Planning for Academic Language Development Across the Curriculum Cristina Sanchez-Lopez Illinois Resource Center

Three Features of Academic Language: Academic language analysis Discourse The big idea of what type of text it is (genre); how the text is organized/structure/skeleton; how ideas are linked together (e.g. analogy/compare; justification; use of transitional phrases) Sentence How words and phrases are put/strung together to make meaning; rules of grammar and syntax (e.g. is like; just as/just like) Word/Phrase What words / phrases are used to express meaning

Why Are We Doing This? Anticipating what might be difficult or easy for the children Making language visible Developing criteria for choosing texts, materials Highlighting patterns in the language of different content area materials Making instructional decisions more intentional Tying into Common Core with regard to text complexity

Express the following in terms of spoken and written language

1.) 2.) 3.) 4.)

Examples of academic language at the sentence level 9 x 6= 54 Math problem Sentence frame to practice Nine times six equals fifty-four ______times_______equals_______. Nine multiplied by six is fifty-four. ______multiplied by_____is_______. Nine and six are factors of fifty-four. ____and ______are factors of______ Fifty-four is a product of multiplying ______is a product of multiplying nine and six. _______and _______.

Roman Constitution The Roman Constitution was an uncodified set of guidelines and principles passed down mainly through precedent. The Roman constitution was not formal or even official, largely unwritten and constantly evolving. Concepts that originated in the Roman constitution live on in constitutions to this day. Examples include checks and balances, the separation of powers, vetoes, filibusters, quorum requirements, term limits, impeachments, the powers of the purse, and regularly scheduled elections. Even some lesser used modern constitutional concepts, such as the bloc voting found in the electoral college of the United States, originate from ideas found in the Roman constitution.

Discourse Sentence / Grammar Word / phrases Visual to represent the organization of the text: Seeing the Academic Language

Roman Constitution Over the years, the Roman constitution continuously evolved. By 573 BC, the Constitution of the Roman Kingdom had given way to the Constitution of the Roman Republic. By 27 BC, the Constitution of the Roman Republic had given way to the Constitution of the Roman Empire. By 300 AD, the Constitution of the Roman Empire had given way to the Constitution of the Late Roman Empire. The actual changes, however, were quite gradual. Together, these four constitutions formed four epochs in the continuous evolution of one master constitution.

Discourse Sentence / Grammar Word / phrases Visual to represent the organization of the text: Seeing Academic Language

Science: HUNGER AND FOOD SECURITY Refer to the background reading... What is the big idea of the unit of study? What pre-reading strategy could we use to build necessary schema? What is the structure of the text? How can we make the text structure visible to the students?

Extending classroom practices to address all domains of language… Listening Reading Speaking Writing

Cognitive Function (Bloom’s taxonomy) Language Function What are they doing? (cognitive  analyzing, synthesizing, etc.) How they are showing? (linguistic  discussing, summarizing, listing)

Root System lesson example: Please see the Language Analysis Handout (p. 1) What do you notice about the different aspects of academic language inherent in the Lesson? What kind of academic language is made visible?

Another example... AGRICULTURE AND ECOSYSTEMS Use the blank template on page 2 of the Language Analysis Handout to make visible the language of the article

Language Tasks... Identify different types of pollution Describe and generate definitions Predict what kinds of pollution Listening to instructions Create a graph and show and describe Discuss similarities and differences Write a response

Language objectives... Identify different types of pollution through reading an informational text Write different types of pollution on a concept web

Academic Language in our lessons...