1. Language Acquisition and Academic Language Development

2. Introduction: What do we know about English Language Learners (ELLs)?
One in ___public school students in K-12 comes from a home where a language other than English is spoken.
In 1990 the figure was only 1 in 20, and by 2025 it will be 1 in ___.
: Increase from 2 to ___ million
This represents a 150% increase
General K-12 increase was 20%
Greatest growth states: SC, NC, TN, GA, IN---400% increase in ELLs
It takes between __ and ___ years to learn English.
What do the following acronyms stand for?
EL, ELL, LEP 9 4 5
It’s no a secret that our ELL population in SC has grown. That’s the tendency all over the US.
Can you predict these numbers?
These numbers should give us a sense of urgency and desire to be equipped to teach these students. So, how are they different and what things do they have in common with other learners in our classrooms? 5 7

3. How did you learn it? Or who taught you?
Think of your own experience of learning another language (or ask someone who has):
When did you learn it?
Where did you learn it?
How did you learn it? Or who taught you?
How well did you learn to read, write, speak, and listen?
What factors influenced your second language learning?
What do you think could have helped you master another language?
We can understand language development better if we analyze our own experience with it.
Think about a time when you were learning a new language. If you never learned a new language, talk to someone near you that has learned a new language.
After giving a few minutes to read and think about the slides, discuss as a group. Ask someone to share a personal experience.

4. Factors that Affect Second Language Acquisition
language distance
level and type of L1 proficiency
previous experience and knowledge of L2
L1 status
Learner (Internal)
motivation and attitude
age
personality
disabilities
Learning process (external)
Access to the language
Quality of instruction
How do we learn a new language?
Is there a quick fix or a 10-minute a day approach?
I wish there was.
Unfortunately, we must follow the old-fashioned way of learning a new language, which requires time, effort, and patience.
How much time, effort, and patience depends a lot on the individual who is learning, as well as the learning environment and situation.
There are many factors that also play a role in how we learn a new language. Think about some of these factors that could affect your students in learning English.

5. Stages of Language Acquisition (Source: Adapted from Krashen and Terrell (1983)
Characteristics
Student
Time Frame
Teacher Prompts
(ELDA -1) Preproduction
Has minimal comprehension
Does not verbalize
Nods “Yes” and “No”
0–6 months
Show me…Circle the...
Where is...?
Who has...?
(ELDA -2)
Early Production
Has limited comprehension
Produces one- or two-word responses
Participates using key words and familiar phrases
6 months–1 year
Yes/no questions
Either/or questions
One- or two-word answers
Lists, Labels
(ELDA 2-3)
Speech Emergence
Has good comprehension
Can produce simple sentences
Makes grammar and pronunciation errors
1–3 years
Why...? How...?
Explain...
Phrase or short-sentence answers
(ELDA 3-4)
Intermediate Fluency
Has excellent comprehension
Makes few grammatical errors
3–5 years
What would happen if...?
Why do you think...?
(ELDA 4-5)
Advanced Fluency
The student has a near-native level of speech.
5–7 years
Decide if...
Retell...
We have all seen children move through the stages of acquiring their first language—from babbling to one-word utterances, two-word phrases, full sentences, and eventually, complex grammar. Students learning a second language also move through stages. One of the most important things you should know about each of your English language learners (ELLs) is which stage of acquisition they are in. Knowing and understanding the stage and its characteristics are critical for effectively differentiating instruction for these students.

6. Academic Language: Activating Prior Knowledge
K-W-L-H
Think about and write the following:
What do you know about Academic Language (AL)
What do you want to know about AL
Pair with a neighbor.
Share your responses.
Before we begin delving into Academic Language, let’s find out what we already know about it. Use the K-W-L-H chart to help guide what you know about Academic Language.

7. Defining Academic Language
Conversational (everyday) Language
Academic Language
BICS ( Basic Interpersonal Communication
Skills)
“playground English” or “survival English.
The language is embedded in a rich context.
Topics for discussion are not cognitively demanding.
CALP (Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency)
CALPS is the language ability required
for academic achievement in a context-
reduced environment
Academic language is more
cognitively demanding than social language
Often abstract
There are few clues as to the meaning of the
communication apart from the words themselves.
Read the following chart and complete the sentence frame:
Academic Language is not____________________.
To help my students with Academic Language I_____________________________________.

8. Everyday versus Academic Language
Video url:
Est. time 3 min
Use Slide 9 during the video.

9. Everyday versus Academic Language
T-chart
What are the differences between everyday language and Academic Language?
As you watch the video, take notes on the difference between everyday/conversational language and demands of AL.

10. Defining Academic Language
Let’s make this concept easy to remember for you.
One of the ways to present new vocabulary to your students is using a four-corners technique. Here is how it can be presented.

11. Think of a concept in your content area and demonstrate it.
Activity: “Stand Up, Pair Up”- share with one person in the room.

12. Activity: Look at the iceberg diagram and match language skills from the slide onto either BICS or CALP section of the iceberg.
How well can you distinguish between BICS and CALP. Let’s do a quick informal assessment.

13. Are these BICS or CALP? A student asks permission to see the nurse.
A student describes what he or she did over the weekend during the circle time.
A student writes a paragraph comparing and contrasting a rectangle and a parallelogram.
A student is able to understand a movie about a futuristic event.
A student asks for clarification in Science class.
A student describes his or her favorite president.
A student evaluates which president is the best.
A student is able to understand a lecture on photosynthesis.
A student is able to write a letter of apology to another student.
BICS
BICS
CALP
CALP
CALP
CALP
How many BICS assignments have you found?
CALP
CALP
BICS

14. WIDA Standards Framework
Features of Academic Language
Performance Definitions
Standards
Matrix
Having looked at the Academic Language and its features, we have come closer to understanding WIDA standards framework. Looking at the features of Academic Language is an important step in defining a language objective for our ELLs. What language is necessary for them to master in order to understand and manipulate the content?

