Academic Language:
From Paper to Practice
Gisela Ernst-Slavit, PhD
Washington State University Vancouver
[email protected]
AGENDA
• Review: Academic Language
• Example: Using WA ELP standards as a
tool for academic language instruction
for ELLs
• Suggestions for Practice: Specific
strategies for incorporating academic
language for student learning
• Questions:
Academic Language
• A register
• Specific linguistic features associated
with academic disciplines
• Found in textbooks, tasks, talk, and
tests
• Students must produce it!!!
Dimensions of Academic
Language
Discourse Level
• Text types
• Genres
• Cohesion of text
• Coherence of ideas
Sentence Level
• Types of sentences—simple,
compound, complex
• Word order
• Prepositional phrases
• Phrasal verbs
Word/Expression
Level
• Colloquial expressions
• General, specialized, and
technical content words
• Nominalizations (use of verbs,
adjectives, or adverbs as nouns,
such as produce and production)
Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014
4
Dimensions of Academic Language
Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014
Discourse Level
• Autobiographies
• Story problems
• Lab reports
• Historical argument
Sentence Level
• Sequence words
• Logical connectors
• Complex noun phrases
• Historical present
Word/Expression
Level
• Setting
• Right angle
• Hypothesis
• Democracy
Language arts, Math, Science, Social studies
5
Dimensions of Academic Language
Discourse Level
Sentence Level
Word/Expression
Level
6
‘Mastery of academic language is
arguably the single most important
determinant of academic success for
individual students. ..it is not possible
to overstate the role that language
plays in determining students’
success with academic content..’
--Francis, Rivera, Lesaux, Kieffer, & Rivera, 2006. p. 7
Since 2010, academic has
become…
• more explicit in the standards
• shared between English language
proficiency and content standards
• inclusive of every school discipline
• taught within a sociocultural context
• the responsibility of all teachers.
Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014
Language awareness
Texts
Tests
Tasks
Talk
• Discourse
• Sentence level
(grammatical
structures)
• Word level
(vocabulary)
9
Questions
We need to bring language
instruction to the forefront in every
subject matter and for all students.
STANDARDS
Students
ASSESSMENT ACROSS LESSONS
LANGUAGE
TARGETS
INSTRUCTION & ASSESSMENT
DIFFERENTIATED
LANGUAGE
OBJECTIVES
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
CONTENT
TARGETS
WITHIN LESSONS
DIFFERENTIATED
CONTENT
OBJECTIVES
Adapted from Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014
A CURRICULAR FRAMEWORK
COLLEGE &
CAREER
READINESS
STANDARDS,
Content target:
All students will solve and explain mathematical
problems involving fractions.
Language Target:
All students will describe and compare the use of
fractions in a variety of situations.
Differentiated Language Objectives
Unit on Gothic Literature
• Grade 8
• 14 students receiving ELL services
(mostly level 3)
• Most students of Mexican descent
• Mr. Soto is bilingual
Minaya-Rowe (2014). In: Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit (Eds. Academic
Language in Diverse Classrooms, ELA, Grades 6-8)
15
Process
Teacher…
…analyzes language demands of text
…pairs CCSS standards with ELP standards
16
Analyzes language
demands of text
Poe’s original version (1846):
THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best
could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.
You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not
suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I
would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled—but
the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded
the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with
impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes
its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails
to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.
17
Process
Teacher…
…analyzes language demands of texts
…pairs CCSS standards with ELP standards
18
CCSS ELA
What is the new language that my
students need to know in order to
access the material and to
demonstrate understanding of the
topic, vocabulary, grammar, and
discourse?
Minaya-Rowe (2014)
Content and Language
Targets for the Unit
• Content Target: Students will identify and
analyze the characteristics of Poe’s horror
short story “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• Language Target: Students will explain
orally and in writing the characteristics of
gothic literature in Poe’s horror short
story.
Differentiated
Language Objectives
Encourages Interaction
and Cooperation
•
•
•
•
•
Small groups
Jigsaws
Clock interaction partners
Academic instructional conversations
Spanish and English
25
Builds on cultural and linguistic strengths of
students
• Cognates
• Suffix patterns in English and Spanish
26
Builds on cultural and linguistic strengths
of students
Experiences with horror
movies
Legends and other stories
27
Questions
“Every teacher will now need to be a
teacher of the language and literacies
for all their students, including ELLs.
….this will require a different level of
teacher expertise than currently exists.”
