As educators, we constantly seek ways to increase student engagement, encourage meaningful discussion, and enhance academic language development. One powerful strategy that accomplishes all three is Think-Pair-Share, especially when combined with sentence frames. This simple yet effective approach not only supports students in oral language development but also serves as a scaffold for stronger writing skills.

What is Think-Pair-Share?

Think-Pair-Share (TPS) is a collaborative learning strategy where students first think about a question or prompt independently, then discuss their ideas with a partner, and finally share their thoughts with the class. This structured discussion technique allows students to process their thinking, build confidence in expressing their ideas, and refine their language before speaking to a larger audience.

The Power of Sentence Frames in Think-Pair-Share

While TPS naturally fosters communication, integrating sentence frames elevates its effectiveness. S...

Have you ever used anchor charts in your your math lessons? 

Visuals are a fabulous strategy to help English learners access content instruction.  You can quickly tweak your anchor chart to allow for language development during your math lesson.

Anchors charts used in a math lesson are a phenomenal way to help your English Learners:

• know exactly what you are saying
• what the vocabulary looks like (helping their reading and writing skills develop)
• how they are expected to use the new vocabulary in the lesson and conversation

Beyond the benefit math anchor charts provide to your English learners, this trick will benefit all students to more fully engage in your math lesson and be a part of the group – knowing what to say and do.

When you are planning your language enhanced math anchor charts consider the following:

What vocabulary will students need to be successful?

• When listening to you as the teacher?
• When engaging in conversation with each other?
• When speaking or...