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How to Improve Grammar Lesson Plans with SIOP

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Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Searching for the key to crafting dynamic grammar lesson plans to truly captivate your students? Your quest ends here!
In this blog post, we’ve got you covered with a shining example of a SIOP Model lesson plan. Dive into our step-by-step guide revealing the art of creating grammar lessons that educate, engage, and inspire.
Unleash the power of effective teaching and watch your students thrive!
Plan Content-Based Instruction
A SIOP lesson plan example for a grammar lesson incorporates Content-Based Instruction (CBI) and Complexity Theory to provide an effective context and structure.
- CBI encourages students to observe and study patterns in language.
- Complexity Theory emphasizes understanding language features at multiple levels. Syllables, words, syntax, phrases, sentences, and entire texts are explored.
With these core principles in place, teachers develop and present a grammar lesson plan using engaging activities to get students excited about learning.
Steps To Crafting an Effective SIOP Model Grammar Lesson Plan
Creating a top-notch lesson plan based on the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) model effectively provides students an enriched learning experience.
Understand the SIOP Model
Before you craft a grammar lesson plan based on the SIOP model, itโs essential first to understand what it entails.
The SIOP model is an eight-component instructional framework that provides teachers with strategies and resources to instruct English Language Learners (ELLs) effectively.
Unlike traditional teaching methods, the SIOP model is designed to meet the unique needs of ELLs by providing modified instruction in language and content topics.
8 Components of SIOP
With the SIOP Model lesson plan template, teachers use an organized approach to delivering content with appropriate language skills and strategies.
The template breaks down each SIOP model component: Preparation, Building Background Knowledge, Comprehensible Input, Strategies, Interaction, Practice & Application, Lesson Delivery, and Assessment & Evaluation.
By using the SIOP lesson plan template, teachers ensure that they are meeting the needs of their ELL students by providing them with differentiated instruction in a structured and systematic way.
Identify and Analyze Your Students
The first step in creating a SIOP model lesson plan is identifying and analyzing your students effectively. Itโs essential to understand their individual needs, skills, and learning styles so that you can tailor your instruction to meet those needs.
Start by assessing the language proficiency of each student by using the reading, writing, and speaking assessments available for each grade level.
Also, consider other factors, such as the studentโs native cultures, experiences, and interests, when designing lessons. This will help ensure that all students are engaged in the lesson from beginning to end.
Once youโve gathered this information about your students, itโs time to create your SIOP grammar lesson plan template.
In this process, consider the eight components of the SIOP model. Outline specific plans for each of these sections using activities that will help meet your studentโs needs.
Designing a comprehensive SIOP grammar lesson plan takes time, but when done well, it can be a powerful tool to ensure student success.
Set Clear Learning Objectives for a Grammar Lesson Plan
Once you understand your students, it is important to set clear learning objectives for the lesson.
Goals should be measurable and include various dimensions such as language proficiency, knowledge acquired, and skills practiced during the lesson.
Objectives help provide structure and ensure that all lessons focus on a purpose and have achievable outcomes. When writing objectives, consider using action words like โidentity,โ โdescribe,โ or โanalyzeโ to increase student engagement and demonstrate learning expectations.
Clear objectives are a key component of the SIOP model and inform instruction and measure student learning while they progress through the lesson.
Ensure that objectives are accessible for all students, including those learning English and learners with varying needs.
Having measurable goals will enable you to monitor student progress throughout the lesson plan while teaching real-world applications of language acquisition that can be applied beyond content knowledge.
Choose and Prepare Appropriate Material
Even if your lesson objectives are thoughtful and well thought out, they wonโt be effective unless paired with appropriate instructional material.
It is important to select resources that meet the needs of your students and build on their skills and knowledge for the particular subject.
Choose instructional activities that support language development, provide meaningful content-based contexts, and encourage student collaboration and participation.
The materials should also be appropriate to the level of English proficiency of your learners and the level of complexity the lesson plan requires.
When selecting instructional material, it is important to consider the comprehensible input your learners need.
Ask yourself if they will be able to
- comprehend both written and spoken language
- gain insight into the general concept of the lesson
- use their acquired language to communicate in real-world situations
Once youโve decided what resources you want to use, think about how to adapt them so your students can better understand the material. This may involve developing simplified versions of materials or activities, modifying tasks according to student needs, or creating differentiated instruction activities.
Incorporate Language Activities Throughout a Grammar Lesson Plan
Language activities that correspond with the content of your lesson should be included throughout a grammar lesson plan.
These activities include:
- vocabulary development
- the use of visuals
- reading and writing activities
- hands-on practice opportunities
They should also encourage group discussion and collaboration to allow students to practice their language skills in meaningful ways. Building on previous language skills learned is essential when creating a well-rounded SIOP lesson plan.
Sample Lesson Activities
When creating language activities for the SIOP grammar lesson plan, there should be an equal emphasis on form, meaning, and use.
For instance, practicing pronunciation and setting up a role-play scenario allow students to use the language theyโve learned more meaningfully.
Additionally, using visuals to provide context to words is vital as photos can help students understand the meaning of terms more quickly than abstract concepts.
