Structure of the Four by Four Unit
Integrated Thematic Planning for ELD/SDAIE
Jill Kerper
Mora
San Diego State
University
For a complete description of the Four by Four Lesson Planning Model, see this chapter:
Mora,
J.K. (2006). Differentiating
instruction for English Learners: The Four-by-Four Model. In T.A. Young &
N. L. Hadaway (Eds.). Supporting the Literacy Development of English
Learners: Increasing Success in All Classrooms. Newark, DE: International
Reading Association, pp. 24-40.
The 4X4
Thematic Unit
The purpose of the 4X4 thematic planning assignment is to guide preservice and inservice teachers of English Language Learners (ELL) through the steps and procedures for designing and teaching an integrated thematic unit using differentiated instruction. The 4X4 Thematic Unit is based on the K-12 Content Standards. The 4X4 planning model provides a framework that accommodates the needs and abilities of students with various levels of language proficiency. The model provides a systematic way of planning for English Language Development (ELD) or Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) for English language learners. The 4X4 Thematic Unit is applicable in any of the different programs that serve ELL. These include English immersion programs in elementary schools, and English as a second language (ESL) or English Language Development courses, sheltered content classes and mainstream content classes in secondary schools. The 4X4 model is also applicable for teaching in bilingual classrooms, where level 4 proficiency learning and teaching are addressed through instruction in the ELLs' first language, usually Spanish. Click here for a definition of terms and an overview of different programs of instruction for second-language learners.
This unit can be included in your professional presentation portfolio to demonstrate your skills as a credentialed teacher with expertise in adapting language arts and content for limited English proficient students in interviews for teaching positions. If you are currently in a teaching assignment, this unit design model will familiarize you more in depth with the curriculum used in your school and classroom setting and strategies for adapting language arts and content-area performance standards for different levels of learners within your classroom. These guidelines for lesson planning are provided to prepare you for submitting Embedded Signature Assignment tasks in PLC 915A and PLC 915B Multiple Subjects and Single Subject Credential Program courses.
Teacher credential candidates completing the 4X4 to earn the Multiple Subjects or Single Subject credential will use a content-area textbook currently in use in California schools or a children’s literature book as the basis for the theme. There is a section of public school textbooks on the fourth floor of the SDSU Love Library. You may select a textbook or reader from this section to develop your unit. Click here for a link to the Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE#7) that describe the teacher competencies needed for effective instruction of ELL.
By completing this thematic unit you will learn to integrate content-area standards with English Language Development (ELD) standards and English language arts instruction through effective planning, classroom organization and instruction for sheltered immersion classrooms. Click here for the scoring rubric for the 4X4 Thematic Unit.
TO TOP OF PAGE
Conceptualizing the Structure of the 4X4 Thematic Unit
This table provides a visual representation of the concept of the 4X4 Thematic Unit. This form of planning allows the teacher candidate to address the developmental needs of a diverse group of students within a structured English immersion, bilingual or mainstream classroom. The teacher will include activities to focus on each one of the four skills of language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. This focus will shift for each level. S/he will plan learning activities and use instructional strategies adjusted for each of four levels of language proficiency.
Click on the cells of the 4X4 grid below for teaching strategies and activities for each level and skill. Click here for a complete list of teaching strategies and activities for each level of language proficiency. Click here for a description of the focus of 4X4 thematic instruction according to students' English proficiency levels.
The 4X4 Thematic Planning Model
For a model of a thematic unit designed using the 4X4 model, click here to view Ocean Movements by Shauna Howard.
Your completed 4X4 thematic unit will contain the following elements:
Section 1- Rationale: A 3-5 page narrative description of the unit that explains the goals and objectives under the Content Standards that you address in your unit. The description also provides a narrative description of the important points you considered in planning, such as students' levels of language proficiency, prior knowledge of the subject matter, and motivations for learning the content.
Section 2: Daily lesson plans for the four levels (1, 2, 3 and SDAIE) and the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) using the Five Step Lesson Plan Model.
Section 3: Samples of handouts, visuals, and worksheets. Include enough examples to give an idea of your development and use of instructional materials
Section 4: A list of resources and references used in the unit, including URLs for Internet sources and materials.
