moving beyond social language: how to teach academic...

Moving Beyond Social Language:

How to Teach Academic Language

Presented by Vicki Everhart, Ph.D.CAEBER

CASA Conference at NMSDApril 17, 2010Santa Fe, NM

2010, V.S. Everhart, CASA Conference

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Check the Notes section of this PP for additional information.

• Freeman, Y. S., & Freeman, D. E. (2009). Academic language for English language learners and struggling readers: How to help students succeed across content areas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

• Zwiers, J. (2008). Building academic language: Essential practices for content classrooms. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.


Primary Resources for This Presentation

Plan for This Presentation: To Be Reviewed Quickly

• Difference between academic & social language

• Role of social language in school

• Functions of academic language


Plan for This Presentation: To Be Covered in Depth

• Supporting academic (English) writing– Text level– Paragraph level– Word level

• Academic content & language objectives– Teachers partnering for student success

• Building academic language with performance assessments


Cummins’ Views on Language Acquisition

• Types of language proficiency

– Conversational language (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills – BICS)

– Academic language (Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency – CALP)

Source: Baker (2006) pp. 13, 174


• Social Language– The way language

is used in daily communications with friends and others we meet

– Can involve writing, but also is less formal than academic language

• Academic Language – The way language is

used in the school or the work setting

– Is more formal, usually conforms to some societal standard

– Is more heavily monitored (self-corrected) than social language

BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills)

CALP (Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency)


Source: Cummins (n.d.)

Activity: Review of Social vs. Academic Language

• With a partner (or in small group), quickly write down some examples of students’

– Social language• ASL• English

– Academic language• ASL• English


Social Academic Language Language

natural face-to-face interaction

letters or email

story-telling

writing or telling about what you know

solving math story problems

formal report about inverte-brates


Social vs. Academic Language

• Represents a continuum

• Not distinct processes

Social language

Academic language


Social Language• Informal

• Like language used in daily communication

• Has contextual clues (context embedded)

• Although, it can be informally discussing an academic topic. (This is closer to middle of continuum.)



Academic Language

• More formal

• Language used for formal presentations

• More abstract, less contextual clues (context reduced)



Communicative Language Functions

• Greetings/leave-takings• Requesting information/assistance• Giving information/assistance• Describing• Expressing feelings

Source: O’Malley & Valdez Pierce (2002) p. 61


Academic Language Functions

Seeking Information/Informing Comparing Ordering Classifying Analyzing Inferring Justifying and Persuading Solving Problems Synthesizing Evaluating


Source: O’Malley & Valdez Pierce (2002) p. 62

Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state.

Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate,

Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.

Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test. Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write.

Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose, compare, defend, estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.

http://www.officeport.com/edu/blooms.htm

Using Academic Language:

Bloom’s Taxonomy


• http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html

• http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

• http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/longview/ctac/blooms.htm

• http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/bloom.html

• http://faculty.washington.edu/krumme/guides/bloom1.html

Bloom’s Taxonomy: Website Addresses


• Vygotsky: Learning occurs through social interaction.

Virginia Collier: “A good teacher includes social and academic language development in every lesson.”

Source: Collier (1995) p. 9

Role of Social Languagein School


Too often, teachers expect students to go directly from social ASL to academic English, bypassing social English and academic ASL (both of which

support development of academic English).

• Social ASL

• Academic ASL

• Social English

• Academic English


Developing Academic Language

What is Academic Language?

• Language appropriate for academic settings

• Register used in academic discourse

– Vocabulary, syntax, tone, etc.

• Ability to communicate in academic settings

– Communicate like a scientist, mathematician, literary scholar, etc.

