SDAIE Models and Strategies Flashcards

A high school biology teacher is preparing a lesson on mitosis for a class with several intermediate-level English Learners. The teacher provides a partially completed diagram for students to label, offers a word bank with key terms, and uses a think-pair-share activity for students to discuss the steps. These techniques are primarily examples of which SDAIE principle?

Answer: Scaffolding content and language

Scaffolding involves providing temporary support structures to help students access content and language that would otherwise be out of reach. The diagram, word bank, and structured think-pair-share activity all serve as supports that can be gradually removed as students gain competence.

A fundamental best practice in planning a lesson using a Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) model, such as SIOP, is the explicit inclusion of which two types of objectives?

Answer: Content and language objectives

Effective SDAIE lesson design requires teachers to be intentional about both the grade-level academic content they are teaching (content objective) and the specific academic language skills students will need to learn and use to master that content (language objective).

A middle school social studies teacher is using SDAIE strategies to make a unit on ancient civilizations accessible to English Learners. Which of the following would be the LEAST effective strategy for this purpose?

Answer: Assigning students to read the original textbook chapter independently and write a summary.

Simply assigning a complex, grade-level text for independent reading without any support is not a sheltered or SDAIE strategy. It places the full linguistic and cognitive load on the student without scaffolding, making it unlikely to be comprehensible. The other options all represent effective support techniques.

During a math lesson on geometric shapes, a teacher points to a cube, says 'This is a cube,' and then uses hand gestures to trace its square faces and count its vertices aloud. The teacher deliberately uses clear, simple sentences and avoids idiomatic language. This teacher is primarily focused on:

Answer: Delivering comprehensible input.

Comprehensible input involves making the language of instruction understandable to English Learners. The teacher achieves this by modifying their speech, using visuals (the cube), and incorporating non-verbal cues (gestures), ensuring the message is received even if some words are new.

Ms. Garcia is teaching her English Learners how to approach a science article. Before they read, she explicitly models and has them practice the strategy of 'making predictions' based on the title and images. She then guides them in using this strategy during reading. This emphasis on teaching explicit learning strategies for academic tasks is a hallmark of which model?

Answer: The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA)

The CALLA model is specifically designed to teach students explicit learning strategies (metacognitive, cognitive, and social-affective) to help them become more independent and effective learners of academic content and language.

The primary goal of a Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) program is to:

Answer: help English Learners master grade-level academic content while developing English proficiency.

The core purpose of SDAIE is to provide English Learners with access to the same grade-level curriculum as their native English-speaking peers. It is not primarily an English language class or a remedial program, but rather a content class taught using specific strategies to make the subject matter comprehensible and develop academic language.