Academic Language & edTPA

Agenda

• Planning for effective teaching– edTPA Format/Overview

• Academic Language

What is edTPA• Teaching Portfolio Assessment– Needed to become certified in

Georgia

• What do you want to teach?

• Artifacts & documentation outlining: Effective planning, Instruction/teaching, & Assessment/evaluation

edTPA OverviewedTPA Tasks (Portfolio)

• Planning: Task 1 – – Complete a context for learning (class

demographics)– Create your 3-5 lesson segment– Practice videotaping – Complete the planning commentary

• Instruction: Task 2 –– Teach your 3-5 lesson segment – Complete the instruction commentary– Videotaping

• Assessing: Task 3 -– Pick an assessment from your learning segment – Collect & analyze students’ work (3 samples)– Complete the assessment commentary

• Math Assessment: Task 4 – – Complete a context for learning (math class) – Create a learning segment (3-5 lessons) – Analyze students’ work– Complete the math assessment commentary

Tasks by Block (1-4)

• Block 1 – Task 1 (introduce and partially complete)

• Block 2 – Task 1 & Task 2

• Block 3 – Task 3 & Task 4

• Block 4 – Tasks 1-4

Academic Language

• “School is where you go to learn a secret language but they don’t tell you that it’s there. You have to figure it out on your own. It’s like an initiation to a secret club.” – Maya 8th grade

Academic Language

• Oral and written language used for academic purposes. Academic language is the means by which students develop and express content understandings. It represents the language of the discipline that students need to learn and use to participate and engage in meaningful ways in the content area.

Susan Ranney, 2013

The Academic Language Connection

"If we think about academic language as the oral and written language that students need in order to understand (read, listen, think), communicate (listen, speak, write, connect), and perform (think, read, write, listen, speak, create) in the specific subject areas taught in schools, we realize that it is complex and complicated. We are teaching our students ways of participating in the content—how to think about it, how to question or talk about it, how to learn it."

Melanie Hundley, 2012

Academic Language is NOT

• JUST specialized vocabulary• JUST words• JUST linguistic forms without meaning or

purpose• JUST written language• JUST formal language• JUST the use of standard (“correct”) forms

Susan Ranney, 2013

What makes Language sound Academic?

Everyday Language

• Shorter and incomplete sentences

• Actions through verbs (cut down trees)

• More active voice (How much pizza did they eat?)

• Shorter noun phrases (healthy food)

Academic Language

• Longer and more complex sentences

• Make actions into nouns to build concepts (deforestation)

• Passive voice more common (How much pizza was eaten?)

• Long noun phrases (Improving the nutritional quality of foods offered from other sources)Susan Ranney, 2013

Sentence Matching

• “A lot of artists at that time painted pictures of city life.”

• “The ice caps are starting to melt because the earth is getting warmer.”

• “Urban scenes were popular among artists of the era.”

• “The melting of the ice caps is a result of global warming.”

Susan Ranney, 2013

Academic Language

Language Function

Syntax

Discourse

Language Demand

Vocabulary

Language Supports

Action verb in the central focus (commentary), or in learning outcomes (lesson objectives) (Eg: Bloom’s Taxonomy)

System for organizing writing or speech (Eg: Sentences,graphs, tables)

Written or spoken (Eg: Product)

Subject specific or general academic

(Eg: Structure, conditions, or

molecule).

Steps to help students with language

Method to express understanding

Vocabulary

Let’s Build a Wall

Vocabulary

General Academic Content Specific

General Academic Vocabulary “Mortar” achieveacquisitionalternativeanalysisapproachareaaspectsassessmentassumeauthority availablebenefitcircumstancescommentscomponentsconceptconsistent

correspondingcriteriadatadeductiondemonstratederiveddistributiondominantelementsequationestimateevaluationfactorsfeaturesfinalfunctioninitial

instance interpretationjournalmaintenancemethodperceivedpercentperiodpositivepotentialpreviousprimaryprincipleprocedureprocessrangeregion

relevantrequiredresearchresourcesresponserolesectionselectsignificant similarsourcespecificstrategiesstructuretheorytransfervariables

Words teachers often mistakenly assume students know

Content Specific “Brick”

• Words frequently defined in a textbook, and that teachers need to define

• Literature – synopsis, foreshadowing, antagonist• Science – molecules, atoms, erosion• Math – mode, radius, acute • Social Studies – citizenship, economics,

immigrant

……the wall will fall down.

If you only use bricks….

Susan Ranney, 2013

Missing the Brick & Mortar Words

• Physical properties are _______ of all _______ that can be _________ and measured without changing the __________ __________ of the ______________.

Content (Brick) Words

• Physical properties are _______ of all matter that can be _________ and measured without changing the chemical composition of the ______________.

General Academic (Mortar) Words

• Physical properties are features of all matter that can be observed and measured without changing the chemical composition of the substance.

Brick & Mortar

• Physical properties are features of all matter that can be observed and measured without changing the chemical composition of the substance.

Structured Practice & Application

• With a partner, look at the excerpt from a text about hurricanes

• Read through a few sentences and underline words that relate directly to the content and are scientific terms.

• Then read through the sentences again and circle any words that seem “academic” in that they might not be used often in casual conversation, but would be used in many different academic subjects.

"There are three conditions required for a disturbance to form and strengthen into a hurricane. First, the disturbance must gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Next, added moisture evaporated from the sea surface then powers the seedling tropical storm like a giant heat engine. Finally, the seedling storm forms a wind pattern near the ocean surface that spirals air inward. Bands of thunderstorms form, allowing the air to warm further and rise higher into the atmosphere. If the winds at these higher levels are relatively light, this structure can remain intact and further strengthen the hurricane."

