Rooted Linguistics: Serving Teachers of Multilingual Learners
  • *Home*
    • Rooted Linguistics, LLC
    • Advertising Disclosure
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Books
    • Infographics
    • Videos
  • Services
  • Exclusive Members Only
  • ABOUT VALENTINA
    • Experience
    • Presentations
Picture




​NEW Resource! 

Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners: An Illustrated Guide

Get Your Copy
Picture
Picture
Registration Information
Picture

CoTeaching and the Components of Literacy

6/16/2018

 
Picture
As a co-teacher, you might wonder how co-teaching fits in with the components of  literacy. Or you might be a main stream (general education) teacher that has a co-teacher and you wonder how to best utilize two teachers in the room during reading and writing instruction. Many ESL teachers co-teach in classrooms during reading and writing blocks.  It's important to know which co-teaching approaches fit best with each component of literacy instruction.
​
One of the best things about co-teaching is that it can lower the student-teacher ratio allowing for more interaction with individual students and the ability to customize instruction. 

One of the best things about the workshop model is that it allows for differentiation for all students. Students are reading and writing at their ability and on THEIR level. 

​
When these two amazing instructional approaches collide, they can be quite powerful! What we want to avoid is one teacher taking the lead of instruction while the other only assists a single student or the same group of students all the time. 

These are some of the main components of literacy (and a brief definition) that we will merge with co-teaching:
  • Read-Aloud
    • A read-aloud is a planned oral reading of a text. Depending on the students' grade levels, reading levels and language levels, the read-aloud could be a wordless picture book, a picture book, a chapter book, an excerpt from a book, a song or poem, etc. The read-aloud provides students with the opportunity to hear text at a higher level than they can read independently. It also supports vocabulary development, critical thinking, comprehension, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, plus so much more. Read-alouds usually happen in a whole group setting.
  • Mini-lesson
    • The mini-lesson is a short, explicit, whole group lesson that directly teaches one skill students can use in reading or writing. Then students are sent to work independently while the teacher confers with students or gathers a small group. 
  • Shared Reading/Writing
    • During shared reading or writing, the teacher and the students work together to read a text or write a text. Often teachers use big books or blow up a text for all students to see for shared reading. If you think about Guided Release of Responsibility, shared reading/writing would be part of the WE do. Shared reading and writing can be done in whole group or in small group settings. 
  • Independent Reading/Writing 
    • Students read or write on their own. We know that to become better readers, students must have ample time to practice reading. Students read books of their choice during independent reading. Independent writing is very similar only instead of reading, students are writing on topics they select. The goal of both is that students do the work and they read and write a lot. 
Small Groups: 
  • Guided Reading
    • Guided reading is gathering a small group of students who are reading at a similar level and listening to them read a given text. The purpose of guided reading is to help students grow as readers. The teacher begins by introducing the book or text and then students read while the teacher listens in on each student. The teacher is able to offer support and confer with each student in this small group setting. There is a misconception that guided reading is only for primary grades. Not so...even intermediate grades can practice guided reading. Just be sure that the texts you select don't take too long for students to read. The goal is that students are reading abundantly. 
  • Strategy Groups
    • This is a group gathered to work on a certain reading or writing skill. Students may be reading on varied levels. The teacher begins with a mini-lesson and then invites students to practice the strategy in their reading or writing while they are with the teacher in the small group. The teacher is there to guide and support each student as they try the strategy. Strategy groups are often confused with guided reading groups. 
  • Conferring
    • Conferring is simply a one on one conversation with a student about their reading or writing. Conferring is key in a workshop classroom because the formative assessment that is gathered helps teachers build strategy groups and guided reading groups. This individual attention is valuable to student growth. It helps to build relationships and supports each student where they are as readers and writers. 
Word Work/Word Study
  • During word work or word study, students study letters, sounds, words and their connection. This is a great way to build vocabulary that will be useful in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Word work is really beneficial to language learners but should be quick, authentic, and engaging lessons. Word Work can be done whole group but is most effective in a small group setting that is tailored to group/student needs. 

Here are 6 popular co-teaching approaches:
  • One Teach, One Assist
    • This is one of the least effective approaches yet most observed in classrooms. During this co-teaching approach, one teacher leads instruction while the other assists a student or wanders around the room to assist a few students as needed.  
  • One Teach, One Record
    • This approach is useful prior to a staffing, RTI meeting, ARD, LPAC, or parent teacher conference. During this co-teaching approach, one teacher leads instruction while the other observes a particular student and gathers data. The data can be used to guide instruction or to bring to the upcoming meeting. It is not recommended that this approach be used often but as needed. 
  • Parallel Teaching
    • This approach is highly effective because it lowers the student-teacher ratio. During this co-teaching approach, the class is divided equally. Each teacher teaches the same content to the group of students. It's helpful to purposefully divide the groups based on student needs. The groups can still heterogeneous so students at all levels benefit from learning from one another. 
  • Station Teaching
    • This approach is another highly effective method of lower student-teacher ratio while differentiating instruction. The class is divided into 3 groups and will rotate into 3 stations. Each teacher will have a station and the final station is independent reading or writing. 
  • Alternative Teaching
    • This approach is highly effective because it allows for small group teaching and differentiation based on needs. Alternative teaching offers the ability to meet with a group of students who have a similar goal. While one teacher leads instruction with the majority of the class, the other teacher gathers the small group. In this smaller setting, they can work on word work, pre-teach vocabulary, reteach a skill, or enrich and extend learning.
  • Team Teaching
    • Though this approach is effective, it is often misunderstood and confused with One Teach, One Assist. Team Teaching requires complete sharing of responsibilities in the classroom. This includes planning, assessment, teaching, etc. When team teaching is effective, both teachers have planned instruction together and work as a well-oiled wheel to present content in the classroom. 

