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Building ELLs' Academic Language Proficiency:Putting it All TogetherGrade 6 - 12

Presented by Jennifer Scoggin

jennifer.litlife@gmail.com

NYC Charter Center

Who is here today?

LitLife 2011

Brief introductions, get a sense of group demographics, teaching positions, hopes for day

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LitLifes Core Values

Equity

Dignity

Collaboration

Workshop Goals

Academic Vocabulary:

Background and Strategies

Test Specs and Changes: NYSESLAT and ELA

Practical Strategies for Test Preparation

All with the lens of supporting

the ELLs in your classrooms

LitLife 2011

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ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

What is Academic English?

Academic English is the language of the classroom, of academic disciplines (science, history, literary analysis) of texts and literature, and of extended, reasoned discourse.

By: U.S. Department of Education (2007)

Characteristics

Informal EnglishAcademic EnglishUses hedges kind of, sort ofDoes not use hedgesUses IAvoids using IUses simple connectorsUses sophisticated transition wordsUses slangUses academic words and content vocabulary

Consider: Type of Text

Two types of written text:

Narrative text tells a story and usually follows a familiar structure. Narrative text may be the invention of an author, the reporting of factual events, or the retelling of a tale from oral tradition. It is often written in informal, everyday English.

Expository text provides an explanation of facts and concepts. Its main purpose is to inform, persuade, or explain. It is usually written in academic English.

So what?

How does building academic English help readers and writers?

BICS vs. CALP

Research shows that students develop social language known as Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) through interacting with peers in formal and informal settings and that this type of language is distinct from the variety of English required for academic success (Collier, 1987; Cummins, 1984).

In his now classic work, Cummins notes that BICS is typically acquired over a period of one or two years, but academic language, termed Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) can take up to five to eight years to master (Cummins, 1984).

You may already realize that

A common misperception is that students learning English as a new language should be expected to complete academic tasks on par with other native English-speaking students once they can communicate in English for social purposes.

What this means for the classroom teacher is that appearances can be deceiving. Although an English language learner may seem fluent, if she experiences difficulty with academic tasks in content areas or language arts, it may be due to a lack of CALP.

However

English learners do not need to master conversational oral English before they are taught the features of academic English.

In reading, knowledge of academic English helps students gain perspective on what they read, understand relationships, and follow logical lines of thought.

In writing, knowledge of academic English helps students develop topic sentences, provide smooth transitions between ideas, and edit their writing effectively.

Reading, discussing, and writing about texts needs to be a central part of the English language development instruction dispersed throughout the day.

Stages of Second Language Acquistion

StageCharacteristicsApp. Time FrameTeacher PromptsPreproductionThe student Has minimal comprehensionDoes not verbalizeNods Yes and NoDraws and points0 to 6 monthsShow meCircle theWhere isWho hasEarly ProductionThe studentHas limited comprehensionProduces one or two word responsesParticipates using key words and familiar phrasesUses present tense verbs6 months to 1 yearYes/no questionsEither/or questions1 or 2 word answersListsLabels

Stages of Second Language Acquisition contd.

StageCharacteristicsApp. TimeTeacher Prompts and ActivitiesSpeech EmergenceThe student Has good comprehensionProduces simple sentencesUses beginning dialogDoes not yet grasp jokes, idioms, etc.1 to 3 yearsWhy? How?Explain? Predict?Phrase or short-sentence answersWriting process/conferencesBook talksBasic paragraphsDialogue journalsIntermediate FluencyThe studentUses complex statementsStates opinionsMakes few grammatical errorsAsks for clarificationShares original thoughts3 to 5 yearsWhat would happen ifWhy do you think?AnalyzeInterpretParaphraseCharts, graphs, websRead and write multiple genresDiscussion and debateAdvanced FluencyCan participate fully in grade level work with support in academic language and background knowledge5 to 7 yearsAll of the above with adaptations and support as needed

Specific Recommendations

Teachers must understand that instruction with ELLs should include time and focus devoted to the development of academic English even in primary grades.

