unlocking els’ potential: academic language workshop€¦ · v @supporteduc @getsupported.net...

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@SupportEduc www.GetSupportEd.net @GetSupportEd.net

Unlocking ELs’ Potential: Academic Language Workshop

Diane Staehr Fenner, Ph.D. Kentucky Coalition for ELs

June 10, 2019

www.GetSupportEd.net

Before We Begin…

#UnlockingELsPotential #Advocacy4ELs

Chat with me on Twitter!

@DStaehrFenner

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Objectives

Discusswhy

Exploreacademic language

Discussstrategies

Applystrategies

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Signal to Come Together

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Origins of Unlocking

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1. Why you need this book to support ELs

2. Using a culturally responsive framework

3. Scaffolding instruction for ELs4. Fostering ELs’ oral language

development5. Teaching academic language

to ELs6. Vocabulary instruction and

ELs7. Teaching ELs background

knowledge8. Scaffolded text-dependent

questions9. Formative assessment for

ELs

Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017

Unlocking ELs’ Potential

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Tab and label with sticky notes:1. Levels and features of

academic language (table)

2. Checklist for increasing academic language awareness

3. Criteria for selecting vocabulary for in-depth instruction (list)

Unlocking Scavenger Hunt

Sponge Activity• 3 interesting things

you’d like to read more about or try (tab with a sticky note)

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bit.ly/ALforKY

Please use our Padlet to share your thoughts and any resources throughout the session.

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Importance of Academic Language for ELs

www.GetSupportEd.net 10Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017, p. 127. Adapted from NY State Testing Program, 2016.

Academic Language Discussion

Discuss what language in this math problem might be difficult for your ELs.

Problem:Addison wants to ride her scooter more than 100 miles this month. She has already ridden her scooter 12 miles. Which inequality could be used to determine the mean number of miles, m, she would need to ride her scooter each day for 20 more days to achieve her goal?

20m + 12 < 10020m – 12 < 10020m + 12 > 10020m + 12 = 100


• In contrast to everyday informal speech

• More abstract, more complex, less contextualized

• Language of power

11Bailey, 2007, 2010, 2012; Scarcella, 2008

Academic Language: Definition

www.GetSupportEd.netStaehr Fenner, 2014; Adapted from: WIDA, 2012

Representation of Academic Language

Selecting Academic Vocabulary For Instruction

www.GetSupportEd.net 14

“Teaching vocabulary is not a new idea in the field of education…If we want ELs to acquire the academic vocabulary that they need to successfully engage with content-based material, we must be even more intentional about how we approach vocabulary instruction.”

Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017, p. 147

What Does This Mean In Your Context?

www.GetSupportEd.net 15Cruz & Thornton, 2013; Haynes, 2005

Vocabulary in Content Areas: Considerations for ELs

Science and Social Studies:• Frequent introduction of new, unfamiliar terms• Academic vocabulary with several meanings

Math:• Language of word problems• Vocabulary needed to explain

thinking

ELA: • Literary terms• Figurative language,

imagery, and symbolism


Select a small group of words for in-depth focus. Words...

Baker, et. al, 2014

Selecting Academic Vocabulary for Instruction

• Key to understanding the text likely unfamiliar to students

• Frequently used in the text

• Students will see across disciplines (general academic vocabulary)

• With multiple meanings

• With affixes


“The scientists★ put caterpillars on leaves and used another machine★to make the leaves vibrate. When the leaves shook the way a predator would shake them, caterpillars behave as if a real predator were on the leaf. They spun threads and hung. When the leaves shook as if the wind were blowing or rain were falling, caterpillars did nothing.”

Haynes, E. 2017; Text: Hanging By a Thread, by Pochron, S.[Engage NY Grade 4 ELA Module 2B]

Vocabulary Identification

Circle an example of a key word

Underline an example of a frequently used word

Put a star next to a general academic word


The party leaders distributed a draft

of the bill and asked their colleagues

to review it carefully.

Haynes, E. 2017; Text: Hanging By a Thread, by Pochron, S.[Engage NY Grade 4 ELA Module 2B]

Vocabulary Identification (cont.)

