Building Academic Language for ELLs Across the Grades through Discussion

and Dilemma-Centered Curriculum: Word Generation

Claire E. White

QUEENS COLLEGE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

November 14, 2013

Purpose of this presentation Recap: ELLS and academic achievement

The role of oral language proficiency and its relation to reading comprehension

The crucial role of structured classroom discussion in promoting academic language

Word Generation: a discussion and dilemma-based curriculum for developing academic language in grades 4-8

Activity: Classroom discussion: how do we develop the kind of language we associate with academic achievement and comprehension of text?

Videos and WG Unit review

Debrief

Differences start early Good news: Data show that at grade 3 –Almost all kids

(99%) of every ethnic/racial group have basic word reading skills (ECLS-K)

Bad news: By Grade 3, there are racial/ethnic gaps in comprehension and literal inference items

What happens? These differences in achievement occur because there is

an increase in the cognitive and linguistic demands of grade level texts rather than a decrease in student skill Early reading instruction focuses mostly on word

reading even though there are greater demands for academic vocabulary knowledge in the later grades which is often not being developed

Most literacy programs in the early grades do not focus on language development or classroom discussion

TABLES/FIGURES Figure 1: Achievement Gap on the 2007 NAEP Grade 4 and Grade 8 Reading by Family Income and English Language Learner Status

0.81

0.73

0.99

1.24

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

Grade 4 Grade 8

Effe

ct S

ize

(Sta

ndar

d D

evia

tion

Uni

ts)

Middle-income children vs. low-income children

English proficient children vs. English language learners

Remembering the “Marlup” Poor reading comprehension outcomes Poor comprehension outcomes later on in school are not

necessarily a product of poor word reading skills but a lack of vocabulary and academic language

By using decoding and other skills, students can fluently “read” largely incomprehensible texts and answer “comprehension” questions

They lack academic language and vocabulary to comprehend text, to talk about text, to write about what they’ve read

Instruction should focus on engaging students in meaningful interactions with text to gauge for actual comprehension; avoid IRE format unless for quick check

What happens to texts as students get older and why do students struggle with comprehension?

By the fourth grade, texts begin to get more abstract, more literary, more

technical, more decontexualized

Greater language demands of secondary texts, particularly vocabulary that occurs across content area texts in the middle and high school

Unfamiliarity with specific academic vocabulary—the words necessary to learn and talk and write about academic subjects- words like: analyze, investigate, distribute, generate, develop, interpret

Instead we tend to focus on the unusual: sarcophagus, defenestrate, gloam or on

discipline-specific vocabulary/concepts: words like: antebellum, photosynthesis, slope, isotopes

L2 learners navigate all of the above with the added burden of acquiring English and mastering grade-level content simultaneously

What are some challenges for ELLS and struggling readers?

Lack of oral proficiency, especially CALP -specific academic vocabulary—the words necessary to learn and talk about academic subjects (analyze, refer, claim, develop, interpret, generate, investigate)

Lack of depth and breadth of word knowledge (substitute, gross domestic product)

Understanding the polysemous nature of some words (eg. screen, draft)

Unfamiliarity with idiomatic expressions, especially phrasal verbs (back up, back down, back in- break up, break down, break in)

Syntactic structures: The thicker the glacier, the faster it moves Greatest obstacle of all: classrooms/instruction that don’t offer

opportunities for discussion, speaking, listening, and interacting with peers.

What do we know about effective language and vocabulary instruction?

Students need multiple, intentional exposures to language/words for internalization

Students need to hear and use high leverage words in varied contexts

Students need opportunities to use the words in speaking and writing (organized discussion)

Students need targeted direct teaching of ‘mortar’ words Students need to acquire word learning strategies that

have long term effects

Low track classes

Middle track classes

High track classes

Mixed classes

Minutes of discussion/lesson

0.70 1.44 3.30 1.42

Classroom discussion is rare and brief (Applebee, Langer, Nystrand & Gamoran, 2003)

And it has always has been (Gamoran & Nystrand, 1991)

Discussion predicts achievement

Classroom Discussion

Teacher skill in promoting discussion and debate

Discussion and debate

• Perspective taking • Complex reasoning • Academic language skills

• Deep reading comprehension • Analytic writing • Productive participation in

discussion and debate

What do skilled teachers do to engage students in discussion for comprehension of text?

Extend discussion of vocabulary crucial to understanding the text

Don’t settle for a one word answer Redirect students to the text for evidence Ask why and how questions Continue to follow up Get more from several students Value students’ contributions Don’t evaluate

What do less skilled teachers do? List vocabulary Teach the wrong words Test students on word knowledge Ask students which words they don’t know No discussion Use IRE; do not ask questions with uptake brief, inaccurate and unhelpful examples for word

definitions

Teacher talk in higher and lower performing classrooms: examples 2 brief examples of teacher talk about text with ELL

students in a second grade classroom and a fifth grade classroom

Higher performing classroom talk with ELLs about vocabulary for text comprehension- 2nd grade

Teacher: What does rambunctious mean? Lucas was rambunctious. (book discussed; J. Hurwitz’s Class Clown)

Students: Bad? Teacher: what did Lucas do that was bad? Student: He fooled around. Student: He stuck his head in a chair. Student: He called out. He pretended to smoke. Teacher: So rambunctious means what? Student: Acting up? Student: Fooling around?

What did this teacher do?

