1. TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
Focused Instruction
“I do it”
Guided Instruction
“We do it”
“You do it
together”
Collaborative
“You do it
alone”
Independent
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
A Structure for Instruction that Works
(c) Frey & Fisher, 2008

2. content and language components.
The established purpose contains both
content and language components.

3. What is a language purpose?
An analysis of the language demands of the task
An understanding of the way students demonstrate their thinking through spoken or written language

4. Why have a language purpose?
Supports student understanding of what they will be asked to do with their learning
Clarifies what needs to be modeled by the teacher
All learning is based in language.

5. Three Types of Language Purposes
Vocabulary: (specialized, technical)
Structure: (the way the vocabulary is used in sentences to express ideas)
Function: (the intended use of those ideas)
These language purposes build upon one another over a series of lessons.

6. Vocabulary Specialized Technical
Words whose meaning changes depending on the context (problem, simplify, value)
Multiple meaning words (run, place)
These can be “brick” or “mortar” words
Technical
Words that represent one concept only (denominator, photosynthesis)
These are the “bricks” of language

7. Language Structure
Grammar/syntax: rules for language use (e.g., plurals, noun/verb agreement)
Signal words: guideposts to support understanding of listener/reader (e.g., If/then, first, last, compared to)
Frames and templates: scaffolds for apprentice language users (“On the one hand, ________. But on the other hand, _______.”)

8. Language Function
Halliday identified 7 language functions (Instrumental, regulatory, interactional, personal, imaginative, heuristic, representational)
These are translated into classroom interactions (express an opinion, summarize, persuade, question, entertain, inform, sequence, disagree, debate, evaluate, justify)

9. The same content objective can have many different language purposes
CO: Identify the phases of the moon.
LP #1: Name the phases of the moon. (vocabulary)
LP #2: Use sequence words (first, next, last) to describe the phases of the moon. (structure)
LP #3: Explain how the moon, earth, and sun move through the phases. (function)

10. TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
Focused Instruction
“I do it”
Guided Instruction
“We do it”
“You do it
together”
Collaborative
“You do it
alone”
Independent
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
A Structure for Instruction that Works
(c) Frey & Fisher, 2008

11. Zone of Proximal Development
Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development
“the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).
Wood, Bruner, and Ross’s Scaffolding
requires the adult’s “controlling those elements of the task that are initially beyond the learner’s capability, thus permitting him to concentrate upon and complete only those elements that are within his range of competence” (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976, p. 90).
Scaffolding

12. “As easy as learning to ride a bike” “As easy as learning
Guided Instruction is analogous to teaching a child to ride a bike. Scaffolds include training wheels, running alongside the bike, calling directions (“Pedal faster!”)
The adult is there to handle the tricky parts, but the child begins to try out the skill or strategy

13. Scaffolds range of the worker extend the
In construction and in instruction:
Provides support
Functions as a tool
Extends the range of the worker
Allows the worker to accomplish a task otherwise not possible
Used to selectively aid the worker when needed (Greenfield, 1999)

14. Prompts Cues Robust questions Direct explanation and modeling
Robust questions to check for understanding
Prompts that focus on cognitive and metacognitive processes
Cues to shift attention to sources
Direct explanation and modeling to re-teach
Direct
explanation
and modeling

15. Prompts Cues Robust questions Direct explanation and modeling
Robust questions to check for understanding
Prompts that focus on cognitive and metacognitive processes
Cues to shift attention to sources
Direct explanation and modeling to re-teach
Direct
explanation
and modeling

17. Check for Understanding
Robust Questions to
Check for Understanding

18. Teacher Poses a Question
Student responds

19. I-R-E Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal?
Student: An animal that stays awake at night.
Teacher: Good. What is a diurnal animal?
I-R-E

20. Probe Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal?
Student: An animal that stays awake at night.
Teacher: Tell me more about that. Does a nocturnal animal have special characteristics?
Student: Well, it doesn’t sleep a lot.
Probe

21. Misconception Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal?
Student: An animal that stays awake at night.
Teacher: Tell me more about that. Does a nocturnal animal have special characteristics?
Student: Well, it doesn’t sleep a lot.
Misconception

22. Prompting for Cognitive and
Metacognitive Thinking

23. Prompt to elicit background knowledge Focus on cognitive/metacognitive
Teacher Poses a Question
Student responds
Is the answer
appropriate?
Yes No
Probe to elicit more information
Prompt to elicit background knowledge
Focus on cognitive/metacognitive

24. Background knowledge prompts use what they know invite students to
Includes what has been previously taught and what has been experienced
Can be built directly or indirectly (Marzano, 2004)
invite students to
use what they know
to resolve problems

25. Process or Procedure Prompts specific task To perform a
Addresses the “what” and “how” in learning
Examples: Order of operations (math), peer response (writing), completing a lab (science)
Prompts can be forward chaining (starts the process) and backward chaining (leaves the last step to complete)
To perform a
specific task

26. Reflective prompt “What are we learning today?” knowing about knowing
Trigger metacognitive thinking
“Knowing about knowing”
Includes invitations to set goals, write in an interactive journal, conferencing with a student
“What did you learn today?”
“How did you learn it?
“What do you need to learn next?”
“What are we learning today?”

