BELIEVE Tool in Practice
Better English Learner Instruction and Education in Varied Environments (BELIEVE) Supplemental
This supplemental resource provides suggestions and examples for how evidence-based instruction should look in practice in the classroom. Use for informal purposes such as self-assessment, peer coaching or look fors. Refer to the BELIEVE tool for the full set of instructional practices and detailed observation guidance.
| Sample Practice | Examples | Practice in Action |
| Literacy Instruction | ||
| Makes judicious use of home languages to develop English language skills. | Allow ELs to translate unknown words, write in home language, and help peers with similar home language. Point out cognates (words that are similar in both languages) and similarities/differences in letter sounds and spelling patterns. Use translated text occasionally (especially helpful for newcomers). | |
| Assigns tasks appropriate for current English language skills. | Recognize EL’s proficiency in the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), then provide instruction and learning activities that match the proficiency and build skills. Examples include slower and clear speech, adding images to lessons (students decode “bat” and see photos of a baseball bat and the animal bat), using graphic organizers, providing sentence stems/frames, writing models, chunking, and reading text aloud. | |
| Differentiates reading and writing activities and provides scaffolding. | reteach critical vocabulary, preview the text, and show video or images to build background knowledge. Scaffold text by adding images, chunking into manageable sections, paraphrasing, translating sections, and frequently checking comprehension. Explicit writing instruction includes clear directions, examples, word banks, and frames. | |
| Academic Language Development | ||
| Focuses on a small set of academic vocabulary linked to current academic topic. | Word wall with essential vocabulary for the topic, with pictures, translations, and examples. Words are taught, practiced, referenced and reviewed throughout the lesson. Students create vocabulary notes or posters. Students use the words in academic sentences. | |
| Utilizes a consistent and explicit vocabulary instructional routine using the four language skills. | Introduce the new word, give a student-friendly definition with visuals and translation, pronounce the word, use in a sentence, have students repeat the word and use it in their own sentence. Provide practice with vocabulary notebooks, student-made flash cards, and word games, etc. Incorporate Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Assess vocabulary understanding. | |
| Provides regular writing opportunities with language supports to practice academic vocabulary and language. | Demonstrate how to write academic sentences relevant to content with target vocabulary. Students write sentences with academic words. Sentence study – a sentence from the text is dissected to discuss the sentence structure and meaning. Students do both short and long writing activities using full sentences in every content area. | |
| Content Comprehension Support | ||
| Delivers student-centered lessons with clear learning goals, active participation, and relevance to students. | Learning goals are posted and explained, using images. Explicit instruction followed by differentiated student practice, through pair and small group work. Relevance to students’ lives and interests are made clear. Goals are assessed in a meaningful way (draw a picture, use home language, allow fewer questions, tests read aloud, etc.). | |
| Uses visual and verbal supports to build and extend content knowledge. | Visual supports: images, videos, gestures, facial expressions, real items, maps, timelines, anchor charts, graphic organizers, graphs, infographics, word banks. Verbal supports: sentence models, starters (“The author says __”) and frames (“I agree with __ because ___”.) These can be oral or written to support oral language development. | |
| Provides specific, timely feedback to individual students. | Provide feedback on language and content in a way ELs can understand. Demonstrate correct sentence structure. Model how to read a word or sentence, then the student repeats. Encourage students to elaborate by adding details, e.g. “Tell me more.” or “Why do you think that?” Gently corrects misunderstandings. Provide mini-lessons to explain grammar points, content, etc. | |
| Small Group Instruction | ||
| Uses data to group students by similar/different language or content needs to develop both language and content. | Uses flexible grouping (heterogenous and/or homogeneous ability and language to suit the activity) based on identified needs for both small group and pair activities. | |
| Frequently uses small groups for both instruction and activities with a clear purpose, structure, and differentiated supports. | Every lesson includes at least one small group or pair activity for instruction, practice or review. Students are given clear directions, structure (assigned roles, numbered heads, ball toss, talking stick, fishbowl) and scaffolds (visual and verbal supports). | |
| Provides a variety of prompts to guide discussion and practice elaboration. | Prompts include sentence frames, simple questions, open-ended questions, and questions to encourage elaboration (“Can you tell me more?”, “Why do you say that?”, etc.) to elicit higher order thinking. | |
Based on the Better English Learner Instruction and Education in Varied Environments (BELIEVE) Observation Tool developed by Melissa Becce Coaching & Evaluation, LLC, and Evaluation Data Solutions, LLC, in partnership with The Ohio State University.