1. La Paz Intermediate School National School to Watch 2011,2014,2017
The Power of Academic Conversations Jan Ernsbarger, Academic Coach
Shavaun Gonsior, History Teacher
Jean Walker, Principal

2. The Quest for Academic Literacy
Literacy is the foundation of all learning. A student who can read confidently, comprehend fully, and write clearly opens doors to worlds of discovery in science, math, literature, and history. JW
Welcome and Introduction (5 min)

3. Common Core State Standards SHIFT
Moving from language as structures and/or functions to “language practices” • Language-embedded practices occur across the curriculum (history, math, science, ELA, etc.) • ALL STUDENTS, including English learners, must be able to engage in language practices across the curriculum to meet CCSS & NGSS.
Welcome and Introduction (5 min)

4. A Few Academic Definitions
Academic Literacy
Academic literacy is an advanced level of literacy that enables students to learn in depth the more complex knowledge and skills embedded in and defined by grade- level content standards.
Academic Vocabulary
Non-content specific words that would be considered low frequency words but are high utility words for the audience being addressed or discussed.
Academic Language
Refers to the whole package of how words are put together to create meaningful cognitively complex messages.
It’s not just words, it’s the ways words are manipulated to create these complex messages.
Academic skills
(organizing, planning, researching), cognitive skills (critical thinking, problem solving, interpreting, analyzing, memorizing, recalling), learning modes (questioning, discussing, observing, theorizing, experimenting), and work habits (persistence, self- discipline, curiosity, conscientiousness, responsibility), JE

5. Academic Conversations: Productive classroom talk builds skills such as critical thinking and reasoning while deepening content understanding
Rationale:
We believe that to acquire academic language, students must use it, not merely listen to others using it.
We believe that academically productive talk improves learning in all disciplines.
We believe that children who develop listening and speaking skills will transition much more easily to reading and writing tasks since oral language provides a firm foundation for literacy.
We believe that academic vocabulary in our classrooms must first become part of students’ working oral vocabulary before we can expect them to fully comprehend these terms when reading or apply them in writing
Therefore, our current goal is to help students be able not only to read and comprehend academic vocabulary and language in literature and informational text but also to develop their academic skills to recreate academic language in effective ways. SG

6. Summarize, clarify, and paraphrase
In order to make conversations more academic, we need to provide students opportunities to….
Summarize, clarify, and paraphrase
Build on and/or challenge a partner’s ideas
Elaborate by supporting ideas with evidence (examples)
Synthesize all input
Apply (output) i.e. write, present, debate JE
Activities: 30 min

8. What do you see and what do you know?
Picture (engagement)
What do you see and what do you know?
Quick Write (write on the back of the Literacy Quest Handout)
Pair share (Rally Robin)
Practice good listening skills (lean, nod, eye contact) SG

9. Can you identify any time periods?
(Rally Robin with stem):
I think_____ because_____.

10. What similarities and differences do you see?
Think/ Write Share
One similarity / difference I see is…….
What I heard you say is__________________
I agree/disagree because_______________.

11. Think of a title (independently) Conversation Round Table Sheet
One or two word title
Think of a title (independently)
Conversation Round Table Sheet
Groups of 4 , record your title.
Round table discussion protocol
Heads together
Whiteboards
share with reasoning

12. Reading: The Power of Nonviolence
Questions to ponder when reading independently and annotate and underline the answers to these questions.
What was the act of non-violence described in the article?
According to the article, what events lead up to the non-violent act?
According to the article, what were the results? JW

13. Thinking and Processing Information
Partners
On the back of your article create the appropriate Thinking Map to answer the questions. (metacognition)

14. You made a good point when you said______.
DOK 3 Application Making the connection between the pictures and the article
How do the titles we generated for the pictures relate to the article? Protocol: Modeled / Paraphrase passport
You made a good point when you said______.
What I heard you say is_______________________ and I would like to add________
I agree when you said that __________relates to ______________. I would like to demonstrate another option….
JE,JW,SG

15. DOK 4 – Synthesize to create something new (Quote, article, title, pictures)
Let’s look at what others have said (quotes).
Performance task:
Using the multi-text set(picture collage, Non-violence article, and the quote, develop your own definition of civil disobedience.
Teacher assesses exit tickets and selects 5 viable definitions.
Next day students build consensus and reach a class definition. JW

16. Here’s where we are now…JE

17. I understand how structured academic conversations support student learning.
I can synthesize information using multiple texts.
I can engage students in the learning process by using structured protocols
Use of appropriate sentence stems
Think Pair/ Share/ Write / Rewrite
Conversation Round Table (Kagan)
Numbered Heads Together (Kagan)
Whiteboards
Cause and Effect (Thinking Map) Metacognition
Paraphrase Passport
Fan and Pick (Kagan)
Exit Ticket (Revisited)
Socratic Seminar Checklist JE