1. Dubraska Stines Lead ESL Teacher ACS District PD January 20th, 2015
Academic Conversations: Mastering Language for College and Career Readiness (Secondary)
Dubraska Stines
Lead ESL Teacher
ACS District PD January 20th, 2015

2. Teacher spends two days as a student and is shocked at what she learns

3. Learning Targets
participants will discuss the importance of academic conversations in the classroom
Participants will analyze and evaluate students’ conversation samples by using the Conversation Analysis Tool.
Participants will practice the four conversation skills by using sentence frames.

4. Using the Principles of Brain-Based Learning in the Classroom
The brain learns new information in chunks. Children between the ages of 5 and 13 learn best when given chunks of 2 to 4 pieces of information. Children ages 14 and older can learn up to 7 chunks at a time.

5. Using the Principles of Brain-Based Learning in the Classroom
2. The brain also works on a time schedule. Children ages 5 to 13 learn best in 5-10 minute increments. Children 14 and older learn in increments up to minutes. Sometimes, teachers may extend time limits through positive reinforcement.

6. Using the Principles of Brain-Based Learning in the Classroom
3. Provide time at the end of a lesson to think about and discuss the topic. Understanding may not take place immediately, it may occur later. Processing time and reflection are vital to the learning environment.

7. Dimensions of Academic Language

10. Is this discourse? - why not?
Sixth grade science, hands-on activity observing properties of rocks:
A: I see this rock…
B: I don’t think so, it’s shiny.
A: Is this one shiny?
B: (laugh) No.
C: No
B: This one is shiny looking...Look it.
A: Oh let me see that rock.
B: Is this one shiny?
C: I don’t think so.
Real ring of familiarity.
So what’s wrong here. What should be happening?
They were not given a prompt. They were not using the knowledge or connecting it to the knowledge that they have about properties of rocks.
There’s a lack of langage being used, the content language. (very basic)
No extension (no becasue…
It shows how important the prompt is
How is it framed?
Teachers could assing roles to look at specific things (prompts, frames)
You can tell they know rocks are not shiny but they are not expressing it in those words that’s part of the discourse.
If you were making an observation as far as engagement, the ss were quite engaged. but there’s much more to academic discourse than just engagement.

11. What are some strategies you use in your classroom to foster academic conversations?

12. Turn and Talk

13. Turn and Talk How to Use 1. Question
Pose a question or prompt for students to discuss and tell them how much time they will have. A one- to-two minute discussion is most productive.
2. Turn
Have students turn to a specific partner. Pair students using Eyeball Partners, Shoulder Partners, or Clock Partners. Partner assignments should be set up beforehand so that students can quickly and easily pair up.
3. Talk
Set a timer for the allotted time, and have students begin discussing the assigned question or prompt. When time is up, ask partners to share out thoughts and ideas from their discussion.

14. Turn and Talk When to Use
Use Turn and Talk at any time during a lesson to encourage accountable talk:
As a warm-up activity to discuss previous lesson or homework assignment
After five to seven minutes of oral or written input, to help student process what they have just heard or read
During class discussions as a way for students to discuss ideas before sharing them with the class
As a closing activity so that students can review what was learned in the lesson
As a clarification tool for a complex problem or new guiding question posed by the teacher

15. Students Samples Are students building on each other’s ideas?
Are students’ conversations focused on the topic/objective?

16. What can we learn from this example and discussion?
Students can be engaged in conversations (i.e. “on task”), but not necessarily engaged in academic discourse
How a teacher structures a conversational prompt has a significant impact on student conversation
Constructive conversations consist of verbalized expressions of participants’ thinking

17. Conversation Analysis Tool (CAT)

18. Dimension 1: Building on & up ideas
Building on to emphasize that students should connect to previous turns in the conversation.
Building up to emphasize that students should form or strengthen a clear and complete idea as they talk.
This dimension focuses onw hether students’ conversaional turns are connected to each other and whether the individual turns work together to buidl up a thought, concept or idea.

19. Dimension 1: Building on & up ideas
4 Half or more of the turns build on previous turns to effectively build up a clear and complete idea
3 Half or more of the turns build on previous turns to adequately build up an idea, but it may be incomplete or lack clarity.
2. Few turns build on previous turns to build up an idea
1 Turns are not used to build up an idea

20. Sample Transcript: Dimension 1 (Building)
Learning objective: Use reasons and evidence to support two sides of an argument
Prompt: Decide whether or not students should have lots of homework
A: I don't agree with homework because people get tired of doing homework at home
and everything. And they should play.
B: I thinks it’s important to do homework at home to get them ready for high school.
A: Can you explain that?
B: They need to do homework at home to get them used to doing it. High school has a lot.
A: I’m starting to agree, because homework is good for you. You learn things
and you’ll pass 4th grade, 5th grade, and high school.
B: So now you agree?
A: Yeah, and you’re gonna learn a lot. And when you’re grown up, you get a job and
do work like homework.
B: Yeah, like my mom does work at home sometimes.
4 Half or more turns effectively build up idea(s)
3 Half or more turns adequately build
2 Few turns build
1 No building
Delta to change subject and + sign to show building 4