Walqui & Heritage, 2012
Suggestions for Practice
30
1. Be aware of the
academic language
demands in…
Texts
Tests
Tasks
Talk
•
•
•
•
word
sentence
discourse
functions
31
2. Help students understand the
differences between everyday and
academic language at the discourse
level
32
http://www.newsjournalonline.com/article/20130817/NEWS/130819461?p=5&tc=pg
2013
Not the Queen’s
English
“hello mrs its Cody from 3rd period and turnit in .com
wont accept my essay because its not from microsoft word
witch i do not have on the computer i am using at my
freinds house i printed out a copy of the website page and
attached it to my essay so that you know that i am not
lying i dont know what else to do sorry heres a copy of my
essay so that u can see i did it”
33
Differences Between Everyday
and Academic Language
(Scarcella & Rumberger, 2000)
34
Analyzing academic language at
the discourse level
Academic Language
Simple, Informal
Complex, Formal
Many small fish live on
the coral reef. A coral
reef is made up of
plants, fish, and many
other creatures. Coral
reefs are diverse
ecosystems.
Dazzling living jewels fill the
warm, shallow seas of the
tropics. In the clear sunlit
waters, large colonies of
animals called corals have built
underwater walls and
platforms known as reefs.
(Collard, 1998)
3. Teach Sentence-level
Structures
Sentence-level structures across content areas
(Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014)
• Sensory imagery,
• Alliteration,
• Simile,
• Hyperbole
• Passive voice,
• Grammatical metaphor,
• Syntactic ambiguity
• Complex noun phrases
• Formulas,
• Logical
connectors,
• Comparative
structures,
• Story problems
ELA
Math
Science
Social
Studies
• Sequence words,
• Historical present,
• Multiple forms of
past tense
Examples of sentence-level structures
(Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014, p.38-40)
Teaching sentence-level structures
Teaching Sentence-level structures
Example – “Is this accurate, meaningful?”
GRADE 4 - SCIENCE
“Is this accurate,
meaningful?”
T: OK, turn to your partner and come up with a
sentence
36
that uses the word “geologist”
37S: A geologist is someone who studies the earth with a
38
magnifying glass.
39T: Is that a complete sentence?
40Ss: Yes
41T: Is it accurate?
42
…
43
Is it meaningful?
44Ss:Yes
45S: No
46T: Someone said no. Why?
47S: Because you look parts of the whole earth
.
35
Gisela Ernst-Slavit
43
Use sentence starters
• Give reasons for
students to speak
to each other in
class.
• Structure
academic
conversations
around texts and
topics of interest
that enhance
language learning.
44
Foster word consciousness
Dimensions of Academic
Language
Discourse Level
• Text types
• Genres
• Cohesion of text
• Coherence of ideas
Sentence Level
• Types of sentences—simple,
compound, complex
• Word order
• Prepositional phrases
• Phrasal verbs
Word/Expression
Level
• Colloquial expressions
• General, specialized, and
technical content words
• Nominalizations (use of verbs,
adjectives, or adverbs as nouns,
such as produce and production)
Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014
46
Word-learning strategy
47
Example – What’s a geologist?
GRADE 4 - SCIENCE
“What’s a geologist?”
12 T:
13
14 s:
15 T:
16 s:
17 T:
What did we decide about yesterday’s word?
What is a geologist?
A scientist who study rocks.
Does anyone disagree with that?
A scientist who studies the earth.
A scientist who studies the earth.
Gisela Ernst-Slavit
49
“What’s a geologist?”
12 T:
13
14 s:
15 T:
16 s:
17 T:
18
19
20
What did we decide about yesterday’s word?
What is a geologist?
A scientist who study rocks.
Does anyone disagree with that?
A scientist who studies the earth.
A scientist who studies the earth.
So we have this prefix here (points to the board). This is all Latin.
Literally it means a person who studies the
earth.
Geologist
prefix
geo = earth
this part ology = science
suffix
ist = a person
21T:
22
There are different types of geologists—paleontologists,
volcanologists, seismologists…
Gisela Ernst-Slavit
50
Word-learning strategies—
Acting out words and concepts
Classroom Clips - 6th Grade Math - Kristin Hera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIy-JkOqpB0
51
Word-learning strategies—
Acting out words and concepts
Jump
Walk
Stretch
Touch head
Stand
Hop
Breathe
Raise right hand
52
Use cognates!
Cognate
A word that looks similar in
two languages AND has the
same meaning.
False Cognate
A word that looks similar
in two languages BUT has
a different meaning.
