building ells' academic language proficiency: putting it all together grade 6 - 12
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Building ELLs' Academic Language Proficiency: Putting it All Together Grade 6 - 12. Presented by Jennifer Scoggin [email protected] NYC Charter Center. Who is here today?. LitLife’s Core Values. Equity. Dignity. Collaboration. Workshop Goals. Academic Vocabulary: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Slide 1
Building ELLs' Academic Language Proficiency:Putting it All TogetherGrade 6 - 12
Presented by Jennifer Scoggin
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 vocabularyConsider: 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 answersListsLabelsStages 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 neededSpecific 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