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Building Academic Language for ELLs Across the Grades through Discussion
and Dilemma-Centered Curriculum: Word Generation
Claire E. White
QUEENS COLLEGE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
November 14, 2013
Purpose of this presentation Recap: ELLS and academic achievement
The role of oral language proficiency and its relation to reading comprehension
The crucial role of structured classroom discussion in promoting academic language
Word Generation: a discussion and dilemma-based curriculum for developing academic language in grades 4-8
Activity: Classroom discussion: how do we develop the kind of language we associate with academic achievement and comprehension of text?
Videos and WG Unit review
Debrief
Differences start early Good news: Data show that at grade 3 –Almost all kids
(99%) of every ethnic/racial group have basic word reading skills (ECLS-K)
Bad news: By Grade 3, there are racial/ethnic gaps in comprehension and literal inference items
What happens? These differences in achievement occur because there is
an increase in the cognitive and linguistic demands of grade level texts rather than a decrease in student skill Early reading instruction focuses mostly on word
reading even though there are greater demands for academic vocabulary knowledge in the later grades which is often not being developed
Most literacy programs in the early grades do not focus on language development or classroom discussion
TABLES/FIGURES Figure 1: Achievement Gap on the 2007 NAEP Grade 4 and Grade 8 Reading by Family Income and English Language Learner Status
0.81
0.73
0.99
1.24
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
Grade 4 Grade 8
Effe
ct S
ize
(Sta
ndar
d D
evia
tion
Uni
ts)
Middle-income children vs. low-income children
English proficient children vs. English language learners
Remembering the “Marlup” Poor reading comprehension outcomes Poor comprehension outcomes later on in school are not
necessarily a product of poor word reading skills but a lack of vocabulary and academic language
By using decoding and other skills, students can fluently “read” largely incomprehensible texts and answer “comprehension” questions
They lack academic language and vocabulary to comprehend text, to talk about text, to write about what they’ve read
Instruction should focus on engaging students in meaningful interactions with text to gauge for actual comprehension; avoid IRE format unless for quick check
What happens to texts as students get older and why do students struggle with comprehension?
By the fourth grade, texts begin to get more abstract, more literary, more
technical, more decontexualized
Greater language demands of secondary texts, particularly vocabulary that occurs across content area texts in the middle and high school
Unfamiliarity with specific academic vocabulary—the words necessary to learn and talk and write about academic subjects- words like: analyze, investigate, distribute, generate, develop, interpret
Instead we tend to focus on the unusual: sarcophagus, defenestrate, gloam or on
discipline-specific vocabulary/concepts: words like: antebellum, photosynthesis, slope, isotopes
L2 learners navigate all of the above with the added burden of acquiring English and mastering grade-level content simultaneously
What are some challenges for ELLS and struggling readers?
Lack of oral proficiency, especially CALP -specific academic vocabulary—the words necessary to learn and talk about academic subjects (analyze, refer, claim, develop, interpret, generate, investigate)
Lack of depth and breadth of word knowledge (substitute, gross domestic product)
Understanding the polysemous nature of some words (eg. screen, draft)
Unfamiliarity with idiomatic expressions, especially phrasal verbs (back up, back down, back in- break up, break down, break in)
Syntactic structures: The thicker the glacier, the faster it moves Greatest obstacle of all: classrooms/instruction that don’t offer
opportunities for discussion, speaking, listening, and interacting with peers.
What do we know about effective language and vocabulary instruction?
Students need multiple, intentional exposures to language/words for internalization
Students need to hear and use high leverage words in varied contexts
Students need opportunities to use the words in speaking and writing (organized discussion)
Students need targeted direct teaching of ‘mortar’ words Students need to acquire word learning strategies that
have long term effects
Low track classes
Middle track classes
High track classes
Mixed classes
Minutes of discussion/lesson
0.70 1.44 3.30 1.42
Classroom discussion is rare and brief (Applebee, Langer, Nystrand & Gamoran, 2003)
And it has always has been (Gamoran & Nystrand, 1991)
Discussion predicts achievement
Classroom Discussion
Teacher skill in promoting discussion and debate
Discussion and debate
• Perspective taking • Complex reasoning • Academic language skills
• Deep reading comprehension • Analytic writing • Productive participation in
discussion and debate
What do skilled teachers do to engage students in discussion for comprehension of text?
Extend discussion of vocabulary crucial to understanding the text
Don’t settle for a one word answer Redirect students to the text for evidence Ask why and how questions Continue to follow up Get more from several students Value students’ contributions Don’t evaluate
What do less skilled teachers do? List vocabulary Teach the wrong words Test students on word knowledge Ask students which words they don’t know No discussion Use IRE; do not ask questions with uptake brief, inaccurate and unhelpful examples for word
definitions
Teacher talk in higher and lower performing classrooms: examples 2 brief examples of teacher talk about text with ELL
students in a second grade classroom and a fifth grade classroom
Higher performing classroom talk with ELLs about vocabulary for text comprehension- 2nd grade
Teacher: What does rambunctious mean? Lucas was rambunctious. (book discussed; J. Hurwitz’s Class Clown)
Students: Bad? Teacher: what did Lucas do that was bad? Student: He fooled around. Student: He stuck his head in a chair. Student: He called out. He pretended to smoke. Teacher: So rambunctious means what? Student: Acting up? Student: Fooling around?
What did this teacher do?
