Strategy Implementation Report #1: 7 Steps

Name: Robert L Truax Date: March 10, 2016 Grade Level: 10-12
How does this strategy connect my content and language objectives? How does this strategy facilitate my students’ ability to access the content? How does this strategy facilitate my students’ ability
to comprehend the mentor text, build essential knowledge, or produce oral or written discourse connected to the content objective? How does this strategy provide comprehensible input for my
students?

Lesson Sequence: Content Objective: N-CN

This should be a bulleted list that includes one or
more SEI strategies Students will be able to produce the polynomial equation given the roots of that equation.
They will also be able to factor the polynomial and check their answers.
Pre-teach vocabulary words (10 minutes)
Complete 7-step activity (10 minutes)
Language Objective: Language Objectives should be directly linked to the language skills students will need to be successful in
Create factors given the roots of an achieving the content objective.
equation (5 min)
Students will listen to the definition of root and apply it to at least five different facts and speak
Multiply two factors out to produce a them in a complete sentence to a partner. Students will also listen to an equation and produce the
quadratic (5 minutes) root of the equation verbally.
Provide an example for students to practice Language Objective Differentiation for Proficiency Levels:
and provide feedback while they are
L2: Students will set the value equal to x and then work backwards by subtracting the value to
working on it (10 minutes)
create the factor
Give two roots of an equation, produce a
Ex: if 2 is a root then x =2 and by subtracting two from both sides of the equation produces x-2=0,
quadratic and then solve quadratic (10
x-2 is the factor that produces 2 as a solution.
minutes)
Students will multiply the factors out to create the polynomial that has the resulting roots as factors.
Debrief on the lesson, answer any
questions, and assign homework.
Provide feedback as necessary. (10
minutes)

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 Strategy Implementation Report #1: 7 Steps

Targeted Tiered Vocabulary 1 from Mentor Text or Source

P0F P

Tier 2 & Tier 3 words should be integrated into student product/assessment.

Tier 1 words Tier 2 words Tier 3 words
Basic words most children know in their primary language: Essential to comprehension: i.e., process & transition, Low frequency, content specific, typically found in a glossary in
may include connectors or compounds specificity, sophistication polysemy, transitional terms, idioms, the back of a text
clusters, cognates…
Sum Root Polynomial
Product Solution Quadratic
Equation Factor Parabola
Degree

Script for Implementing 7 Steps to Better Vocabulary

This is a pre-reading/pre-teaching vocabulary strategy to aide students in comprehending the target mentor text.
There should be 100% participation on all steps.
Steps 1-7 must be completed in order and during the same session.
Step 6 should be timed for 1 minute. Ping Pong style: students taking turns using the word in a sentence.
Step 7 is the accountability step. Remind students that they will be using the words as they summarize orally what they read, as they
discuss what they read, and later in their writing. There should be no writing in the pre-teaching of vocabulary during 7 steps.
Before implementing, the teacher will:
 preview the mentor text, tier the vocabulary and choose the words to pre-teach.
 choose 3-5 words taken directly from the mentor text.
 have the dictionary definitions ready to go.
 have sentence starters/stems/frames ready for Step 6 as needed.

Word 1

Steps Word: Root Tier: 2

Why you picked it: A common word used in Algebra II and Pre-Calculus, it is used
in developing the fundamental theorem of algebra and all of its corollaries.

1
For more information on Tiered vocabulary, see Beck & McKeon (1985), Calderón (2007).

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 Strategy Implementation Report #1: 7 Steps

1. Teacher says the word. Student repeats. 1. Root

2. Teacher states the word in context from 2. Write a polynomial function of least degree that has real coefficients, the given
the mentor text. roots, and a leading coefficient of 1.

3. Teacher provides the dictionary 3. Root-The root of an equation is the same as a solution to that equation. For
definition(s). example, the statement that a quadratic equation has two roots means that it has
two solutions.

