GLAD Project

"A curricular model of professional development dedicated to building academic language and literacy for all students; especially for English language learners."

-GLAD Mission Statement

Today I attended a GLAD project  informational seminar. The GLAD project stands for Guided Language Acquisition Design and is based out of California.

 The goal of this seminar was for the attending teachers and future teachers to:

• develop an understanding of a balanced approach to all language learners
• learn strategies and practice with all language learners; use continual discourse
• have an understanding on standards based unit
• have all students fully engaged
• commit to application; teachers must be dedicated to the strategy they are teaching.

When we started our discussion, our GLAD trainer, Erick Herrmann, introduced two classroom management techniques:

• Zero Noise Signal
• "That's Me!"
• The teacher will call out various statements and students will stand and up "That's Me!" if it pertains to them. 

After discussing these two classroom management techniques we started to fill in an Inquiry chart about Project Glad. On this chart there were two columns where the attendees brainstormed what they already knew about Project GLAD and what they still would like to learn. In the first column, Mr. Herrmann listed each contribution with plenty of space between each idea so we could go back later and revise if needed. In the second column, we dictated what we wanted to learn about Project GLAD in question format so we can check at the end of the seminar if each question was answered.

 After completing our inquiry chart we looked into the research areas supporting language development.

•     Language Acquisition
• Colier & Thomas Study 1995
• Looked at English speakers and ELLs each learning each others' language
• Perception is that fit is a "gifted and talented" program
• Students learn more when parents are involved
• Keep each language at an equal status- they are both important
• Paul Berman (Sheltered Instruction)
• Instruction in sheltered instruction is often watered down in content because of low expectation
• Active, meaningful learning that draws on and respects cultural contexts
• Pull-out ESLDOES NOT work
• The instruction ESL students receive is not relevant to what they learn in the classroom
• Teachers need to meet the demographic needs of all their students
• Krashen
• Acquired Language Theory
• Acquired in a NATURALsetting
• Communicative in nature
• Do not correct young children on how they say words at first, but recognize that they are using language to communicate meaning.
• For Example: a baby may say baba to signal that they want their bottle. Instead of their parent correcting how they say it, they should encourage the oral language development
• Continual modeling must take place to help children learn
• When teaching language, chunks are more easily remembered
• Learned Language Theory
• This teaches the rules of grammar
• Monitor Hypothesis
• When people plan what to say
• Everyone must learn what not to say based on experiences
• Oral discourse may be altered depending on who a person is speaking to and where
• Comprehensible Input
• Students must be able to understand the message being conveyed
• Teachers should provide contextual and visual clues
• Teachers should teach one level above students' comprehensible to teach at their zone of proximal development
• Affective Filter
• Allows more information to come in or blocks more information from entering based on our current emotions
• Anxiety, stress, or low self-confidence will "raise the filter"
• With a high emotional barrier, less information will be able to enter
• Optimal language learning is in an environment of low stress and high motivation
• Students should be free to take risks
• Natural Order Hypothesis
• Students ACQUIRE grammatical structures in a predictable order
• Ex: -ing, -s
• Parents and teachers should model correct structure
• BICS
• Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
• Takes 1-3 years to develop
• CALP
• Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
• Takes 5-7 years to develop
• Content area language paired with quality instruction
• English Language Learner Proficiency Levels:
• Level 1
• Beginning/Advanced Beginning
• Level 2
• Intermediate
• Level 3
• Advanced
• Level 4
• Transitional (no longer eligible for services)
• Negotiate for meaning: Sheltered Instruction
• I DO, WE DO, WE DO, YOU DO
• Comprehensible Output
• Students must understand what is being said

• Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
• ONLY 4% of ELLs school day is spent engaging in student talk
• Think Pair Share, Numbered Heads Together, Turn & Talk all work well
• ONLY 2% of the day is them spent discussing lesson information and key vocabulary
• speak in full sentences
• if they can read it and speak it, they can write it