27. Heuristic prompt Informal and less defined
Informal problem-solving dispositions and technique
Often apply a “rule of thumb”
“Make a graph so I can see it;” “confirm my prediction;” “keep track of the calculations so I don’t get mixed up;” “Make a list of pros and cons”
These are less well-defined techniques than procedural or process knowledge ones, and draw on past experiences and “Eureka moments*
“Make a graph so you can see it.”

28. How do you
find parking?

29. PROMPT Teacher: What is a nocturnal animal?
Student: An animal that stays awake at night.
Teacher: Tell me more about that. Does a nocturnal animal have special characteristics?
Student: Well, it doesn’t sleep a lot.
Teacher: I’m thinking of those pictures we saw of the great horned owl and the slow loris in the daytime and at night. Does your answer still work?
PROMPT

30. Cues to Shift Attention

31. No No No Cue to shift Attention to Information source
Teacher Poses a Question
Student responds
Is the answer
appropriate?
Yes No
Prompt to elicit background knowledge
Focus on cognitive/metacognitive
Probe to elicit more information
Is the answer
appropriate?
Is the answer
appropriate?
Yes
Yes No No
Pose new
question
Cue to shift
Attention to
Information source
Pose new
question

32. Cues Shift attention to sources of information
Can highlight an error
More direct and specific than prompts
Often follow a prompt that did not elicit a correct response
More direct and specific than prompts

33. Attention grows with competence
the expert commentator sees things you don’t
cues do the same for novices
Attention grows with competence

34. 6 Types Visual Physical Gestural Positional Verbal Environmental
Pair for greater impact

35. Using Prompts and Cues
Context: Students are creating a Jeopardy®-style game. The teacher is building the background knowledge of a group of students. He draws their attention to a sentence in the text: “When you eat foods—such as bread, meat, and vegetables— they are not in a form that the body can use as nourishment.” He asks Mauricio to retell it is his own words...

36. Mauricio: So, I think it says that your body can’t use meat like it is meat. It has to be changed.
Jessica: But that’s what we eat to live. That’s good eating.
Russell: I don’t eat any vegetables. I only like the meat and bread from this, like a hamburger.
Mr. Jackson: How does that meat change so that your body can use it? Russell?
Russell: It doesn’t change. It’s meat.
Mr. Jackson: So let’s think about what we know about nourishment and our food. There’s a process that it goes through, right? [they nod in agreement] What’s the first step? You know this because you do it several times a day.
Sarah: The first thing to eat? Is that what you mean?
Mr. Jackson: Yeah, the first thing.
Sarah: You take a bite.
Mr. Jackson: Exactly, right on. So you’ve changed the food, right?
Russell: Yeah, but it’s still meat.
Mr. Jackson: It sure is. But it’s changed a bit, and will change more. Remember we talked about different kinds of changes. Physical … Chemical
Russell: So the first thing, when you bite it, it’s a physical change, right?
Mr. Jackson: You know it! And then what happens?

37. Direct Explanation
and Modeling

38. When prompting
and cueing fail,
it’s time for
direct
explanation.

39. OFFER DIRECT EXPLANATION
QUESTION
Responds
Appropriate? No
Yes
Probe
PROMPT
Yes
Appropriate?
Appropriate? No No
Yes
New
question
New
question
CUE
Is the answer
appropriate?
Yes No
Pose new
question
OFFER DIRECT EXPLANATION
AND MODELING
600 sixth graders surveyed said they wanted the teacher to:
Describe what he or she did to understand an occurrence in the text;
Demonstrate how they knew when they had the correct meaning for the word; and
Show how the teacher applies specific reading processes (Block, 2004)
Pose original
question again

40. Direct Explanation Identify Explain Think aloud Monitor
Explicitly state what is being taught
Tell when and how it will be used
Think aloud to demonstrate reasoning
Monitor application
Check for understanding
Take care not to re-assume responsibility too quickly