Posted by Emy Tomita
In the beginning of the school year, many of my students do not talk in class or even share their thinking. One device that really helped to make them confident and speak up is the sentence stem charts. After teaching a certain comprehension strategy, I teach them to use the charts by reading aloud adding their thinking. Honestly, initially they sound like a robot, but later on it turns very natural. The sentence stems assist all types of learners to speak in complete sentence in their first language, increase their academic vocabulary, and give them the support to speak up in their second language. After days, the students start using the proper vocabulary in class, not using the chart anymore.
