1. Using WIDA’s Performance Definitions to Support Academic Language
Steve Cawthon
WIDA Certified Trainer

2. WIDA’s ELD Standards Academic Language
Social & Instructional Language
Language of Language Arts
Language of Mathematics
Language of Science
Language of Social Studies
WIDA’s five English Language Development Standards represent the social, instructional, and academic language that ELLs need to engage with peers, educators, and the curriculum in schools. Standard 1 represents the language needed and used by ELLs for social and instructional purposes within the school setting. Standards 2-5 address the language necessary for ELLs’ academic success in the content areas of Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. While other features of the Standards Framework have been updated, the five English Language Development Standards have NOT changed.
Academic Language
Standard 1 Standard Standard Standard Standard 5

3. The Features of Academic Language in WIDA's Standards is a new resource available to educators in the 2012 standards publication. You may notice that the criteria we use to define the levels of language development have changed slightly. Originally, these criteria included linguistic complexity, language control and vocabulary usage. In order to clarify the criteria we did two things:
First, we divided the performance criteria into three different levels. You can see in this chart that the discourse level is associated with linguistic complexity, the sentence level is associated with language forms and conventions and the word/phrase level is associated with vocabulary usage.
- The second modification is the addition of the socio-cultural context, which impacts all three criteria by defining students' identities and social roles within a particular task or situation. Some important aspects of the sociocultural context related to language include register, genre, and text type. It is important for educators to intentionally engage students in both formal and informal communication and give them opportunities to interact with a wide range of instructional materials in the classroom. The sociocultural context emphasizes that building on the richness of students' background experiences motivates them and makes language learning more relevant.

4. Promote Academic Conversations
Reinforce Language and Literacy Development
Enhance Cognitive Engagement
Conversation:
Builds academic language, literacy skills, oral language, and communication skills
Conversation:
Builds critical thinking skills
Promotes different perspectives and empathy
Fosters creativity
Fosters skills for negotiating meaning and focusing on a topic
Zwiers, J. and Crawford, M., 2011 in Gotltlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014

5. Promote Academic Conversations
Promote Content Learning
Recognize Social and Cultural Benefits
Conversation:
Builds content understanding
Cultivates connections
Helps students co- construct understandings
Helps teachers and students assess learning
Conversation:
Builds relationships
Builds academic ambience
Makes lessons more culturally relevant
Fosters equity
Zwiers, J. and Crawford, M., 2011 in Gotltlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014

6. Promote Academic Conversations
Tap Psychological Needs
Conversation:
Develops inner dialog and self-talk
Fosters engagement and motivation
Builds confidence
Fosters choice, ownership and control over thinking
Builds academic identity
Fosters self-discovery
Builds student voice and empowerment
Zwiers, J. and Crawford, M., 2011 in Gotltlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014

7. Language Domains
How are the four language domains similar and unique? This slide illustrates how we often talk about domains as productive (Speaking/Writing) or Receptive (Listening/Reading). This means that our students are either producing or receiving language, which requires a different set of skills.
Do all language domains develop at the same rate for students?
Is there a typical order in which domains are developed?

8. WIDA Performance Definitions – Listening and Reading Grades K-12
One update to the Standards Framework for 2012 is that the three criteria used to define each level of language proficiency, Linguistic Complexity, Language Forms and Conventions, and Vocabulary Usage, are now displayed in two sets of Performance Definitions. One set of Performance Definitions is for receptive language and represents how ELLs process language to comprehend information, ideas or concepts in either oral or written communication.

9. WIDA Performance Definitions – Speaking and Writing Grades K-12
The other set of Performance Definitions is for productive language and shows how students at each level of language proficiency use language to express information, ideas or concepts in either oral or written communication. For the first time the Performance Definitions are organized within discourse, sentence, and word/phrase levels to correspond with the features of academic language.
You may also notice that Language Control is now referred to as Language Forms and Conventions.

10. PICK THE LEVEL Locate the blank matrix in your packet.
Fill in the worksheet using the performance definitions.
Work together if you like.

11. #4 #12 #3 #13 #2 #6 #7 #14 #9 Example: #1 #11 #10 #8 #15 #5#4
#12 #3
Multiple related simple sentences
A variety of grammatical constructions
Technical and abstract content-area language
Multiple complex sentences
General content-related words
Specific and some technical content-area language
Expanded expression of one idea or emerging expression of multiple related ideas
Words, phrases or chunks of language
Specific content words and expressions
Social and instructional words and expressions across content areas
Repetitive phrasal and sentence patterns across content areas
A broad range of sentence patterns characteristic of particular content areas
Expanded related ideas
Repetitive grammatical structures with occasional variation and emerging use of conventions
Simple Grammatical constructions (e.g. commands, Wh-questions, declaratives)
#13 #2 #6 #7
#14 #9
Example: #1
#11
#10 #8
#15 #5
Word/Phrase Dimension

12. Different Types of Multiliteracies
Print-Based
Digital
Visual
Oral
Books
Computer games
PowerPoints
Readers theater
Manuals
Podcasts
Photographs
Choral Reading
Magazines
Video streaming
Videos
Book reads
Brochures
Blogs
YouTube Clips
Process drama
Outlines
Vlogs
Murals
Read-alouds
Agendas
Social Media
Graphics
Storytelling
Handouts
Virtual Lessons
Sketch noting or visual not taking
Lyrics/song
Gottlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014

13. Academic Language in an Integrated Curriculum
Units of Learning
Related Lessons
Content and Language Objectives
Academic Language in Sociocultural Contexts
Gottlieg & Ernst-Slavit, 2013

14. Academic Language in an Integrated Curriculum
AL is at the core.
Content and objectivves represent grade-level AL use.
Lesson scaffold to form units of instruction.
Gotltlieb & Ernst-Slavit, 2014

15. Grouping TAPS Heterogenous Student choice Short-term placement
TOTAL
ALONE
PARTNER
SHARED
Heterogenous
Student choice
Short-term placement
General Grouping
11/10/2018

16. Grouping Cooperative Grouping Roles must be assigned. Manager
Timekeeper
Scribe
Runner
Reporter
11/10/2018

17. Questioning Prompts for Different Proficiency Levels
Entering Level: Ask students to point to something or touch the answer. Have them signal by clapping or physically moving items in a lesson.
Emerging Level: Allow students to respond in simple sentences.
Developing Level: Students can respond in simple connective narratives.
Expanding Level: Students can respond In a sequential narrative, justify, summarize, evaluate and synthesize information. They can compare items and answer “why” questions.
Bridging Level: Students who have near native speech fluency can be asked to explain in detail cycles and processes.

18. TIME to SWRL!

19. SWRL
Quick Write! Write down one thing you learned today about WIDA’s Performance Definitions and Academic Language.
Exchange your paper with a partner.
Read what your partner wrote.
Discuss what each of you wrote.
You just SWRL(ed)!

20. Thank you! Steve Cawthon cawthon.steve@yahoo.com www.wida.us
Questions?
Thank you!
Steve Cawthon