Source: Freeman, Freeman, & Meyers (2006)2010, V.S. Everhart, CASA Conference

Supporting Academic (English) Writing at:

1) Text Level2) Paragraph Level3) Word Level


Supporting Academic (English) Writing at

the Text Level


• Personal genres– Presents personal experiences– Recounts, accounts, narratives

• Factual genres– Presents facts– Procedures, procedural recounts, historical recounts, reports

• Analytical genres– Analyzes events or argues for certain interpretation of events– Accounts, explanations, expositions


Ensure Students Have Experience Reading & Writing the Various Genres in

Your Content Area

Source: Freeman & Freeman (2009) pp. 93-98

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Genres are the different types of text within an academic discipline. Every content area (even P.E.) has a variety of reading and writing genres. It is each teacher’s responsibility to become aware of the variety of genres in their subject area and ensure that their students have exposure to reading and writing in the various genres.


the Paragraph Level


• Cohesive sentences– Connecting in a logical way

• Patterns of cohesion– Constant topic– Derived topic– Chained topic


Reading and Writing Cohesive Paragraphs


• Constant topic– Topic of each sentence is constant

• Derived topic– Topic of one sentence is related to or

derived from topic of previous sentence

• Chained topic– Comment of one sentence becomes the

topic of the next sentence2010, V.S. Everhart, CASA Conference

Patterns of Cohesion


• Is the pattern of cohesion in paragraph below: constant, derived, or chained topic?

Struggling readers tend to be notably unmotivated. They are especially likely to have low confidence in their reading.

These students are likely to lack confidence in their ability to read of even to improve their

reading skill.


Activity: Patterns of Cohesion

Source: Freeman & Freeman (2009) p. 106

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Answer: Constant topic “They” and “These students” both refer to “struggling readers.”


Struggling readers can become engaged readers with the right instruction.

Engaged readers enjoy reading a variety of books. A wide variety of books should be available to students in their classes and

school library.


Activity (cont’d): Patterns of Cohesion


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Answer: Chained topic Freeman & Freeman (2009) describe three types of chained topic: repetition, substitution, and nominalization. See pp. 108-111 for details.


Struggling readers tend to be notably unmotivated. Often, deaf children can be

identified as struggling readers. Some children in my classroom are struggling

readers, most likely because they did not have early access to a language.


Activity (cont’d): Patterns of Cohesion

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Answer: Derived topic “Deaf children” topic is related to (& derived from) “struggling readers.” “Some children in my classroom” topic is related to (& derived from) “deaf children.”

topic comment

Water evaporates when thetemperature rises.

topic comment

??? is one of the stages of the water cycle.


An Exercise to Teach A Pattern of Cohesion: Chained Topic


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Answer: Evaporation For English Language Learners, these kinds of exercises should first be done with lots of structure and support. Then these exercises can be completed in pairs or small groups so students still have needed support. Next, students gradually work more and more independently so that they finally can create “chained topic” sentences in a paragraph by themselves.


the Word Level


• Content-specific vocabulary

– Technical words related to a specific academic discipline

• (English) e.g., hyperbole, quotient, coefficient, googol, schizophrenia, mitosis

• General academic vocabulary

– Words that are used across disciplines and appear in different content areas

• (English) e.g., assessment, evidence, issues, context, hypothesis, longitudinal study


Content-Specific and General Academic Vocabulary


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Remember: Content-specific and General Academic vocabulary occur in both English and ASL.

Take a minute and jot down some

• Content-specific vocabulary and• General academic vocabulary

from your content area.


Activity: Content-Specific and General Academic Vocabulary

1) Provide rich and varied language experiences

– Use academic vocabulary in whole-class and small group discussions in students’ first language

– Encourage extended reading

2) Teach individual words

– Students brainstorm synonyms for academic word & then rank words from most neutral to most powerful

– Students complete graphic organizer divided into four main sections


Teaching Content-Specific Vocabulary


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Activities to learn content-specific vocabulary should occur in both languages, ASL and English. After students have learned the new vocabulary in their first language, then transfer the vocabulary learning to their second language.


Definition Characteristics

Examples Non-examples

Example of Using Graphic Organizer to Learn Academic Vocabulary:

“Force”

Push or pull Measured in “Newtons”

Catching a ball

Throwing a ball

Mass

Weight


Presenter

Presentation Notes

The teacher plans so that either ASL or English vocabulary (or both) are used in this exercise. However, the planning must occur for both languages, so that academic vocabulary in one of the languages is not overlooked.




Strategy for Learning Individual Academic Vocabulary Words


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Students could work in small groups to complete this kind of graphic organizer on their new academic vocabulary word(s) … in both languages, ASL and English.




