Presented by Jane Cook and Madeline Negrón9/21/11Adapted from Expediting Comprehension for English

Language Learners (ExC-ELL) materials and Negrón SIOP Dissertation

71% of WMS students are eligible for free or reduced lunch

65% of WMS students are Hispanic 22% of WMS students are identified as

English Language Learners (ELL) 18% of WMS students are identified as

Special Education students

Based on WMS Strategic School Profile, 2010-11

WMS students are coming to school with fewer words than their non-priority school peers.

ELLs who may appear to be fluent in English because they have basic conversational language are likely to have very limited vocabulary related to specific content

Implication: Vocabulary must be explicitly taught to help students achieve at a high level.

BICS CALP

Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills

Basic day-to-day vocabulary for conversational fluency (Tier 1 and Tier 2 words)

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency

Abstract vocabulary needed to acquire content knowledge (Tier 2 and Tier 3 words)

On average, an English Language Learner (ELL) will require at least five years to attain grade level competency on academic (context-reduced, cognitively demanding) aspects of English proficiency (Collier, 1987, 1989; Cummins, 1981)

The Bilingual Education Statute in Connecticut signifies that a portion of an ELL’s language development will have to occur in mainstream content classrooms (Bilingual Education Statute of the Connecticut General Statutes, 1999)

ESL

Sheltered Instruction

Depthof Vocabulary

Reading & Writing in

Content Domains

Based on Current Research, Based on Current Research, ELLs Need a Balance ofELLs Need a Balance of

Cummins’ Language Acquisition Cummins’ Language Acquisition ModelModel

(Cummins, 2000)

BICSDiscuss the weather

Interview a classmate and write a short biography

Talk on the telephone about a football game

Read an email about the game

A C

B D

Work in groups to make a time line of events during the Colonial period

Role-play a key scene from a novel

Read a social studies chapter and answer end-of-chapter questions

Take a standardized test

CALP

CONTEXT EMBEDDED

CONTEXT REDUCED

Cummins’ Cummins’ Model Model AppliedApplied

COGNITIVELY UNDEMANDING

COGNITIVELY DEMANDING

Think, Pair, ShareThink, Pair, Share

Think about what you have been doing in school today. Turn to a partner and discuss the following questions: 1. In the classes that you taught today, in which of Cummins’ quadrants did students spend most of their time?2.In today’s PD session, in which of Cummins’ quadrants have you spent most of your time thus far? 3.What do you need to do to develop context embedded lessons which are cognitively demanding?

Language FunctionsPrediction EnumerationIdentification ClassificationInterpretation Comparison/ContrastExplanation DefinitionOrganization Inference/hypothesisRetelling Summarizing

Comprehension Strategies/SkillsPredict VisualizeDetermine important information Make inferencesAsk & answer questions Monitor comprehensionMake connections Summarize

How We Use Language to How We Use Language to UnderstandUnderstand

Without reading instruction in content area literacy, students develop Surface Comprehension which is literal comprehension where students:◦ Read on their own ◦ Answer low level questions

With reading instruction integrated into content areas, students develop Deep Comprehension which is critical comprehension where students:◦ Learn new vocabulary continuously◦ Associate new readings with prior knowledge ◦ Add new knowledge◦ Discuss ideas◦ Interpret facts and information◦ Apply critical thinking skills to text

Semantic Awareness is a cognitive, metacognitive, affective, and linguistic stance toward words.

It is the mindset that word consciousness involves motivating and showing students how important it is to be learning words.

Students who are word conscious are aware of the power of the words that they read, hear, write and speak.

Semantic awareness helps students become skillful and precise in word usage at many levels of complexity and sophistication.