Put a squarearound a word with multiple meanings

Draw an arrow to a word with an affix

www.GetSupportEd.net 19Reading Rockets, http://www.readingrockets.org/article/classroom-vocabulary-assessment-content-areas

Self- Assessment Example

Teaching Academic Language at the Word Level


• In small groups look at the strategies for vocabulary instruction.

• Sort them into categories.

• Use sticky notes to add additional ideas to each category.

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Supporting ELs’ Acquisition of Academic Language at Word Level


Multifaceted Approach to Vocabulary Instruction

Introducenew vocabulary

Practicenew vocabulary

Teachindependent wordlearning strategies

Adapted from Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017


• Visuals• Gestures• Student-friendly definitions

(wordsmyth.net)• Student-created definitions• Examples and non-

examples• Seven-Step vocabulary• Synonyms and antonyms• Home language

Visual source: August, Golden, Pook, 2015

Introduce New Vocabulary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faq5Oy_zD7k&index=3&list=PLl6xJtr2L04a7Jcu3Hfy4l2VTPm2i98iW


Much of the population is exposed to these carcinogens, yet only a tiny minority suffers dangerous tumors as a consequence.

• Is this a student-friendly definition? Why/why not?• What is a student-friendly definition for the word consequence as it is used in

this sentence?• How might you teach the word?

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Student-Friendly Definitions

Merriam Webster DictionaryCONSEQUENCE: noun [ˈkänsikwəns]

1. a conclusion derived through logic 2. something produced by a cause or necessarily

following from a set of conditions 3. importance with respect to power to produce an

effect


Examples and Non-Examples


Speaking/Listening Reading/Writing Games• Academic

discussions

• Information gap

• Interactive word wall

• Word sort

• Word experts

• Sentences or paragraphs related to content using bank of vocabulary

• Glossaries

• Responding to text-dependent questions

• Memory

• Vocab Jeopardy!

• Vocab jigsaw

• Vocab bingo

• Heads Up

Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017

Practice New Vocabulary



1. Get into groups.2. You will be given a set of index cards with

vocabulary related to a particular content area. Don’t peek!

3. Select one person to be the “Guesser” and two people to be the “Clue Givers”

4. The Guesser places a card on his/her forehead (without looking) and the Clue Givers give clues about the academic meaning of the word.

Example: Heads Up Game


Topics:

• Geometry• Ancient Egypt• Water cycle• Literary terms

• Possible scaffolds: partner to help, word bank, sentence stems

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Heads Up Topics


• This word means…• An example of this word is…• A synonym for this word is ...• An antonym of this word is...• We use this word to talk about...

Heads Up Sentence Stems


• Context clues

• Word parts

• Cognates and false cognates

• Words with multiple meanings

30Baker, et al., 2014

Teach Independent Word Learning Strategies


www.GetSupportEd.netAdapted from August, Staehr Fenner, & Snyder, 2014

Example: Context Clues

Unfamiliar word Location Clues

1. litter Line 2 Lines 1, 5

Clues: picking up, junk, trashDefinition: pieces of waste paper and other objects scattered around a place

Not many people would spend their free time picking up other people’s litter. But Chad Pregracke has spent most of the past five years doing just that along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Illinois Rivers. Why?

Chad grew up in a house alongside the Mississippi. He loved to fish and camp on the river’s wooded islands. That’s when he first noticed the junkdotting its shoreline.

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Verbs(Action)

Nouns(Person, Place, Thing, or Idea)

Adjectives(Words to

Describe Nouns)

Adverbs(Words to Describe Actions)

act action ? actively

collect ? collective collectively

consider consideration considerable ?

Adapted from Baker, et al., 2014

Example: Teaching Word Parts


Cognates: sound and look similar in both languages and mean the same thing

33Adapted from August, Staehr Fenner, & Snyder, 2014

False Cognates: sound and look similar in both languages but mean different things

Cognates False Cognates

planet = planeta carpet ≠ carpeta

Example: Teaching Cognates

www.GetSupportEd.net 34Adapted from Steinhardt, New York University, 2009

Example: Vocabulary With Multiple Meanings

Vocabulary Meaning in Everyday Use

Meaning in Math and/or Science

mean to be unkind (adj.)to intend (v.)

an average

volume ? amount of space inside an object

gross ? total income from sales

mass having to do with a lot of people

?