In designing the 4X4 ELD/SDAIE or sheltered
instruction unit, follow the questions, guidelines and structure presented below. These
questions will serve to stimulate your thinking about how to plan a thematic unit and
each lesson within the unit. Do not attempt to address all of the questions. Focus on the important
features of your own thematic unit and specific subject matter.
Components of the 4X4 Thematic Unit: Guide Questions
Section 1 of the 4X4 unit will be divided into the following six subtopics:
1. Introduction
Questions:
What
are the characteristics of the students for whom your unit is designed in terms of native
language(s), English language
proficiency levels and cultural characteristics?
Why
did you choose this theme? Of what relevance or importance is it to your students? How
does the theme connect with state and/or school district Content Standards for language
arts and your specific content area? Have you referenced the ELD Standards in
your planning?
What
are the overall goals and objectives of your unit? Include content objectives,
language objectives and critical thinking objectives. What are the "Big
Ideas" or "Essential Questions" students will
address through your unit? How have you selected or
distilled a "subset" of the concepts and relationships contained in
the Content Standards you
address in your unit and in each lesson?
How
will you structure your classroom to carry out
the activities planned in the unit?
Questions:
How
will the students’ interest and motivation to learn the topic be awakened?
What
do the students already know about the topic?
What
are the students interested in learning about the topic?
How
does what the students know and want to learn match with what is covered in the textbook
or storybook?
What
kind of graphic organizers, films or visuals will I use to discover what students know and
want to learn?
What
key concepts
and vocabulary words and terms do I as a teacher believe are the most
useful and important for students to learn from this unit of the text or literature
book. State these in terms of: a) their ability to continue on in the text or language
arts sequence with a good foundation? b) their general knowledge of the content area? For
example, in history you may wish to address the lesson to promote critical thinking about
these issues: How development occurs; how society changes; or how the economics of a
region shape history. Look for the essential questions or
big ideas behind the content. You can refer to your content-area Framework
published by the California Department of Education for a description of the
global concepts addressed at your grade level.
Select or design an activity to help you visualize a framework or schema to address the questions above. Examples are KWL procedures, a film and discussion, graphic organizers, or other visual displays. For Section 1 you will write a one or two paragraph discussion of the procedures and materials you will use.
3. Vocabulary
Questions:
How
will I have students at different levels of
language proficiency practice using this vocabulary with the appropriate oral or
written focus in a meaningful way?
What
level of linguistic and conceptual complexity
can my students handle successfully, with a challenge but without becoming frustrated?
What
vocabulary will I teach because it is most important to understanding the content
and/or
useful for enriching students’ conceptual level?
How
do I teach this vocabulary in context without merely assigning
students dictionary work or activities to define vocabulary words through isolated definitions?
Devise a Word Bank for your unit consisting of a) vocabulary words and b) cognates or words that have similar spelling and meaning in English and Spanish. Be sure to include different parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs or adverbial phrases. The cognates will facilitate understanding in L2 and enrich vocabulary in L1. The complete Word Bank for all four levels will go in Section 3 of your unit. Write a one to two paragraph description for Section 1 explaining why you selected the words in your Word Bank and how you will teach the vocabulary for Section 1. (For example, fill-in-the-blank with context clues or cloze procedure).
4. The Reading Selection
Questions:
What
elements of the content-area or literature text will be easy for my limited English
proficient students to understand? What elements will be difficult? Have I
conducted a thorough text analysis?
How can I make a grade-level textbook accessible to ELL through
structured and guided reading and use of the
textbook?
What
paragraph from the content-area lessons in the textbook or from the storybook can I select
to simplify by paraphrasing to focus on vocabulary and concept learning without
"overloading" my students with difficulty in reading?
What
types of reading activities will I use to reduce the difficulty of the reading text and
ensure comprehension of the language and content? (For example, cooperative
groups with comprehension questions, semantic
mapping.)
Select and paraphrase a paragraph of the text or storybook for Section 3. Write one or two paragraphs for Section 1 describing why you selected a certain passage or paragraph to paraphrase and how you paraphrased the text for your students. Describe what level(s) of L2 students will be able to read your paraphrased passage and how you will guide students at the lower levels to understand the text. Click here for an example of a paraphrased text or summary written to be accessible for ELL.
5. Guided Practice
Questions:
How
will I organize the new concepts I have
selected to teach and guide students step by step through this organizational schema?
