Educating Super Learners: Monthly Newsletter of the ESL Department of Columbus Public Schools, Columbus, OH. October 2004 Vol. 1 Issue 2

If you’re involved with ESL and second language learners, no doubt over the last few months you’ve heard the term SIOP (CY-op) mentioned. While SIOP, or Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol may seem new, its roots are based in Vygotskyan research from the 1970s that equates educational success for ESL students with an instructional approach that combines both content and language objectives.

SIOP is a research-based instrument that presents to teachers a model for lesson planning and presentation in content area and sheltered instruction classrooms that provides English language learners instruction in two crucial areas: language development and grade-level content.

Within the SIOP model there are 8 components, or large categories, to consider and evaluate as teachers create lesson plans for ESL/ELL students. These components (preparation, building background, comprehensible input, strategies, interaction, practice/application, lesson delivery and review/assessment) are comprised of 30 individual elements teachers should be familiar with in planning lessons that meet both content and language objectives. The 30 elements are intended to provide guidance to teachers unfamiliar with English language learners and to encourage them to think about their instruction and lessons in ways they may not have previously examined them.

The most interesting facet of the SIOP model is that its application is not solely for use with second-language learners. The lesson planning ideas and suggestions SIOP provides exemplify good teaching practices regardless of the student populations.

If you’d like more information on SIOP, here are a few resources to get you started:

SIOP Central (a CAL website):
http://www.cal.org/siop

Details of the 8 components and 30 elements:
http://www.misd.net/Bilingual/ELL.pdf

Echevarria, Vogt and Short. Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners:
The SIOP Model. Pearson (2004).

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