Academic Literacy Community of Practice

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• Academic Literacy Community of Practice
• Webinar 4
• Teaching Academic Language to English Language
  Learners
• Hosted by the Center on Instruction May 11, 2010

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• The Center on Instruction is operated by RMC
  Research Corporation in partnership with the
  Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida
  State University Instructional Research Group
  the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation,
  and Statistics at the University of Houston and
  The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational
  Risk at The University of Texas at Austin.The
  contents of this PowerPoint were developed under
  cooperative agreement S283B050034 with the U.S.
  Department of Education. However, these contents
  do not necessarily represent the policy of the
  Department of Education, and you should not
  assume endorsement by the Federal
  Government.2010 The Center on Instruction
  requests that no changes be made to the content
  or appearance of this product.

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COI Staff

• Angela Penfold, Director
• Ruth Dober, Deputy Director of Communications
• Andrea Reade, Research Associate
• Mabel Rivera, Deputy Director (ELL Strand)
• Debby Miller, Deputy Director (Reading Strand)
• Christy Murray, Deputy Director (Special Ed
  Strand)
• Erika Soucy, Technical Assistance

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Academic Literacy Webinar Series Schedule of
Events
Academic Literacy for ELLs in Science and Social Studies Classrooms Tuesday, Feb. 9 David Francis Leticia Martinez Colleen Reutebuch
Academic Literacy in Social Studies Classrooms (non-ELL) Thursday, March 11 Cynthia Shanahan
Adolescent Literacy Friday, April 30 Don Deshler
Academic Language and ELLs Tuesday, May 11 Robin Scarcella
Current and Ongoing Research on Secondary RTI Thursday, June 10 Greg Roberts
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Todays Agenda

• Formal presentation
• Question and answer session with our featured
  speaker
• Evaluation

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Teaching Academic Language to English Learners

• Community of Practice
• Robin Scarcella
• rcscarce_at_uci.edu
• Presented at Webinar
• May 11, 2010

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The dilemmas remain the same

• If students do not receive rigorous content
  instruction, they fail to acquire academic
  language.
• If they do not understand their content
  instruction or cannot participate in it, they
  fail to learn academic language.
• If they are not given challenging, academic
  language instruction, they fail to acquire high
  level literacy skills.
• If they do not acquire high level literacy
  skills, they fail to acquire academic language.

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The solution is a challenging one

• Teach students academic language.

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The only way to give students a chance of
reaching content standards is to teach them the
academic language needed to access rigorous
content instruction.
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Whats the problem?

• Students are running out of time!
• Content AND language need to be taught together
  If they arent, English language learners lag
  behind.

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Agenda

• Which students need to learn academic language?
• What is academic language?
• What research-grounded instructional approaches
  and strategies are effective in teaching it to
  English language learners?
• What challenges do we face in teaching students
  academic language?
• What do we know about academic language now that
  we did not know about academic language ten years
  ago?

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Which students need to learn academic language?
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Many Names

• English learners
• English language learners
• LEP students
• Non-native English speakers
• ESL students
• Recent arrivals
• Long-term residents
• Linguistic minority students
• Vernacular dialect speakers
• Students who enter schools with languages other
  than English

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Characteristics
Many English learners have received much, if not
all, of their education in the United States and
they speak a language in addition to English at
home. Sometimes they speak English ONLY.
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Characteristics

• Many long-term immigrant students are often
  highly proficient in English.
• Many lack proficiency in academic language.
• Even native English speakers are in the process
  of learning academic language.

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Many English language learners

• Have been schooled for many years in the United
  States, many since kindergarten
• Have had interrupted educational backgrounds
• Do not appear to be making much progress learning
  Englishaspects of their English language
  development may have stabilized.

It is now mandatory to examine the progress of
these students over time.
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Students often hit a PLATEAU in the development
of English when they become functionally
proficient.
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Many Proficiency Levels

• Beginning
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Caution Many students who have learned English
as a second or third language are proficient
enough in English to access core content
curricula and require no specially designed
English language assistance in school.
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Recommendation

• Teach those students who need it the English
  required for them to access core content
  instruction and benefit from it.
• Continue to teach language to students once they
  receive core content instruction.