Activity: Quickly fill in your own graphic organizer on one of these Content-specific

Vocabulary Words: imagery, metaphor, divisor, hypotenuse, evaporation, gravity, revolution, emancipation, etc.

3) Teach word-learning strategies, using:• Context clues• Word parts• Dictionaries & related reference tools

4) Foster word consciousness• Awareness of & interest in words & their meanings• Discussing the history of certain words• Noting similarities & differences across languages• Discussing new slang terms


Teaching Content-Specific Vocabulary (cont’d)


Presenter

Presentation Notes

These strategies can occur in both ASL and English.

• Freeman & Freeman do not advocate direct teaching of general academic vocabulary

• Instead, they recommend:– Teachers briefly explain important general terms

as they run across them • e.g., difference between “summarize” and “synthesize”

– Teachers purposely use general academic vocabulary during class discussion


General Academic Vocabulary


Presenter

Presentation Notes

General academic vocabulary should not be treated as word lists to teach. Instead general academic vocabulary should be taught & discussed as students encounter the vocabulary naturally in their lessons, reading, or writing … in context.

Examples of General Academic Vocabulary

• Create• Analysis• Percent• Significant• Context• Hypothesis• Analyze

Signal Words• On the other hand• Similarly• In contrast• Because• Since• Therefore• As a result of


Sources: Freeman & Freeman (2009) p. 124; Freeman, Freeman, & Meyers (2006)

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Teachers need to plan also to introduce and use general academic vocabulary during lessons, classroom discussions, and students’ reading and writing.

• Academic Word Lists– http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/resources/academicwordlist

– http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm

– http://www.esldesk.com/vocabulary/academic

– http://www.doe.in.gov/TitleI/pdf/Word_List_Feldman.pdf

– http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com


General Academic Vocabulary Resources

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Reminder: Accordingly to Freeman & Freeman, general academic vocabulary should not be treated as word lists to teach. Teachers can use these lists as references for what general academic vocabulary they can plan to introduce and use naturally in their lessons & classroom discussions.

Planning Involved in Teaching Academic Language

• Content Objectives– Specifying what students

should know

• Language Objectives– Specifying the language students should

use when demonstrating their knowledge

2010, V.S. Everhart, CASA ConferenceSource: Freeman & Freeman (2009) pp. 143-146

Examples of Content and Language

Objectives


• Content objective: Students will demonstrate understanding of four stages of water cycle through labeled drawings and explanatory paragraph.

• (English) Language objective (text level):Students will write a science report referring to their drawing.

• (English) Language objective (paragraph level): Students will use “chained topic” technique to connect sentences within a paragraph.

• (English) Language objective (word level): Students will use sequence words such as first, next, and then in their science report.


Content Area: Science: The Water CycleBig-question theme: What are the cycles we find

in our lives, our environment, and our history?

Source: Freeman & Freeman (2009) p. 146-150

Presenter

Presentation Notes

The planning on this slide represents planning at the broad level (e.g., unit) rather than the narrow level (e.g., lesson). Academic language objectives should be created in ASL as well. The levels of the academic ASL objectives may have different labels (e.g., discourse level, sentence level, sign level). Discuss with your ASL Specialist the appropriate levels to focus on for teaching academic ASL. In addition, this slide addresses the “form” of academic language (e.g., text, paragraph, word levels). Teachers also have to plan the academic language “functions” for a unit … not shown in this slide (e.g., seeking information, comparing, ordering, classifying, analyzing, inferring, justifying, persuading, solving problems, synthesizing, evaluating). Both academic language forms and academic language functions need to be planned in both languages, ASL and English. (See slide #51 for a template to plan academic language objectives in both ASL and English, for both form and function.)

Teachers Partnering for

Student Success


Teachers Pair Up With Other Teachers from Other Content Areas

• To decide on a “big question” theme(s) together

• Teach language and content organized around integrated units of study

– This helps connect curriculum to students’ lives



Activity: Team With Another Teacher from Another Content Area

• Use the same Big-question Theme from previous example.

