1. Office of Bilingual Education/ESL
English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) in the Social Studies Classroom
Cheryl Chance
Office of Bilingual Education/ESL

2. Session Objectives Content Objectives (TAKS):
Participants will develop background knowledge of why Language Objectives (ELPS) are an essential part of lesson delivery for English language learners.
Participants will be able to describe how Language Objectives (ELPS) differ from Content Objectives (TAKS).
Language Objectives (ELPS):
Participants will orally discuss and categorize Content (TAKS) and Language Objectives (ELPS).
Participants will demonstrate their knowledge of Language Objectives (ELPS) by sharing with the group.

3. English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)
The English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) were approved by the State Board of Education on November 16, 2007.  These standards will replace the English as a Second Language Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (ESL TEKS) beginning in the school year and may be found online at

4. Attain English proficiency, Develop academic language, and
Why are English Language Proficiency Standards Necessary? Small Group Activity
Attain English proficiency,
Develop academic language, and
Meet the same challenging academic content and achievement standards that all children are expected to meet.

5. English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)
The ELPS have two components:
cross-curricular second language acquisition essential knowledge and skills
proficiency level descriptors (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced High)

6. Every teacher in any content or enrichment course in the Austin Independent School District who teaches ELLs must teach a language objective as well as a content objective.

7. The Nature of Language Proficiency:
BICS
Basic
Interpersonal
Communication
Skills
Conversational
CALP
Cognitive
Academic
Language
Proficiency
Textbook language

8. Academic Language
Academic language is the language used in content area classrooms. It is linked to higher order thinking processes and developed by extensive modeling and scaffolding of classroom talk. In order to develop academic language, students must be immersed in a language-rich, interactive environment.
Academic language unique to Social Studies
the past
the present
point of view
analysis of relationships
persons, places, and events
cause and effect

9. Teaching Guidelines for Social Studies
Assess students’ prior knowledge about social studies topics
Select content objectives from the TEKS
Provide academic language activities in which students read, write, listen to, discuss, and make presentations on social student content
Teach and have student practice leaning strategies with all social studies activities

10. TEKS and ELPS Objectives
Content Objectives are the:
Language Objectives are the :
What?
How?

11. Writing Language Objectives
Language Objectives are the HOW of the lesson. Your language objectives should include interaction in the form of discussion (paired and/or cooperative learning activities). Think about specific language skills you want students to develop; include them as language objectives. Then plan the lesson accordingly.
Most of the language verbs lend themselves to language objectives:
define (vocabulary is most important)
describe
identify
label
name
spell

12. define (vocabulary is most important)
describe
identify
label
name
Spell
compare
contrast
explain
summarize
rephrase
interview
discuss (peer/group work)
elaborate
imagine
predict
compose

13. Objectives CONTENT LANGUAGE
Complete a timeline listing the events leading up to the Revolutionary War.
LANGUAGE
In the reading, highlight the colonial action in blue and the British reaction in red.
Explain to a partner your timeline. Use the words first, second, then to show sequence.

14. Sentence Stems
ELLs benefit from having language scaffolded through the use of sentence stems when engaging in activities involving speaking and writing. Stems are used until they have mastered that scaffold. It should not become a “crutch” for the students. Sentence stems:
Are short phrases that provide models for how to use academic vocabulary and correct grammar in context.
Help English learners have a starting place for communicating their ideas orally and in writing.
May be oral and/or written.
Can focus on issues and concepts.
Should be created using the language of TEKS and TAKS.
Are created by understanding the academic language students are currently able to use and will need to use to demonstrate their knowledge of the content objective.

15. Creating Sentence Stems
Content Objective:
Student will use a graphic organizer to identify colonial grievances in the Declaration of Independence.
TEKS 8.6C:
Identify colonial grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence. explain how those grievances were addressed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Language Objective:
Students will identify and describe colonial grievances using the sentence stems:
A grievance can be defined as ___________.
Three examples of colonial grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence are _______, ________, and ________.
ELPS: 3(H)
Narrate, describe, and explain with increasing specificity and detail as more English is acquired.