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Recommendation

• Academic language is the language of the
  classroom . . . of academic disciplines . . . of
  texts and literature, and of extended, reasoned
  discourse.
• The development of formal (academic) English
  should be a key instructional goal for ELLs.
  Curricula should accompany reading (and
  mathematics) instruction to support this goal.
• Scientific evidence base Low (2007)

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The Linguistic Dimension
Academic Language
Phonology
Vocabulary
Grammar
Sociolinguistics
Discourse
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Aspects of Academic Language

• Vocabulary Knowledge
• Vocabulary of Instruction
• Words to teach learn the lesson content
  (strategies, pre-writing, context clues)
• Vocabulary of Text
• words related to Unit/Theme/Selection (habitats,
  camouflage, voyagers)
• Basic, high frequency words
• Academic words
• Content specific words
• Word Complexity
• Multi-syllabic words with prefixes, suffixes,
  Greek Latin roots (informational, hopelessness,
  psychology)

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Word Families
Noun Verb Adjective
dependence depend dependable
reliance rely reliable
enjoyment enjoy enjoyable
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Word Families
Noun Verb
factor factor
addition add
division divide
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Aspects of Academic Language

• Complex Sentence Structures / Syntax
• Sentences with passive voice, prepositional
  phrases, and conditionals

• Discourse
• Units of language more than one sentence in
  length that can allow for the organization of
  speech and writing and convey meaning and
  coherence across sentences, etc. (We walked for
  charity, and in so doing we raised money for the
  Childrens Foundation. The charity walk raised
  money for the Childrens Foundation.

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Discourse Learners need to know how to produce
extended texts.

• Those two splendid old trains have been restored
  with great cost.
• The restoration has been costly.

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Converting Informal English Into Academic English
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Jack Springer thinks that the government should
allow people the right to own a gun. But I dont
agree with him. People like him sort of think
that the government limits our rights when it
restricts gun stuff. They kind of think that
most people who own guns are responsible guys who
keep the guns for sport and recreation. They
also think that the police are unable to stop
violent crime and we need guns to protect
ourselves. But I think he is wrong. I agree
with Josephine Bluff who thinks that guns
increase the amount of violent crime in the
community. I also think that human life is worth
more than giving shooters the right to go
shooting on the weekend. And I also think that
many of the guns that are kept around the house
would of ended up being used in violent domestic
disputes or teenage suicides.
Informal English
1
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Academic English
2

• Jack Springer maintains that the government
  should allow people the right to own a gun. This
  position asserts that the government is
  infringing on our democratic rights when it
  restricts gun ownership. Most people who own
  guns, so the argument goes, are responsible
  citizens who keep the guns for sport and
  recreation. It is further contended that the
  police are unable to stop violent crime and we
  need guns to protect ourselves. However, as
  Josephine Bluff states, guns increase the amount
  of violent crime in the community. Moreover,
  human life is worth more than giving shooters the
  right to go shooting on the weekend. In
  addition, many of the guns that are kept around
  the house are used in violent domestic disputes
  or teenage suicides.
• Adapted from Bill Daley, 1997
  http//wwww.eslplanet.com/teachertools/argueweb/in
  form.html

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Converting Informal English Into Academic English

• Jack Springer maintains that the government
  should allow people the right to own a gun. This
  position asserts that the government is
  infringing on our democratic rights when it
  restricts gun ownership. Most people who own
  guns, so the argument goes, are responsible
  citizens who keep the guns for sport and
  recreation. It is further contended that the
  police are unable to stop violent crime and we
  need guns to protect ourselves. However, as
  Josephine Bluff states, guns increase the amount
  of violent crime in the community. Moreover,
  human life is worth more than giving shooters the
  right to go shooting on the weekend. In
  addition, many of the guns that are kept around
  the house are used in violent domestic disputes
  or teenage suicides.
• Adapted from Bill Daley, 1997
  http//wwww.eslplanet.com/teachertools/argueweb/in
  form.html

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Characteristics
Informal English Academic English
Uses hedges kind of, sort of Does not use hedges
Uses I Avoids using I
Uses simple connectors Uses sophisticated transition words
Uses slang Uses academic words

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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.

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1. Informal English/ Narrative
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2. Academic English/ Expository
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Specific Recommendations

• Teachers must understand that instruction with
  ELLs should include time and focus devoted to the
  development of academic English.
• 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.
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Greater Emphasis on the Development of Academic
English in Oral Communication

• Well-structured activities designed to develop
  the students oral language (e.g., helping the
  student hear word endings and use them).

