ELL Adaptation ForAegean Adaptability: Geography and the Ancient

GreeksStudents learn about Ancient Greek, while reinforcing writing skills.

Author Cheryl WiensGrade Level 6-8Duration 2-3 class periods

ELL Adaptation by Rhonda Gonzalez

SIOP Elements

PreparationAdapting contentLinking to backgroundLinking to past learningStrategies used

ScaffoldingModelingGuided practiceIndependent practiceComprehensible input

Grouping OptionWhole classSmall groupsPartnersIndependent

Integrating ProcessesReadingWritingSpeakingListening

ApplicationHands onMeaningfulLinked to objectivesPromotes engagement

AssessmentIndividualGroupWrittenOral

TESOL Standard(s) ELL1-B. Create a variety of written communication.B1. Create simple paragraphs.B2. Produce various forms of creative writing.B4. Define and use target vocabulary in written communication.

Arizona ELL I Reading Standard Arizona ELL III Reading StandardComprehending Text: The student willanalyze text for expression, enjoyment, andresponse to other related content areas.Beginning: The student will respond to storiesdramatized or read to him or her, using avariety of physical actions (e.g., matchingobjects, pointing to an answer), and by drawingpictures.Intermediate: The students will respond orallyto stories dramatized or read to him or her byanswering factual comprehension questionsusing short patterns of words and phrases.

Comprehending Text: The student willanalyze text for expression, enjoyment,and response to other related contentareas.Beginning: The student will identify mainideas and key details of text.Intermediate: The student will identify themain ideas, key words, and importantdetails in text that requires some level ofinference.

Aegean Adaptability

ELL Adaptation

to stories dramatized or read to him or her byanswering factual comprehension questionsusing short patterns of words and phrases.

inference.

Arizona ELL I Writing Standard Arizona ELL III Writing StandardWriting Applications: The student willexpress in writing his or her own thinkingand ideas.Beginning: The student will respond withdrawings to stories dramatized orconceptualized by the teacher.Intermediate: The student will relate messagesby drawing, by using imitative writing, bydictating to an adult, or by writing key, self-selected words.

Writing Applications: The student willexpress in writing his or her ownthinking and ideas.Beginning: The student will use the writingprocess to write short, single paragraphpersonal narratives or friendly lettersdistinguished by topics and ideas that arebroad and simplistic.Intermediate: The student will use thewriting process to create essays and formalcommunications of up to 2 paragraphs invarious genres (expository, narrative,research) distinguished by identifiable mainideas that contains general supportingdetails.

OverviewThe early Greeks had limited resources and adaptedto their natural environment. Living on an infertile,rugged, mountainous land, which offered few naturalresources, the Greeks took to the sea. They becamefishers, sailors, and merchants of the sea, tradingwith civilizations as far away as Egypt.

Key VocabularySea - A large body of salt water smaller than anocean

Rocky - full of rocks; like rock

Natural resource - any useful material found in theenvironment

Island - a body of land surrounded by water

Mountains - a landform high in elevation larger thana hill

Fertile - containing substances plants need in orderto grow well

Additional Materials Needed forELL• ELL Adaptation of Handouts 1 and 2• Geography of Ancient Greece Summary Sheet

for Use in Assessment• Answer Key for Highlighting Handout 1

• ELL vocabulary cards• ELL Assessment-Handout 3• ELL Student Example for writing summary

Additional Details on ELLStrategiesThink About This: When partnering students for theCause and Effects Worksheet, partner ELL studentswith average students rather than with advancedstudents. Average students tend to be more patientand more likely not to simply allow the ELL studentto copy their work.

ProceduresSESSION ONE1. Students read pages 6 and 7 in NationalGeographic's Reading Expeditions, CivilizationsPast to Present, Greece. While the class readsthese pages have beginning ELL students highlightthe following words on a copy of the pages: ancient,civilization, democratic, sea, city-states, citizens, andGreece. (Preparation: Adapting Content;Integrating Processes: Reading; Scaffolding:Guided Practice)

2. Begin a discussion about the unchanginggeography of Greece using the physical maps onpages 6 and 7. If picture books or Internet sourcesare available share actual photos of the ruggedterrain. If no pictures are available draw some onthe overhead or show other pictures of similarterrain. Have beginning students draw pictures oftheir own or supply them with some you have drawn

Aegean Adaptabilityto write the key vocabulary words on. Be sure to useand emphasize the key vocabulary. (Grouping:Whole Group; Scaffolding: Modeling; IntegratingProcesses: Listening) Ask the following questions:What do the physical features of the map tell youabout Greece's land? How could such anenvironment affect human life? What things did theearly Greeks do to survive and to meet their basicneeds?

3. Distribute copies of Handout 1 - "The Geographyof Greece.” Model for the class how tohighlight/underline key points. Explain that this is apre-writing strategy that will enable students toremember main ideas and significant details for thesummary writing assignment. Continue to hightlightwith the whole class so ELLs can see what theimportant details are in this reading.(Scaffolding:Independent Practice; Integrating Processes:Reading)

SESSION TWO

4. Distribute copies of Handout 2 - "Cause andEffect" to students. Instruct students to analyze theselection for cause and effect by completing theworksheet. ELL students will work with a partner tocomplete this handout. (Grouping: Partners;Integrating Processes: Writing; Application:Meaningful, Linked to Objectives).

SESSION THREE5. Distribute copies of Handout 3 - "Ancient GreeceWriting Prompt & Checklist" to students. Go over thewriting prompt and checklist, discussing the criteria

for the summary writing assignment. Explain that thesummary will be graded in the areas ofOrganization, Ideas & Content, and Conventions(punctuation).

Give ELL 1 students the adaptation of theassessment, which is a cloze activity and drawingkey terms. They may use the Summary Sheet forUse in Assessment to help them fill in the blanks.These students may use pictures drawn duringsession 1 to complete the page on Key Terms.

Intermediate students should be able to write asummary on their own with their “Geography ofGreece” highlighted or underlined page. Simply havethem rewrite the sentences on the handout, puttingthe sentences into their own words and changingthem slightly.

AssessmentHandout 3 is the assessment for ELL 1. The ELLassessment should be 80% or above for mastery ofthe cloze version of the summary and for correctlyidentifying (drawing) the vocabulary words. Thechecklist would still be applicable for assessing theintermediate ELL student with mastery being a fouror higher (Assessment: Individual, Written).