16. Objectives LANGUAGE CONTENT
In writing, summarize the 3 most significant events which led to war.
_______ was the most significant event because _________________.
The significance of _____cannot be overstated. It _________.
________ was also significant because _________.
CONTENT
Select the 3 most significant events which led to the Revolutionary War.

17. Verbs for Language Objectives
Write…
Read with a
partner…
Think…
Listen…
Discuss…
Retell…
Read…

18. ELPS Big Ideas Make Content Comprehensible Develop Academic Language
Big Responsibilities
Communicate
Sequence Curriculum
Scaffold
Identify Language Levels
ELPS
Student Expectations
Listening Language
Speaking Learning
Reading Strategies
Writing
Cross-Curricular
Language Levels
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Advanced High

19. Instructional Strategies
Act out meanings
Activate prior-knowledge and build upon students’ background experience (i.e., schema)
Adapt content-critical content
Allow
multiple learning opportunities (2-3)
the student to highlight texts
Contextualize language
Create word banks
Describe
difficult concepts visually with the use of graphic organizers and other charts
assignments orally and in written form—having the assignment written on the board at the beginning of class gives the student the entire hour to copy it
Embed definitions
Emphasize of key vocabulary

20. Instructional Strategies
Employ
a variety of grouping strategies
brainstorming when seeking answers to questions
journal writing
reciprocal teaching
story creation technique using key words
think- pair- share techniques
writing workshops
Encourage active involvement
Engage
higher-order thinking skills
students in activities and small & large group discussions
Exercise inductive and deductive instruction
Find supplementary materials (books related to topic & at reading level)
Give demonstrations with real objects
Include relevant 5-minute grammar review workshops
Label maps and diagrams with necessary information
Make
content objectives explicit
language objectives explicit
learning-strategy instruction explicit

21. Instructional Strategies
Model
Modify pacing
Place an agenda on the board, so students have an advanced organizer for reference
Plan meaningful activities (like games and flashcards) it will motivate and engage all the learners
Pre-teach important concepts (A Priori)
Provide
a vocabulary review/preview
ample practice
contextualization clues
lots of feedback on content and language use
words and images together
clear oral and written explanation of tasks
links to past learning
organizational charts for new information
instruction to train the learners to read for context clues
Repeat in a variety of ways (recycle, connect, and extend)
SQ3R (survey, question, read, recite, review, reflect)
Simplify! Some texts are just too wordy.
Outlines
Paraphrase and summarize intermittently
Find the main ideas

22. Instructional Strategies
Teach
the bold face and italics terms and importance of the form
the text backward
Use
comprehension checks to check students’ attention and understanding
gestures, pictures, drawings, stories.
graphic organizers appropriately (not just a worksheet)
activity before content or ABC=hands on activities and materials-try to allow learners to conduct a hands-on activity first before a lecture on the principles. They then have the opportunity to use inductive reasoning, and are more likely to understand the principles, or points of lesson, more clearly.
interest builders (movies, photos, music, field trips, books, anticipation guides, etc) prior to chapter readings
mnemonic devices
native language (clarification in L1)
overheads, realia, visuals, maps, charts, bulletin boards, timelines...
real-life examples and anecdotes
Think-Aloud Protocol to gain insight into your learners’ reading.
word associations to make connections

23. Writing Language Objectives
Practice writing content objectives and correlating language objectives. Try to incorporate the four ELPS Proficiency Level Descriptors.
Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking
Share with the whole group.

24. English Language Proficiency Standards Texas Education Agency
Developing Language Objectives for the
Mathematics Classroom
From Theory to Practice Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Mastering Multiple Literacies: Implementing the English Language Proficiency Standards
Austin Independent School District
Stepping Up Your Sheltered Content Instruction
Dr. Kate Mastruserio Reynolds
University of Wisconsin