The most effecting co-teaching happens when teachers build a strong, healthy relationship with one another, respect each other, plan together, and see one another as equals in the classroom. All students should see both teachers as "their teachers". If you are the ESL teacher or a support teacher going into a classroom, always remember to think of yourself as another teacher in that room and not as a guest. On the other hand, if you have an ESL or support teacher coming to your classroom, remember to share the space. 

In the following document, you will find a merging of literacy components and co-teaching approaches. 

co-teaching_and_the_components_of_literacy_1_.pdf
File Size: 45 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Jen
7/12/2018 06:37:21 pm

This is a wonderful resource! I shared it with all the co-teachers working at my school. Thanks!

valentina gonzalez
8/5/2018 01:26:22 pm

That is such an honor, Jen! Thank you for the feedback. I'm happy to hear that this resource was helpful.

Keya Morrison
5/23/2019 10:03:01 am

This really helps to breakdown everyone's role in the classroom. I will be using this for my reading workshop this summer. Giving you all of the credit for this wonderful creation!


Comments are closed.

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    ​Archives

    April 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    July 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    May 2016


    Categories

    All
    Academic Conversations
    Academic Vocabulary
    Accommodating
    Accommodations
    Administrator
    Advocacy
    Anchor Chart
    Art
    Assumptions
    Balanced Literacy
    Beginning Of The Year
    Bloom's Taxonomy
    Book Study
    Brain Research
    Building Background
    Building Relationships
    Collaboration
    Communication
    Comprehensible Input
    Conferences
    Conferring
    Connecting With ELL Families
    Content Objectives
    Cooperative Learning
    Cooperative Strip Paragraph
    Coteach
    CoTeacher
    Co Teaching
    Co-teaching
    Courses
    Creativity
    Critical Thinking
    CRT
    Culturally Responsive Teaching
    Curriculum
    Differentiate
    Differentiation
    Discourse
    Distance Learning
    Diverse Books
    DOL
    Ear To Ear Reading
    ELLs
    ELPS
    Empathy
    End Of The Year
    Engaging
    English Learners
    ESL
    Exit Criteria
    Expression
    Fluency
    Foundations
    Four Cs
    Games
    Getting To Know Your ELLs
    GLAD
    Goal Setting
    Gradual Release
    Guided Math
    Immigrant
    Instructional
    Interactive Lecture
    Interactive Read Aloud
    Interactive Word Walls
    Language Development
    Language Level
    Language Objectives
    Language Rich
    Language Structures
    Leaders
    Learning Walks
    Lesson Planning
    Levels
    Library Media Specialist
    Linguistic
    Listening
    Literacy
    Long Term ELs
    Maslow's Hierarchy
    Math
    Memory
    Misconceptions
    Model
    Modeling
    Multilingual
    Native Language
    New ESL Teacher
    Nonfiction
    Observation
    Observation Charts
    Online PD
    Oral Language
    Paraprofessional Educators
    Parent Teacher Conference
    Personalized Learning
    Phonics
    Picture Word Inductive Model
    Planning Instruction
    PLDs
    PLN
    Primary Language
    Principals
    Procedural
    Professional Development
    Professional Learning Network
    Programs
    Q Triple S A
    Readers' Workshop
    Reading
    Reading Workshop
    Revising & Editing
    Scaffolding
    Science Of Reading
    Secondary
    Sentence Patterning Chart
    Sentence Starters
    Sentence Stems
    Shared Writing
    Sheltering Instruction
    Sketchnotes
    Small Group
    Social Studies
    Somebody Wanted But So
    Structured Conversations
    Summarization
    Summer
    Supporting ELLs
    SWBS
    Systematic Change
    Talk
    Talking Heads
    Teacher
    The Power Of Talk
    Toolkit
    Total Physical Response
    TPR
    Twitter
    UDL
    Verbal
    Virtual Learning
    Visuals
    Vocabulary
    Wait Time
    WIDA Can Do
    Workshop
    Writers' Workshop
    Writing
    Writing Workshop

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Tweets by ValentinaESL

Articles

Resources

Contact

Email
COPYRIGHT @ 2023.VALENTINA GONZALEZ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • *Home*
    • Rooted Linguistics, LLC
    • Advertising Disclosure
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Books
    • Infographics
    • Videos
  • Services
  • Exclusive Members Only
  • ABOUT VALENTINA
    • Experience
    • Presentations