Example:
information
información
Example :
exit
éxito
53
54
Write content and
language objectives
Language & Content Objectives
(Egbert & Ernst-Slavit, 2010: Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014)
• Content Objectives: Focus of the
lesson (What student should know
and be able to do)
• Language Objectives: Focus on
language development, language
needs, and language use for the
lesson (How Listening, Speaking,
Reading and Writing will be
incorporated into the lesson)
This PowerPoint is contributed by the Campbell Union Elementary School District
to the English Language Acquisition Consortium (ELAC) in Santa Clara County, 2011.
56
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
CONTENT AND LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES
(Egbert & Ernst-Slavit, 2010)
Content Objectives
The ideas/facts/processes
students will learn as a result of a
lesson
Format
SWAT+ measurable/observable
outcome (verb) + specific
content
• SWBAT identify three
central causes of the
Civil War
57
Language Objectives
The language that students need
to meet the content objectives and
participate in task processes
Format
SWAT + measurable outcome
(verb) + language skills,
functions, grammar, strategies,
or vocabulary required for the
task
• SWBAT use past
tense verbs
EXAMPLES of Language Objectives from a unit on Fractions
– Grade 4
SWBAT:
• Use technical vocabulary, expressions, and sentences to
describe fractions.
• Use comparative language to contrast fractions.
• Use sequential language in stating procedures to prepare a
cooking recipe.
58
LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES
(Egbert & Ernst-Slavit, 2010)
Language
Objectives…
 are the HOW of the
lesson
 should be specific
about the language
skills you want
students to develop
59
 derive from the
content to be taught
 consider the
strengths and
needs of students
 present
measurable,
achievable
outcomes
Allow Translanguaging
60
Translanguaging
• Coined by Cen Williams in Wales (1994)
•
• All languages are used in an integrated and
coherent way to organize and mediate mental
processes in learning.”
•
•
•
•
Making meaning
Shaping experiences
Gaining understanding
Through two languages
(Baker, 2011, p. 288)
In sum…
1. Be aware of the academic language
demands
2. Help your students become aware of the
differences between everyday and
academic language
3. Teach sentence-level structures
4. Foster word consciousness
In sum…
5. Use cognates
6. Write content and language objectives
7. Allow and encourage translanguaging
Questions
In today’s educational context, every
teacher is a language teacher and every
student a language learner.
Thank you.
Gisela Ernst-Slavit, PhD
[email protected]
64
Selected References
Cannon, J. (1993). Stellaluna. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Inc.
Egbert, J. L., & Ernst-Slavit, G. (2010). Access to academics: Planning instruction for K12 classrooms with ELLs. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Francis, D. J., Rivera, M., Lesaux, N., Kieffer, M., & Rivera, H. (2006). Research-based
recommendations for instruction and academic interventions. Portsmouth, NH:
Center on Instruction. Retrieved from http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL1Interventions.pdf
Gottlieb, M., & Ernst Slavit, G. (2014). Academic language in diverse classrooms:
Definitions and Contexts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Gottlieb, M., & Ernst Slavit, G. (2013). Academic language in diverse classrooms:
Mathematics Series. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Gottlieb, M., & Ernst Slavit, G. (2014). Academic language in diverse classrooms:
English Language Arts Series. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Lemke, J. (1990). Talking Science: Language, Learning, and Values. Norwood, NJ:
Ablex Publishing.
Selected References – cont.
Lorio, N. (2006). Bats! New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
Martin, A. (2013). Texting slang creeps into students writing. http://www.newsjournalonline.com/article/20130817/NEWS/130819461?p=3&tc=pg
Minaya-Rowe, L. (2014). A Gothic Story: “The Cask of Amontillado”. In M. Gottlieb & G.
(Series Eds.). Academic language in diverse classrooms: Promoting content and
language learning. English language arts, grades 6-8, (pp. 137-182). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin.
Scarcella, R., & Rumberger, E. (2000). Academic English key to long-term success in
school. UC Linguistic Minority Research Institute Newsletter, 9, 1-2.
Washington English Language Proficiency Standards (2014). Office of Superintendent
of Public Instruction. http://www.k12.wa.us/MigrantBilingual/ELD.aspx
Walqui, A., & Heritage, M. (2012). Instruction for diverse groups of English Language
Learners. Retrieved from http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/academicpapers/09Walqui%20Heritage%20Instruction%20for%20Diverse%20Groups%20FINAL_0.pdf