RECIPROCAL TEACHING

1. Identify a text that is accessible to students but has several places to naturally pause during the reading. This pause time allows students to practice their skills.
2. Divide the classroom into small groups of mixed abilities, assigning each student a role (predictor, clarifier, questioner, summarizer).
3. Read the first chunk of text out loud with the small groups, modeling the following three steps of reciprocal teaching:

• • Before reading, ask students to predict what they think the reading may be about and get them to think about what is going to happen by asking
    questions.
  • When reading aloud, stop at a predetermined spot(s) to have students generate questions as they listen and read along.
  • Remind students to ask themselves what words and phrases are unclear to them as they listen and read. They might consider the definition, pronunciation, use of the word, etc.

4. Students repeat the process in their small groups, either reading silently and stopping at predetermined places or using a read-aloud strategy. You may want to consider appointing a student as a facilitator with the task of making sure each role gets an opportunity to share
5. Within the small groups, have students pair up and summarize verbally or in writing. Students then share key points and different perspectives.

• The teacher conducts a think-aloud to model for students how they generate questions, identify key points, etc.
• Discuss the various types of questions that students may want to ask: implicit, Explicit, opinion, open-ended, close-ended.
• Review questions (and perhaps create a list of questions) that are appropriate for clarifying vocabulary.
• Use a four square template for students to complete with the four steps of the process. 
• Create a rubric of expected behaviors for each role that can help students explicitly develop their skills and help the teacher assess student progress.

Scaffolds for Multilingual Learners

Entering/Emerging:

• Write down key words and essential vocabulary on your board, chart paper, or interactive whiteboard to help students identify what’s most important.
• Pre-teach/front-load key vocabulary.
• Create anchor charts with key vocabulary relevant to the unit of study.
• Students  use Alphablocks,  Interactive Word Walls, and Frayer/Four Square Models, and include the words in English/home language, as well as picture cues.
• Provide content-specific word banks, as well as visual support (e.g., posters, diagrams, pictures).
• Provide lists of linking words and phrases, transitions and connectors.
• Have students create their own personal dictionaries that provide references to words/phenomena in their home language and include picture cues for each word.
• Model differentiating between everyday and technical language.
• Allow students to access and use vocabulary resources in order to recount, argue, and explain.
• Model how to write a variety of responses.
• Provide examples of what students’ responses might look like.
• Allow students to respond in a variety of ways (e.g., pictures, text, mix of English and home language, etc.).
• Provide sentence stems/frames and graphic organizers.
• Provide visual support (e.g., posters, photographs) for students to name and briefly describe objects, people, or places.
• Provide sentence stems and frames for stating main ideas and/or restating details of content-related topics, as well as connecting ideas to one’s experiences (in home language and English). 
• Provide time for students to think and create an oral response (in home language and English).
• Model appropriate nonverbal behaviors to show engagement and listening.

Developing/Expanding:

• Write down key words and essential vocabulary on your board, chart paper, or interactive whiteboard to help students identify what’s most important.
• Pre-teach/front-load key vocabulary.
• Create anchor charts with key vocabulary relevant to the unit of study.
• Bold key vocabulary on slides.
• Model how to provide precise words and phrases to provide details, descriptions, classifications, comparisons, causes/effects, or procedures.
• Provide lists of transitional words.
• Model how to write a variety of responses.
• Provide examples of information presented objectively with a neutral tone.
• Provide graphic organizers.
• Provide examples of transitions to help students connect ideas 
• Model examples of paraphrases and summaries that are presented orally.
• Provide sentence stems and frames for questions.
• Provide frequent opportunities for students to participate in both structured and less structured dialogue.
• Provide examples of clarifying questions that students might ask.
• Model how to generate new questions to maintain conversations.

Bridging/Reaching:

• Write down key words and essential vocabulary on your board, chart paper, or interactive whiteboard to help students identify what’s most important.
• Pre-teach/front-load key vocabulary.
• Create anchor charts with key vocabulary relevant to the unit of study.
• Bold key vocabulary on slides.
• Model how to categorize details of main ideas.
• Model how to sequence a series of events from a passage.