• Unit Planning
• Start with Backward Design
• Start with standards
• Think about evidence
• Plan engaging learning activities
• Create summative assessment
• Develop unit planning pages

• 6 Components of GLAD
1. Focus/Motivation
2. Input
3. Guided Oral Practice
4. Reading Writing Activities
5. Extended Activities for Integration
• Integrate the multiple intelligences
6. Closure

• Focus/Motivation
• Get the students excited!
• Prepare for learning
• Diagnose what they already know
• "If a student already knows the information, you're wasting their time to teach it again."
• Shift the paradigm from negative to positive
• 3 Personal Standards
• Show respect
• Solve problems
• Make good choices
• Ex: Kathy, I need you to make a good choice right now. Please sit right here.
• Literacy Awards (works K-12)
• Give students awards for positive behavior instead of giving them attention when they act poorly
• Tie the awards into unit content
• These can be related to the Social Skills which will be discussed later
• Use at INDIVIDUAL level
• Each student can earn awards along the way
• Ex: Thank you Kathy for keeping you eyes on the speaker. Here's an award!
• Students can collect or trade their awards
• In upper grades, teachers can choose to let students use their awards on a test or for bonus points
• The literacy awards pull on reading and writing and let students write down or sketch their ideas
• Instead of the teacher choosing who gets a literacy award, students may watch each other and identify who is following the 3 Personal Standards and thus will receive an award
• Ex: The teacher may ask the class what they notice a specific student is doing and if it is a good decision, if they are solving a problem, or if  they are showing respect.
• Inquiry Chart
• This is a predecessor to the common KWL chart
• It asks students to investigate what they know already and what they would like to know more about
• Each item students list as something they already know is a hypothesis and should be explained so they are exposed the academic language
• The teacher must leave extra room between each item to answer, modify, and add
• The teacher should stand to the side so students can read what is on the board
• The teacher should take advantage of the teachable moments
• How would we put that into a question? What is question vocabulary?
• Use different colors for each section and answering
• Use the inquiry chart to guide instruction
• Write "N.I" next to topics that need further instruction

• Cognitive Content Dictionary
• Use for key vocabulary with strong affixes
• Select words that are key vocabulary for the unit of focus
• Choose words that the class can dig deep into and can be integrated into multiple areas of focus
• Aim for one word a day
• Day 1
• Identify what the signal word is
• Have the students say it with you
• Ask how many students have heard it and have not heard it before
• Formative Assessment
• Focus on metacognition; students thinking about what they know
• Have students make a prediction about what they think the signal word means and discuss it in table groups
• Draw pop-sickle stick numbers and have students share their prediction
• The teacher will write students' prediction on the CCD Chart and ask the student why they made that prediction
• After 4 students share their predictions, the word become the signal word for the day
• When the teacher says the signal word, the students repeat it and say a synonym paired with a gesture.
• Ex: If the signal word was intersection, when the teacher says it the students would say intersection to repeat it, crossing as a synonym, and cross their arms for a gesture
• Day 2
• At the beginning of the day review the word that was used
• Have table groups put their heads together and come up with a definition
• The teacher writes student definitions and sketches on the CCD chart
• The students then put the signal word in an oral sentence that is content relevant
• Don't write down students sentences, just give a star or a check
• There is no one right answer
• Take the signal word and focus on word study
• Part of speech
• Etymology 
• Derivation

