1. Academic Language and English Language Learners
We are all ESL teachers
All of our students are English Language Learners

2. edTPA emphasis on Academic Language for all students
Rubric 4: Identifying and Supporting Language Demands
How does the candidate identify and support language demands associated with a key history/social studies learning task?
What are the differences among rubric levels?
What are the key factors they are looking for in your lesson?
How can you build Academic Language into your objectives and your lesson plans?
What are you going to do to teach the language demands and functions?

3. ESL: Diversity within Diversity
ESL means languages from around the world
Different skill abilities and education levels
No more homogeneous than other student groups

4. “Learning English”
Conversational English (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills) or BICS
Academic English (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) or CALP
BICS takes about 2 years to learn
CALP takes 7-10 years to learn
CALP = academic success

5. 3 basic groups of ELL students
Newly arrived with adequate schooling
Newly arrived with limited schooling
Little or no literacy in any language
Long term ELL could be…
Not new, but still learning CALP and struggling to catch up academically
BICS conceals need for continued supports
Loss of literacy in native language

6. Language Proficiency Descriptors
WIDA standards (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment)
ESL students tend to transition into regular classrooms around “Expanding” level
Still need help but they lose their support services
Many of our native speakers are also at “Developing” or “Expanding” levels
Everyone is an English Language Learner

7. Stages of Language Acquisition
Pre-production
Early production
Speech emergence
Intermediate fluency
Early stages characterized by “silent period” and work on receptive communication

8. Anxiety = Silence
“Affective filter” means anxiety will cause speech to shut down
“Monitor” theory = the more you monitor your speech, the more the affective filter kicks in
“positioning theory”= if we position ELLs as uninvited or inferior, affective filter increases

9. What can teachers do?
Speak so we are understood (slower pace, repetition, multiple examples)
Provide visual and verbal context clues
Create a low anxiety learning environment to encourage verbal responses and interaction
Build academic language into our objectives and teaching strategies

10. Academic Language The language of school
edTPA refers to “language function” and “language demands”

11. edTPA speak, explained
Language DEMANDS is the umbrella term for all the ways you will use and teach language
Language Demands include:
Language FUNCTION (verbs)
Vocabulary
“syntax” and “discourse”
Syntax is stuff like grammar
Discourse is what we do in our discipline—we write, talk, argue, etc.

12. LANGUAGE DEMANDS Language DEMANDS LANGUAGE FUNCTION SYNTAX (VERBS)
VOCABULARY
SYNTAX
DISCOURSE

13. Vocabulary in social studies might include…
Congress executive delta
Hippocampus assimilation representative
Deviance cerebellum caucus
Latitude tectonics plateau

14. Language Function words
Define, explain, contrast, categorize, evaluate, criticize…
What is the function of the word?
We understand them, but we need to teach them
Should be the basis of objectives

15. Some common strategies for Academic Language
Break words down so they are understood
Use them in conversation
Use hand gestures when possible
Concept cards/vocabulary cards/Vocabulary journals/Word walls
Cloze Activities with word bank
Modeled talk (show them circle, trace, underline)

16. Some reminders for teaching ELLs
Lower the Affective Filter and make it safe for students to speak
Provide lots of scaffolds to help all students get where we want them to go
Consult WIDA charts to tell us how students can currently respond and what next level we can encourage

17. Sources for research references
Himmele and Himmele, The Language Rich Classroom
Rothenberg and Fisher, Teaching English Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach. Pearson Education, Inc., 2007
Check out the “can do descriptors” chart for ideas