SEL diagnostic tool (2-4 students per day)
On
demand
writing
prompts
that
students
can
complete
independently
and
can
be
used
when
administering
SEL
diagnostic
screening:
o Write
about
a
time
you
were
scared.
o Write
about
a
time
you
were
mad.
o Write
about
an
enjoyable
time
that
you
spent
with
your
family
or
friends.
Make
sure
to
include
details.
o Walking
into
the
classroom
on
the
first
day
of
school.
o Loosing
a
tooth.
o Trying
to
get
rid
of
a
bee
that
has
entered
a
classroom/house.
o Finding
money.
o Seeing
or
holding
your
baby
brother/
sister
for
the
first
time.