15. Let’s be clear in understanding that Academic Language does not equal just vocabulary. In order to succeed in content area classroom, student must understand not only its Acad. Vocabulary, but also a variety of grammatical structures in different content areas.
Let’s look at a few examples.
Appendix 10

16. Activity: Translate the two sentences on your own.
Meine Mutter ist intelligent.
Wenn meine Mutter nicht intelligent wäre, würde ich traurig sein.
Translate the two sentences on your own.
Share in your group: Why is sentence A easier than sentence B?
Did you recognize some cognates:
Mutter-mother
Intelligent- intelligent
Meine- my
Ist- is
Wenn- When

17. Math Proficiency: Language of Math
Math as a Language
Sentence Level
Word/
Phrase Level
Discourse Level
Syntax
Mathematical Discourse
Semantics
Let’s look closer at the features of Academic language of Math. What makes it difficult for ELLs?
When we as teachers think of Academic Language as only vocabulary, students will not be able to complete content tasks.
More extensive reading and writing;
Cognitively demanding;
Uses specific linguistic functions like: persuading, arguing, hypothesizing
Knowing definitions;
Connotations of words based on the context;
Ability to translate
Three is greater than “n”;
If “n” is greater than five, then…

18. Math Vocabulary (Types of Words)
Contextual (Difficult vocabulary that describes the context of a problem)
Content (Math words and phrases)
Functional (Action Verbs)
In a moment, we will look at a math activity. As you read the problem, sort academic vocabulary according to these categories.

19. Aunt Alice and the Silver Coins
Aunt Alice gave each of her three nieces a number of silver dollars equal to their ages. The youngest felt that this was unfair. They agreed to redistribute the money. The youngest would split half of her silver coins evenly with the other two sisters. The middle sister would then give each of the others 4 silver coins. Finally, the oldest was to split half of her dollars equally between the two younger sisters. After exchanging money, each girl had 16 silver dollars. How old are the sisters?
Participants will read this slide to themselves.
Following this reading by table, discuss the language that is used and the difficulties that ELL students may face in trying to solve this Math Problem.
Why would ELL struggle with this problem?
What vocabulary would be difficult for ELLs?
There will be no answer given.

20. So, why is Academic language important component of WIDA standards
So, why is Academic language important component of WIDA standards? In order for our ELLs to succeed, language of each content area must be taught explicitly. Let’s analyze a few tasks from diff. classroom settings to understand what we are talking about.

21. Before independent activity, complete one example as a group.
Partner activity: choose a subject area, topic/sample lesson and analyze it for features of academic language.
Ask volunteers to share.
Use standards for this activity.

22. Discuss these questions:
What is a content objective?
What is a language objective?
What is the purpose of having language and content objectives?
What should the relationship be between language and content objectives?
So how do we go about writing a language objective? First step is understanding what is an objective? What is the difference and similarity of language and content standards? Why do we have them? With a partner talk about these questions…share out.

23. Content and Language Objectives:
Content Objectives:
Know / Do
Concepts and/or skills
For ELLs
Focus on essentials
Simplify wording not content
Chunk
Language Objectives:
Show
Using academic language
Receptively (L then R)
Expressively (S then W)
For ELLs
Scaffold support
Sentence frames
“An estuary has _______ water, but an ocean has _______ water.”
We will look at what are content and language objectives. Why do you think it would be important for ELLs to have language objectives specified?
Our ESOL students need to know what are our expectations for them to demonstrate understanding of concepts.
Content is what we want our students to know (it could be a concept like multiplication or a skill how to multiply 2 digit numbers). Language objectives need to be connected to content. Show what you KNOW using academic language. E.g. I can explain to a partner how to multiply 2 digit numbers. Language objectives help us ALL in the mainstream classroom, because we must develop 4 domains of language for all our students. Language objectives will give an opportunity for your students to practice and eventually own academic language necessary to understand content.

24. Analysis of language What language does the student need to…?
Forms and Conventions:
Future tense (e.g., I predict the ice will melt…”
Vocabulary Usage:
Liquid, solid, gas, states of matter
Make predictions on states of matter with a partner.
This is an example from a 3-5 cluster in the language of science in the domain of speaking. A Level 4 English Proficiency student.
With your partner, what language does the student need to have control over to make predictions?
With your partner, what vocabulary does the student need to use to meet your expectations?
How much language do you expect a level 4 to use while making predictions?
Linguistic Complexity:
Uses expanded clauses (e.g., I predict the ice will melt when exposed…”

25. Sample language objectives
Students will use the future tense to make predictions of change in states of matter.
Students will produce expanded sentences using clauses to make predictions of change in states of matter.
So then
This helps us to get to the linguistic complexity.
What other language objectives could we write?
What about “I can” statements?

26. Decide what key vocabulary, concept words, and other academic words
Let’s practice! Write a language objective for your ESOL students for your next class.
Decide what key vocabulary, concept words, and other academic words
Consider the language functions related to the topic of the lesson (e.g, will the students describe, explain, compare, or chart information)
Share this and ask participants to write an objective in their content area that would follow this language objective.