Teachers and students need to be word conscious all day in every class

Teachers need to know how to teach vocabulary so that students can learn it

Vocabulary knowledge supports reading comprehension

Reading comprehension builds content and procedural knowledge (i.e., understanding the concepts in a subject and applying that knowledge to accomplish tasks)

Content and procedural knowledge correlate with academic success

Students need to know between 90% and 95% of the words in text to fully comprehend it

Students need to be taught specific concepts with their academic vocabulary within each content area

Students also need to be taught general vocabulary words that they will encounter in questions when they are assessed

Knowing words means explicit instruction not just exposure

Students need 12 production opportunities to own a word

Tier 1 are simple words, e.g., Dolch Basic Sight Words, that every monolingual English speaker knows but ELLs do not necessarily know.Tier 2 are sophisticated words which provide specificity to our language. Tier 2 words can include polysemous words (words with many meanings) which are found across academic content areas.Tier 3 are abstract words that are subject area specific.

Tier 3

atom, power,

rectangle

Tier 1

run, talk, see, my

Tier 2

rule, reply, observe, cause

Tier 1 Tier 2 ran sprinted fell stumbled mad rage good amazing

Comparison Between Tier Comparison Between Tier 1 and Tier 2 Words1 and Tier 2 Words

Math Science History/Social StudiesSquare root Photosynthesis GovernmentRectangle Germ BylawsRadical numbers Atom BailoutCircumference Matter CongressionalPi square Osmosis CapitalPower Power Power

Examples of Tier 3 Words Examples of Tier 3 Words in Content Areasin Content Areas

From one day to the next, weather can have a big effect on your life. When it rains, you have to stay indoors or carry an umbrella. When it’s cold, you have to bundle up. Over the course of hundreds, thousands, and millions of years, weather trends affect life on Earth in more dramatic ways. Ice ages or long droughts, for example, can wipe out certain types of plants and animals. Although many species manage to survive such extreme, long-term climate shifts, their living conditions also change. (Grade 6.4 on Flesch-Kincaid)

A Change in Climate by Emily Sohn

Type of Words Tier 3 Tier 2 Tier 1Polysemous (words with multiple meanings)Phrases

CognatesConnectors & transitions

HomophonesCommon

Instructions: Using the passage, A Change in Climate, work in small groups to identify and classify Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 words in the passage. Then choose the 5 words that you would choose to teach.

Then choose the 5 words you would teach students prior to reading the passage. Be prepared to explain why.

1. Teacher says the word.2. Teacher asks students to repeat the word 3

times.3. Teacher states the word in context from the

text.4. Teacher provides the dictionary definition/s.5. Teacher explains meaning with student-

friendly definitions.6. Teacher engages students in activities to

develop word/concept knowledge.7. Teacher highlights grammar, spelling,

polysemy, etc. (This can go before step 6.)

1. Teacher says the word. Effect2. Teacher asks students to repeat the word

3 times.Say effect 3 times.

3. Teacher states the word in context from the text.

From one day to the next, weather can have a big effect on your life.

4. Teacher provides the dictionary definition/s.

1. The result or consequence of something

2. Influence, or the power to make something happen

5, Teacher explains meaning with student-friendly definitions.

Drinking caffeinated coffee at night has a big effect on me ; I’m awake all night.

6. Teacher engages student in activities to develop word/concept knowledge.

What has had a big effect on your life recently? TTYP (Turn to your partner and share as many sentences as you can in one minute.)

7. Teacher highlights grammar, spelling, polysemy, etc. (This can go before step 6.)

How do we spell effect? What other word is similar?

Teaching Concepts/Vocabulary – An ExampleTeaching Concepts/Vocabulary – An Example

Small Group Vocabulary Small Group Vocabulary ActivityActivityChoose one of your Tier 2 or Tier 3 words and work with your small

group going through the 7 ExC-ELL steps in teaching vocabulary.

1. Teacher says the word.2. Teacher asks students to repeat the word 3

times.3. Teacher states the word in context from

the text.4. Teacher provides the dictionary

definition/s.5. Teacher explains meaning with student-

friendly definitions.6. Engages student in activities to develop

word/concept knowledge.7. Teacher highlights grammar, spelling,

polysemy, etc. (This can go before step 6.)

Go to the following pages on the Wiki for more resources:◦ Vocabulary:

http://ctteams.wikispaces.com/Vocabulary ◦ ExC-ELL: http://ctteams.wikispaces.com/ExC-ELL ◦ Climate Activity:

http://ctteams.wikispaces.com/Climate

Burning Questions???