Alba DeLeon

4 December 2019

SIOP Lesson Reflection

1. Did you achieve both your language and content objectives? How can you be sure?

 Our language objective was for students to orally describe the features of sloths, and our

content objective was to determine the differences between sloth species. I believe we

achieved our language objectives because we had the students explain sloth

characteristics out loud. The students also played a board game where questions were

asked about sloths, and the only way for the students to move on was for the students to

answer the question about the sloths correctly. I also believed we achieved our content

objective because the students had to work together to create a Venn Diagram of the

differences between sloth species. They used their notes, and what they have learned

from the video to help complete this assignment.

2. Do you feel you "immersed" the students in the vocabulary? Based on your assessment, did

the students have their own understanding of each of the vocab words?

 Personally, I feel like there could have been more vocabulary immersion. We focused on

the main vocabulary words: Choloepus and Bradypus. The students understood which

sloth species was which by the end of the lesson. The students also had a hard time

pronouncing the word. I do, however, feel that when working in Choloepus and

Bradypus, the students were engaged in trying to memorize which vocabulary word

meant three-toed sloth or two-toed sloth.

3. Do you feel you had enough interaction, giving students the chance to apply the

language/content with other students? Why or why not?

  I do feel like we had enough interaction for the students to apply the language/content

with other students. The first main assignment, The Venn Diagram, had the students

talking with each other to write down traits of sloths. To determine the differences

between the sloth species the students had to come up with their scientific name. The

students had to think about the proper terms that go with each sloth. Because it was a

teamwork assignment, the students had to discuss the content and topics that they learned

to complete the assignment.

4. What are three aspects of the SIOP process that you find effective and truly need to be in your

lesson plans (especially if ELLs are present)?

 I believe that there are three important components of the SIOP process that need to be in

my lesson plans. The first one is Building Background. I feel that this component is

especially important for ELL students that were not born in this country. It is easier to

understand a topic when you can compare the concept to a similar concept. So, if you

properly build an ELL student’s background knowledge, it will be easier for them to

understand the new concept. The second component that I feel is very important for ELL

students is Comprehensible Input. Once you have finished with background knowledge, a

teacher needs to make sure that the concept that is being taught can be understood by

everyone. Does the concept make sense? Are there any complex abstract ideas that might

be challenging for a beginner level ELL student? Comprehensible Input makes you think

about these questions, and I think that is very important. The last component is Lesson

Delivery. I feel this is really important because depending on how well a teacher

performs their lesson determines how well any student may pick up a new concept. You

do not want to go too fast, where there is no time to think or take notes. Also, you do not
 want to go too slow, so that students will be disengaged and bored. You have to find the

happy medium that works for all students and will come with the best possible outcome.

5. Looking back now that you've completed the lesson, what is one thing you would have

done differently? Why?

 I think the one thing I would have gone differently is to make the PowerPoint longer or

discuss more vocabulary. I felt like the lesson was great. It was fun, and it was engaging,

and all the students had to participate. The students were also broken up into smaller

groups, so it was a ratio of one teacher to five students. I feel like if there was more

information to discuss, the students could ask more questions, or maybe the students

would have had more information to talk about. I also would have made the game board

bigger. If the game board was bigger, the game could have lasted longer, and maybe we

could have added in more questions. Overall, I am very happy with how the lesson turned

out.