wheeler code switching

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Working Paper

Code-switching:Insights and Strategies for teaching Standard English

in dialectally diverse classrooms

Rebecca S Wheeler

Christopher !ewport "niversity

!ewport !ews# $% &'()(rwheeler*cn+ed+

http:,,wwwncteorg,profdev,onsite,cons+ltants,wheeler

Overview:

When %frican %merican st+dents writeI have two sister and two brother, Dad jeep out of

gas, orMy mom deserve a good man,teachers traditionally diagnose poor English#.finding that the st+dents are having problems#. or making errors. with pl+rality#

possession# or verb agreement# etc In response# the teacher corrects. the child/s writing#

showing them the right. way to convey these grammatical points 0owever# researchand longstanding st+dent performance have demonstrated that the traditional correction

methods fail to teach %frican %merican st+dents the re1+isite Standard English skills

2ing+istic research offers an e3planation and a sol+tion When traditional approaches

assess st+dent lang+age as error-filled#. they misdiagnose st+dent writing performance:

st+dents +sing vernac+lar lang+age 4My goldfish name is Scaley, etc5 are not making

errors in Standard English -- they are following the grammar patterns of the homedialect

2ing+istics offers a two-pronged sol+tion: Contrastive analysis and code-switching# tools
http://www.ncte.org/profdev/onsite/consultants/wheelerhttp://www.ncte.org/profdev/onsite/consultants/wheeler


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possessive forms res+lts from classrooms +sing code-switching %n appendi3 of graphicorgani?ers. and lesson plans for code-switching is incl+ded

In short# this paper seeks to answer three 1+estions regarding teaching Standard Englishin %frican %merican classrooms:

95 Why do traditional English techni1+es fail to teach Standard English with %frican%merican st+dents@

&5 What approach works and why@

'5 0ow does English instr+ction in the code-switching classroom differ from English

instr+ction in the traditional classroom@

tests 6or e3ample#

st+dents/ home speech grammar patterns for pl+ral 4It takes 24 hour! "#$ day %or s+bBect-

verb agreement 4&aning mean to get smaller &a'ing mean to get biger5 may transfer into

school writing 46ig+re 95


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Similarly# home speech patterns for pl+rality 4do educational thing%or possessive 4(oni e')

boyfriend, (oni birthday party, Ms* +arker permission%or be)+nderstood 4Since there notelevision5 also transfer into the writing of secondary st+dents as seen in this &))( year-end

!C2> test of writing 46ig+re &5

Ddo+ble neg

Dbe

+nderstood

pl+rality

Ddo+ble neg

Dpossessive

it v there

Dpossessive


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6ig+re '


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many 4b+t not all and not only5 %frican %mericans 4Rickford 7 Rickford &)))5


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>y !ovember of any given year# after Swords has engaged her st+dents in the core steps

of the writing process# she t+rns to code-switching 6irst she introd+ces the basic notionof variation: we allvary o+r self-presentation# sit+ation by sit+ation "sing a tree map

from the school/s


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Fn one occasion# the class tho+ght back on an e3change between two st+dents Fne

st+dent had e3citedly e3claimed# o# A? SwordsT Jat B+nk be tight3% second st+dentchallenged that lang+age choice: Acin?ieT o+ ain/ sposed ta talk t/ Ars Swords dat

way. Fh# ok As Swords Jat st+ff be coolT. Clearly# st+dents had come to school

already having a good grasp of lang+agestyle4the variation lang+age shows in levels offormality5 within their own variety# in this instance %%E In this way# st+dents +sed their

own prior knowledge to define formal and informal lang+age

Swords then applies st+dents/ +nderstanding of change and variation to the grammar of

sentences "sing chart paper# she creates two col+mns of sentences drawn from herst+dents/ own writing# the left in vernac+lar English 4


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5ranscript0 Discovering Informal6ormal +ossessive +atterns in 7achel Swords82ndgrade classroom, spring, 299:*

4Swords and class had previo+sly reviewed the meaning of possessive: possessionmeans someone owns something5


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Children: yesK

4


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her writing workshops


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Fne of Swords/ st+dents leans over# o+/re +sing informal English >+t the book +ses

6ormal English 2ook at the end of the word


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6ig+re =lack students e>ualed or outperformed white students with code)switching*


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Piestr+p# % 49N'5=lack dialect interference and accommodation of reading instruction

in irst Crade* Aonographs of the 2ang+age->ehavior Research 2aboratory#

!+mber 6o+r "niversity of California# >erkeley >erkeley: C%Rickford, J. (1996).The Oakland Ebonics decision: Commendable attack on the problem.Original

text of the Op Ed article printed in theSan Jose Mercury News,December 26, 1996.