• Think of a unit for your content area and create:

– Content objective– Language objectives (English or ASL):

• Text level• Paragraph level• Word level


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Use next slide as an example during this activity. Some teachers can create ASL Objectives for this activity. If “paragraph level” doesn’t make sense in ASL, then create an academic ASL objective level that makes sense (e.g., discourse level, sentence level, sign level). If possible, discuss what levels are appropriate for academic ASL with your school’s ASL specialist.

• Content objective: Students will demonstrate understanding of four stages of water cycle through labeled drawings and explanatory paragraph.

• (English) Language objective (text level):Students will write a science report referring to their drawing.

• (English) Language objective (paragraph level): Students will use “chained topic” technique to connect sentences within a paragraph.

• (English) Language objective (word level): Students will use sequence words such as first, next, and then in their science report.


Content Area: Science: The Water CycleBig-question theme: What are the cycles we find

in our lives, our environment, and our history?


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Academic language objectives should be created in ASL as well. The levels of the academic ASL objectives may have different labels (e.g., discourse level, sentence level, sign level). Discuss what levels are appropriate for academic ASL with your school’s ASL specialist.

• Content objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of the western migration by listing reasons for the westward migration that occurred in the United States.

• (English) Language objective (text level): Students will write a historical account of the westward migration describing why events occurred in a particular sequence.

• (English) Language objective (paragraph level): Students will use complex sentences with clauses that show cause and effect as they write and talk about the westward migration.

• (English) Language objective (word level): Students will use content-specific academic words such as “pony express” and “land rush” as they write their account.


Content Area: Social Studies: Western Movement UnitBig-question theme: What have been the causes

and effects of expansion in the United States?


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Academic language objectives should be created in ASL as well. The levels of the academic ASL objectives may have different labels (e.g., discourse level, sentence level, sign level). Discuss what levels are appropriate for academic ASL with your school’s ASL specialist.

Teachers Partnering for

Student Success (cont’d)


Teachers Addressing the Same “Big Question” Across Content Areas

• Ensures certain concepts and vocabulary are repeated naturally

• Reading materials can be chosen to match the proficiency levels of different students

– Easier and harder books on the same topic



• Content objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of:

Academic Language FORM:• English Language objective (text level):• ASL objective (___ level):

• English Language objective (paragraph level):• ASL objective (___ level):

• English Language objective (word level): • ASL objective (sign level):

Academic Language FUNCTION:• English academic language functions (e.g., comparing, classifying):• ASL academic language functions (e.g., comparing, classifying):


Unit Planning Template (example)Content Area: _____: Unit on: ______Big-question theme: _______________

Presenter

Presentation Notes

This is a possible template for planning academic language for deaf bilingual students. Notice both the “form” and “function” of academic language are addressed. Notice that language objectives are created for both ASL and English.


Building Academic

Language with Performance Assessments

• Provide opportunities for students to use academic language– In real-world ways

• Produce authentic performances or products


Performance Assessments

Source: Zwiers (2008) p. 233

Examples of Performance-Based and Product-Based Assessments

Signed (or Spoken)• Signed (or oral)

presentation• Song or chant• Debate• Court case• Panel discussion• Talk show• Teach a lesson• Conduct interview

Written• Essay• Historical fiction• Editorial letter• Business plan• Book review• Children’s book• Collection of poems or

stories or art• How-to manual

2010, V.S. Everhart, CASA Conference Source: Zwiers (2008) p. 234

Presenter

Presentation Notes

The examples in the first column can be in either language, ASL or English … or both. However, it is important to decide and plan which language(s) the lesson will focus upon, to ensure that the students learn and practice language skills in the language(s) of focus. This ensures that academic language is addressed in both languages, ASL and English.

Examples of Performance-Based and Product-Based Assessments (cont’d)

Drama and Movement• Role play • Monologue• Readers’ theater• Movie script• Dance• Design a video• Lab experiment• Write a play• Puppet show

Visual• Poster• Web page• Video commercial• Computer game• Design a building or

park or school• Magazine• A mural• Slide show

2010, V.S. Everhart, CASA Conference Source: Zwiers (2008) p. 234

Presenter

Presentation Notes

The examples in the columns here can be in either language, ASL or English … or both. However, it is important to decide and plan which language(s) the lesson will focus upon, to ensure that the students learn and practice language skills in the language(s) of focus -- it could be ASL, English, or both. However, this requires planning by the teacher, so she (& administration) are aware of which academic language(s) are being focused upon in each lesson.

