University of Maryland, Baltimore County
NSTA Conference, Portland
November 21, 2008
1. Introduction
2. Language in the Science Classroom
3. Language Support Strategies for ELLs
4. Funds of Knowledge
5. Application: Sample Lesson
6. Conclusion: Q&A
• Collaborative Partners:
– University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
– Howard County Public School System (HCPSS)
– Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
• Presenters:
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Dr. Joan Kang Shin (UMBC ESOL Education)
Dr. John Murdock (UMBC Science Education)
John Quinn (HCPSS Secondary Science Coordinator)
Lori Edmonds (UMBC LLC PhD Student)
• Over 2,192 English language learners (5%
of total enrollment)
– 773 (35%) secondary level
– 20% of 773 are newcomers
• HCPSS ELLs represent
– 72 different languages
– 88 different countries
• Conversational fluency
• “Surface” language skills of listening and
speaking which are typically acquired
quickly by most ELLs.
• 6 months – 2 years to develop
• ELLs’ ability to cope with academic
demands in content classes
• Listening, speaking, reading, and writing
about subject area content material
• 5-7 years to develop
• Up to 9-10 years to develop if the ELL has no prior
schooling or little support for native language
development (Thomas & Collier, 1995)
• Not only specialized content area
vocabulary
• Includes other skills such as
– Comparing
– Classifying
– Synthesizing
– Evaluating
– Inferring
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BICS
•Conversational fluency
•Students can pick up
this language within a
year and sound fluent
•Language acquired in
highly contextualized
situations
•Lots of non-verbal
clues, like facial
expressions and real
objects
•Talking with friends
•Telling your teacher why
you don’t have your
homework
CALP
•Needed for a
successful school
experience
•Answering warm-up
questions
•Expressing personal
opinions
•Giving an oral
presentation
•Needed for success in
grade-level academic
work
•Can take 5-7 years to
acquire
•Provides little context
or clues to help with
meaning
•Generally involves
abstract concepts
•Reading textbooks
•Writing lab reports
•Taking notes in a lecture
•Answering exit ticket
question
• Context-embedded task:
Students have access to a range of additional
visual and oral cues
• Context-reduced task:
Students have no other sources to gain
comprehension other than language
• Most academic tasks are context-reduced
Such as lectures, reading textbooks, writing
lab reports, solving word problems
• More difficult for ELLs who are struggling
with language
• See the most difficult tasks that are
context-reduced and cognitively
demanding in QUADRANT D
A
•Participating in an art class
•Playing a game in PE
•Playing with friends at recess
•Following directions after watching
them modeled
B
•Listening to a lecture with a graphic
organizer or manipulatives
•Reading a textbook with graphics –
pictures, charts, maps
•Writing an essay after discussion,
reading, organizing information on a
graphic organizer
•Participating in a lab experiment
C
•Writing a list
•Talking on the telephone
•Copying from the board
•Filling in a worksheet
D
•Listening to a lecture
•Reading a textbook
•Writing a persuasive essay
•Writing a lab report
•Solving a word problem in math
•Taking standardized tests
Cognitively Demanding
Context-reduced
Context-embedded
Cognitively Undemanding
• Don’t be fooled by ELLs who have good
social and conversational English! They
may still need lots of help with CALP.
• Assess which activities in your class are
context-reduced and cognitively
demanding (Quadrant D)
• Contextualize instruction and all activities
for ELLs (Quadrant B)
• Always encourage native language
development in the content areas. CALP
in L1 is transferable to L2.
• Don’t forget to give ELLs extra support for
oral classroom language, which is part of
CALP.
– Sentence starters for expected oral responses
– Multiple choice answers for oral Q&A
– Oral preview of keywords (use online dictionary)
• High Frequency Words (see Dolch or Frye
word lists)
• Academic Words (see Academic Word List by
Averil Coxhead, Victoria University)
• Content-specific Words (i.e., new science
concepts/vocabulary)
• Tool to help with text analysis:
http://www.lextutor.ca/vp/eng
Organisms can be classified according to how they get energy.
