Constructing Meaning Explicit Language for Content Area Instruction An Institute for Secondary Content Teachers MCOE Executive Overview February 28th, 2008 A Focused Approach A Focused Approach

2 I believe…. Children grow into the intellectual life around them. - Lev Vygotsky

3 Constructing Meaning Institute Overview Day One A Focused Approach to Constructing Meaning Day Two Academic Strategic Lesson Design Day Three Academic Language Production page 1.1

4 Our goals for the institute Understand the role that academic language plays in content learning Learn to determine language knowledge essential for accessing content Learn to plan and deliver focused content specific language instruction page 1.1

5 Recurring CM Themes Knowing our students Identifying discipline-specific language Connecting reading, writing, listening, and speaking Building receptive and expressive language

6 Access to the Core After adolescent ELs acquire the basic skills, they need to become active readers and writers who use reading and writing processes. Using these processes, learners can examine a text, make conclusions about it, articulate and incorporate those conclusions. Double the Work, 2007

7 Access to the Core (cont.) The process creates awareness about the functions of language, and the reflection inherent in the process helps students practice the kind of highly abstract thinking that is essential to succeeding in high school and beyond into college or the world of work. Double the Work, 2007

8 Day One Agenda The Challenge Effective Reading Practices Defining Academic English A Focused Approach: F, F & F Analysis of Comprehension Task handout

9 In Other Words In schools, we could virtually say that “language is the curriculum.” Beverly Derewianka Language is very difficult to put into words. Voltaire

The Focused Approach

11 Represent cognitive tasks Purposes for expressing thinking Informs text structure A Focused Approach Features of Language Instruction Needed Tools Vocabulary and Word usage Sentence structure and grammatical features Fluency Ease of comprehension and production Accuracy Appropriate to context FormsFunction page 1.8

12 Thumbnail Sketch How can we use the information in this thumbnail sketch to better: 1.Teach the functional language of our content areas? 2.Move students along a continuum of specific and precise language use? page 1.16

13 Agenda Handout Day Two Agenda Knowing Our Students Common Backgrounds Levels of English Proficiency Previous Coursework Strategic Lesson Design Lessons of Adolescent Literacy Planning Tool Functions Tool Vocabulary Instruction Determining Which Words to Teach Direct Instruction

Getting to Know Our Students

In the absence of information… …we are in danger of committing “assumicide” -Kelly Gallagher “Although adolescent English learners share a designation based on their limited English proficiency, they arrive at school via diverse paths and with a wide range of experiences.” -Norm Gold (LMRI, 2006)

16 Factors that affect EL experiences Length of time in American schools Literacy and content knowledge in primary language English proficiency level Life experiences Previous coursework

17 Deepening Our Understanding Consider one of your students who is learning English as a new language. First column for jotting what you know about your student Second column - note the instructional implications of that information page 6

Function Tools

19 Overarching Functions Cause and Effect Compare and Contrast Elaboration Proposition & Support (Problem/Solution) Sequencing page 8

20 The Function Tools page 2.22 page 2.23

Strategic Lesson Design

22 Rationale for Constructing Meaning Role of motivation and engagement Actively construct meaning from text Interconnectedness of reading, writing, speaking, listening and thinking Need to use both general literacy strategies as well as discipline-specific literacy strategies

23 Lessons of Adolescent Literacy Infused into Lesson Design The CM Analysis tool is designed with these recommendations in mind: –The prompts focus on linguistic complexities of content-specific instructional materials –This results in a clear picture of what students will need to access the content. The CM Planner suggests a sequence and strategies for delivering a tailored lesson aimed at increased fluency of oral and written academic English.

24 CM: Infusing Lessons of Adolescent Literacy page 10 page 11

25 Gradual Release of Responsibility page 12

26 I Do, We Do, You Do In the gradual release model, what are the additional roles and responsibilities –of the teacher? –of the student?

VocabularyVocabulary To expand a child’s vocabulary is to teach that child to think about the world. Stahl & Stahl, 2004

Being selective Determining Which Strategy to Use To support students in becoming independent word learners, consider: explanations, not definitions different kinds of context clues recognizing cognates To provide in-depth, explicit instruction, consider using: word sorts concept maps word cards (Frayer) word forms

29 Day Three Agenda Building on Recurring Themes Debriefing the Reading Entering the Academic Dialogue Comprehension & Production Structured Oral Language Practice Writing to Learn A Genre Approach to Writing Notetaking Tool, Crafting a Prompt, & Summarizing Genre Templates & Rubrics

Entering the Academic Dialogue page 3.3

Nine Routines Structured Oral Practice 1. Talking Stick 2. Talking Chips 3. Think, Pair, Share 4. Numbered Heads 5. Three Step Interview 6. Give One, Get One 7. Clock Partners 8. Lines of Communication 9. Whip Around

A Genre Approach to Writing Writing well is not an option; it is a necessity.

33 What is a Genre? Genres are goal-oriented; they are meant to serve a purpose. Genres have an expected overall structure; they rely on well-established patterns. Genres are marked by specific linguistic features, such as vocabulary and syntax.

34 The Common Academic Genres Narrative (story, autobiographical event) Expository (cause & effect, compare & contrast) Persuasive (problem/solution, opinion) Response to Literature (fiction/non-fiction analysis)

35 A Note-taking Tool Expository page 14

36 Genre Drafting Template page 3.24

37 What are we asking for… …. when we ask students to “use their own words”?

38 The Skills of Summary Summarizing requires the ability to Condense information Consolidate information Discern essential details Simplify language Restate language

39 One teacher’s stated goal: To equip students with the language they need to express the sophistication of their thinking for academic and real life purposes. page 1.2