• Pictorial Input Chart
• Direct teaching of skills
• Give students the exact information they need
• Facilitate active participation and engagement
• Use a variety of graphic organizers and patterns
• Use real items (realia; ree-al-ee-uh)
• Use a graphic organizer to show the big picture
• Have pictures on the graphic organizer to show what the unit about
• The teacher will use a large butcher paper chart to draw the graphic organizer on
• After a specific chart is used in a unit it will be kept in the classroom hanging up so the walls are literally dripping with academic language
• When the teacher is filling in the chart, the students will be brought up close so they can see it easily
• The teacher will teach the specific information and teach it so it is comprehensible to the students
• When the teacher introduces a new topic the teacher will say "say it with me now"
• Before drawing in the pictures on the graphic organizer the teacher will lightly sketch it in pencil so all the students see when they are sitting on the carpet is how the images come to life in color
• The pictures will be drawn on butcher paper while the teacher is delivering the lesson
• Throughout the lesson, the teacher should chunk information for scaffolding students knowledge
• Color coding groups of information may help with this
• Ex: If a teacher is using a pictorial input chart with a health lesson and is drawing the circulatory system, the teacher may write major organs in one color, diseases in another color, and major veins in another color. Writing specific groups in different colors helps students identify which information goes together
• 10-2 Lecture
• When delivering a lesson teachers should talk for 10 minutes and then allow for 2 minutes of processing
• After creating the graphic organizer, give students word cards with specific vocabulary written on it and when they hear their word they will bring it to the chart and add it where it belongs on the chart



World Map Graphic Organizer

 


Pictorial Input Chart of the Circulatory System



• Learning Log
• After introducing the pictorial chart, students will create a learning log
• This will be created as a T chart, on one side it will say "text" on the other it will say "you"
• The teacher will give students a specific prompt to write factual information on the text side
• On the "you side" students will write their favorite information
• This works as a formative assessment so the teacher can identify what students already know about a topic

• English Language Development (ELD) Review
• The teacher will ask some questions on what the students just learned
• Start with "point to"
• Have students point to specific pieces of information on the pictorial input chart
• After students show an understanding of "point to", start asking "yes, no" questions
• Once students understand this the teacher will start asking "either, or" questions
• The teacher will ask if a picture on the pictorial chart is either this or that and move the the last type of question once all students who an understanding on "either, or"
• When asking ELD questions the teacher should build in HOTs (higher order thinking)
• For students who don't speak English, let them converse in their native language; it is still developing oral language!

• Narrative Input Chart
• This takes the same idea as a flannel story board and puts it on a butcher paper chart so it can stay up all year
• The teacher will create a story and put the words on the back of the pictures
• The pictures will then go on a map so students can see the connection between literacy and geography for example

• Guided Oral Practice
• This encourages academic discourse among students
• Students will be interacting with text
• This helps them process the information
• Picture-File Cards
• These are large laminated pictures that are related to the content area
• These can be used in almost any strategies
• They can be posted in observation charts and write questions about what they are next to the chart
• They can be added to graphic organizers to show location
• They can be used with a narrative chart like shown above
• If used with a vocabulary lesson, picture file cards can be used to describe the topic
• Students can use the picture file cards to sort in open or closed sorts and justify them
• Teachers can use the picture file cards to organize students and where they sit based on the type of card
• Ex: All students who have a mammal sit by the window, all students who have a building, sit by the overhead, all students who have types of transportation sit by the door.
• Teachers can give the same picture to two students and have them do a free write about the picture and them get together and compare the story they wrote
• For gathering pictures, teachers can have students rip pictures out of  magazines, such as National Geographic, that are related to the unit of study. Students would bring all the pictures they gather to school the next day and explain how that picture is relevant to the unit of study 

