Classroom Instruction >> Multi-Level Classrooms
The following strategies will help your instruction:
Strategy #1: KNOW THE LESSONS
Knowledge of the lessons is critical. The teacher must be very familiar with the material in order to be able to switch back and forth between lessons spontaneously. Teachers may have to address 2-3 different lessons in a period or at best, switch from one lesson to another at different levels for the next period. The teacher cannot lose time by pausing to read through the directions for activities or determining how to do a task in a practice book.
Preparation of the materials must take place before class begins. Because time is "crunched" even more in a multi-level classroom, teachers cannot afford to lose time while looking for the right transparency or pulling out the right word tiles for a Basics phonics lesson. EVERYTHING must be prepared in advance. It's always a good idea to overplan for each class, so your students see a full agenda every day, and never feel that there is free time.
If students are familiar with a consistent routine, they do not need as much teacher monitoring and can focus on new content, rather than wondering what to do next. Teachers MUST make a point of communicating to the students that there are TWO (or more) CLASSES in the same room, while there is only ONE TEACHER. Adjustments will have to be made. Students must respect the needs of each group, so if the teacher is working with one group, students from the other group must not disturb them, except in case of emergency. Students will have to work independently and/or cooperatively about 50% of the time.
Which teaching techniques or strategies are best for a given activity, i.e., cooperative learning, group presentation, choral reading, teacher-directed instruction vs. student-directed instruction? Clearly it will be necessary to alternate between teacher-directed and student-directed activities.
It may be necessary to modify the activities in the instructional sequence of the TE in order to allow students to do them independently or cooperatively.
Technology (depending upon availability at school) can add a whole new dimension to High Point instruction.
This is a plan for the worst case scenario with three different levels in one classroom. Carlos Goes to Lakeside School, BASICs, and Level A all in the same classroom. The pacing plan sample will show teachers how a multi-level classroom could be organized by the week.
Sample Lesson Plans
Facilitating a multi-level classroom takes careful planning. We have sample lesson plans and blank templates available to you as a resource. On the lesson plans, please note that the shaded areas or underlined activities are to be done by the group that will be working with the teacher for that period of time. The non-shaded/underlined areas indicate independent or group work activities to be performed without the teacher's guidance. In the best case scenario, a co-teacher, paraprofessional or older/more advanced student would be available to assist the independent group.
Student Contracts
Student contracts make the work of the classroom lucid by showcasing what was expected every day and how well students completed their obligation. Each week students must have a work contract to complete. Students can work on these activities during the time that their level is expected to work independently.
As soon as students complete an activity, they should record that it is completed on their contract so the teacher can easily examine progress of each individual through a quick scan of their contact. Every day, the teacher checks the student's work and initials the contract to demonstrate that s/he is monitoring it and holding the students responsible. The work itself must also be examined, to verify the students' claims or to comment on the quality of the work. The same contract could also be given to more than one student, encouraging peer accountability.
Some of the benefits of student contracts:
Anytime activities
The key to the success of any of these activities is that they are designed for single and partner work. Since the teacher will be working aloud with another group, this work needs to be done quietly.
These activities need to be prepared ahead of time, readily available and introduced and practiced so students are able to work independently. We do not want students sitting and waiting for the teacher's attention and wasting valuable learning time.
Strategies
The following strategies will help your instruction:
Strategy #1: KNOW THE LESSONS
Knowledge of the lessons is critical. The teacher must be very familiar with the material in order to be able to switch back and forth between lessons spontaneously. Teachers may have to address 2-3 different lessons in a period or at best, switch from one lesson to another at different levels for the next period. The teacher cannot lose time by pausing to read through the directions for activities or determining how to do a task in a practice book.
- Read through the instructional channel carefully.
- Estimate the number of minutes required for each step.
- Look for ways to modify activities from teacher-guided to student-guided format.
- Consider changing the order in which activities are conducted in order to suit your needs.
Preparation of the materials must take place before class begins. Because time is "crunched" even more in a multi-level classroom, teachers cannot afford to lose time while looking for the right transparency or pulling out the right word tiles for a Basics phonics lesson. EVERYTHING must be prepared in advance. It's always a good idea to overplan for each class, so your students see a full agenda every day, and never feel that there is free time.
- All Teacher's Editions, word cards, Basics tiles, student resources, transparencies, library books, white board markers, supplemental supplies, etc. must be at the teacher's fingertips and ready for use when needed in the lesson.
- Dual color-coded agendas should be on the board, materials laid out, TEs open to the correct page, copies made, etc.
- For teachers who have multiple levels within the Basics or Level C, it is sometimes helpful to have two copies of the TE to avoid having to flip pages back and forth.
- Share the pacing plan with your students. Be sure they are aware how much material must be covered by the end of the semester.
If students are familiar with a consistent routine, they do not need as much teacher monitoring and can focus on new content, rather than wondering what to do next. Teachers MUST make a point of communicating to the students that there are TWO (or more) CLASSES in the same room, while there is only ONE TEACHER. Adjustments will have to be made. Students must respect the needs of each group, so if the teacher is working with one group, students from the other group must not disturb them, except in case of emergency. Students will have to work independently and/or cooperatively about 50% of the time.
- Management includes seating arrangements. Creating as much physical separation between groups as possible makes teaching different levels easier. Turn seats to face in opposite directions if you can.
- Consider using different blackboards/whiteboards for each group, where possible. Even using a different overhead projector and screen for each group creates a sense of differentiation.
- Having a standard "dispatch" activity gives the students something to do from the first minute they enter the classroom. One option is to have them complete a Learning and Homework Log to help them keep track of their assignments. Click here to view sample forms for The Basics, Level A and Level C. Click here to view and print a template you can use to create your own.