Gersten et. al, 2007.
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Grouping Practices
Ineffective Effective
Unstructured Cooperative Learning with NO Reading Material Carefully Structured Cooperative Learning Tasks with Reading Material
Free Conversation Carefully Structured Pair Work
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Well Structured Conversations
Remember We tend to acquire the language of
those with whom we communicate.
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The Importance of Using Texts In Structured
Conversations
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Videos of academic conversations can be viewed at
these websites

• Preparing for Success in Algebra
• http//www.camsp.net/html/index.html
• Access to the Core
• http//www.accesstothecore.com/html/index.html

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A Reconsideration of Think-Pair-Share
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Specific Recommendations

• Many features of academic English can not be
  identified easily. Therefore, the best way to
  teach academic English is through a curriculum
  with a defined scope and sequence.
• However, there are few curriculum materials that
  have solid evidence of effectiveness.
• Consequently, materials should be selected
  carefully and implementation should be planned
  thoughtfully.

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The critics argue
Curricula with defined scope and sequence will
not work. They are just one more instructional
bandwagon
There is no scientific evidence to support them
They wont work, because they lead to one size
fits all instruction. . .
They limit teachers freedom. . .
too much scripted instruction. . .
They stop teachers from using their professional
judgment
They prevent students from developing language!
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Common sense suggests
When teachers lack expertise in teaching diverse
groups of students,
they need a curriculum with a defined scope and
sequence.
When students need instructional routines. . .
they need a curriculum with a defined scope and
sequence.
When students frequently move from one school to
the next . . .
they need a curriculum with a defined scope and
sequence.
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Common sense suggests
When teachers need to teach something so
difficult and so extraordinarily complex as
academic language. . .
they need a curriculum with a defined scope and
sequence.
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An ExampleElfrieda (Freddy) Hieberts QuickReads1
Website http//www.textproject.org
Are designed to provide a foundation for the
development of academic English, increasing
students knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and
discourse Teach reading to young children as
well as struggling adolescent learners Include
the instruction of informational non-fiction
Provide background knowledge
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An ExampleElfrieda (Freddy) Hieberts QuickReads1
Allow students to gain reading proficiency and
experience in extracting information from the
text they are reading Repeatedly expose
students to specific content words
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An ExampleCatherine Snows Word Generation
Program2
Website http//www.wordgeneration.org
Was designed to reduce the fragmentation of
academic words in content areas Was designed to
engage adolescent learners Was developed with
the expectation of 15 minutes of instruction on
academic words each day Introduced
controversial topics Repeatedly exposed
students to specific content words and provided
instruction in these words Also targeted words
from the Academic Word List
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What are academic words?

• Averil Coxhead developed a list of 570 academic
  words that are used in a variety of academic
  disciplines.

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Examples of Academic Words

• Authority
• Assume
• Traditional
• Select
• Philosophy
• Access
• Ethnic
• Liberal

• Minimum
• Release
• Survive
• Ideology
• Inevitably
• Coherent
• Persist

http//www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/resources/academicw
ordlist/
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• Word Generation Materials
• 24 weeks, each week focused on a set of 5
  words
• 4 strands/content-areas with 6 topics each
• Topics
• Science strand stem cell research
• Math strand athletes and multi-million dollar
  salaries
• Social Studies strand Should English be the
  official language of the US?
• English Language Arts strand affirmative action
  and
• college admissions

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Catherine Snows Word Generation Program2
Monday Introduce the 5 words in a paragraph.
Tuesday - Thursday Teach 5 words through
content-area word activities.
Friday Elicit 5 targeted words in writing.
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Specifics

• Adopt a policy clearly stating that English
  language learners must have a daily block of time
  devoted to development of academic English
• Develop or purchase curricula that can be used to
  teach and develop academic English
• Teach academic English in the earliest grades
• Provide teachers with appropriate professional
  development to help them learn how to teach
  academic English

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Specific Recommendation

• There are frameworks that provide guidance for
  instruction and list key topics.
• However, these are not designed for regular
  classroom use.
• Teachers will need considerable support to use
  curriculum materials effectively.
• Instruction should begin as early as possible.
• For U.S. newcomers, the first year of instruction
  must also have a focus on informal,
  conversational language.

Gersten et. al, 2007.
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Specific Recommendation

• Teachers need extensive professional development
  and support to teach academic English
  effectively.
• Features of morphology, syntax, and discourse
  should be addressed carefully and not overwhelm
  teachers.

