ACADEMIC LANGUAGE & for ELLS ACADEMIC LITERACY

1. Don Bouchard Maine Department of Education ESL Professional Development Thursday, April 2, 2009 ACADEMIC LANGUAGE & for ELLSACADEMIC LITERACY

2. 1. To become familiar with aspects of academic language for delivering comprehensible content instruction to English Language Learners (ELLs). 2. To understand some of the complexities of English print regarding academic use. 3. To learn some of the ways to scaffold academic language. GOALS

3. ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC LANGUAGE GOAL # 1

4. A man walks into the doctor’s office and says “Doc, I have a pain in my shoulder.”

5. The doctor examines him and says, “You have acute inflammation of the anterior bursa and have developed severe bursitis.

6. Patient: “Oh, what does that mean?” Doctor: “You have a pain in your shoulder!”

7. . Хоратаиматдвакрака. Кучетата и коткитеиматчетирикрака, а насекомитеиматшест. Нонасекомитеиматразличнивидове крака. Някоикракасазаскачане. Другисазакатерене, хващане, тичане, илиплуване. 1. Колкокракаиматхората? 2. Колкокракаиматнасекомите? 3. Какизползваткракатасинасекомите? Now try this. . . .

8. Tibneegmuaj ob txhaisceg. Aubthiabmivmuajplaubtxhaisceg--kab thaibyoovmuajrautxhaisceg. Tiamsis, kabthaibyoov co cegtsis zoo tibyam.  Ib co ceg zoo rautxojkevdhia. Ib co ceg zoo heevrautxoj kev, ncentoo, vuagkhoom, khiav, los yogualuamdej. 1.  Tibneegmuajpestsawgtxhaisceg? 2.  Kabthaibyoovmuajpestsawgtxhaiceg? 3.  Kabthaibyoovsivlawv co ceguadabtsi? How about this?

9. Tibneegmuaj ob txhaisceg. Aubthiabmivmuajplaubtxhaisceg--kab thaibyoovmuajrautxhaisceg. Tiamsis, kabthaibyoov co cegtsis zoo tibyam.  Ib co ceg zoo rautxojkevdhia. Ib co ceg zoo heevrautxoj kev, ncentoo, vuagkhoom, khiav, los yogualuamdej. 1.  Tibneegmuajpestsawgtxhaisceg? 2.  Kabthaibyoovmuajpestsawgtxhaiceg? 3.  Kabthaibyoovsivlawv co ceguadabtsi? And this?

10. People have two legs.  Dogs and cats have four legs—and insects have six.  But not all insect legs are the same.  Some legs are good for jumping.  Others are perfect for climbing, grabbing, running or swimming.  1. How many legs do people have? 2. How many legs do insects have? 3. How do insects use their legs? Finally this. . .

11. “Learning in school is done primarily through language. Yet the language of school is seldom explicitly discussed or taught in schools.” -Schleppegrell, 2004

12. Academic language is the language of school used to require new/deeper understanding of content subjects. Academic language involves a variety of aspects: -word level: vocabulary -sentence level: grammar -extended level: discourse Academic Language

13. Word level: Vocabulary Non-specialized: pain General academic: inflammation Content specific academic: bursitis Academic Language, cont’d.

14. Sentence level: Grammar Language patterns and grammatical structures specific to the content areas. “You have acute inflammation of the anterior bursa.” Complex textbook sentences Academic language cont’d. . .

15. “Bursitis is the inflammation of one or more bursae of the synovial fluid of the body. The bursae rest at the points where internal functionaries, such as muscles and tendons, slide across bone and become inflamed.” (source: Wikipedia) Academic Language, cont’d. . .

16. More Spoken LikeMore Written Like -conversation -Texting a friend -Academic Discussion -Academic Lecture -Newspaper article -Academic Journal Article CONTINUUM OF LANGUAGE (Freeman & Freeman, 2009)

17. Conversational Anglo-Saxon based words Concrete, situated in here & now More immediate, current FEATURES OF SPOKEN-LIKE LANGUAGE

18. Academic Recorded, in the past Latin-Greek based words Detached style More abstract, not tied to specific settings Features of written-like language

19. A genre is a type of text used in schools. 1. Personal genres – personal experiences recounts, accounts, narratives 2. Factual genres – facts procedures, recounts, reports 3. Analytical genres – analyze events or argue for certain interpretations accounts, explanations, expositions Academic Language levels - Genres

20. RECOUNT “What I did on my vacation” ACCOUNT ‘Why I got into trouble at school” NARRATIVE “Why I didn’t know about the quiz after lunch” Personal Genres - Examples

21. PROCEDURES “How to dissect a frog” RECOUNT “Steps to take to obtain a driver’s license” HISTORICAL “Major events in War War II” Factual genres - examples

22. ACCOUNTS “The events leading up to the Iraq war“ EXPLANATIONS “How to find the area of a cylinder” EXPOSITIONS “The South deserved to become independent” Analytical genres - examples

23. Personal genres are typically used at the elementary level; ELLs must quickly adjust to factual and analytical genres to learn the complex, cognitively demanding uses of academic language in the various content areas. About personal Genres. . .

