2. ● Terms sometimes used interchangeably
● Both valuable for ELLs
Sentence Stems
vs.
Sentence Frames
Which is it?
3. Sentence Stems
generally encourage students to complete
a thought in an open-ended way
●If I had three wishes...
●My favorite animal is...
●My ideal vacation would be...
4. Sentence Frames
teach language patterns and provide
the linguistic structure to speak or write
about a topic or concept
● One similararity between _____ and
_____ is _____. One difference between
_____ and ______ is _____.
5. Why Use Frames?
Academic Proficiency
● Provide structural supports for thinking, speaking
and writing, quickly moving ELLs beyond “the
basics” to higher-order thought processes
● Elevate class discussions
● Promote oral language development, which
plays a key role in reading comprehension
6. Why Use Frames?
Language Proficiency
● Provide linguistic scaffolding to balance
cognitive demands with language demands
● Enable students to see the patterns in
language
● Help students build internal templates for
expressive language (not a crutch)
7. Benefits
● Enable teachers to model what a good
response looks like
● Help students make meaning by tying
ideas together
9. Benefits of Frames
Student Perspective
● Bring ELLs into the discussion from the
beginning
● Build confidence & decrease anxiety about being
called on and knowing what to say
● Allow students to focus on the content and
concepts and on the background knowledge
they bring
10. How can I Include Frames in
My ESL setting?
● Push-in: Portable sentence strips or fold-
out display board
● Classroom: Language posted on walls
● Both: Small sheet taped your ELLs' desks
or notebook
11.
12. Building Bridges to What
Students Know
Despite all they bring, ELLs typically have:
● Decreased opportunities to discuss topics in
English and hear associated vocabulary and
sentence structures outside of school
● Decreased opportunities to connect what they
already know (background knowledge) to topics
raised at school
14. How Can I Integrate Frames
Into My Lesson Plans?
Sentence frames can be used
● across content areas
● during partner work: "Turn-and-Talk"
● for prompts in writing journals
● activation or closing activity (ticket out)
● assessment: determine understanding of a
complex concept or skill without
interference from language differences
15. Using Frames With Graphic
Organizers and Other Visuals
● With visuals, students may get the
concept, but are they able to articulate
what they know?
● By keeping language demands down,
mental space and energy are freed up to
take in higher-level concepts.
28. Presenter Information
I hold an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate
School of Education and a B.A. in Writing. I
currently teach ESL K-8 in Malden and have
previously worked as a journalist and as a
writer/editor at the Education Alliance at Brown
University.
