CCR Standards for English Language Arts in Adult ESLwp.paadultedresources.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05… · · 2016-10-05CCR Standards for English Language Arts in Adult ESL

Professional Development System

CCR Standards for English Language Arts in Adult ESL

Summer Institute 2014 Penn State University

Facilitator: Susan Finn Miller [email protected] 717-947-1015

Table Coaches: Rachel Baron, Linda Cullen & Bobbi Hurst


A Warm Welcome to Everyone!

• You will need the following resources and handouts during this webinar:

– CCR Standards

– A Cloze Activity handout

– Features of Academic Language handout

– Aligning Resources to CCRS handout

– List of Resources

Activity Name 2


Goals for this Session

Participants will be able to:

• Explain the central importance of teaching content and its concomitant academic language to support English learners to achieve their college and/or work-related goals

• Describe the complexity of academic language and articulate the importance of teachers being effective “language watchers”

• Demonstrate an understanding of the English Language Arts (ELA) Career & College Readiness Standards by:

– Reviewing the unpacking process

– Designing sample activities to match the standard

– Analyzing teaching materials to evaluate their alignment with the standards

• Identify instructional strategies to strengthen alignment to the standards


5 Principles to Guide CCR Instruction in the Adult ESL Classroom

1. Instruction is aligned to standards, is rigorous, and provides deliberate and appropriate supporting scaffolds as learners grow in understanding and in the ability to use their emerging language skills.

2. Instruction takes into account:

– Learners’ prior schooling

– Level of home language proficiency as well as English

– Time in the U.S.

3. Instruction fosters autonomy and equips learners to construct meaning from academic talk and complex texts, and express themselves in writing across a variety of academic settings.

4. Standardized and formative assessments are used to:

– Measure content knowledge and academic language competence

– Monitor progress to adjust instruction and provide learners with useful feedback

– Encourage learners to reflect on their own thinking and learning.

5. Instruction leverages English learners’ home languages and cultures, and views them as assets that help bridge prior knowledge to new knowledge.


Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

• Level 1: Recall and Reproduction – Basic tasks that require students to recall or reproduce

knowledge and/or skills.

• Level 2: Skills and Concepts – Tasks require students to use the information at Level 1 in two

or more cognitive steps such through classifying, summarizing, estimating, and inferring.

• Level 3: Short-term Strategic Thinking – Tasks require short term use of higher-order thinking such as

analysis and evaluation to solve real-world problems with predictable outcomes.

• Level 4: Extended Thinking – Tasks require extended use of higher-order thinking such as

synthesis, reflection, assessment and adjustment of plans over time.


CCR Standards & 6 NRS Levels for ABE Reading & ESL

CCRS Levels

- - - - - - - - - A - - - - - - - - B C D E

ABE Levels Beg. Literacy ABE

Beg. ABE

Low Int. ABE

High Int. ABE

Low ASE High ASE

TABE Reading

367 and below (GLE -1.9)

368-460 (GLE 2-

3.9)

461-517 (GLE 4-

5.9)

518-566 (GLE 6-

8.9)

567-595 (GLE 9-10.9)

596+ (GLE

11-12)

CASAS ABE Reading

0-200 201-210 211-220 221-235 236-245 246+

ESL LEVELS Beg. Lit. ESL

Low Beg. ESL

High Beg. ESL

Low Int. ESL

High Int. ESL

Adv. ESL

CASAS ESL Reading

0-180 181-190 191-200 201-210 211-220 221-235

CASAS Listening

0-180 181-189 190-199 200-209 210-218 219-227

BEST Literacy

0-20 21-52 53-63 64-67 68-75 76-78*

BEST +

400 and below

401-417 418-438 439-472 473-506 507-540


CCR Reading Anchor 2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas

CCR Level A CCR Level B CCR Level C CCR Level D

NRS Levels Beg. Lit., Low

Beg., High Beg.

NRS Level Low Intermediate

NRS Level High Intermediate

NRS Level Advanced

Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text

Determine the main ideas of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea

Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. Determine a theme of a story, drama or poem.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.


Learning content

and the language used are

“mutually enriching processes”

Source: Council of Chief State School Officers. (2012). Framework for English Language Proficiency Development Standards corresponding to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. Washington, DC: CCSSO.


Considering the Role of Language

Word Bank: content, language, significant, words, cognitive processes

“Students’ difficulties in ‘reasoning … may be due to their lack of familiarity with the linguistic properties of the (1) __________ through which the reasoning is … presented rather than to the inherent difficulty of the (2) _______________ involved” (Schleppegrell, 2004). “The (3) ______________ and their organization may be more (4) ______________ in learning than the actual (5) _____ or skills we are teaching” (Zwiers, 2014, p. 11).


