(Scenario from question 24)

Question

Mr. Munro teaches middle school science in a highly diverse city on the west coast. His classroom composite looks like many other classrooms in America. Two of his students are refugees from Thailand. Many are immigrants from Asia, Mexico, and Eastern Europe. Others represent a range of racial and ethnic groups. Altogether, seven are ELL students. All are able to converse and make friends, but they struggle with academic language. Mr. Munro has found that using a sheltered instruction approach to teach science content and language skills works best with these students.

Describe at least four specific things Mr. Munro is doing or might do to provide affective and emotional/social support for these middle school students during science class. Explain how each of these actions or strategies provides affective, emotional/social support.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Suggested Response:
• In science class, Mr. Munro is using pairs and groups that allow students to work together and learn from one another. This provides emotional/social support by helping them use their language around other students rather than remaining quiet and reclusive. It probably helps them establish relationships and feel more connected.
• Mr. Munro is using learning activities that promote reading and writing success. He focuses on vocabulary in every lesson and asks students to read and write definitions. He engages students in reading the objectives for each lesson. In their groups, they do activities that involve reading, writing, and listening. These actions and strategies provide affective and emotional support by helping these students feel successful. They have the support they need to take risks without penalty. They are likely to feel more positive in their judgment of their own abilities.
• Mr. Munro provides opportunities for plenty of practice. He monitors students and gives feedback. He provides scaffolding when students struggle. They are likely to feel that they have the support they need to persist rather than giving up. This should add to their feelings of success.
• Mr. Munro can learn students' strengths and recognize them for those strengths. He might create opportunities for individual students to shine by using their strengths in the context of science or relevant life applications. This strategy should make students feel valued.
• Mr. Munro must hold high expectations for these students to meet the content and language objectives in lessons. He can provide a variety of ways for students to represent their learning