• Students learn thru doing an activity

• Then for Assessment purposes, that activity is modified (“tweaked” a little)

– So that students can show their ability to apply and transform their knowledge


Instructional Activities Can Become Performance Assessments


• Do professionals in the real world memorize list of facts and answer multiple-choice questions?

• Design the activities/tasks based on:

– How people in the real world show their proficiency in that area

– How experts in the topic of study think and express their learning


Teacher Creating Performance Assessments Tasks

Source: Zwiers (2008) pp. 233-234

• Design a new type of chemical additive to fertilizer • Students do the chemistry.

• Design a new bridge at the lowest cost – Students do the calculations required to meet safety

requirements and cost limits.

• Create a movie scene from a novel– Students interpret what is needed in scene, dialogue, and

action & why action takes place.

• Design a museum exhibit– Students learn facts and controversies, synthesize

importance of artifacts, & organize them in logical way


Examples of Real-world-based Activities and Assessments


Presenter

Presentation Notes

These examples can be in either language, ASL or English … or both. However, it is important to decide and plan which language(s) the lesson will focus upon, to ensure that the students learn and practice language skills in the language(s) of focus.

• Designed at same time the teacher designs the assessment

• Score independent traits, habits, and language separately

• Describe the quality of a student’s use of language

• Are explained by using a variety of work samples that show performance differences

• Use precise descriptors and indicators that enable speakers and readers to verify their scores and accurately self-assess


Rubrics to Score Performance or Product Assessments


• A clear idea of what they are to do and not do

• What the product looks like

• How to evaluate each feature that goes into the rubric


Rubrics Provide Students With:

Source: Zwiers (2008) pp. 237-239

Teachers continually model, scaffold, and highlight the academic language needed

to successfully accomplish the tasks.

• Students do lots of thinking and use lots of language when working with one another

• Students engage in types of thinking and academic language used by experts in the discipline


Benefits of Real-world-based Activities and Assessments


• Think of the unit topic you’re teaching in your class(es) now

• Choose one performance assessment in each of the four categories and describe how it could be used to assess your students’ academic language

– You can create additional performance assessments not listed in these categories if you like


Activity: Performance-Based and Product-Based Assessments

Presenter

Presentation Notes

The four categories are listed together in next slide.

Review: Examples of Performance-Based and Product-Based Assessments

Drama & Movement

• Role play • Monologue• Readers’

theater• Movie script• Dance• Design a

video• Lab

experiment• Write a play• Puppet show

Visual

• Poster• Web page• Video

commercial• Computer

game• Design a

building or park or school

• Magazine• A mural• Slide show


• Essay• Historical

fiction• Editorial letter• Business plan• Book review• Children’s

book• Collection of

poems or stories or art

• How-to manual

Written

• Signed (or oral) presentation

• Song or chant• Debate• Court case• Panel

discussion• Talk show• Teach a lesson• Conduct

interview

Signed(or Spoken)


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Use this slide for the activity in the previous slide.

Summary of What WeCovered Today

• Supporting academic (English) writing– Text level– Paragraph level– Word level

• Academic content & language objectives– Teachers partnering for student success

• Building academic language with performance assessments

Write down one or two new ideas/activities that you want to try with your students to build academic language.


References

• Baker, C. (2006). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (4th ed.). Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

• Collier, V. P. (1995). Promoting academic success for ESL students: Understanding second language acquisition for school. Woodside, NY: New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages-Bilingual Educators, Inc.

• Cummins, J. (n.d.) BICS and CALP. Retrieved July 10, 2006, from http://www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/bicscalp.html


References (cont’d)

• Freeman, Y., Freeman, D., & Meyers, M. (2006, January). Developing academic language through thematic teaching using preview, view, review. Presentation at the 2006 National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) Conference, Phoenix, AZ.

• O’Malley, J. M., & Valdez Pierce, L. (1996). Authentic assessment for English language learners: Practical approaches for teachers.Old Tappan, NJ: Pearson Education, Addison-Wesley.



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