Considering the Role of Language

“Students’ difficulties in ‘reasoning … may be due to their lack of familiarity with the linguistic properties of the (1) language through which the reasoning is … presented rather than to the inherent difficulty of the (2) cognitive processes involved” (Schleppegrell, 2004). “The (3) words and their organization may be a more (4) significant issue in learning than the actual content or skills we are teaching” (Zwiers, 2014, p. 11).


Implications for Our Practice

• For ABE/GED Teachers • Attention to the LANGUAGE required for critical thinking and for in depth understanding of content

• For ESL Teachers – Equal emphasis on meaningful CONTENT as well as

communication skills and language • civics, career exploration, topics of interest in the news, academic

content in science, social studies, math, etc.

• For All Teachers – Understanding the essential role of TALK – Sticking with themes over an extended period of time – Structuring many opportunities for students to

demonstrate their learning through various modes, i.e., presentations, posters, writing, projects


Language … • “helps us get things done; it helps us act,

and it is action” (Walqui & van Lier, 2010)

• “is an evolving set of tools and skills used to construct and communicate ideas” … to convey ideas we “choose words, phrases, grammar and message organization strategies”

(Zwiers, 2014, p. 24)


When it comes to academic language …

“We are like fish trying to describe water”(Zwiers, 2008)


What is academic language?

“Academic language is

• the set of words,

• grammar, and

• organizational structures

used to describe

• complex ideas,

• higher-order thinking processes, and

• abstract concepts” (Zwiers, 2008, p. 20).


Features of Academic Language

• Vocabulary

• Syntax

• Discourse


What does Academic Language do?

• Serves 3 functions (as reflected in the CCR Standards )

–Describes complexity

–Describes higher-order thinking

–Describes abstraction


Academic Language Describes COMPLEXITY

• Work Contexts: Numerous complex encounters

• Science: Complex calculations in chemical reactions

• History: Complex historical records

• Math: Complex applications of math to the real world

• Language Arts: Complex ideas to organize and express in writing


Academic Language Describes HIGHER-ORDER THINKING

– Analyzing

– Seeking information

– Comparing

– Informing

– Explaining

– Predicting

– Classifying

– Justifying

– Hypothesizing

– Solving problems

– Synthesizing

– Persuading

– Empathizing

– Interpreting

– Evaluating

– Applying

(Do we need these skills at work, too?)

What LANGUAGE is needed for:


Academic Language Describes ABSTRACTION

• John Dewey: “… abstractness depends largely on a person’s familiarity and expertise with a topic” i.e., background knowledge (Zwiers, 2014, p.

28)

– Therefore, what is concrete to teachers may not be concrete to students

• Teachers have “expert blind spots”

– Need to develop “pedagogical language knowledge” – i.e., language used in our discipline


Reading Challenges

Talk with a partner or small group:

What are some of the challenges language learners have with reading?

Activity Name 20


Language Challenges with Reading

• An abundance of idioms and figurative language • Density of unfamiliar vocabulary • Use of homonyms and synonyms • Grammar usage especially the "exceptions to the rules" • Word order, sentence structure and syntax • Difficult text structure with a topic sentence, supporting

details and conclusion • Unfamiliarity with the connotative and denotative

meanings of words • Literary terms for story development • Unfamiliarity with drawing conclusions, analyzing

characters and predicting outcomes • Imagery and symbolism in text


Categories of Academic Vocabulary

• Content-specific: e.g., photosynthesis, balancing equations, bicameral

• General academic: e.g., feature, dimension, correspond • (Brick &) Mortar: e.g., therefore, whereas, because, etc. • Terms used in higher-order thinking: e.g., differ, boils down

to, contrast, outweigh, filter, model, evidence, consequences, aspects

Although important, teaching academic vocabulary is not enough! Academic language involves much more than vocabulary alone!

Sources: (Beck et al., 2002; Coxhead, 2000, 2010; Dutro & Moran, 2003; Zwiers, 2014)

Professional Development System 23

Word Tiers (Source: Beck et al., 2002)

Tier

1 •basic

•concrete

•in oral language

baby

drive

friendly

Tier

2

•abstract

•general academic

•in written language

approach

context

grant

Tier

3 •content/context

specific

•low frequency

molecule

pi

cartography


Categorize these words into Tiers, 1, 2 & 3

• Tier 1: everyday oral language (concrete)

• Tier 2: general academic words (abstract)

• Tier 3: content/context specific (low frequency)

A: persuade brain gene

B: serious principle alliteration

C: exponent vary pick up

D: structure judicial boring

E: method holiday proton

24


Categorize these words into Tiers, 1, 2 & 3

• Tier 1: everyday oral language (concrete)

• Tier 2: general academic words (abstract)

• Tier 3: content/context specific (low frequency)

A: persuade brain gene

B: serious principle alliteration

C: exponent vary pick up

D: structure judicial boring

E: method holiday proton

25


First Step

Identify key thinking skills,

such as:

• Analyzing

• Comparing

• Interpreting

• Inferring cause and effect


Second Step: Become language watchers!

