Academic Oral Language: Building the Foundation for Writing and Content
Learning
Deming, New MexicoJune 6, 2011
Jeff Zwiers
Today’s Objectives
How can I teach conversation skills in order to improve
content understandings and writing (& reading)?
Why is it
important?
What is it?
Academic Oral Language
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How can I assess it and with it?
Reflective Inquiry/Action Research
Analyze Evidence
(student work)
Reflect & Plan
Teach & Assess
(Academic language inquiry)
(Academic language inquiry)
How can I develop my students’ language of cause and effect,
evidenced by essays and interviews, by using academic conversations?
How can I develop my students’ language of cause and effect,
evidenced by essays and interviews, by using academic conversations?
Academic language is the set of words, grammar, and
organization used to describe:
Abstract concepts
Complex ideas
Higher-order thinking processes
Cause-Effect, Empathize, Compare, Classify, Apply,
Evaluate, Persuade, Interpret Recognize patterns,
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Examples?
Academic Language
Academic Language Snapshot
Content vocabulary(brick)
Content vocabulary(brick)
Photosynthesis, democracy, imagery, numerator, etc.
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Academic Language Snapshot
Ab-Co-Th Terms (Terms that travel across disciplines)
Grammar, organization, prosody
Long Sentences U-turn terms
Transitions Clauses
Pronouns Word order
Punctuation Text structure
Evidence AnalyzeInterpret ElaborateSupport CompareFosterAspects
ACADEMICMETAPHORS:[100/hr! (Pollio, 1977)] “stand idly by while…” “played a key role in” “in the wake of” “narrow pursuit” “no simple formula”
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Content vocabulary(bricks)
Photosynthesis, democracy, imagery, numerator, etc.
Content vocabulary(bricks)
Additional Mortar Words (Coxhead, 2000)
Home and Academic Languages
General academic language for thinking, reading,
writing, & communicating
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Math language
Sciencelanguage
Historylanguage
Student B
Student A
Literaturelanguage
Watching for Academic Language
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By the 1880's, steam power had dramatically shortened the journey to America. Immigrants poured in from around the world. They came from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Southern and Eastern Europe, and down from Canada. The door was wide open for Europeans. In the 1880’s alone, 9% of the total population of Norway emigrated to America. After 1892 nearly all immigrants came in through the newly opened Ellis Island. Families often immigrated together during this era, although young men frequently came first to find work. Some of these then sent for their wives, children, and siblings; others returned to their families in Europe with their saved wages. (http://www.ellisisland.org/immexp/wseix_5_3.asp)
3. Interaction (negotiating meaning)
1. Input
2. Output
Three Ingredients for Building Language
PresentationsAnswer questions Sentence framesPair-shares Drama/Improv
ReadingListeningVisualsGestures
Scaffolding Oral Academic Language Output with Pro-Con Improv
Topics: Camping, Shopping, Traveling, Cell Phones, TV, Computers, Video Games, School, Cars, Conferences
Transitions: However, On the other hand, Then again, but
Frames: One advantage is …A negative aspect of ___ is …In spite of the positives of _____,
Variations: Whole class Pro-Con; Compare-contrast, For-Against J.Zwiers, 159
Negotiating Meaning
A B
InfoGap-Negotiation Cards
2. Students read and try to memorize points on the cards.
3. A and B pairs converse (friendly debate) the issue and come to a conclusion. They can look at the cards, if needed.
1. Teacher previews key vocabulary on cards & goes over sentence starters.
J.Zwiers, 159, Handout 11
B Viruses are alive because they:B Viruses are alive because they:A Viruses are not living because they:A Viruses are not living because they:
Quantity & Quality of Classroom Talk: Findings
• Teachers encouraged elaborations, but only 16% of the paired interactions were beneficial to learning. (Staarman, Krol & vander Meijden, 2005)
• English learners spent only 4% of the school day engaged in school talk; and 2% of the school day discussing focal content of the lesson. (Arreaga-Mayer & Perdomo-Rivera, 1996).
• 85% of class time was devoted to lecture, question and answer, and seatwork. (Nystrand, 1997)
Not enoughThe following practices were not enough to develop deep and enduring academic language, skills, and content understandings.
