Strategies & Structures for Building Academic Language in the Classroom Athena Jimenez Spanish Immersion Teacher Bellevue School District What is academic language? What is the purpose of using academic language?

What is academic language? What is the purpose of using it? Agreeing/ Disagreeing I agree with_____ that…. My idea builds upon _____’s idea that… I disagree (somewhat, completely) that… My perspective is…. Summarizing / Clarifying If I understood you correctly, you said… In other words, you think… What do you mean by…? I have a question about… I did not quite understand, can you clarify… Suggesting / Asking Maybe you could try… / Have you tried…? You might consider…. We haven’t heard from you yet…. What do you think? Interjecting (adding) an idea I would like to add... I have another approach / idea… If I can interject… I think that…

Conversation Exchanges between people who are trying to learn from one another and build meaning they didn’t have before.

Comprehensible input (Stephen Krashen) “…target language that the learner may not be able to produce, but is able to comprehend…usually one level above the current language level…comprehensible input is given by the teacher in low-anxiety situations…allowing students to produce language when they are ‘ready’….meaning successfully conveyed constitutes the learning experience…” What vocabulary might your students need to know before delving into the topic? These can be very basic words to very complex words.

Comprehensible input (Stephen Krashen) Good comprehensible input is Slightly above current vocabulary level Provided by teachers Accompanied by visuals Necessary for building vocabulary Easy for students to understand What vocabulary might your students need to know to understand a topic? These can be very basic words to very complex words. Learning is achieved when students use vocabulary independently

Video 1 – Using Student Voice Watch ISA classroom 0-37 seconds, 2:41 to end.

Video 2 – Academic Conversation As you watch the video, consider what the students must have known, practiced, or prepared before the conversation. What routines / structures are evident? RMS Video

What structures or routines would you like to establish in your own classroom to increase Agreeing/ Disagreeing I agree with_____ that…. My idea builds upon _____’s idea that… I disagree (somewhat, completely) that… My perspective is…. Summarizing / Clarifying If I understood you correctly, you said… In other words, you think… What do you mean by…? I have a question about… I did not quite understand, can you clarify… Suggesting / Asking Maybe you could try… / Have you tried…? You might consider…. We haven’t heard from you yet…. What do you think? Interjecting (adding) an idea I would like to add... I have another approach / idea… If I can interject… I think that…

As you design your unit: Discussion topic Objective Comprehensible Input Strategies, routines, structures Assessment What are your objectives (what do you hope to accomplish? What will students be able to do?) What is your topic? What vocabulary will students need? How will you know you have met your objective? What strategies or routines will need to be in place?

Take a few minutes to fill out the Academic Conversation Planner found at your table based on your experience and / or expectations for Academic Conversations. Full sentences not necessary Ideas, adjectives, verbs work well

Consider for a moment why you selected this session Consider for a moment why you selected this session. What do you hope to accomplish by being here? What experiences do you have using academic language in your classroom? I want to be able to… I want to know more about… In the past I have… Student conversations are valuable because…

Closure If time permits: share lesson ideas Alternate: share one strategy or routine you would like to implement with your group