24. Print is the basis of academic language; however, oral communication in the form of: Discussion Question posing/response Lecture is also important to cultivate along with reading and writing. Re: Academic Language

25. 1. When delivering instruction, think in terms of: I do - you watch; I do – you help; You do – I help; You do – I watch. SUGGESTIONS FOR USING ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

26. Focused Lesson Instruction -builds vocabulary -provides practice in fluency -models rhythm, stress, intonation -uses standard grammar -focuses on targeted language structures “I DO – YOU WATCH”

27. Guided Instruction -responsibility is shared -focus on challenging aspects of language, such as grammar, mechanics, ideas, comprehension “I DO – YOU HELP”

28. Collaborative Learning -independent, small group focus -linked to the purpose of the lesson -highly organized -varied: partnering, conference focused, interactive “YOU DO – I HELP”

29. Independent Learning -practice and application -employs use of strategies -involves reading and writing “YOU DO – I WATCH”

30. 2. Use the language of the written register, i.e. model the use of complete sentences & vocabulary with explicit referents. Example: “Put the marker on the shelf.” Not: “Put it over there.” SUGGESTIONS. . .

31. Minimize the use of abbreviations, short forms of words, two-word verbs, and idiomatic expressions. Example

32. 3. Minimize teacher talk time; allow for more student talk opportunities through open response questions and elaborated answers. SUGGESTIONS

33. 4. Use think - alouds to read aloud content texts. This helps ELLs comprehend text by: -increasing comprehension -inferring -monitoring -summarizing -synthesizing -questioning -connecting SUGGESTIONS

34. 5. Display, define, and review the language objective along with the content objective. Content objective: “Four ways geography affects climate.” Language objective: “Read chapter __ on how deserts, mountains, plains, and oceans affect climate.” SUGGESTIONS

35. CONTENT OBJECTIVELANGUAGE OBJECTIVE (academic achievement) (academic language) WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: HOW YOU WILL USE: -Math -Listening -Science -Speaking -Social Studies -Reading -Language Arts -Writing . . .in your learning Content vs. Language Objective

36. 6. Use content-related sentence starters for academic writing -openings/introductions -generalization -thesis/topic statements -secondary purpose -closings -organization statements -assertion -comparison/contrast SUGGESTIONS

37. 7. Frontload texts by anticipating and teaching to potentially problematical language structures. Vocabulary*Pronouns*Connectors* Clauses*Verb Tenses SUGGESTIONS

38. In order for students to demonstrate academic achievement, they must master academic language. IN SUMMARY. . .

39. All teachers are language teachers. A teacher who does not know about language is analogous to a doctor who does not know about anatomy. IN SUMMARY. . .

40. ASPECTS OF ACADEMIC LITERACY GOAL #2

41. Academic literacy is the ability to recognize and use print language in cognitively demanding ways with increasing complexity. ACADEMIC LITERACY

42. With ELLs, “learning to read” is continuous throughout “reading to learn”, especially for older learners with low L1 and prior education.

43. General Characteristics (adapted from Fillmore & Snow, 2005) -summarize texts -analyze texts -extract meaning from texts -evaluate evidence and arguments present in texts -recognize and analyze textual conventions -recognize ungrammatical language -condense language into coherently and cohesively -compose and write extended prose -extract precise information from a written text to solve a problem ACADEMIC LITERACY

44. Functions & Features (adapted from Zweirs, 2008) -to describe complexity, higher order thinking & abstraction -figurative expressions -explicitness for distant audiences -detachment -conveying nuances with modals -changing the message with qualifiers -using prosody for emphasis ACADEMIC LITERACY

45. Using Print in Language Arts to. . . -Connect events or characters of narrative to students’ lives -Uncover author’s messages -Recognize literary devices -Analyze author’s craft -Interpret -Persuade -Explain cause & effect Academic Literacy Tasks

46. Using Print in Social Studies to. . . -Explain cause & effect -Persuade -Take a perspective Academic Literacy Tasks

47. Using Print in Science to. . . -Inquire -Explain cause & effect -Interpret -Compare Academic Literacy Tasks . . .

48. Using Print in Math to . . . -Interpret -Problem solve Academic Literacy Tasks

49. - English print is OPAQUE, i.e., one symbol = many possible sounds. - English has a very complex vowel system. Example: “a” at (52%) any (22%) angel (8%) all (5%) are (4%) vary (1%) Re: Decoding

50. There was once a beautiful bear who sat on a seat near to breaking and read by the hearth about how the earth was created. She smiles beatifically, full of ideas for the realm of her winter dreams. Wolf, Proust and the Squid, p. 128