Identify what LANGUAGE describes and clarifies each skill: • Example 1: What LANGUAGE do we use to

indicate cause & effect? – Slavery led to the Civil War. – What are the ramifications of the Emancipation

Proclamation? – As a result of the 13th amendment, slaves were

legally free. – What are the ramifications of our new work

policy?


Second Step: Become language watchers!

Identify what LANGUAGE describes and clarifies each skill:

• Example 2: What LANGUAGE do we use to interpret?

– “This statement signifies …”

– “The underlying message is …”

– “… means that …”


Figurative Language

• What comes to mind when you think about figurative language?

• What are some examples?


Figurative Language Graphic Organizer

Figurative Expression

Why this Metaphor

Works

What it Means

The Golden Age of Society

The argument doesn’t hold water.

The research results were a red flag.

.

Source: Zwiers, J. (2008). Developing the language of thinking. Educational Leadership, 65(9).


Figurative Language Graphic Organizer

Figurative Expression

Why this Metaphor Works

What it Means

The Golden Age of Society

Gold is beautiful and something people desire

The most prosperous and productive period of a society

The argument doesn’t hold water.

It’s like a weak bucket that has holes in it.

The argument is weak. It doesn’t have enough evidence.

The research results were a red flag.

A red flag signals a warning.

The findings show something unusual.

Source: Zwiers, J. (2008). Developing the language of thinking Educational Leadership, 65(9).


“The politicians danced around the issue”


Questions Worth Asking: Goal critical thinking

• Ask fewer questions and give more time for thoughtful answers

• Make the questions … relevant to the real world

• Ask questions you would ask of yourself

• Train students to ask their own questions

• Create learning tasks that are not so dependent on questions

“The real world does not have so many questions as in school… People are asked to produce or perform, asking their own questions along the way… Questions should be a means to learning, not the end” (Zwiers, 2014, p. 123).


Speaking & Listening CCR Anchor 1 (p.29)

• Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Activity Name 34



Unpacking ELA Standards

• With a partner or two, choose a standard to work with

• Identify the skill demands and write the verbs in column 2

• Identify the content or concepts related to each skill and write the nouns in column 3

• Indicate the context in which students will apply the skills and concepts in column 4

• Determine the level of thinking required as per Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

• What activity will you use to teach the standard?


Let’s Confirm Our Unpacking

• When you cover up the text of the standard:

– Do the phrases listed adequately represent and describe the standard?

– Are the words used directly related to those in the standard?

– Is each skill linked to the appropriate content or concept?

– Do the words represent what you would really expect of a student?


Aligning Resources to Standards

1. For this activity, you will work with ESL materials, (e.g., a textbook or teacher-created lesson or unit) used in your class or program

2. With a partner or small group, choose a standard to work with.

3. On the handout, list specific examples (sections and pages in the resource) that support the teaching of the standard.

4. Together make a professional judgment:

– Does the material include enough information to teach the standard to an appropriate level of depth and complexity?

– Record a score of 2 for tight alignment, 1 for partial alignment and 0 for no alignment

5. Discuss possible instructional strategies that could enhance the lesson to better align with the standard


Aligning Resources to Standards

• Tight Alignment: The resource sufficiently supports learners’ mastery of the concepts and skills within the standard without the need for additional resources.

• Partial Alignment: The resource addresses the standard, but additional resources are needed to fill gaps and teach this standard well and in the depth necessary.

• No Alignment: The resource does not cover the standard at all or covers it too poorly for learners to gain mastery of the standard.


Revisiting Our Goals

Are you able to: • Explain the central importance of teaching content and its

concomitant academic language to support English learners to achieve their college and/or work-related goals?

• Describe the complexity of academic language and articulate the importance of teachers being effective “language watchers”

• Demonstrate an understanding of the English Language Arts (ELA) Career & College Readiness Standards by – Effectively unpacking the standards? – Designing sample activities to match the standards? – Analyzing teaching materials to evaluate their alignment with

the standards? • Identify instructional strategies to strengthen alignment

to the standards?


Reflections: Thinking Back & Looking Forward

• Reflect on the effectiveness of the content. What worked well and what could be improved?

• Has participating in this webinar changed your thinking about the CCRS?

• How will you use the methods and materials to improve your teaching and students’ learning?

• What questions, if any, remain for you?

• Have you identified specific needs that could be addressed through additional professional development?


1. Identify one or more ELA standards that are relevant to the learners in your class

2. In your role as a “language watcher,” think carefully about the language required to complete the lesson and the learning tasks

3. Plan a standards-based ELA lesson, incorporating academic language, to address one or more of the standards – Design the lesson to ensure learners have the

opportunity to use the target language in speaking

4. After implementing the lesson, reflect on how it went and what you might want to change

Documents

CCR Standards for English Language Arts in Adult ESLwp.paadultedresources.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05… · · 2016-10-05CCR Standards for English Language Arts in Adult ESL