Page 34 - Scaffolding for English Language Learners

2. Presenting the Read-Aloud
A Father and His Son in Mesopotamia
AIR Additional Supports
AIR recommends that teachers:
 Prior to the oral reading, ask students to describe what they see in the picture and pose several
questions about the picture to introduce students to the text that follows, pointing to the relevant
parts of the picture as they are described.
 During the oral reading, define challenging words as they come to them (a glossary is provided for
this purpose); ask guiding questions and supplementary questions that systematically guide students to the answer(s) to the guiding question(s); and use sentence starters for ELLs with entering, emerging, and transitioning levels of English proficiency to aid them in answering the questions.
AIR Instructions for Teachers
Review student instructions for the first close reading with the class. Tell students that the guiding
questions are designed to help them identify important information in the text. Note that the phrases in brackets in the examples that follow are responses to the questions and are intended for the teachers, not the students.
AIR Instructions for Students
In this reading, you will be answering questions about the text. Your teacher will ask you to think about a guiding question before you listen to each part of the story. Then, your teacher will ask you supplementary questions during the reading. You will answer these supplementary questions. Sometimes you will work with a partner to answer these questions. After you listen to each section of text, the class will talk about, or discuss, the answer to the guiding question. While your teacher reads, he or she will define some of the challenging words for you.
Part 1
“A Father and His Son in Mesopotamia”
[Show Image 1A–3: Warad and Iddin walking on banks of Euphrates.]
 Describe the picture to students: In this picture you see Warad and Iddin walking (point to them) on the banks, or sides (elaborate on banks), of the river (point to banks).
 Partner Talk: What do you see in this picture?  Debrief several pairs.
 Elaborate on student’s responses as necessary.
Core Knowledge Teacher and Student Actions
The teacher reads the text aloud to students, shows them images that relate to the text, and asks questions about the text.
American Institutes for Research Scaffolding Instruction for ELLs: Resource Guide for ELA–30