1. Academic Conversation- It’s not just “turn and talk” anymore!
WIDA Conference - Atlanta
October 23, 2014
Academic Conversation- It’s not just “turn and talk” anymore!
Karie Gregory
Tsianina Tovar

2. Background ESL Program:
We are ESL co-teachers at West Buncombe Elementary school in Asheville, NC.
Our students come to us for 1 hour blocks that focus on the Common Core and WIDA standards.

3. “Constructive Classroom Conversations” An online course offered by Stanford University

4. Building Academic Language: Essential Practices for Content Classrooms by Jeff Zwiers

5. Thinking Maps©
Graphic organizers that target specific skills and can be used in all areas of learning.

6. Constructive Conversation Skills Poster

7. Conversation Skill Create
Circle Map- Students create and define an idea or topic.
Writing objective: Use circle map to write simple sentences.
Example Conversation prompt: What are some ideas that you have about weather?

8. Create Videos

9. Conversation Skill Clarify
Example Conversation prompt: Can you elaborate on different kinds of weather? (or you could build on a specific kind of weather like hurricanes) or
What does it mean?
Why or how is it important?
Writing Objective: Write compound and complex sentences to explain different kinds of weather.

10. Clarify Videos

11. Conversation Skills Fortify and Negotiate
Tree Map- Fortify by providing and classifying examples or evidence about the topic or conversation.
Use the Tree Map to negotiate a topic or prompt and evaluate the worth.
Writing Objective: Use the tree map to create complex sentences.
Example Conversation prompt: Fortify: Can you give examples from the text?
Negotiate: In your opinion what is the most dangerous type of weather?

12. WIDA Conference - Atlanta
October 23, 2014
Fortify The Main Theme

13. Fortify & Negotiate the Main Theme

14. Academic discussion-Conversation Cards
Paraphrase and summarize what member(s) said
Keep the conversation on topic
Ask for elaboration, explanation, examples, clarification
Validate (praise) another’s ideas
Ask key questions
Encourage speaker to back up claims with evidence
Offer different perspectives
Make sure all members participate
Build on what another member said
Maintain/encourage extended sharing; (uh-huh, yeah, right, hmmm)
Connect discussion to real-world and student life
Use active listening strategies (nod, make eye contact, take notes)

15. From Conversation to Writing
By using the supports within the conversation skills combined with Thinking Maps, the necessary language is targeted and developed and enables students to create a final writing piece that uses a variety of sentences and linguistic complexity.

16. To writing…

17. From Fortifying to writing

18. Practice with a 2nd grade lesson
Westward Expansion

19. Explanation of a 4th grade lesson
Dear Mr. Henshaw
by Beverly Cleary

20. But Sometimes it sounds like…

21. And…