Retrieved April 3, 2006, from http://www.stanford.edu/~rickford/ebonics/SJMN-

OpEd.html

Rickford# H 495/frican /merican Bernacular -nglish* Aalden# A%: Ro+tledge

Rickford# H R and R H Rickford Spoken So+l: lack English !ew ork:

Hohn Wiley# &)))Rickford# H# Sweetland# H# 7 Rickford# % 4&));5 %frican %merican English and other

vernac+lars in ed+cation: % topic-coded bibliography (ournal of -nglish

Ainguistics "24'5# &')-'&)Sweetland# H 4S+mmer &))(5 5eaching writing in the multicultural classroom0 /

sociolinguistic approach,% dissertation in the Jepartment of 2ing+istics# Stanford

"niversity# Stanford: California


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Appendi

Tools for the code-switching classroom


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Curriculum Lesson Plan Guide

Course or 0rade !evel: &nd - Oth

1uarter:

2nit 3 and Title: Jiversity in 2ife and

2ang+age 4' pp5

!esson 3 9 of ;Suggested Time: &)-') min+tes

Enduring 2nderstanding(s) and Essential

1uestion(s) focused on in this lesson:

2nderstandings:

$ariation occ+rs in life

$ariation occ+rs in lang+age

1uestions: 0ow can we +se the terms

formaland informalto describe clothing@

Alignment with SO! or other

standards:

,ational English Standards

; St+dents adB+st their +se of spoken#

written# and vis+al lang+age 4eg#conventions# style# vocab+lary5 to

comm+nicate effectively with a variety of

a+diences and for different p+rposes

St+dents develop an +nderstanding ofand respect for diversity in lang+age +se#

Assessing evidence of student learning:


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esources/Technolog":

General classroom s+pplies 4markers# pencils# chart paper5

ScissorsAaga?ines or catalogs

Constr+ction paper

6ntroduction: 78oo5 to prior learning or real life eperiences9

0ave the st+dents gather aro+nd the Informal and 6ormal Clothing chart shown in thesection below %sk the st+dents to think the different types of clothing they wear 0ave

the st+dents describe how they dress at school 0ave st+dents give e3amples of other

times that they have to dress +p


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Closure Activit":Fnce st+dents have finished the independent assignment# call on afew st+dents to add to yo+r Informal and 6ormal Clothing chart o+

can display the clothing collages aro+nd the room for f+t+re

reference

Suggested modifications for differentiation:


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Submitted by: of (school): on (date): for NNPS

Course or Grade Level: 2nd - 5th

Quarter:Unit # and Title: Defining Informal

and Formal Possessive Patterns.(5 pp)

!ote" #his unit presupposes prior wor$and understanding from %nit &'

Diversity in Life and Language. #hat

unit introduces the terms' formalandinformalnglish

Lesson # & of Suggested Time: 2*-+* minutes

Enduring Understanding(s) and

Essential Question(s) focused on intis lesson:

%nderstandings",anguage shows meaning through pattern

Informal nglish uses one pattern to showpossessie

Formal nglish uses another pattern to

show possessie

.uestions" /hat pattern shows possession

0 in informal nglish1 In Formal nglish

!lignment "it standards:

ational Englis Standards

tudents adjust their use of spo$en'

written' and isual language (eg'

conentions' style' ocabulary) tocommunicate effectiely with a arietyof audiences and for different

purposes

!ssessing evidence of student

learning:#eacher 7bseration


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Lesson se0uence tat develo-s te Enduring Understandings andEssential Questions +including activities for student retin%ing1

revising1 refining/:& how students the ;ossessie ;atterns chart #ell your students that

today they are going to define the patterns for possessies in informal and

formal language

Possessive Patterns

*nformal Englis 2ormal Englis

#aylor cat is blac$ #aylor?s cat is blac$

#he boy coat is torn #he boy?s coat is torn

> giraffe nec$ is long > giraffe?s nec$ is long

Did you see the teacher pen1 Did you see the teacher?s pen1

3iscovering informal Englis -ossessive -attern

Eamine sentences2 tart by reading through the informal sentences #hen reread the first

sentence

See% -attern+ ay' @#aylor cat is blac$ ,etAs see how this sentence shows ownership

/ho does the cat belong to1@ 7nce students answer that the cat belongs to#aylor as$ @how do you $now @ tudents will most li$ely answer that it says


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Su&mitted &: of (scool): on (date): for PS

Course or Grade Level: 2nd - 5th

Quarter:Unit # and Title: 3efining *nformal

and 2ormal Past Time Patterns.(5 pp)

