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Supporting Language, Literacy, & Content Knowledge with English Learners

Dr. Lindsey MosesAr izona State Universitylindseymoses1@gm ail .c omLindseymoses.w ee bly .c om

Twitter: @drlindseymoses

GoalsUnderstanding ELs and

appropriate language and literacy scaffolds

Engaging cur iosities about the world with literacy

Getting started with inquiry

Who Are English Learners?� Diverse and growing

� (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2010)� Over 400 languages in the U.S.

� (Kindler, 2002)� Many linguistic resources

� (MacSwan, Rolstad, and Glass 2002; Valdes et al., 2005)

Bilingualism and biliteracyare assets!

Academic Performance of English Learners� Performance on standardized

assessments� (NAEP, 2009; Muter et al., 2004; National

Research Council, 1997)� Instruction and grouping

� (Allington, 1991; Darling-Hammond, 1995; Ruiz-de-Velasco & Fix, 2000)

� Language as a form� (Bernhardt, 2011)

Who Are ELLs?Adapted from Supporting English Learners in the Reading Workshop(Moses, 2015)

Stages of LanguageProficiency

Description

Stage 1:PreproductionSilent Period (Starting)

Students areina silent period inwhich they listen, but do not speakinEnglish. They may respond using nonverbal cuesin attempt tocommunicate basicneeds.

Stage 2:EarlyProduction (Emerging)

Students arebeginning to understand moreoral language. They respondusing one- ortwo-word phrasesand startto produce simple sentencesforbasicsocial interactions and tomeet basic needs.

Stage 3:Speech Emergence(Developing)

Students’ listening comprehension improves, and they canunderstandwritten English. Students arefairlycomfortable engaging insocialconversations using simple sentences, but they arejust beginning todevelop their academic language proficiency.

Stage 4:Intermediate Fluency(Expanding)

Students understand and frequently useconversational English withrelatively high accuracy.Theiracademic vocabulary isexpanding, butthey still need support with contextualization ofabstract concepts. Theyareableto communicate their ideasin both oraland written contexts.

Stage 5:Advanced Fluency (Bridging)

Students comprehend and engage inconversational and academicEnglish with proficiency. They perform neargrade-level in reading,writing, and other content areas.

WIDA Suggested Supports

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Challenging and Rigorous Curriculum� English learners should be exposed to the

same content, concepts and opportunities as monolingual English speaking students.� Opportunities for inquiry and building on

background knowledge

Inquiry From the Beginning� Identifying problems/curiosities� Building on the known� Seeking answers or contributions to

problem/knowledge

Getting Started with Inquiry

What Is Inquiry?

� Discovery approach that requires a teacher to nudge students toward results, solutions, or discoveries rather than telling them about a topic.

� These results, solutions, or discoveries become the students’ products, but the processes are the main emphasis in inquiry-based learning.

� Students engage in individual and small group problem solving and projects as well as be self-paced during inquiry-based learning. (Johnson, 2003)

Why Should I Use It?� Enhances content knowledge, reading

comprehension, student motivation, and attitudes toward learning. � (Romance & Vitale, 2005, Moses, 2011)

� Progress in second language learning and higher frequency of contributions to content-related discussion and comprehension strategy-use such as making connections � (Varelas & Pappas, 2006; Conant, Rosebery, Warren, &

Hudicourt-Barnes, 2001; Moses, 2011, 2015).

How Do We Facilitate Inquiry Literacy Practices?

� Begin with theme or unit content� Set the stage for the theme or content with vocabulary,

research strategies, and content area literacy strategies� Mini-lessons followed by group, partner and/or

independent exploration and application of strategies� Sustaining, revising, and developing deeper inquiry� Reflection, revision, and contributions in a community of

inquiry� Managing and measuring student progress� Final projects/culminating events

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My Initial Experiences� Chaos in 2nd grade!