Organisms that use energy from sunlight or from chemical bonds in
inorganic substances to make organic compounds are called
autotrophs. Most autotrophs use the process of photosynthesis to
convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy in the form of
organic compounds, primarily carbohydrates.
The tree in Figure 6-1 is an autotroph because it convert light
energy from the sun into organic compounds. The tree uses these
compounds for energy, as it cannot manufacture organic
compounds itself. Animals and other organisms that must get
energy from food instead of directly from sunlight or inorganic
substances are called heterographs. The bird is also a hetrograph.
The food that fuels the bird originates with an autotroph (the tree),
but it passes indirectly to the bird through the caterpillar. In similar
ways, almost all organisms ultimately depend on autotrophs to
obtain the energy necessary to carry our the processes of life.
Photosynthesis involved a complex series of chemical
reactions in which the product of one reaction is consumed in the
next reaction. A series of chemical reactions linked in this way is
referred to as a biochemical pathway.
0-1000 [ families 58 : types 69 : tokens 134 ] a a a
a according all almost also an an and animals are
are as as be because bird bird bird but called
called can cannot carry classified depend directly
figure food food for form from from from from from
from get get how in in in in in in in indirectly
instead into into is is is is it it it itself life light light
make manufacture most must necessary next
number of of of of of of of on one or or other our
passes product substances substances sun sun
sunlight sunlight that that that the the the the the
the the the the the the the the the the the these
they this through to to to to to to to tree tree tree
use use uses way ways which with
1001-2000 [2:2:2] originates referred
AWL [16:18:36] bonds chemical chemical
chemical chemical complex compounds
compounds compounds compounds
compounds consumed convert convert
energy energy energy energy energy
energy energy energy involved linked
obtain primarily process processes
reaction reaction reactions reactions
series series similar ultimately
OFF LIST [?:13:24] autotroph autotroph
autotrophs autotrophs autotrophs
biochemical carbohydrates caterpillar fuels
heterographs hetrograph inorganic
inorganic organic organic organic organic
organisms organisms organisms
organisms pathway photosynthesis
photosynthesis
K2 Words
Academic Words
Off-list Words
originates
referred
bonds
chemical
complex
compounds
consumed
convert
energy
involves
linked
obtain
primarily
process
reaction
series
similar
ultimately
autotroph
biochemical
carbohydrates
caterpillar
fuels
heterotrophy
inorganic
organic
organism
pathway
photosynthesis
New
lary
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b
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vo
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for al
nts!
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Before reading input:
• Use the “Lexical Tutor” to find words in the
text or scan text for AWL or content
vocabulary (ask for student helpers).
• Give these words to ELLs to study before
a difficult reading assignment or before the
start of a unit.
Before a lecture/lab:
• Make a list of the new concepts or
vocabulary before the lecture/lab.
• Give students a chance to translate the
words into their native language before the
lecture/lab.
• If possible, make a recording of the words,
so students can recognize them aurally.
Academic
Word
encounter
NL Word
Common Word
encontrar
meet
observe
observar
watch
maintain
mantener
keep
ultimate
ultimo
last
equal
igual
same
entire
entero
whole
quantity
cantidad
amount
Typical reading process:
1. Read the text.
2. Answer the questions.
3. Discuss in class.
4. Apply to real life.
Reverse the reading process:
1. Apply to real life.
2. Discuss in class.
3. Answer the questions (and look at summary
in the back to focus on main ideas and purpose
for reading).
4. Read the text.
is
Note: Th
s
p
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h
s
s
proce
lize
a
u
t
x
e
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the text!
Text
page
What I
understood
New or difficult Question I want
words
to know
• Students use Post-it notes to
make notations that put the
meaning of the text into their
own words in their textbooks.
• The Post-it notes can be
transferred to the students’
learning log or textbook notes.
• Later, they can incorporate their
textbook notes with their lecture
notes.
• If your ELL has a study buddy or IA, you
need to make sure the relationship is an
effective one.
• They should scaffold and build strategies,
not just give the right answers.
• Encourage the study buddy or IA to:
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Work on learning logs
Work on AWL and pre-study of vocabulary
Work on personal dictionary
Model pronunciation and usage of new words