This more skilled teacher: Extended discussion of vocabulary Didn’t settle for a one word answer Redirected students to the text for evidence Asked open-ended questions Continues to follow up Gets more from several students
Lower performing classroom talk with ELLs about vocabulary for text comprehension: 5th grade
Teacher: Okay, bocadillo, verguenza, nervios, torpe, Peru, calvo, condescendencia, magnanimo, colocar. (snack, shame, nerves, clumsy, Peru, bald, condescendence, magnanimous, place).
Teacher: What words don’t you know? Students: Magnanimo. condescendencia Teacher: Okay. We’ll look in the book using context. Teacher: What does the word man mean? Man equals people. A
portion? A portion is a small portion (uses a gesture to show size).
What did this less skilled teacher do?
What did this less skilled teacher do? Listed vocabulary Words were extremely high level Asked students which words they didn’t know No discussion of words, no examples “Use context” -A strategy gone bad No opportunities for clarification No discussion No questions with uptake Brief, inaccurate and unhelpful examples for “portion”
and “man”
How do we build oral language proficiency/academic language in English for our ELL students?
Through curriculum and instructional practices that engage students in text-based classroom discussions that provides them with opportunities for developing language skills that gives them greater access to texts, to ideas, to higher- level thinking, to participation in important conversations
Word Generation
A program designed to: Build the vocabulary of middle school students through
repeated exposure to high frequency academic words in various contexts across all content areas;
Promote regular use of effective instructional strategies, especially the importance of discussion across all content areas teachers;
Facilitate faculty collaboration on a school-wide effort (whole school adoption is highly recommended).
Word Generation: Materials
3 series (3 years of materials). 24 week-long units each focused on a set of 5 target words selected from
the Academic Word List (AWL) Cross content activities: 15 minutes a day/5 days a week) Texts written at 6th grade level Passages written to engage adolescents in high-level discussions
on nationally-relevant topics as well as on topics that are of great interest to this age group
•Should there be federal funding for stem cell
research? •Should athletes be paid multi-million dollar salaries? •Should amnesty be given to undocumented immigrants? •Affirmative action and college admissions •Should you be able to rent a pet? •Should there be curfews for teenagers? •Junk food: Should it be sold in schools?
Word Generation: Weekly Schedule
Monday Launch passage
introduces words
Tuesday-Thursday Math-Science-Social Studies
Friday Writing with focus words
ELA: Launch Introduction to weekly passage, containing academic vocabulary, built around a question that can support discussion and debate, (comprehension questions, student friendly definitions included)
Word Chart
Math MCAS-type mathematics problems using some of the target words
a) Students can work in pairs b) Whole class discussion c) Open-response
(show/explain how you got your answer)
Science Page 1 Page 2
Thinking experiments to promote discussion and scientific reasoning
Debate/ Discussion
Developing positions on the issue set out in the passage, to help the class frame the debate
Writing/Taking a Stand Give evidence to support your position.
WG-Enhanced- Grades 4-8 *Develop new curriculum for grades 4 and 5 w/discussion,
debate as primary driver, cross content exposure to AWL words through engaging and age-appropriate dilemmas
*Modify existing Word Generation middle school program for 6th, 7th, 8th grade grades through enhanced science and social studies units
Structured discussion is the driver Tied to content and common-core standards Incorporates perspective-taking, complex reasoning,
academic language Thematically linked Multiple representations of language groups, minority,
immigrant and refugee groups, universal topics of belonging, exclusion, being uprooted, identity, etc. Examples of success and resilience
Video Newscasts: Introduce Topics and Dilemmas for Background Knowledge and Academic Language Development
What should teacher talk and classroom discussion look and sound like? Activity: Unit 6: Should doctors be allowed to assist
critically ill patients with suicide?
Accountable talk Successful teachers use “accountable talk and
accountable talk moves” which encourages academically productive talk and accountability among learners (O’Connor & Michaels, 1997)
Some Multipurpose Talk Moves
Say more about that. Do you agree/disagree and why? Who can repeat what Gloria just said? Why do you think that? Do you have an example/counterexample? So, are you saying…? Can you elaborate on what you just said? Teachers: Include target vocabulary in meaningful
ways
Unit 6: Should doctors be allowed to assist critically ill patients with suicide?
Target words: prevention critical pursue alter approach
What approach did Mayor Bloomberg take to prevent obesity and diabetes in his constituents? Do you agree with his approach to alter the sugar intake of his constituents? Was he successful in preventing other health hazards?
Why were some New Yorkers critical of Mayor Bloomberg’s
approach to limiting junk food? What are some other critical areas that the mayor could have focused on?
Should we able to pursue something that is known to be bad or
detrimental to us? Why or why not? Is there a role in government that should assist in the altering of our behavior?
Do you agree that New Yorkers should have the right to decide to
end their own lives if they find themselves critically ill?? What is an alternative approach that might be offered to a critically ill patient?
Video: 8th graders discuss Unit 6 Ms. Berges
Video: 4th grade newscast Introductory unit for Word Generation
Debrief and Q and A
To conclude.. Engaging in WG discussion-based weekly activities in the
elementary grades and across the content areas can improve word learning for L2 learners on target word measures and their use in persuasive essays
Embedding debate and discussion-based classroom activities as well as systematic vocabulary instruction school-wide has the greatest potential to accelerate the reading achievement of struggling readers and especially English language learners
Thank you: [email protected]