21. Dimension 2: Focus on Learning
4 Half or more of the turns effectively focus on the lesson’s objectives and show depth or fostering of the intended learning
3 Half or more of the turns adequately focus on the lesson’s objectives, but his focus may be superficial or lack clarity.
2 Few turns focus on the lesson’s objectives.
1 Turns do not focus on the lesson’s objectives

22. Sample Transcript
Learning objective: Use reasons and evidence to support two sides of an argument
Prompt: Decide whether or not students should have lots of homework
A: I don't agree with homework because people get tired of doing homework at home
and everything. And they should play.
B: I thinks it’s important to do homework at home to get them ready for high school.
A: Can you explain that?
B: They need to do homework at home to get them used to doing it. High school has a lot.
A: I’m starting to agree, because homework is good for you. You learn things
and you’ll pass 4th grade, 5th grade, and high school.
B: So now you agree?
A: Yeah, and you’re gonna learn a lot. And when you’re grown up, you get a job and do work like homework.
B: Yeah, like my mom does work at home sometimes.
A focuses on the objective to use reasons
B is a different reason
A starting to agree is not strong enough
B offers a real life example
Gove ot a 3

23. History Conversation: Dimension 1 (Building)
4 Half or more turns effectively build up idea(s)
3 Half or more turns adequately build
2 Few turns build
1 No building
Learning Objective: Use reasons to argue the importance of a historical figure.
Prompt: Talk about what makes Abraham LIncoln a hero.
A: How Lincoln a hero?
B: He stop slavery, the slaves.
A: How?
B: The war.
A: He fighted to stop slavery.
B: Muchos (many( died in the war.
A: Very bad.
B: But slavery is more bad. LIncoln is hero.
A: He won the war. They were free.
a 4

24. ELA Conversation: Dimension 1 (Building)
Objective: Determine the theme of a story and support it with textual evidence (CCSS 4th)
Prompt: Discuss the theme of the story and use evidence from the text.
A: I think the theme was work hard.
B: I think it was be yourself, you know, like we have to work hard in school.
A: Yeah. But it could be not forget people.
B: LIke her grandma?
A: Yeah. I want to remember my grandma.
B: The lesson might be to be nice ot others.
A: Maybe, but LIn worked hard, you know, for the money.
B: OK. I don’t know.
4 Half or more turns effectively build up idea (s)
3 Half or more turns adequately build
2 Few turns build
1 No building
these were on topic but didn’t build up any ideas to practice the skills of buidling

25. ELA Conversation: Dimension 2
Objective: Determine the theme of a story and support it with textual evidence (CCSS 4th)
Prompt: Discuss the theme of the story and use evidence from the text.
A: I think the theme was work hard.
B: I think it was be yourself, you know, like we have to work hard in school.
A: Yeah. But it could be not forget people.
B: LIke her grandma?
A: Yeah. I want to remember my grandma.
B: The lesson might be to be nice to others.
A: Maybe, but LIn worked hard, you know, for the money.
B: OK. I don’t know.
4 Half or more turns effectively build up idea (s)
3 Half or more turns adequately build
2 Few turns build
1 No building
these were on topic but didn’t build up any ideas to practice the skills of buidling

26. Common Core State Standards
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners…, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. (ELA-Lit.SL 6.1)
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions… (ELA-Lit. SL. 8.1b)
pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others (ELA.Lit. SL 9.1)
Cite textual evidence to support analysis

27. What’s Missing? Samir: Why did that happen?
Delia: The chemicals reacted.
Samir: Yeah. They got really hot.
Delia: So, now what?
Lisa: I think the theme is being honest.
Edgar: I think it’s not judge a book by its cover.
Lisa: OK.
Edgar: It could be about friendship.
Lisa: yeah. That one works.

28. Constructive Conversation Skills
Goal: Students independently build an idea
(e.g., knowledge, agreement, solution), using the following skills:

29. Constructive Conversation Skills

30. Scaffolding Academic Conversations

31. Conversation Skills Sentence Frames

32. Let’s Practice!
What evidence is present that students understand the idea of ethos, logos, and pathos?
What are the benefits of using the jigsaw technique in heterogeneous groups?
What are some examples of students building on each other’s responses to achieve consensus on an answer

33. Learning Targets
Participants will discuss the importance of academic conversations in the classroom
Participants will analyze and evaluate students’ conversation samples by using the Conversation Analysis Tool.
Participants will practice the four conversation skills by using sentence frames.