Gersten et. al, 2007.
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Specific Recommendation

• All content teachers need to teach academic
  language. Scaffolding for student understanding
  is not enough.

Ahn has 64 crayons. This number is 18 more
crayons than Bill has. Which equation should be
used to find b, the number of crayons Bill
has? A. b 64 - 18 B. b 64/18 C. b 64
18 D. b 64 x 18
A released question from the 5th grade CST in
Mathematics.
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Specific Recommendation
Professional development activities should
include analyzing texts, determining features of
language students should be taught to complete
assignments, designing student friendly
explanations, and designing ways to
encourage students to use specific language
features.
Lets look at an example of a professional
development activity.
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The Fox and the Grapes One
hot summer's day a fox was strolling through an
orchard till he came to a bunch of grapes on a
vine which someone had trained to drape over a
lofty branch. "Just the thing to quench my
thirst," he exclaimed. Drawing back a pace or
two, he took a run and a jump, and just missed
the bunch. Turning around again with a one, two,
three, he jumped up, but with no greater success.
Again and again he tried after the tempting
morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked
away with his nose in the air, saying "I am
sure they are sour."It is easy to despise what
you cannot get.
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• Student-Friendly Definition
• Stroll - when a person walks slowly and takes
  time to look at things, as well as think about
  things that are pleasant
• Examples
• a. A slow walk on the beach
• b. Walking at a slow speed with no particular
  place to go
• c. How you might walk to school when you aren't
  late
• Non-examples
• A jog on the beach
• The speed you walk to the store when it's raining
  and you have no umbrella
• How you walk to school when you are late

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Vocabulary Exclaim Student-Friendly
Definition
Examples a. ______________________________________
________ b. ______________________________________
________ c. ______________________________________
________ Non-examples d. ________________________
______________________ e. ________________________
______________________
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Academic Language Words Using the guiding
questions below, determine which words you would
choose to teach. Questions Is the word
unknown? Is it key in understanding the
selection? Does it have multiple meanings?
Is it often found in other literature or
informational text?
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Specific Recommendation

• Time should be devoted to the instruction of
  academic language.
• The focus can be clearly on language. Students
  should be assessed on the language that they
  have learned in school.

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Two Frequently Used Instructional Strategies

• Questioning
• Using Sentence Stems

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Lessons Learned Generic questions
Beginning Intermediate
Questions that elicit one word answers Whats ? Yes/no questions Is it tall or short? Either/or questions Is it smaller or larger? Why? How? What do you think about ?
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Specific questions tied to specific
instructional contexts and learning objectives
usually work better than generic questions.
Lessons Learned

• Why is one inch larger than 1 centimeter? 1. Why
  do you use inches to measure your desk instead of
  centimeters?
• How do you know that 2 x 4 is the same as 2 2
  2 2?
• Is 450/100 the same as 45/10? Why?

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Lessons Learned Sentence Stems
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Specific Sentence Stems Often Work Best
When comparing two shapes
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Specific Sentence Stems Often Work Best
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Challenges to Teaching Academic Language
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Challenge Language

• Teacher Talk
• How problem ask you add?
• How you find perimeter of triangle without no
  formula?
• Why is a value difference between Fahrenheit
  temperature scale and Celsius temperature scales?
• When equation has more one operation, how you
  know first?

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Challenge Language Objectives
Challenge Langage

• Identification of Language Objectives
• It is not always obvious to teachers,
  administrators and others what language students
  need to learn to access and benefit from
  instruction.

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Challenge Second Language Development
The instruction students require to participate
in lessons and benefit from them are not always
obvious. The factors affecting the development
of language are not always obvious. Minimally,
these factors should be considered exposure to
language, opportunities to use language (with
other more proficient speakers of math language),
instruction (and scaffolding), feedback and
critical learner variables (such as prior
knowledge and motivation)
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A Challenge Placement Issues
Ensuring students receive the appropriate
instructional supports, e.g., that they are not
given remedial coursework that they do not need,
that they receive appropriate services for the
gifted, and that they receive appropriate English
instructional services and support.
We need to be concerned about English language
support services and content instruction.
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A Challenge Assessment Issues
An absence of clear language objectives tied
to content that is taught and assessed in class.
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A Challenge Equity Issues
A Hypothesis Each year, English language
learners are tested on what they have not been
taught in school. They are held accountable for
knowing academic language that no one has ever
taught them.
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A Challenge Motivation
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A Challenge Helping Content Teachers Teach
Academic Language