- Another option is to have the dispatch focus on current vocabulary terms. Click here to view a sample form. Click here to view and print a template you can use to create your own.
- Be sure to create a safe classroom environment, in which lower-level students do not feel intimidated by more advanced students. Rather, the advanced students will model and mentor the lower level students.
- Stick to a strict schedule. Give students time limits for their work and consider using a timer to keep everyone on schedule.
- Be sure students each have a spiral notebook ONLY for ESL class. Their work will all be done in this notebook, with each assignment dated and titled. These notebooks can be collected and graded, used for cooperative learning activities, shown at parent conferences, etc.
- As a time saver, have students correct Practice Book pages with a partner, but be sure to review and answer questions as a group, focusing on items where students have questions or cannot agree on the correct answer.
Which teaching techniques or strategies are best for a given activity, i.e., cooperative learning, group presentation, choral reading, teacher-directed instruction vs. student-directed instruction? Clearly it will be necessary to alternate between teacher-directed and student-directed activities.
It may be necessary to modify the activities in the instructional sequence of the TE in order to allow students to do them independently or cooperatively.
- Although we strongly recommend using practice books for homework, this situation may be an exception, since students will be required to work independently part of each day in this type of classroom.
- This may be an appropriate time to use supplemental Grammar Practice Book which corresponds to the grammar taught in a given lesson.
- Also, some teachers make a "resource packet" out of the transparencies and students work on that independently. Sometimes it may be necessary to invent activities that relate to the lessons in HP, but that are not provided by Hampton Brown.
- When presenting lessons using a transparency or CD, work with the entire class together. Higher level students will mentor lower-level students, and the lower level students may benefit from the upper level material.
- For LAAs, have students do presentations to the entire class. Everyone will enjoy and learn from the presentations. This will also help students to become comfortable speaking English in front of their peers. Prior to the presentation, students should write or draw something in preparation, so they can remember what they have to say, and it takes the focus off of the individual and onto the visual.
Technology (depending upon availability at school) can add a whole new dimension to High Point instruction.
- High Point includes some suggestions for software on the "Theme Related Resources" page at the beginning of each unit.
- "Inspiration" software is also available now at many of our schools.
- Listening centers with multiple headsets allow students to listen to a reading selection while the teacher is instructing others.
- Laptop computers and wireless headsets allow students to work independently without disturbing others around them.
- Digital cameras and video technology allow students to work on projects or even conduct LAAs independently while the teacher is instructing others.
- Phonics lessons in PowerPoint were developed by a LAUSD High Point teacher and distributed to teachers. Contact your High Point Expert if you do not have these lessons.
- Allow students to record their voices, either on a tape recorder or digital recorder, as they perform LAAs. The teacher can play back the recording later for assessment or as examples during instruction. Another possibility is to allow students to post their oral presentations online as podcasts.
This is a plan for the worst case scenario with three different levels in one classroom. Carlos Goes to Lakeside School, BASICs, and Level A all in the same classroom. The pacing plan sample will show teachers how a multi-level classroom could be organized by the week.
Sample Lesson Plans
Facilitating a multi-level classroom takes careful planning. We have sample lesson plans and blank templates available to you as a resource. On the lesson plans, please note that the shaded areas or underlined activities are to be done by the group that will be working with the teacher for that period of time. The non-shaded/underlined areas indicate independent or group work activities to be performed without the teacher's guidance. In the best case scenario, a co-teacher, paraprofessional or older/more advanced student would be available to assist the independent group.
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Sample lesson/pacing plan for a multi-level class with ESL 1A and 1B
Sample lesson/pacing plan for a multi-level class with ESL 2A and ESL 2B
Sample lesson/pacing plan for a multi-level class with ESL 3 and ESL 4
Sample lesson/pacing plan for a multi-level class with Intro ESL (Lakeside), 1A and 2A
Click here to view and print a blank planning template for a 2-level class.
Click here to view and print a blank planning template for a 3-level class.
Student Contracts
Student contracts make the work of the classroom lucid by showcasing what was expected every day and how well students completed their obligation. Each week students must have a work contract to complete. Students can work on these activities during the time that their level is expected to work independently.
As soon as students complete an activity, they should record that it is completed on their contract so the teacher can easily examine progress of each individual through a quick scan of their contact. Every day, the teacher checks the student's work and initials the contract to demonstrate that s/he is monitoring it and holding the students responsible. The work itself must also be examined, to verify the students' claims or to comment on the quality of the work. The same contract could also be given to more than one student, encouraging peer accountability.
Some of the benefits of student contracts:
- Teachers can pull flexible groups daily without disrupting centers or homogeneous groups.
- Contracts can be modified to meet individual needs.
- Record sheets are valuable tools during parent conferences.
- Families who are not yet English proficient can easily see from a contract what the typical work of the student is like. The future of each student's career depends on their ability to work independently and in groups to produce quality work.
Anytime activities
The key to the success of any of these activities is that they are designed for single and partner work. Since the teacher will be working aloud with another group, this work needs to be done quietly.
These activities need to be prepared ahead of time, readily available and introduced and practiced so students are able to work independently. We do not want students sitting and waiting for the teacher's attention and wasting valuable learning time.
- Independent Reading (i.e., High Point Textbook, Basics Bookshelf selections, In Zone Leveled Readers)*
- High Point E-tools student pages for theme related resources
- Discussion Circles
- Paired Reading
- Fluency Practice: rate/accuracy/ prosody (can take the form of reading aloud to a classmate)
- Listening Centers
- Concentration card game
- Flash Card Exercises
- Word Sorts