an excerpt from Open Court Resources.com

Here is an example from second grade “Look Again” unit of how you can scaffold difficult vocabulary/unit concepts for English Language Learners so that all students can participate in conversations and writing about a particular unit.

Background for Teachers: Four Types of Camouflage:

1. Protective Coloration: blending in for protection or to surprise prey

2. Mimicry: pretending to be something else to hide (like the walking stick) or to frighten other animals (like the moth)

3. Changing Colors: to match surroundings (like the chameleon or octopus)

4. Costumes: wearing a disguise (like some crabs)

Many students, particularly those learning English might try to explain how an animal uses camouflage by saying “The cheetah uses camouflage by camouflaging with the grass.”

Try to insist upon more exact language when speaking and writing about animals. Provide students with a frame such as this one to assist them in speaking about animal camouflage:

Some refer to this scaffolding as a linguistic frame.