- Exposure(listen-read), Interrogation, Regurgitation - Sentence starters and frames - Think-pair-shares - Group & whole class discussions in which a
few students & the teacher dominate the talk - Isolated & disconnected facts & vocabulary - Quantity rather than quality - Limited assessments (written, MC, )
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IRF
David: Why did that happen?Liliana: Gravity, I think.David: Yeah, gravity pulled it down. Liliana: So, now what?
Bulking up Classroom Conversations
Lisa: I think there are different ways to solve it.Edgar: So? Just do what the book example did.Lisa: But why do you turn the fraction over? Edgar: Who cares? Just turn it over.Lisa: OK.
3a 9ab
3c - 6 c - 4
3a 9ab
3c - 6 c - 4÷÷ 22
Elaborate, clarify, and question Support ideas with examples Build on &/or challenge partner ideas Paraphrase ideas Synthesize conversation points
(Goldenberg, 1992; Zwiers, 2009)
Students should stay focused on a topic and negotiate meaning like emerging subject
matter “experts” by using the following skills:
Academic Conversations
J.Zwiers, 139
Not natural; Each a double skill
Advantages of Academic Conversation
Thinking Skills Advantages - Builds thinking skills- Promotes different perspectives & empathy- Fosters creativity- Fosters skills for negotiating meaning and focusing
Language and Literacy Advantages - Builds academic language- Builds vocabulary - Builds literacy skills and comprehension- Builds oral language and communication skills
Social Advantages - Builds relationships- Builds academic ambience - Makes lessons more culturally relevant- Fosters equity
Content Learning Advantages - Builds content understandings - Cultivates connections - Helps students to co-construct understandings
- Conversation helps teachers and students assess learning
Psychological Advantages
- Develops inner dialog and self-talk- Builds engagement and motivation- Builds confidence & academic identity
- Fosters self-discovery- Builds student voice & empowerment
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• Skills with symbols
x
• Hand motions for prompts
Developing Academic Conversation Skills
Topic
How do these skills support writing and content understandings?
Activities for developing AC skills
ELABORATING & CLARIFYING: Opinion Continuum
Corn for fuel Corn for foodAlexX
LaraX
KarimX
- Equip students with teacher-like skills- Focus on one skill - Move from less to more challenging
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Use table to solve Use graph to solveSaraX
TheoX
LeaX
Activities for developing AC skills
SUPPORTING WITH EXAMPLES: Evidence Columns
Thesis, theme, argument:
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Activities for developing AC skills
PARAPHRASE: Interview Grids & Webs
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Etienne Halloween because…
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Designing Conversation Prompts & TasksUse an essential question
Use a thinking skill
Use a product or task
Use life experiences
LanguageExample
Discuss the value of school sports programs.How are you biased?
Apply, perspective, real world, connects to, challenge
How does great literature influence history—and vice versa?
One way to explain,impact, factors, led to, as a result of
Compare the two charactersArgue for or against …Evaluate solutions of…
A major difference,outweigh, long run,criteria, perspective
Design an experiment to measure the speed of sound.
Hypothesize that…Control variablesExtrapolate from the data, correlate
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Practice Academic ConversationsChoose your topic/text (handout). Have a conversation with a partner.
Use the symbols on the handout and use the sentence frames.
Language Arts History
(poem) (myths)
Math Science
(interest) (resistance)
Persuasive Seesaw Conversation (& pre-writing)
My responses to opposing points
2D-seesaw
3D-seesaw
My position
Opposing position
Reasons & Evidence
Reasons & Evidence
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Persuasive writing sample with colors
J.Zwiers, 212
Persuasive Language Posters
J.Zwiers, 212
Persuasive Writing Check-bric
J.Zwiers, 210; handout p. 8
Paired Planning Practice
1. Work with a partner to clarify language objectives for an upcoming lesson
2. Design (or modify) the summative assessment & rubrics for academic language and thinking, as well as formative assessments.
3. Weave oral language and academic conversation activities into lesson to support and assess learning.
Conclusion
Contact: [email protected]
Language empowers students to use, change, challenge, and explore ideas—not just regurgitate them or select them from a list. In developing their academic language, we can help reduce the “Gap of Potential,” which is the gap between who a student is now and who that student can, wants, and should become in the future to create a better world.
Thank you!
J.Zwiers