Daily academic English should be integrated into the core curriculum.

Conversational English does not need to be established prior to regular instruction in academic English.

Gersten et. al, 2007

Experts agree that English learners require time each day when the primary instructional goal is developing academic English (as opposed to mastering the academic content).

Consider devoting a daily block of time to developing this type of language with ELLs.

So what could this look like?

Mrs. Barkers Classroom:

Making Classroom Routines Rich Vocabulary Experiences

How did she do that?

Select words carefully

Provide multiple encounters with targeted words

Provide direct instruction of word meanings

Provide daily guided practice

Give opportunities to use new words across a variety of contexts

Periodically review words and their meanings

Selecting Words to Teach

A 3-tier process:

Basic words (such as house, car, toy)

Words key to comprehension (such as curious, drowsy, gazing)

Low-frequency words usually associated with specific content (such as proton, peninsula)

Classroom Routines: Tier 2 Words

Classroom Behavior: Tier 2 Words

But...developing students vocabulary is NOT just about teaching a group of new words. Its also about teaching strategies for inferring word meaning.WORD CONSCIOUSNESS

Fostering Word Consciousness

Six elements to consider:

1. Create a word-rich environment

2. Recognize and promote adept diction

3. Promote word play

4. Foster word consciousness through writing

5. Involve students in word investigations

6. Teach students about words

Creating a word-rich environment

Sit in one students seat.

Take a 360-degree scan of

your classroom.

Think about what the texts your students READ, HEAR and USE.

Word Walls

LitLife 2011

Types of word walls:

* name

* seasonal or monthly

* synonym

* content

* high-frequency

* word wall brainstorms

Lexicon Lounge: Word Stations

What can you include in a word station?

* word card files

* photographic word books

* wordplay and riddle books

* dictionaries and thesauri

* class word games

Sentence Walls

LitLife 2011

Carrier, K.A., & Tatum, A.W. (2006, November). Creating Sentence Walls to Help English-Language Learners Develop Content Literacy. The Reading Teacher, 60(3), 285288. doi: 10.1598/RT.60.3.10

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Classroom Labels

Classroom elements to consider labeling:

* supplies

* furniture

* areas of the room

* the library

Actively engage students

in creating labels WITH

you.

Classroom Libraries

Do you have...

* a wide variety of genres - both informational and expository?

* a variety of reading levels?

* books with rich vocabulary?

* books that explore word use?

Fostering Word Consciousness

Six elements to consider:

1. Create a word-rich environment

2. Recognize and promote adept diction

3. Promote word play

4. Foster word consciousness through writing

5. Involve students in word investigations

6. Teach students about words

Classroom talk

What words or terms are YOU using?

What words or terms are YOUR STUDENTS using?

Are we elevating students vocabulary through example? Remember Mrs. Barker?

Read Aloud

Provides implicit and explicit exposure to new words

Some tips:

Discuss new and interesting words

Explain the meaning of new words

Provide examples of the words meaning

Help students connect the new word to their experience

Read the same text three or four times in a week

Have students keep personal word notebooks

Remember, choose read alouds from a wide variety of genre - both informational and expository!

Fostering Word Consciousness

Six elements to consider:

1. Create a word-rich environment

2. Recognize and promote adept diction

3. Promote word play

4. Foster word consciousness through writing

5. Involve students in word investigations

6. Teach students about words

Games

I Spy games (available at www.briarpatch.com)

Apples to Apples Junior

Concentration (picture and words)

Applause, Applause

Word Associations

Wordplay books

Why the Banana Split by Rick Walton

Double Trouble in Walla Walla by Andrew Clement

Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier

Donavans Word Jar by Monalisa Degross and Cheryl Hanna

The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter and Giselle Potter

Fostering Word Consciousness

Six elements to consider:

1. Create a word-rich environment

2. Recognize and promote adept diction

3. Promote word play

4. Foster word consciousness through writing

5. Involve students in word investigations

6. Teach students about words

Revising

Make careful consideration of word choices a

routine part of revising.