• Building Bridges Across Grades and Content Areas

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Yesenia Medrano, Southeast Middle School
A Challenge Teacher Professional Development
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A Challenge There is a lot to teach, especially
in the upper grades!
Language
1
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Learners
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4
5
A
L
E
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To Teach Academic English

• 
  Helpful Necessary
• Include language objectives
• Provide language instruction
• Provide language exposure
• Provide sufficient
• practice
• Provide feedback
• Engage students

Evidence Low but growing!
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Mastery of academic language is arguably the
most important determinant of academic success
for individual students. 3
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A Letter from a University Student Requesting
Exemption from UCIs ESL Requirement
Dear Mrs. Robbin I really not need humanity 20
writing class because since time I come to United
State all my friend speak english. Until now
everyone understand me and I dont need study
english. I don t know Vietnam language. I speak
only english. I have no communication problem
with my friend in dorm. My English teacher in
high school key person to teach me. My teacher
explain to me that how important the book was for
the student and persuaded me read many book. I
get A in English through out high school and I
never take ESL. I gree that some student need
class but you has not made a correct decision put
me in english class. Please do not makes me lose
the face. I have confident in english.
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Letter from the Same University Student After
Instruction
Hi Robin, I am apologize for having to send you
this information at the last minute. I still
need a letter. This letter should discuss my
qualifications, skills and accomplishments. It
should be written on letterhead and addressed To
Whom It May Concern and submitted with a
Recommendation Form (which I will give to you
tomorrow). Please write a letter that addresses
my academic achievement, seriousness of purpose,
personal maturity, and whether or not I possess
the skills necessary to adapt to a new
environment. Also, please address my ability to
think analytically, my aptitude, my overall
maturity and my independence. Thank you so much
Robin for doing this for me. I truly appreciate
it. Let me know if you have any last minutes
questions.
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References

• 1Hiebert, E.H. (2010). Understanding the
  word-level features of texts for students who
  depend on schools to become literate. In M.G.
  McKeown and L. Kucan (Eds.) Bringing Reading
  Research to Life, (pp. 207-231). The Guilford
  Press New York, NY.
• 2White, C. Kim, J. (2009). Putting the Pieces
  of the Puzzle Together How systematic vocabulary
  instruction and extended learning can address the
  literacy gap. Center for American Progress.
  Retrieved from www.americanprogress.org/issues/200
  9/05/pdf/elt_may09.pdf.

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References
3Francis, David F., et al. (2006). Practical
Guidelines for the Education of English Language
Learners Research-Based Recommendations for
Instruction and Academic Interventions. Under
cooperative agreement grant S283B050034 for U.S.
Department of Education). Portsmouth, NH RMC
Research Corporation, Center on Instruction
(COI), 2006. (Book 1 of 3).
90
References
3Francis, David F., et al. (2006). Practical
Guidelines for the Education of English Language
Learners Research-Based Recommendations for
Instruction and Academic Interventions. Under
cooperative agreement grant S283B050034 for U.S.
Department of Education). Portsmouth, NH RMC
Research Corporation, Center on Instruction
(COI), 2006. (Book 1 of 3).
91
Additional References

• August, D. Shanahan, T. (2007). Developing
  literacy in second-language learners. Mahway, NJ
  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• August, D. Shanahan, T. (2008). Developing
  reading and writing in second-language learners.
  Routledge, IRA, and CAL.
• Moughamian, A. C., Rivera, M. O., Francis, D.
  J. (2009). Instructional models and strategies
  for teaching English language learners.Portsmouth,
  NH RMC Research Corporation, Center on
  Instruction.

92
Additional References

• --Rivera, M. O., Francis, D. J., Fernandez, M.,
  Moughamian, A. C., Lesaux, N. K., Jergensen, J.
  (2010). Effective practices for English language
  learners. Principals from five states
  speak.Portsmouth, NH RMC Research Corporation,
  Center on Instruction.
• Short, Deborah J. Fitzsimmons, Shannon (2007).
  Double the Work Challenges and solutions to
  acquiring language and academic literacy for
  adolescent English language Learners. Carnegie
  Report.

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Questions?