• Sentence Patterning Chart
• This strategy gives students in depth instruction in vocabulary and parts of speech
• Design a butcher paper chart in 16ths and write "adjective" "noun" "verb" "adverb" and "prepositional phrases" at the top of the chart all in different colors
• As the teacher introduces each part of speech, have the class say it with you and review what it is.
• The teacher will provide the class with a noun in the plural form to avoid articles
• It is important that the teacher choose a noun that can be active
• After writing in the noun, toss a squishy ball to a student and have them come up with an adjective. The class will continue to popcorn ideas until the column is full with ideas
• After the adjective column is complete, move to the verb column.
• After students have filled in the verb column they will popcorn around the room until the prepositional phrase column is filled in.
• At this point the teacher will take 6 pointers and point 3 on different adjectives, 1 on the noun, 1 on the verb and 1 on a prepositional phrase
• After the parts of speech have been identified, the teacher will lead the class in singing the sentence to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell"
• The song will go through like this:
• adjective-adjective-noun; adjective-adjective-noun; adjective-adjective-adjective-noun-verb-prepositional phrase.
• After singing it through once, the teacher will call on volunteers to move the pointers and thus creating a new sentence and will lead the class in singing it again
• Once the class has sung it through a few times, the teacher will toss the squishy ball to students to fill in the adverb column as s/he explains that an adverb is HOW we do something
• When the adverb column is completed, the teacher will call on students to place the pointers and create a unique sentence
• The song will also be sung to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell"
• adjective-adjective-noun; adjective-adjective-noun; adjective-adjective-noun-verb-adverb-prepositional phrase
• Once both versions of the song have been sung through, the teacher can hand out word cards to table groups for them to create their own sentences
• Each table group will receive an envelop of 6 random parts of speech
• Depending on what parts of speech the group has and what the need, they may trade with fellow classmates by using the correct terminology
• Ex: If one table group has an extra verb and needs a prepositional phrase, they must ask other classmates if they have a prepositional verb instead of asking to see what cards they have.
• This gets students immersed in academic oral language

• T-Graph for Social Skills
• On a butcher paper chart the teacher will draw a mind map above a T-Chart with the titles "Hears Like" and "Looks Like"
• The class will select a specific social skill to focus on, such as cooperation or giving feedback to peers
• The specific skill will be written in the mind map so everyone in the class knows what the focus is
• The teacher will have students share what believe it is and write the only the correct definitions so the students don;t get the wrong idea of what it is
• Then the class will share what the specific skill will look like and sound like when it is demonstrated correctly
• The teacher should encourage students to focus on the positive instead of the negative
• When table groups work together and demonstrate the specific social skill they may earn team points

• Reading and Writing
• Students should constantly be surrounded by print-rich stimuli
• text, media, books, ect.
• The teacher should balance cooperative learning and individual based learning
• scaffold lessons through I DO, WE DO, WE DO, YOU DO
• Strategies
• Story Map
• This can be taken straight from the narrative input chart and put in an easy to follow story map
• While using the story map the teacher should say "Say it with me" constantly to teach literary terms

• Interactive Journal
• This is similar to a free write in that students are allowed to write about whatever they want to, there is no prompt
• The teacher also writes a response to each students journal entry so it acts as a dialogue between the student and teacher

• Process Grid/Expert Paragraph/Cooperative Strip Paragraph
• First take the information from the pictorial input chart
• The class will then work together to transfer the information on the chart to a process grid
• When the information is transferred, the teacher should keep the major chunks of information the same
• After the information is added to the process grid, the class will work together to create a paragraph about the specific topic
• Each table group will receive word strips to write their unique sentence on
• Information for the word strips must come from the process grid or pictorial input chart, not word of mouth
• Once one table group completes their sentence, they will have the teacher look over their sentence to make sure it is unique enough and descriptive
• If a table group comes up with a sentence that is too closely worded to one that another table group, they must try and create a new sentence
• When all the sentences are collected, they will be placed in a pocket holder so the class can read them aloud together
• After its been read aloud, the class will work work together to edit the paragraph
• Students can come up to the chart and move sentences around to what they think is the right order
• When everyone agrees on the flow of the paragraph, the teacher will edit punctuation and spelling in a black marker



• Found Poetry
• Write a selection from a text such as National Geographic on butcher paper and hang it from the white board
• Have students identify interesting, important, or different words and highlight them as they are called out
• After about ten words are highlighted, write them on word strips and hang them in the bottom of a pocket holder
• Model free form poetry by selecting 5 words and creating a unique poem
• Give students the opportunity to create their own poems
• This pocket chart should be hung throughout the year by a door so students can practice creating poems

 "Teaching is one of those rare jobs whereby on any given day you can literally change someones life." - Nathan Eklund