Use those synonym word walls.

Become word hunters.

Rely on mentor texts.

Use word wall brainstorms.

Writing our way to a better vocabulary!

Engage your students in writing activities

deliberately designed to focus on words.

Try...

vocabulary driven shared writing, paired writing

or individual writing

Fostering Word Consciousness

Six elements to consider:

1. Create a word-rich environment

2. Recognize and promote adept diction

3. Promote word play

4. Foster word consciousness through writing

5. Involve students in word investigations

6. Teach students about words

Word Detectives

Examples of potential word investigations:

* The vocabulary used by certain individuals in the

school (the art teacher, the PE teacher, the

technology teacher)

* How vocabulary changes from the classroom to the

playground

* How vocabulary changes at home and in school

* Different ways people address or greet each other

Fostering Word Consciousness

Six elements to consider:

1. Create a word-rich environment

2. Recognize and promote adept diction

3. Promote word play

4. Foster word consciousness through writing

5. Involve students in word investigations

6. Teach students about words

Four Levels of Word Knowledge

Never seen it before

Knowing there is such a word, but not knowing what it means

Having a vague and context-bound meaning for the word

Knowing and remembering the word

With each new encounter with a particular word, depth and knowledge increases.

Key Ideas To Point Out To Students

Many words have more than one meaning

Word meanings are interrelated (e.g. the word airplane influences the way you understand helicopter and aircraft)

TESTING

NYSESLAT

The NYSESLAT was developed in collaboration with Pearson and various teachers/schools

It is administered annually to all LEP students K-12

Mandated by NCLB

Results determine if student continues to be classified as LEP which is linked to services

Speaking

Speaking

Speaking

Listening

Listening

K - 1 Writing Conventions

2 - 4 Writing Conventions

2 - 4 Writing Conventions

2 - 4 Writing Conventions

K - 1 Writing

K - 1 Writing

K - 1 Writing

K - 1 Writing

K - 1 Writing

2 - 4 Writing

Reading

Reading

K - 1 Reading

2 - 4 Reading

Accommodations

The NYSESLAT is untimed, but special accommodations are available for students with special needs.

Test Preparation

What do you wonder?

Research Suggests Test Preparation should be:

intensive - directly before the test and should be only for short periods each day

cooperative - teachers and students should work together to discuss and negotiate meaning, the teacher should model problem solving ideas and listen to the students ideas

non-threatening - the mention of reward or punishment for test performance should never arise, this is not a competition but a chance for students to show what they know

short - the longer students dwell on tests and preparation the poorer the performance according to most research, students burn out and by the time the tests are there they have seen too many

Major Issues in Test Prep

Developing Stamina

what is needed to get through the test

self-efficacy

not giving up

resting eyes, stretching

drinks and candy

understanding what is expected

Major Issues in Test Prep

Analyzing Test Questions

what language is used in the questions

the difference between AN answer and the BEST answer

what phrases are used; mostly, central idea, except for

learn to paraphrase questions what are they asking

many questions are the same thing asked different ways

where will the answer be foundin the text, in my head, etc.

Major Issues in Test Prep

Choosing an Answer

dont rely on memory check the passage

rereading passage

go with your first thoughts

don't overanalyze making every answer seem possible

When Teaching Test Taking Strategies: Remember Apprenticeship

Lesson Format:

Warm-up

Teach

Try

Clarify

LitLife 2010

Demonstrate

Rehearse and Coach

So what?

Now what?

Review the stages of the lesson.

See sample lesson plan.

Brainstorm a lesson together.

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And the best test prep is

A thorough and comprehensive curriculum of REAL reading and writing experience!

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LitLife 2011