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Classroom Instruction: Unit and Lesson Plans
Introduction

Instructional planning in two-way immersion classrooms presents some special

challenges, particularly for the new teacher. In addition to the variation in students
academic abilities, learning styles, and knowledge that all teachers encounter, TWI
teachers also must be sensitive to linguistic variation. Students in TWI programs
may have widely varying language proficiency levels in both their first and second
languages, and teachers must balance the need to push native speakers to high
levels of language and literacy development with the need to keep the linguistic
load manageable for second language learners. Moreover, teachers in these
settings are working to promote high levels of language and literacy ability in two
languages.

Effective instruction in two-way immersion settings is complex and is achieved

through a constellation of strategies. To address both content and language
objectives, the successful TWI teacher activates learners prior knowledge; engages
students in culturally relevant activities; employs hands-on learning; uses authentic,
performance-based assessments; and supports comprehension through a variety of
techniques, such as scaffolding, comprehensible input, wait time, and language
frames (Caldern & Minaya-Rowe, 2003; Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000;
Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2004; Freeman, Freeman, & Mercuri, 2005; Soltero, 2004).
All of these strategies are necessary for achieving the high-level academic goals set
by state and district standards that all program types are accountable for,
regardless of the language of instruction. The specific choices teachers make in
content standards and themes will, of course, vary from program to program,
reflecting local standards, curricula, and student knowledge.

Because TWI programs must help students meet both academic and linguistic goals,
lessons for TWI classesas exemplified by the lessons in this Toolkitinclude both
content and language objectives. For the English side of the program, basing lesson
objectives on English language arts standards is fairly straightforward, as most
states and districts have adopted English language arts standards for native
speakers, and adaptations for English language learners can be found in state
standards or in the TESOL standards. For the non-English side of the program,
whether Spanish or another language, the situation is less straightforward. Because
standards are, for the most part, not available for the partner language (although
New York, for example, does have native language arts standards for language
other than English, programs tend to use ACTFLs foreign language standards.
These standards may have limited applicability to English language learners
studying their own language (e.g., native Spanish-speaking students studying
Spanish) and to students in immersion programs in general. An added challenge for
the TWI teacher is that language objectives must also be appropriate to the
program model. What is appropriate for a 90/10 model will not always be
appropriate for a 50/50 model, particularly in the primary grades when the ratios of
instruction in the two program languages are very different in the two models.

There are several published frameworks for lesson planning for linguistically and
culturally diverse classrooms. The template used in this Toolkit draws heavily from
two of themthe SIOP model (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2004) and the Give Me Five
Framework (Gordon, 2005). Further modifications have been made based on
discussions of lesson planning in the literature (Caldern & Minaya-Rowe, 2003;
Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000), and feedback from Marleny Perdomo, a teacher
at the Arlington (VA) Public Schools and Ester de Jong, a researcher at the University
of Florida. The template is not intended to replace lesson planning frameworks that
teachers may already be using. Rather, it is used here to highlight key features of
lesson planning and delivery that need special attention in TWI settings.

The teacher thought the lesson in dual language instruction and have successfully
taught these lessons in dual language settings. Together the lessons demonstrate
effectively in different languages, and in different contexts. The lessons are meant
to be illustrative and are not meant to be applied without adaptation to the
environment. Rather, they are meant to be analyzed and discussed with particular
attention to how the lesson might be modified for a particular environment. It is also
important to keep in mind that these lessons represent a snapshot of learning.
Each of the plans includes background information about the school in which it was
taught, a unit plan that provides a context for the lesson, and a lesson plan that
covers a single lesson within the unit. Each plan is followed by a Teaching the
Lesson section that provides more detail on how the lesson has been delivered in a
TWI classroom. The section elaborates on the materials used, the scaffolding and
prior knowledge activation that is required, lesson adaptations for special
populations within the class, elicitation of higher order thinking, student grouping,
and ways to connect the lesson to the larger context of the school and the students
life. The section is meant to provide the thinking behind each lesson, both to
enhance the readers understanding of the unit and lesson plan, and to highlight
ties to best practices and the theoretical underpinnings informing these practices.

The six lessons vary with regard to the language of instruction, grade level, and
content area. They also highlight different strategies and components of dual
language instruction. We suggest that teachers read through all of the model
lessons for components that they may find useful in their teaching, as many of the
techniques and suggestions can be applied across languages, grade levels, and
content areas.

The first two lessons provide examples of math instruction. The first lesson is a first
grade math lesson on telling time, taught in Japanese. It provides a good example of
a lesson in a partner language other than Spanish, as well as an example of pair
work, hands-on learning, and integrated language and content instruction. The
second lesson is a third grade math lesson on Tangrams, taught in English. This

lesson is an excellent example of thematic instruction, as it makes connection

between math, art, and social studies. It also incorporates pair work, hands-on
learning, and language/content integration.

The third and fourth lessons provide examples of content area instruction in
specials (e.g. physical education, art, music, and library). The third lesson is a third
grade performing arts lesson on dance maps, taught in Spanish. This lesson also
provides an excellent example of thematic instruction (dance and social studies), as
well as an example of the use of Total Physical Response (TPR). The fourth lesson is
a second grade lesson, this time focusing on library skills. The unit is taught through
both English and Spanish, but the focal lesson included here is taught in English.
This lesson provides a nice example of a cooperative activity that helps to foster
connections across languages through an emphasis on cognates. Samples of
student work are also included with this lesson.

The last two lessons focus on language arts instruction. The fifth lesson is a fourthgrade lesson taught in English, although the larger unit from which it is drawn is
taught through both English and Spanish. This lesson demonstrates an effective use
of Readers Theater to promote comprehension of text, and also shows how to
foster cross-cultural awareness, one of the three primary goals of TWI instruction.
The sixth and final lesson is a fifth grade language arts lesson taught in Spanish
with references to a parallel (but not identical) lesson on proverbs taught in English.
This lesson is a wonderful example of how to foster connections and transfer
knowledge across languages. It is also a good example of how to use cooperative
groups. This lesson is accompanied by supplementary instructional materials and
video segments that show this lesson being taught by one of the co-authors,
Marleny Perdomo, in a classroom at Key Elementary, a 50/50 program in Arlington,
VA. Examples of student work are also included with this lesson.

References

Caldern, M. E. & Minaya-Rowe, L. (2003). Designing and implementing two-way

bilingual programs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Cloud, N., Genesee, F., & Hamayan, E. (2000). Dual language instruction: A
handbook for enriched education. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2004). Making content comprehensible for
English language learners: The SIOP Model (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn &
Bacon.

Freeman, Y. S., Freeman, D. E., & Mercuri, S. P. (2005). Dual Language Essentials for
Teachers and Administrators. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Gordon, J. (2005). Give Me Five: Instructional Planning for Diverse Learners. Des
Plaines, IL: Illinois Resource Center

Soltero, S. W. (2004). Dual Language: Teaching and Learning in Two Languages.

Boston: Allyn & Bacon.