This more skilled teacher: Extended discussion of vocabulary Didn’t settle for a one word answer Redirected students to the text for evidence Asked open-ended questions Continues to follow up Gets more from several students

Lower performing classroom talk with ELLs about vocabulary for text comprehension: 5th grade

Teacher: Okay, bocadillo, verguenza, nervios, torpe, Peru, calvo, condescendencia, magnanimo, colocar. (snack, shame, nerves, clumsy, Peru, bald, condescendence, magnanimous, place).

Teacher: What words don’t you know? Students: Magnanimo. condescendencia Teacher: Okay. We’ll look in the book using context. Teacher: What does the word man mean? Man equals people. A

portion? A portion is a small portion (uses a gesture to show size).

What did this less skilled teacher do?

What did this less skilled teacher do? Listed vocabulary Words were extremely high level Asked students which words they didn’t know No discussion of words, no examples “Use context” -A strategy gone bad No opportunities for clarification No discussion No questions with uptake Brief, inaccurate and unhelpful examples for “portion”

and “man”

How do we build oral language proficiency/academic language in English for our ELL students?

Through curriculum and instructional practices that engage students in text-based classroom discussions that provides them with opportunities for developing language skills that gives them greater access to texts, to ideas, to higher- level thinking, to participation in important conversations

Word Generation

A program designed to: Build the vocabulary of middle school students through

repeated exposure to high frequency academic words in various contexts across all content areas;

Promote regular use of effective instructional strategies, especially the importance of discussion across all content areas teachers;

Facilitate faculty collaboration on a school-wide effort (whole school adoption is highly recommended).

Word Generation: Materials

3 series (3 years of materials). 24 week-long units each focused on a set of 5 target words selected from

the Academic Word List (AWL) Cross content activities: 15 minutes a day/5 days a week) Texts written at 6th grade level Passages written to engage adolescents in high-level discussions

on nationally-relevant topics as well as on topics that are of great interest to this age group

•Should there be federal funding for stem cell

research? •Should athletes be paid multi-million dollar salaries? •Should amnesty be given to undocumented immigrants? •Affirmative action and college admissions •Should you be able to rent a pet? •Should there be curfews for teenagers? •Junk food: Should it be sold in schools?

Word Generation: Weekly Schedule

Monday Launch passage

introduces words

Tuesday-Thursday Math-Science-Social Studies

Friday Writing with focus words

ELA: Launch Introduction to weekly passage, containing academic vocabulary, built around a question that can support discussion and debate, (comprehension questions, student friendly definitions included)

Word Chart

Math MCAS-type mathematics problems using some of the target words

a) Students can work in pairs b) Whole class discussion c) Open-response

(show/explain how you got your answer)

Science Page 1 Page 2

Thinking experiments to promote discussion and scientific reasoning

Debate/ Discussion

Developing positions on the issue set out in the passage, to help the class frame the debate

Writing/Taking a Stand Give evidence to support your position.

WG-Enhanced- Grades 4-8 *Develop new curriculum for grades 4 and 5 w/discussion,

debate as primary driver, cross content exposure to AWL words through engaging and age-appropriate dilemmas

*Modify existing Word Generation middle school program for 6th, 7th, 8th grade grades through enhanced science and social studies units

Structured discussion is the driver Tied to content and common-core standards Incorporates perspective-taking, complex reasoning,

academic language Thematically linked Multiple representations of language groups, minority,

immigrant and refugee groups, universal topics of belonging, exclusion, being uprooted, identity, etc. Examples of success and resilience

Video Newscasts: Introduce Topics and Dilemmas for Background Knowledge and Academic Language Development

What should teacher talk and classroom discussion look and sound like? Activity: Unit 6: Should doctors be allowed to assist

critically ill patients with suicide?

Accountable talk Successful teachers use “accountable talk and

accountable talk moves” which encourages academically productive talk and accountability among learners (O’Connor & Michaels, 1997)

Some Multipurpose Talk Moves

Say more about that. Do you agree/disagree and why? Who can repeat what Gloria just said? Why do you think that? Do you have an example/counterexample? So, are you saying…? Can you elaborate on what you just said? Teachers: Include target vocabulary in meaningful

ways

Unit 6: Should doctors be allowed to assist critically ill patients with suicide?

Target words: prevention critical pursue alter approach

What approach did Mayor Bloomberg take to prevent obesity and diabetes in his constituents? Do you agree with his approach to alter the sugar intake of his constituents? Was he successful in preventing other health hazards?

Why were some New Yorkers critical of Mayor Bloomberg’s

approach to limiting junk food? What are some other critical areas that the mayor could have focused on?

Should we able to pursue something that is known to be bad or

detrimental to us? Why or why not? Is there a role in government that should assist in the altering of our behavior?

Do you agree that New Yorkers should have the right to decide to

end their own lives if they find themselves critically ill?? What is an alternative approach that might be offered to a critically ill patient?

Video: 8th graders discuss Unit 6 Ms. Berges

Video: 4th grade newscast Introductory unit for Word Generation

Debrief and Q and A

To conclude.. Engaging in WG discussion-based weekly activities in the

elementary grades and across the content areas can improve word learning for L2 learners on target word measures and their use in persuasive essays

Embedding debate and discussion-based classroom activities as well as systematic vocabulary instruction school-wide has the greatest potential to accelerate the reading achievement of struggling readers and especially English language learners

Thank you: white.claire@gmail.com