Allison's Initial Web Pick

I first came across Susan Wallace's article on the SIOP method in ESL education, hosted on the New Horizons web site. In this article, Wallace introduces the ideas behind the SIOP method and how it is used, and selects a handful of the 30 points on the SIOP lesson plan checklist to explore more in-depth and explain. I was drawn to this article because the SIOP method is very helpful in planning for instruction--and unfortunately, the training I attended wasn't very good. I thought this explanation was rather helpful, and would be for any ESL educators unfamiliar with the method.

With each expanded checkpoint discussion, Wallace offers suggestions and examples for implementing these points in actual lessons, and references standards and other informative sites for recommended reading to follow up on her explanations. Wallace doesn't explain a large amount of the checkpoints, but the ones she does highlight are backed up with very practical suggestions.

The first point referenced (SIOP component 2) deals with linking objectives to standards, and she uses what I assume to be standards for her teaching location. It would be helpful to offer information of finding one's own standards rather that using hers as a reference; I feel like this would be more beneficial in the long-term for teachers learning about SIOP this way rather than through formal training.

I discovered when poking around the New Horizons web site as a whole that is is a tremendously comprehensive source for all manner of strategies and articles on a huge spectrum of educational issues. There are other articles about ESL education, and recommended reading for people in this field or interested in the field. It seems like a tremendous resource.

The web site itself is very straight-forward, not flashy. It might not be the most visually engaging site in the world, but it is a concise and efficient "one-stop shop" for perusing various classroom techniques and methodologies. Many times educators are encountered with so many key terms and acronyms, and it helps to have easy-to-read and locate articles such as this one to explore unfamiliar strategies and concepts in teaching.