4. Explains meaning with student-friendly 4. Root-it is the value that makes the equation true
definitions.

5. Highlights features of the word: 5. Root-part of a plant that grows underground, , the fundamental or essential part,
polysemous, cognate, tense, prefixes, root of a matter; the source or origin of a thing, the love of money is the root of
etc. all evil

6. Engages students in activities to develop 6. 3 is a root of the equation x  3  6

word/concept knowledge. The 1 Minute TTYP
(Turn to Your Partner) & use the word 5-6 times in complete ______ is a root of the equation 2x  16
thoughts or sentences, ping pong style. Ping pong style turn
taking in the exchange so that no one partner dominates
Once in a while, teachers can check in by asking, “Who
wants to tell me what your partner said?” _______ is a root of the equation x 2  25

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 Strategy Implementation Report #1: 7 Steps

7. Teacher reminds and explains to 7. We will be using the word root to find solutions to a polynomial equation,
students of how new words will be used. specifically quadratics by using the sum and product of roots.
There is NO writing by students at this
time. This is where the teacher explains
that students should use this word in
their homework, classwork, reading
summaries, etc.

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 Strategy Implementation Report #1: 7 Steps

Word 2

Steps Word: Factor Tier: 2

Why you picked it: Students often confuse the difference between factoring and
solving polynomial functions.

1. Teacher says the word. Student repeats. 1. Factor

2. Teacher states the word in context from 2. Factor the polynomial given one root of the polynomial.
the mentor text.

3. Teacher provides the dictionary

U U 3. A factor is one of two or more expressions that are multiplied together.
definition(s).

4. Explains meaning with student-friendly 4. Numbers used in multiplication are factors. The factors of 6 are 1,2,3, and 6
definitions.

5. Highlights features of the word: 5. Factor-One of the elements contributing to a particular result or situation, poverty
polysemous, cognate, tense, prefixes, is only one of the factors in crime; to include as an essential element, especially
etc. in forecasting or planning; you must factor insurance payments into the cost of
maintaining a car

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 Strategy Implementation Report #1: 7 Steps

6. Engages students in activities to develop 6. 5 is factor of 45.

word/concept knowledge. The 1 Minute TTYP
(Turn to Your Partner) & use the word 5-6 times in complete
________ is a factor of 36
thoughts or sentences, ping pong style. Ping pong style turn
taking in the exchange so that no one partner dominates ________ is a factor of 100
Once in a while, teachers can check in by asking, “Who
wants to tell me what your partner said?” ________ is a factor of x 2  5x  6

7. Teacher reminds and explains to 7. We will be learning how to factor polynomials of degree 3 and 4 over the next
students of how new words will be used. week. If we are given a root of the function, we can use synthetic division to
There is NO writing by students at this work it down from a degree 3 to a degree 2 and then factor.
time. This is where the teacher explains
that students should use this word in
their homework, classwork, reading
summaries, etc.

Reflection on the strategy implementation:

Each response should be a short paragraph that includes sufficient details.
How did this strategy help my ELLs achieve the content and language objectives?
I convinced all of my students that this was based upon brain based research and it will help all of my students understand mathematical
vocabulary. I think they found it strange that we were covering words that they had already heard before but I honestly think it helped them
understand the vocabulary a little bit better and answered some of the questions that they may have had but were too afraid to ask. He
definitely appreciated the time that we spent on pronouncing the word and hearing it being used in a variety of ways. He was able to speak
and listen to the key words of the lesson which will help him on the unit.

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 Strategy Implementation Report #1: 7 Steps

How did this strategy help the ELLs in my classroom to produce academic language and discourse?
He had the opportunity to hear the word and speak the word several times. He heard and spoke the word in a complete sentence with a partner.
My ELL was able to hear the word being used across the curriculum in different but similar meanings. We were also able to connect the tier
2 words with all of the tier 3 words. He was able to see the connection between the tier 2 and 3 words. At the end of class, he came up to
me and patted me on my shoulder and said “thank you.” It was a rewarding experience.

To increase my ELLs’ engagement and interaction, these are the things I would change the next time I try this strategy:
I tried the strategy in all 3 of my Algebra 2 classes and I felt the presentation was better with practice. Due to my schedule, my ELL’s class was
first, and I feel it would have went better if his class was either second or the last class presentation. I would give it to my other classes first
to see what I could improve one. I would also include a graphical representation of the roots to show that a real root crosses the x-axis at that
point. The visual representation would have helped him understand that roots and x-intercepts are the same thing. I would also include a
pair of complex conjugates to show that not all polynomials have x-intercepts but they all have roots. The distinction between real and
imaginary roots would have been helpful with its roots, its equation and it graph.

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