The SIOP Model & Sheltered Instruction Components

The SIOP Model & Sheltered Instruction Components

Sheltered instruction is an approach to teaching content subjects to Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) in strategic ways that make academic concepts comprehensible while simultaneously promoting English language development. The premier, research-validated operational framework for sheltered instruction is the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model, developed by Jana Echevarria, MaryEllen Vogt, and Deborah Short. The SIOP Model consists of 8 interconnected components encompassing 30 operational feature indicators.

Detailed Breakdown of the 8 SIOP Components

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           THE SIOP MODEL CYCLE                           │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
  1. Lesson Preparation    ──>  2. Building Background  ──>  3. Comprehensible Input
            ▲                                                            │
            │                                                            ▼
  8. Review & Assessment   <──  7. Lesson Delivery      <──  6. Practice & Application
            ▲                                                            │
            └─────────────────── 5. Interaction         <──  4. Learning Strategies

1. Lesson Preparation

Teachers design lessons driven by explicit Dual Objectives (Content TEKS and Language ELPS). Content concepts are adapted to students' proficiency levels using graphic organizers, text chunking, and native language supports without lowering cognitive demand.

2. Building Background

Teachers explicitly link new academic concepts to students' prior background knowledge and personal cultural experiences. Key Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary is pre-taught explicitly before EBs encounter complex reading texts.

3. Comprehensible Input

Based on Stephen Krashen's Input Hypothesis ($i+1$), teachers make spoken and written language understandable by:

• Adjusting speech rate, enunciating clearly, and avoiding confusing idioms.
• Utilizing multimodal techniques: realia (real objects), visual graphics, body gestures, and video clips.
• Providing step-by-step oral and visual modeling of academic tasks.

4. Learning Strategies

Teachers model metacognitive strategies (predicting, self-monitoring, inferring) and cognitive strategies (note-taking, summarizing). Instructional scaffolding (verbal, procedural, instructional) is systematically provided and gradually released as student independence increases.

5. Interaction

Teachers minimize teacher-dominated lecturing to maximize structured student-to-student academic dialogue. EBs are given frequent opportunities to discuss concepts in pairs (Think-Pair-Share) or small cooperative groups. Ample wait time (7–10 seconds) is provided, and native language (L1) clarification is permitted.

6. Practice and Application

Lessons integrate hands-on manipulatives and physical materials, allowing EBs to apply content knowledge while practicing all four language domains (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing).

7. Lesson Delivery

Instruction adheres strictly to posted Dual Objectives, maintains appropriate instructional pacing, and ensures high student active engagement (students engaged 90%+ of lesson time).

8. Review and Assessment

Teachers conduct continuous formative assessment throughout the lesson, conduct comprehensive reviews of key academic vocabulary and core concepts, and provide immediate, constructive feedback.

Operational Implementation Checklist for SIOP Features

Comprehensive Narrative Worked Example: 8th Grade Science SIOP Lesson

To observe the SIOP Model in practice, consider an 8th-grade science lesson on Plate Tectonics:

• Preparation: The teacher posts Dual Objectives (Content: "Analyze continental drift evidence"; Language: "Write a paragraph comparing plate boundaries using sentence stems"). The teacher prepares chunked text passages and physical puzzle pieces of continents.
• Building Background: The teacher opens by showing a globe and asking students if they have ever noticed how South America and Africa fit together like puzzle pieces, connecting to prior geography knowledge and pre-teaching convergent, divergent, and transform.
• Comprehensible Input: The teacher demonstrates plate movement using foam blocks submerged in water (realia), speaking slowly and pointing to directional arrows.
• Learning Strategies: The teacher models a think-aloud ("When I look at this earthquake map, I notice...").
• Interaction: Students work in heterogeneous pairs using a Think-Pair-Share routine to discuss plate movements using sentence stems ("At a convergent boundary, plates move ____, causing ____").
• Practice & Application: Students manipulate foam blocks, sketch diagrams in interactive notebooks, and compose summary paragraphs.
• Lesson Delivery: The teacher maintains an energetic pace, keeping student engagement above 90%.
• Review & Assessment: The lesson closes with a 3-2-1 exit ticket reviewing key vocabulary.

Mapping SIOP to Official Competencies

On the TExES ESL Supplemental (154), SIOP language is most often the vehicle for Competencies 003 and 006: TEKS/ELPS-aligned methods, comprehensible input, interaction, and linguistically accommodated content learning. When a scenario asks for the best next instructional move, prefer the SIOP feature that simultaneously protects grade-level cognition and increases access—preteaching key vocabulary, posting clear expectations, structuring peer interaction, or providing a hands-on application—rather than reducing the TEKS standard itself.