"There are three conditions required for a disturbance to form and strengthen into a hurricane. First, the disturbance must gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Next, added moisture evaporated from the sea surface then powers the seedling tropical storm like a giant heat engine. Finally, the seedling storm forms a wind pattern near the ocean surface that spirals air inward. Bands of thunderstorms form, allowing the air to warm further and rise higher into the atmosphere. If the winds at these higher levels are relatively light, this structure can remain intact and further strengthen the hurricane."

Steps for Introducing New Vocabulary

1. Teacher says the word.2. Teacher states the word in context from the text.3. Teacher provides the dictionary definition(s).4. Teacher explains meaning with student-friendly definitions.5. Asks students to repeat the word 3 times.6. Engages students in activities to develop word/concept

knowledge.7. Students say the word again or the whole sentence where it is found.

(Calderon, M. 2007. Teaching Reading to English Language Learners, Grades 6-12: A Framework for Improving Achievement in the

Content Areas, Corwin Press.)

Academic Language

Language Function

Syntax

Discourse

Language Demand

Vocabulary

Language Supports

Action verb in the central focus (commentary), or in learning outcomes (lesson objectives) (Eg: Blooms Taxonomy)

System for organizing writing or speech (Eg: Sentences,graphs, tables)

Written or spoken (Eg: Product)

Subject specific or general academic

(Eg: Structure, conditions, or

molecule).

Steps to help students with language

Method to express understanding

Language Function

Language Function • What you DO in a lesson

• Central Focus (commentary)

• Also listed in your lesson outcomes

• Represented by the verb within the learning outcome (identify, list, explain, compare and contrast etc.)

• Bloom’s Taxonomy

Language Function

• Central Focus– Main concept/idea– Learning segment

(several lessons connected)

– Broad

• Lesson Outcomes – Target one/more aspects

of the central focus– Specified– Detailed

Central Focus: Creating a Backyard

• Lesson Objectives:– Building birdhouses (different types) – Planting Landscaping (grass, bushes, flowers) – Organizing pavers/pathway (stepping stones) – Setting up a water feature (fountain)

Language Function

• Central Focus (commentary) – Students analyze characteristics of atomic

particles.

• Learning Outcome (Objective) for Lesson 1– The student will be able to (TSWBAT) compare and

contrast three similarities and differences of protons and neutrons.

What you are doing and how many/what type?

• (What you are doing) Building birdhouses• (How many) Two

Language Function

• Central Focus:– Students justify the branches of government

• Learning Outcome for Lesson 2:– The student will be able to (TSWBAT) identify two

responsibilities for each component of the executive branch.

Academic Language

Language Function

Syntax

Discourse

Language Demand

Vocabulary

Language Supports

Action verb in the central focus (commentary), and in learning outcomes (lesson objectives) (Eg: Bloom’s Taxonomy)

System for organizing writing or speech (Eg: Sentences,graphs, tables)

Written or spoken (Eg: Product)

Subject specific or general academic

(Eg: Structure, conditions, or

molecule).

Steps to help students with language

Method to express understanding

Syntax

• Process – Tools used to support the language function

• Set of conventions for organizing symbols, words and phrases together into structures (e.g., sentences, graphs, tables)

• How students organize the information (Compare & Contrast – Venn Diagram)

Syntax – Tool

Cathy Zozakiewicz

Cathy Zozakiewicz

Syntax

Creating a Backyard – Central Focus

• Lesson Objective – Building birdhouses (2 types) – Syntax: Saw, wood, hammer, nails, paint etc.

Academic Language

Language Function

Syntax

Discourse

Language Demand

Vocabulary

Language Supports

Action verb in the central focus (commentary), or in learning outcomes (lesson objectives) (Eg: Blooms Taxonomy)

System for organizing writing or speech (Eg: Sentences,graphs, tables)

Written or spoken (Eg: Product)

Subject specific or general academic

(Eg: Structure, conditions, or

molecule)

Steps to help students with language

Method to express understanding

Discourse

– Writing or speaking (Convey information) – Essays, debates, multimedia presentations, reports, discussions etc.

– What should be included? Who, what, when, where, why?– How are the pieces of information organized? What comes first etc.?

– Common Core Text Types• Argument; Gather information and establish a position on the topic • Expository; Provides evidence, characteristics are; first, next, finally etc. • Informational; Analyzing and synthesizing informational; never personal opinions• Narrative; Tells a story, to entertain

– Academic discourse is usually written in the passive voice;• Marilyn mailed the letter (active) • The letter was mailed by Marilyn (passive)

• Writing requires something to say, the words to say it, and the structure with which to write it (McCracken & McCracken, 1986).

Discourse

Creating a Backyard: Central Focus

• Lesson Objective: Building birdhouses – Syntax: Saw, wood, hammer, nails, paint etc.– Discourse: Side A will be flush with Side B…The

entry should be 2 inches in diameter….

I saw the students……..The students

Avoid Using Personal Use Words Referring to Evidence

I think From examining the findings,

I feel In light of the evidence,

I believe From previous research,

I am convinced that Considering the results,

I disliked According to the figures,

I liked As shown in the diagram,

I agree It is evident from the data,

I disagree The literature suggest,

I am sure that Given this information

It is my belief that Some theorists argue,

Discourse Connectives

Final Example • Central Focus

– Students analyze characteristics of atomic particles.

• Learning Outcome – TSWBAT compare and contrast three similarities and differences of protons and

neutrons.

• Language Function– Analyze & compare/contrast

• Syntax– Venn diagram

• Discourse– Reading a paragraph aloud to a partner using informational text