Sarah, Laura, Megan

Building Background Component of the SIOP Model

and
The History and Culture of South Africa
South African Education
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VII.

VIII.

Roobios tea & rusks (handout food)

Pictures of South Africa
Background: Apartheid (1948-1994)
-A system of laws that enforced segregation among racial and ethnic
groups in South Africa
-Three racial divisions: Black, Coloured, and White
-Black and Coloured people were forcibly relocated into townships located
on the periphery of major cities.
Language Tension
-11 National languages
-English and Afrikaans considered "white" languages
-Bantu Laws during Apartheid & outcomes for black students
Apartheid government issued the Bantu laws, which mandated that
science, reading and writing be taught in English, maths and social
science in Afrikaans, and music and cultural subjects in the learners
native tongue
-This put black students at a significant educational disadvantage
Today, 20 years after the Apartheid government was overthrown in favor
of democracy, South African township students continue to face unequal
education and educational opportunities
South African education today
-School spans from grade R or "reception year", through to grade 12 or
"matric"
-Students are required to attend school from grades 1-9
-Students must pass the matric exam to attend University
-The matric exam is given in English
South African education today (cont.)
-Every South African student is an English Language Learner
-In grade 4, students begin bilingual education. They take some classes in
their first language (Xhoso, Zulu, Sotho, Afrikaans, etc.) and some in
English, which is presented as their "First Additional Language"
Township Education

SIOP Model: Building Background

I.

Three Interventions to use when students lack background

knowledge
1. Teach Vocabulary
Content words terms related to specific content areas
Process/Function Words list, skim, first, next
Words and Word Parts That Teach English Structure Teaching
students that words are formed with roots and base words joined with
prefixes and suffixes will help them figure out the meanings of words
they come across in a text.
2. Provide meaning Experiences
The more authentic and relevant an experience is, the greater the
likelihood of the information being stored in the permanent memory.
Meaningful experiences include video clips, field trips, picture books, and
speakers
3. Introduce students to a Conceptual frameworks
Use graphic organizers, preview the text with students and go over key
ideas, provide students with chapter outlines

Take out piece of paper

II.

Marzano's Characteristics of Effective Vocabulary Instruction

(write the work desk on the board, take them through steps)
Step 1- Teacher describes the vocabulary term.
Step 2- Student writes their own descriptions of the term.
Step 3-Student creates nonlinguistic representation of the term.
Step 4- Students periodically do activities that help them add to their
knowledge of vocabulary terms.
Step 5- Students discuss terms with peers.
Step 6- Students play games with the terms

III.

Group Activity: (5 groups, assign each group a different vocab activity)

Square Vocab Model
Swatter Game
Situation Generation
Password
Concept Definition Map