� Cabelleros, blue whales, echidnas, megalodons, butterflies, volcanoes, Backstreet Boys, murals, soccer, football, mariachi

� Theme and unit support with guidance� Then move into open inquiry

Setting the stage

Engage ELs in Wondering and Questioning to Begin the Inquiry Process� What do you think you know?

� Celebrate the unknown and clarification of misconceptions!

� What do you notice?� Questions/Wonderings/Curiosities� Graffiti boards

Language Frames for English Learners� I wonder ____________� I learned ____________� I think ____________� I see _____________

“What we think we know”

v Before beginning, brainstormed as a class the things they thought they knew (Stead, 2005)

Wonder Wall Example*A Place for Wonder (Heard & McDonough, 2009)

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Youth Media� Life and story of local Chicano poet� Undocumented students’ access to

college and in-state tuition� History of the first live jazz establishment in

the metro area

Genius Hour/20Time� Research a topic� Develop a product/project� Present

Moving From Wondering to Collecting Resources� Identify and collect print-based resources

(print outs, magazines, books, etc.)� Identify additional online resources

Technology Resources� Newsela� Animaps� Brainpop Jr.� Climate Kids� DOGO News� Enchanted Learning� Society for Science� Time for Kids� National Geographic for Kids� Sweet Search

� Vis it lindseymoses.weebly.com for technology resources and descriptions

Examples of Inquiry ImplementationVariations on Integrating Inquiry Units of Study

Unit of Study: Informational Text� Anchor Text: Volcanoes� Objectives:

� Utilize research skills to answer curiosities� Understand informational text structure and

features� Present their research

� Learning Experiences� Questioning� Researching� Documenting their learning� Presenting

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Text Sets and Culminating Experience� Text Sets: Informational topics of students’

choice� Culminating Experience:

� Presentation of final projects documenting their research

� Parent/Teacher Conferences� Student Assemblies� Family and Community “Fair”� Reading Buddies� Peers

Tools for Inquiry � Inquiry Strategies

• Nonfiction Text Features• Research skills• Viewing/Noticing• Questions/I Wonder• I Learned• Interactive Components• Visual Representation Strategies• Sources• Sharing/Presenting

Mini-lessons followed by guided practice and independent use

Explicit Instruction in Research & Informational Comprehension Strategies

Supportive Language and Goals for English Learners

Trying on Topics…

Do I…- know enough to get

started?- still have unanswered

questions?

Nonfiction Text Features: Sample Lesson

Unit Focus:� Researching Natural DisastersContent Objectives: � I can research a natural disaster� I can identify four nonfiction text features and their purposeLanguage Objectives:� I can listen to information about a natural disaster� I can share information I learned with others� I can use two nonfiction text features in my researchCornerstone Text:� Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens

(Lauber, 1986)

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Anchor Lesson: Nonfiction text features

1. Objectives2. Exploration, noticing, naming and

purpose of nonfiction text features

Independent Inquiry1. Self-selected inquiry (natural disasters)2. Independent exploration/reading3. Represent a new understanding utilizing

an image, label and caption (or the nonfiction text features you have introduced) and share in a small-group setting.

Nonfiction Text Feature Examples

� Labels � Captions� Diagram� Cutaway� Flow Chart/Sequencing� Maps� Charts and Graphs� Index� Title Page� Glossary� Bibliography/Sources� Heading� Subheading� Table of Content� Key words� Text box

Internet Research Skillsfrom http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/reference-material/five-ways-to-teach-research-skills -to-elementary-school-children/

1. Define the task

2. Discover keywords

3. Use appropriate tools

4. Teach about source hierarchy and evaluation

5. Take notes and compile information

The SweetSearch Tutor ial: Not only is SweetSearch an amazing search tool for k ids, but they have some great resources here for helping digest what research is and how to approach it.Copyr ight Confusion Wiki: A one-stop shop for all things copyr ight and fair use.How to Do Research Another take on the research process from the Kentucky Virtual Library.Diigo for Educators A robust social bookmarking tool through which students can bookmark sites, highlight r ight on the site, share bookmarks with their peers and take notes on webpages. Teachers can create student accounts without needing emails.SweetSearch A kid-fr iendly search engine.EasyBib A robust online citation and organizing tool.Flickr Find copyr ight-free images with Creative Commons licenses.Search Creative Commons Find Creative Commons content on popular sites.