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Teaching Academic Language at the Sentence and Discourse Level


Strategies for Supporting ELs at the Sentence and Discourse Level

Strategy SentenceLevel

DiscourseLevel

1. Unpacking juicy sentences

2. Embedding grammar and specific aspects of language into instruction

3. Analyzing sequencing in a text


• Consider this sentence: “Since most owls feed upon a variety of animals, owl abundance is not limited by the rise and fall in numbers of any one prey species.” • Divide the sentence into chunks. • Then summarize each chunk in your own words.

37Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017, p. 132; adapted from Wong Fillmore & Fillmore, 2012 and California Department of Education, 2014Text Source: Government of Alberta, 2009

1. Unpacking Juicy Sentences


“Since most owls feed upon a variety of animals, owl abundance is not limited by the rise and fall in numbers of any one prey species.”

38Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017, p. 132; adapted from Wong Fillmore & Fillmore, 2012 and California Department of Education, 2014Text Source: Government of Alberta, 2009

Unpacking Juicy Sentences Activity

Chunk of Text Summary in My Own Words

Since most owls feed upon Because most owls eata variety of animals,owl abundanceis not limited bythe rise and fall in numbersof any one prey species.


• Select one sentence on a poster paper to “unpack” the meaning with your colleagues.

• Break the sentence into chunks under the sentence.

• Summarize the chunk of text in your own words.

• Discuss how you might use this activity to support ELs’ comprehension of complex text.

39Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017, p. 132; adapted from Wong Fillmore & Fillmore, 2012 and California Department of Education, 2014

Unpacking Juicy Sentences Activity (cont.)

Directions:


2. Embedding Grammar and Specific Aspects of Language


• Read the sentence below.Beginning in the 17th century, the Mississippi River Valley was settled by French explorers who established scattered settlements throughout the region.

• Discuss the challenges that ELs might have with the grammar in the sentence.

• How might you support their understanding?

Mini-Lessons

Directions:


Thumbs up = active, Thumbs down = passive• During the Boston Tea Party, the Sons of Liberty threw

342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.(active)

• During the Boston Tea Party, 342 chests of tea were thrown into Boston Harbor. (passive)

Challenges• Not always clear who or what completed the action• Unfamiliar and more complex verb construction

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Mini-Lesson:Passive Voice for ELs


Original Sentence

Who did the action?

What was the action?

Sentence Rewrite

The Mississippi River Valley was settled by French explorers.

French explorers Settled the Mississippi River Valley

French explorers settled the Mississippi RiverValley.

In 1762 French Louisiana was ceded to Spain by the French.In 1801 a secret treaty was signed by Spain to return the Louisiana Territory to France.

Mini-Lesson: Passive Voice


• Charades• What would you say

when…• Mad Libs• Bingo • Adverb game

Scaffolds to support ELs: work in pairs, word banks, sentence stems/frames

Larson, 2015

Grammar Games and Activities


3. Analyzing Sequencing in a Text

• Students put sentence strips in order to determine proper order of a text.

• Provide first and last sentence as scaffold (if needed).

• Help students identify clues.


• Determine the correct order of the six sentences.

• Note the clues that helped you figure out the correct order.

Text source: The Great Fire, Murphy, 2010

Analyzing Sequencing


1. Chicago in 1871 was a city ready to burn.

2. The city boasted having 59,500 buildings, many of them—such as the Courthouse and the Tribune Building—large and ornately decorated.

3. The trouble was that about two-thirds of all these structures were made entirely of wood.

4. Many of the remaining buildings (even the ones proclaimed to be “fireproof”) looked solid, but were actually jerrybuilt affairs; the stone or brick exteriors hid wooden frames and floors, all topped with highly flammable tar or shingle roofs.

5. It was also a common practice to disguise wood as another kind of building material.

6. The fancy exterior decorations on just about every building were carved from wood, then painted to look like stone or marble.

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Possible Answers

Wrap Up


Objectives

Discusswhy

Exploreacademic language

Discussstrategies

Applystrategies

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Join Our Community

Sign up on our website to continue collaboration withEL experts and a community of EL advocates. Weregularly share free tools, resources, and webinarsto facilitate our ELs’ success and well-being.

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Diane Staehr Fenner

[email protected]

Thank you!

unlocking els’ potential: academic language workshop€¦ · v @supporteduc @getsupported.net...

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