Building Language Through Icon Sentences
In this short video, 2nd grade teacher Tara Hess demonstrates how she uses an icon sentence protocol to deepen her students’ understanding of key vocabulary, retrieve important concepts from the text, practice spelling and writing, and encourage collaborative problem-solving.
This protocol is found in EL Education, though Tara has adapted it to emphasize writing.
Here’s how it works:
Tara reviews the story and gives students their instructions, explaining that students will use icons (images) to reconstruct an important sentence from the text: “Gently we removed the sediment and uncovered the bones.” Then, they will write the sentence from memory, using the icons as scaffolding.
Second, students work together and try to make sense of the icons. This is the heart of the protocol. Students apply what they remember about the key vocabulary and the text to assign meaning to the icons.
Third, the students end the activity by writing the sentence. This part of the protocol is not in the original routine. Tara adds it so that students can practice writing and spelling and get one more opportunity to apply their new vocabulary and knowledge.
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So often in education you feel like you've seen it all, or at least some variation of "it." This was SO unique and so inspiring! I love how much conversation and critical thinking it promoted. It was also a great informal assessment tool. Thank you so much for sharing!
A brilliant idea to help students not only learn new vocabulary but also to comprehend the meaning of the sentence. Thank you for sharing this because I got an idea to create an activity for Station Rotation. I will get a bunch of picture cards and a list of vocabulary. Students will come up with a sentence for a set of pictures. This will lead to creating mental images while reading!