English Language Development: Foundations & Implementation in Kindergarten Through Grade 5 Presenters: Dr. Ann Snow & Dr. Anne Katz December 7, 2010 California Department of Education: Accountability Leadership Institute for English Learner and Immigrant Students

Agenda Preparing teachers through Professional Development Designing ELD instruction Examining instructed ELD Example of ELD instruction Activity

What is your role? English Language Learner Teacher/School Site Coach School Site Administrator District Administrator County Office or Support Provider Technical Assistance Provider College/University Instructors Other

Preparing teachers through Professional Development Scope: school wide approaches Collaborative sessions In-house coaching Calendared planning time Depth: knowledge, skills and dispositions to teach ELs

ELD in Elementary Classrooms Goal: to ensure students succeed academically Academic language development Social and pragmatic language development Means: through instructed ELD Systematic, explicit instruction during designated time periods

Designing ELD instruction Questions: What aspects of language do I teach? How do I know if students are learning? Answer: Standards-based instruction and assessment

Planning, enacting and evaluating Instructed ELD Step 1: Identify the learner’s language proficiency level Step 2: Select standards-based language objectives for instructed ELD Step 3: Design and enact activities Step 4: Assess learning through standards- referenced assessments

Step 1: Identify the learner’s language proficiency level Use multiple sources to collect information Collect information across all four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing Focus on student performances on authentic tasks

Step 2: Select standards-based language objectives for instructed ELD Draw on ELD and ELA standards to identify targets for learning Frame learning outcomes suited to students’ proficiency level and language learning needs Design language objectives

California ELD Standards Skill Areas Listening and Speaking Reading Writing Grade-Level Spans K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 Five Proficiency Levels

Example from ELD Standards, grades K-2, beginning level ELD standard: Read aloud simple words (e.g., nouns and adjectives) in stories or poems ELA content standards, K - 2 Identify and sort common words in basic categories (e.g., colors, shapes, foods). ELD stndard at begin level—read aloud simple word; more challening—identify and sort

Step 3: Design and enact activities Design learning activities in light of learning aims Utilize a range of resources Differentiate instruction based on language proficiency levels

Step 4: Assess learning through standards-referenced assessments Gather information frequently within the classroom Keep a written record of information collected and link the information to targeted standards Review the data to see patterns Engage students in monitoring their own learning

Questions?

What is Instructed ELD? The systematic, explicit instruction of the English language during scheduled blocks of ELD time. In instructed ELD, ELs learn the English language skills needed to transition to English Language Arts and mainstream content instruction.

What are the goals of Instructed ELD? 1. To teach young ELs (grades K-5) to use English for all communicative purposes both inside and outside of the classroom. 2. To teach Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing skills related to the given ELD standards.

3. To teach syntax, phonology, morphology (e.g., plural endings, past tense –ed, prefixes/suffixes), and pragmatic uses of language (e.g., politeness features, indirect requests) 4. To teach text-level structures (e.g., genre in oral & written domains)

5. To teach everyday language functions (e. g 5. To teach everyday language functions (e.g., ask for information, give directions) and academic language functions (e.g., define, request clarification) 6. To teach vocabulary systematically: a) everyday vocabulary b) non-specialized academic vocabulary

Question: Are you familiar with this linguistic terminology?

Four examples of academic language functions from science: Description: “A sunflower has bright yellow petals and a long green stem.” Explanation: “Clownfish will actually protect sea anemone. That’s a mutualistic relationship.”

Comparison: “Flowers have mechanisms of attraction like whales have echolocation.” Questioning: “What did we learn in our last unit on water properties?”

Academic language functions: Other examples from science analyze, classify, demonstrate, formulate, hypothesize, infer, measure, observe, predict, provide evidence, record, report, strategize, summarize, etc.

Common Function Words: Examples from Science Definition: refers to, is the same as, consists of, in other words Providing an example: for instance, including, such as, like Sequencing: first…second, next, finally, following, not long after Showing cause and effect: because, as a result of, if…then, for this reason

Explicit language objectives “Students will use adjectives to describe the characters in the story.” “Ss will use the sentence starters to express a conclusion: In my opinion, I believe that, I agree with… “ “Ss will listen for main ideas and supporting details.” “Ss will use context clues (i.e., grammar, punctuation, logic, antonyms, appositives) to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words)

Example of ELD instruction Fifth-Grade Interdisciplinary ELD Lesson: Immigration Unit

Lesson: Immigration Unit

Lesson: Immigration Unit

Lesson: Immigration Unit

Work Sheet: Biographical Essay

Work Sheet: Biographical Essay

Biographical Essay Rubric

Activity In groups, take a look at the excerpts taken from California Science, a grade 2 textbook. Considering the various goals of instructed ELD discussed in the presentation, analyze the texts for embedded language demands, develop language objectives, and consider ways of assessing student learning.

Activity: Part 1 Discuss the language demands from the point of view of: syntax; morphology, genre and text features; academic language functions; the four skills (R, W, L, S); and, vocabulary (everyday, non-specialized, and specialized);

Examples of language demands

Activity: Part 2 Develop language objectives for an instructed ELD lesson which cover some of the language demands identified in the first part of the task.

Examples of language objectives

Activity: Part 3 Design an assessment task that you could use after you have taught the lesson to examine student learning of the language demands.

Examples of assessment tasks

Thank you for attending. This powerpoint will be posted online at: http://www.sccoe.org/depts.ell