What
configuration of individual or group activities will I use to have them practice the
concepts and manipulate the language of the lesson?
What
reading and writing activities will the students
participate in, with the teacher, with each other, and/or on their own?
What
product can the students produce through the guided practice process? For
example, a news story or short narrative about the topic; a paragraph to begin a
report, a fact sheet, the beginning of a timeline or graphic organizer, or a
language experience story or
guided story can be developed under the teacher's guidance.
For Section 1, write a paragraph describing what guided practice activities you will use to teach the important vocabulary and concepts. This will be an overview of the four levels of lessons you have included in your plan, telling how you focused guided practice for each level of language proficiency distinctly. Explain briefly your rationale for choosing the class product or project using the activities you selected. Include samples of graphic organizers or worksheets in Section 3.
6. Evaluation
Questions:
What
product or display will demonstrate to me that students have learned the concepts and
vocabulary to the best of their ability?
How
will I determine what I need to re-teach or review with some students and which students
can go on to more complex levels of understanding of the concepts or vocabulary?
(Examples: tests, pre- and post- writing samples,
reports, etc.)
How
will I reward or recognize students’ efforts to learn and their progress in the unit
in a way that will build their confidence and self-esteem?
You will include four lesson plans, one for each of the four levels (1, 2, 3 and SDAIE) describing activities for each of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). These four lesson plans will cover a day or more of instruction and activities. Do not be concerned about the time frame of the lesson. Focus rather on covering each of the components of the lesson as shown in the model provided.
Questions:
What
will the teacher do and what will the students do during each day of the time span
allotted to cover the theme in a logically related sequence of lessons?
Have
I utilized a variety of L2 teaching strategies (audiolingual
method, TPR, Communicative Approach) to ensure mastery of linguistic
structures and vocabulary?
How
have the students used academic language during the lesson? For what function or
purpose? Is their academic language use integrated into critical thinking and
problem-solving activities?
What
pace of presentation, activities and concept development is reasonable to expect from
L2 students? Have I avoided "leaps of logic" that will confuse
students because I moved too quickly from concrete and semi-concrete concepts
into complex and abstract concepts?
How
can I best organize a logical, coherent and motivating sequence of content and activities,
culminating in students' being prepared for the next stage of learning of the theme and the
text or book I have selected?
Have
I included activities that address all the diversity of learning
styles and cultures in my classroom through different sensory modalities?
The lesson plans will be prepared using the Five Step Lesson Plan Model (Hunter, 1982). This model provides a format to describe the objectives and sequence of teaching strategies and activities you will use to accomplish the purpose of the lesson. In each of the lessons for the four levels, you will also provide a short rationale. This rationale will explain briefly how you integrated the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing and how you adjusted the focus of each lesson for to achieve comprehensible input.
A format for the Five Step Lesson Plan Model and a sample language arts lesson are provided on-line. Click on the highlighted text for The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Lesson Plan.
Click here for a model lesson plan for secondary math.
Section 3: Samples of materials
This section will include the following components:
The complete Word Bank
(Vocabulary List) for your thematic unit
The paraphrased selection from your textbook or
literature book
Samples of worksheets, visuals, handouts, etc. These can be either
your originally designed materials or commercially developed materials. If
you include commercial materials, be sure to cite the original source.
Section 4: List of references & resources
As professionals, we must always acknowledge others who have given us ideas for our work. Give credit to your sources of ideas and materials. Use the citation style of the American Psychological Association (APA).
Remember: It is the quality of the content and
the thoughtfulness that goes into the assignment, and not the length of the project, that
will earn the best grade.
Course Activities
and Requirements
for 4X4 Unit Development
There will be three working sessions during class time for your
groups to accomplish its tasks. Additional time outside of class with your group members
is optional. During the time provided in class, you will select your topic and determine
the main concepts, principles and content that will be your focus. You will also share
ideas for activities and lesson plans for the four levels of proficiency and four skills.
Use Section D of the course reader as a guide. However, all grading
of the 4X4 Thematic Unit is individual. There will be no group grade.
Questions or Comments?
E-mail Dr. Mora from here or off my Home Page if you
have any questions. I also invite you to send me the URL of any useful websites you may
discover as you search the Internet.
Click below to navigate Dr.
Mora's CLAD Website
This page was last updated on 8/1/10