ResourcesViewing/Noticing

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Questioning/Wondering I Learned

More Sophisticated “I Learned”� Note taking� Summarizing � Synthesizing

Modeling Note Taking v Read through

passagev Reviewed how to

take notes from informational text.

v Modeled my thinking while completing my notes.

Modeling Determining Importance

v Took our notes and turned them into a brief summary of the important information from the passage.

Illustrative Techniques: Models

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Interactive Posters

Interactive Components� Questions� Comments� Connections

Student Feedback

r \ *rn. a,w{l <tn<-€\a Yor \"^J i n\er.t\lvrcl\vua1e-=. J

V*l ^-+

\o.rAerV\^oft eb^,#\Nhy ,t \s \rtTrr+L^+

Group 1: Group 2A new fact that I learned: A new fact that I learned:

A question or suggestion that I have: A question or suggestion that I have:

Culminating Projects� Should provide an opportunity for

students to bring together their learning and present it in an engaging and meaningful way

� Audience considerations� Product and presentation considerations

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Presentation Modeling With Feedback

� Poster presentations� Model presentations� PPT presentations� Book creation and

sharing� Website� Wiki� Media (Video,

Audio)� TED-style talks

Additional Research/Inquiry Projects

� Television, Newspaper, Radio Production, Blogs and Reviews

� Expert Roles� Research and integration of all Language Arts in a

meaningful and authentic context� Research in Action

� Questions� Research� Interviews� Rehearsal� In Action� Editing

WIDA Suggested Supports

Management and Assessment

Suggestions for Management and Assessment

• Inquiry Notebooks with daily goal setting (similar to your reading workshop notebooks).

• Peer feedback with wr itten Interactive Components• Small group conferencing based on needs

• Language support• Research skills• Reading diff icult texts• Text features• Organization• Citing sources• Writing• Presentations

• Develop Inquiry Project Menus/Checklists/Ru br ic s

Assessment� Menu� Rubric� Checklist� Oral and Written Feedback� Conferences

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Lapbook

� This is one of the ways s tudents can organize their information for their assessment.� Lapbook tutorial video� http://www.yo u t ube.com/ wa tc h? v =u qu NE P4 9 uk 4

Sample Checklist Inquiry Notebooks� Have students keep inquiry notebooks

(similar to their reading response notebooks)

� Daily Progress:� What did I accomplish today?� What do I plan to do next?

Setting Students Up For Success

• Help set goals• Conference regularly• Provide mini-lessons and support as needed• Encourage students to share and receive

feedback with peers while “in progress”• Provide suggestions and guidelines (these can be

very general to more specific rubrics)• Ask students to self-assess throughout the process

So what? How to make it better?

Sustaining, Revising, and Developing Deeper Inquiry

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Ask the Following Questions� So what? Why does this matter? � How can I make my research and

presentation better?� Have students share and present their

“works in progress” at least every couple of days with partners, small groups or instructors

� Revision should be on-going

Going Deeper with Inquiry...

• Model your own inquiry.• Asking deeper questions as we make

connections to the world and research of our peers.• What are some ways you might be able to help

your community?• What are some ways you might be able to help

your school?• Look for co-researching opportunities and

connections.• Finding the So What? And/or Purpose and

Benefit of my Research.

Inquiry & Goals Revisited� Understanding English Learners and

appropriate language and literacy scaffolds

� Engaging curiosities about the world with literacy

� Getting started with inquiry� Developing language, literacy, and

content knowledge that matters for English Learners