!ote" #his unit presupposes prior wor$

and understanding from %nit &'Diversity in Life and Language #hat

unit introduces the terms' formal and

informal nglish

Lesson # & of

Suggested Time: +* minutes

Enduring Understanding(s) and

Essential Question(s) focused on intis lesson:

%nderstandings",anguage shows meaning through pattern

Informal nglish uses one pattern to show

the passage of time

Formal nglish uses another pattern to

show the passage of time

.uestions" /hat pattern shows past time 0

in informal nglish1 In Formal nglish1

!lignment "it standards:

ational Englis Standards

tudents adjust their use of spo$en'written' and isual language (eg'

conentions' style' ocabulary) to

communicate effectiely with a arietyof audiences and for differentpurposes

!ssessing evidence of studentlearning:

#eacher 7bseration


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regions' and social roles

$at students "ill %no" and &e

a&le to do as a result of tis lesson:

& #he students will recogni8e past

time patterns in Formal and Informallanguage

2 #he students will define past time

patterns in Formal and Informallanguage

+ #he student will distinguish between

Formal and Informal past timepatterns

#he student will write 2 sentencesusing the Formal past time pattern and

2 sentences using the Informal pasttime pattern

'esourcesTecnolog:

9eneral classroom supplies (mar$ers' pencils' chart paper)

*ntroduction: +,oo% to -rior learning or real life e-eriences/:ae the students gather around the ;ast #ime ;atterns chart (shown

in the lesson section)


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Showing Past Time

*nformal Englis 2ormal Englis

esterday they play in the par$ esterday they played in the par$

he mail the letter this morning he mailed the letter this morning

,ast aturday we watch that moie ,ast aturday we watched that moie

I call my grandma two days ago I called my grandma two days ago

Bartin ,uther


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ou can call this understanding common $nowledge ay' @oh' so youAre saying

that it is common $nowledge that Bartin ,uther s$ your students to loo$ at how the formal sentences are different from theinformal sentences our students will most li$ely notice that the erbs hae an

edon the end of them

3efine -attern&* >s$ your students' @how can we write this pattern on our chart1@ #hey will

most li$ely determine that the pattern is erb H -edJ past actionsG

Test -attern&& =ead through each sentence to see if this rule holds true in each case o you

will read' @yesterday they played in the park Is there a erb with an -ed on the

end of it in this sentence1 ouAre right'play ends in an -ed' so this sentence fits

our pattern@ Continue to read chec$ each of the sentences in this way

$rite -attern

&2 /rite the rule (verb + -ed) on the formal side of the chart

:ere is what the final chart may loo$ li$e"

Showing Past Time


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Code-switching Shopping !ist 4a tool for secondary school st+dents5

Name: ________________________

Do any of the top 10 or so informal English patterns appear in your paper? If

so, put a check in the corresponding bo and then code!s"itchto formal

English# $ut a smiley face, , to sho" "hen you use formal patterns in your

"riting% &'lip the ("itch#)

Informal *% 'ormal English $atterns

$

aper1

$

aper+

_

_____

$

aper,

_

_____

$

aper-

_

_____

Noun patterns

Possessive

.he dog_tail *% the dog/s tail

Plurality: Showing more than one

.hree cat_ *% .hree cats

A v. an

n rapper *% a rapper

elephant *% an elephant

Verb patterns(ubect! 2erb 0greement

(he "alk_ *% (he "alks


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Code-switching Shopping !ist + &ifferentiated instruction4a tool for teachers5>lass: Day:________________ .ime: ________________

Data!dri*en differentiated instruction% s you read student essays, note "hich students need "ork on "hich E*eryday English patterns%

Aou might use this tool to form peer!editing groups of students "ho ha*e similar grammar needs, or to guide you in calling on students inclass, or tracking class needs and progressB%

Informal *% 'ormal English $atterns (tudents

Noun Patterns

Possessive

.he dog_tail *% the dog/s tail

Plurality: Showing more than one

.hree cat_ *% .hree cats

A v. an n rapper *% a rapper

elephant *% an elephant

Verb Patterns

Subject- Verb Agreement

(he "alk_ *% (he "alks

Showing past time!"

I finish_ *% I finished

Showing past time #"

(he seen the dog *% (he sa"5had seen6

$e un%erstoo% 8e __ cool "ith me *% 8e is cool "ith me

&a'ing Negatives

(he "on/t ne*er *% (he "on/t e*er

ther pattern: ___________________

''


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S8O46,0 PAST T6'E6 finish v. 6 finished

6,;O'A! ;O'A!

I already finishV my paper I already finished my paper !at


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Showing possession

&eric5 team v. &eric5


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