Group and partner activities should also be used so that students can engage with one another in English.
Through these activities, students will gain valuable dialogue practice while deepening their understanding of the course material.
Example of a Grammar Lesson Plan
When creating my lesson, I used a Content-Based Instruction approach and attempted Complexity Theory to provide context and structure.
Background
Diane Larsen-Freeman shared about creating meaning when teaching grammar.
This makes sense to me as grammar is defined as being a system of rules for language, and by creating a lesson that connects previous experiences with the grammar element of pronouns.
I hope to have captured her meaning in the activities.
Instructional Method
Emergent themes of making connections between the instructional materials: video, handouts, group discussions, and writing with pronouns and studentsโ own experiences with shopping help them to make similar connections to other experiences.
Using the handouts with fill-in-the-blanks for the pronouns is called Informed Gap Activity. Although focused on pronouns in my activity, this activity led students to fill in the blanks with missing information.
The context of our discussions in my lesson provides this type of meaning with the activity I chose for a grammar lesson plan.
Grammar Lesson Plan for Pronouns
Learner Profile
Grade 10 English language learners in English writing class. The writing class is 40 minutes in length.
Bridge-In (5 minutes)
Watch the following video demonstrating a shopping trip at a market.
Discuss in groups of 3 what happened in the video.
Learning Outcomes
- To explain pronouns.
- To write a journal entry about a shopping experience.
Pre- Assessment (5 minutes)
Review what students have already learned to measure students’ understanding. Continue the discussion about the video by referencing the video. Ask the students to give examples of using Subject, Object, and Possessive Pronouns to describe the people and their experiences in the video.
Example:
He asked the seller for the price of the T-shirt.
Then, write a few basic sentences on the board and ask students to fill in the pronouns.
________ is an excellent seller.
_____ thinks __________ is expensive.
__________ looked like they had fun shopping.
Next, write both singular and plural subjects with proper names and with objects.
__________ funny when negotiating.
______ was happy with his final purchase of ________.
Participatory Activities (20 Minutes)
Students will complete the following handout about Pronouns:
Subject Pronoun | Object Pronoun | Possessive Adjective | Possessive Pronoun |
I | me | ||
you | your | yours | |
him | |||
her | hers | ||
it | its | ||
their |
This is the completed handout:
Subject Pronoun | Object Pronoun | Possessive Adjective | Possessive Pronoun |
I | me | my | mine |
you | you | your | yours |
he | him | his | his |
her | her | her | hers |
it | it | its | ours |
they | them | their | theirs |
In pairs, students will share an experience they had while shopping. They will note key points and highlights of their shopping experience in their notebook.
As a class, we will debrief the studentsโ shopping experiences and capture the key points using Padlet.
The Padlet information will include the following:
- Where they shopped.
- What they were buying.
- How much they paid for their item.
- Summary of the experience.
Homework
Students will then organize their experience into the following writing format in their notebooks:
- Introduction Main Idea
- Supporting Idea 1
- Supporting Idea 2
- Summary/ Conclusion
Students will use subject, object, and possessive pronouns to describe their shopping experience.
Post-Assessment (10 minutes)
The students will complete the following handouts, and we will correct them in class as a Summative Assessment:


The following rubric will be used to evaluate the students writing from their Homework:
Areas of Assessment | A | B | C | D |
Ideas | Presents ideas in an original manner | Presents ideas in a consistent manner | Ideas are too general | Ideas are vague or unclear |
Organization | Strong and organized beg/mid/end | Organized beg/mid/end | Some organization; attempt at a beg/mid/end | No organization; lack beg/mid/end |
Understanding | Writing shows strong understanding | Writing shows a clear understanding | Writing shows adequate understanding | Writing shows little understanding |
Word Choice | Sophisticated use of nouns and verbs make the essay very informative | Nouns and verbs make essay informative | Needs more nouns and verbs | Little or no use of nouns and verbs |
Sentence Structure | Sentence structure enhances meaning; flows throughout the piece | Sentence structure is evident; sentences mostly flow | Sentence structure is limited; sentences need to flow | No sense of sentence structure or flow |
Mechanics | Few (if any) errors | Few errors | Several errors | Numerous errors |
Summary
This SIOP grammar lesson plan example includes having students brainstorm ideas, reading and discussing texts to illustrate rules, and engaging in cooperative learning activities.
Once concepts are understood, learners may practice grammar using writing assignments, sentence puzzles, and online resources.
The student’s understanding of the material is deepened by providing structure and context through Content-Based Instruction and Complexity Theory.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time,
Suzanne
Related Topics
References
Prof. Larsen-Freeman talks about complexity theory its implications for TESOL. (n.d.). http://Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 6, 2021, from https://youtu.be/ZqQi5de6bxU
Pronoun For Grade 10 Worksheets – Teacher Worksheets. (n.d.). Teacherworksheets.co.uk. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from https://teacherworksheets.co.uk/sheets/pronoun-for-grade-10
Tips on Bargaining in China. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from https://youtu.be/HBSsbWVZzto
(2015). Unipv.it. https://cla.unipv.it/EN/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Most-Common-Grammar-Mistakes-and-How-to-Fix-Them.jpg