Topic 5 Pre-service CALLA Handbook Ch 2

Chapter 2 explores the content-based curriculum in the CALLA model. This model stresses content rather than language which will drive the curriculum. Language skills will be most meaningful when students understand that they are needed in order to accomplish a communicative or academic task. CALLA's focus is on academic tasks within a comminicative context. The chapter then goes into why teach content? Teaching content provides development of important knowledge in different subject areas. Second, it provides practice in the language. Third, students show greater motivation whe nlearning content vs. language learning only. Four, content provides a context for teaching students learning strategies that can be applied to grade-level classroom. This chapter stresses that content should not be watered down or simplified to the point where it is no longer appropriate. This reminded me of the GLAD training we had in the summer. The trainers stressed not watering down the language. The final part of this chapter provided strategies on how to teach content.

1. Hands-on and cooperative experiences.
2. Link the topic of the lesson to prior knowledge.
3. Teach and have students use technical vocabulary appropriate to te content subject.
4. Follow general overview of the lesson or unit in informational chunks. (This was also mentioned in the GLAD training)
5. Show students how to ask and answer high- level questions about content
6. Monitor students' comprehension on an on-going basis.
7. Teach students how to "know when they don't know"
8 Teach students how to use graphic organizers.
9Provide books, articles, and other resources on the content topics.
10. Provide explicit instruction in learning strategies for understanding, recalling, and using content.