Scaffolding the Primary Comprehension Toolkit for English Language Learners: Previews and Extensions to Support Content Comprehension

"We have created the lessons in these books to help teachers give their English language learners the conceptual background and English language structures they need to collaborate fully in each Toolkit lesson."

The Comprehension Toolkit's inclusive whole-group instruction sets a high comprehension bar for ALL students. Recognizing that English language learners think as deeply and meaningfully as native speakers, Stephanie Harvey, Anne Goudvis, Brad Buhrow, and Anne Upczak-Garcia contend that rather than lowering the comprehension bar for ELLs, we should instead supply them with the language support they need to express their thoughts in an academic setting. Designed to help students unpack the vocabulary and language structures in every Toolkit lesson, the Scaffolding The Comprehension Toolkit for English Language Learners books meet just that need. In addition to helping your English language learners actively participate in Toolkit lessons and express what they fully comprehend, these lesson previews and extensions offer you a model for how to address ELL learning needs across the curriculum.

A consistent mix of minilessons and strategies support every Toolkit lesson:

• Preview the Toolkit Lesson builds background knowledge and introduces concepts, vocabulary, and language structures used in the Toolkit lesson.
• Teach the Toolkit Lesson integrates the preview activities into the Toolkit lessons and help you optimize Toolkit practices to support ELLs.
• Extend the Toolkit Lesson includes explicit practice with grammar, syntax and oracy, as well as content and comprehension extensions.

Learn more about the Comprehension Toolkit series at ComprehensionToolkit.com

The Comprehension Toolkit series helps you teach nonfiction reading strategies in a variety of instructional settings.

Whole-Group Instruction
Grades K-2: The Primary Comprehension Toolkit
Grades K-2: The Primary Comprehension Toolkit Bundle (includes Trade Book Pack)
Grades 3-6: The Comprehension Toolkit
Grades 3-6: The Comprehension Toolkit Bundle (includes Trade Book Pack)

Small-Group Instruction
Grades K-2: Small-Group Lessons for The Primary Comprehension Toolkit
Grades 3-6: Small-Group Lessons for The Comprehension Toolkit

Short Nonfiction for Guided Reading and Independent Practice
Grades PreK-1: Toolkit Texts
Grades 2-3: Toolkit Texts
Grades 4-5: Toolkit Texts
Grades 6-7: Toolkit Texts

ELL Support
Grades K-2: Scaffolding The Primary Comprehension Toolkit for English Language Learners
Grades 3-5: Scaffolding The Comprehension Toolkit for English Language Learners

Staff Development
Staff Development with The Comprehension Toolkits

Resources for PLCs
Inquiry Circles in Elementary Classrooms DVD
Inquiry Circles in Middle and High School Classrooms DVD

Save with Teacher Packs
The Primary Comprehension Toolkit Teacher Pack
The Comprehension Toolkit Teacher Pack

Stephanie Harvey has spent her career teaching and learning about reading and writing. After fifteen years of public school teaching, both in regular education and special education classrooms, Stephanie worked for twelve years as a staff developer for the Denver based Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC), a partnership of leaders from education and business, who support innovation in public schools.

Insatiably curious about student thinking, she is a teacher first and foremost and currently serves as a private literacy consultant to schools and school districts. In that role, she conducts keynote speeches, presentations, workshops, demonstration lessons, coaching sessions and ongoing consultation to teachers, reading specialists, literacy coaches, principals and district administrators. With a focus on K-12 literacy, her specialties include comprehension instruction, inquiry-based learning, content area reading and writing, nonfiction literacy, and the role of passion, wonder and engagement in teaching and learning.

Stephanie has written many articles, books and resources; her Heinemann publications include the title Comprehension and Collaboration which she co-authored with Smokey Daniels, and The Comprehension Toolkit series which is an in-depth Curricular Resource for comprehension instruction co-authored with Anne Goudvis.

Click here to read recent Heinemann Blogs from Steph.

Connect with Steph at @StephHarvey49

» Listen to an interview with Stephanie Harvey on Education Talk Radio--2/29/2012 (30:35)

Anne Goudvis has taught students in grades K-6 over the years, beginning her teaching career in urban schools on the south side of Chicago. She spent many years as a staff developer in the Denver area, working in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. Currently, Anne works with schools and districts around the country to implement progressive literacy practices and comprehension across the curriculum.

She is the coauthor with Stephanie Harvey of Strategies That Work and The Comprehension Toolkit series, along with resources including Scaffolding the Comprehension Toolkits for English Language Learners. A history buff, she and Stephanie also coauthored the Short Nonfiction for Teaching American History series, which includes strategies for teaching historical literacy and student articles about often overlooked voices and people in history. With Inquiry Illuminated, Anne, Steph, and Brad Burhow show how curiosity and student agency thrive as kids engage in Researcher's Workshop across the curriculum.

Brad Buhrow is coauthor of the Heinemann title Comprehension Going Forward.

For the past twelve years he has worked with culturally and linguistically diverse learners teaching fourth, second, and first grade. He believes that "to be a teacher it takes thinking, imagination, creativity, curiosity and a lot of energy. That's why I became a teacher--I love that challenge. I've learned from critical theory that establishing a solid knowledge base and being conscious of my practices is the first step toward action and positive change."

Brad is also coauthor of Ladybugs, Tornadoes and Swirling Galaxies and was a teacher participant in the professional development videos included in Reading The World and The Primary Toolkit.

Anne Upczak Garcia is coauthor of the Heinemann title Comprehension Going Forward.

The coauthor of Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swrinling Galazies, Anne is a biliteracy teacher at Columbine Elementary in Boulder, Colorado, where she has taught on a first/second grade looping team for the last decade. Anne has her Master's Degree from the University of Colorado in Multicultural/Bilingual/ESL Education and holds an endorsement in Bilingual Education.