Post on 25-Feb-2016
description
Eco-Literacy Intervention:
Exploring Academic Vocabulary through an Urban Garden Project
Catherine Snow (Academic Supervision)Jia Li (Principal Investigator) Nick Edwards, Mary Turner,
and Souhad Zendah (Team members)
Overview
• The Problem: Academic Vocabulary and ELLs
• The Model: A Research-Driven Approach
• The Project: An Urban Gardening Initiative
• The Curriculum: Eco-Literacy• Intended Outcomes
The Problem
'What does the word ‘Face' mean in this sentence: 'He was only trying to save face.' A) The front of the head. B)To look at something. C) The surface of a solid. D) Dignity.
The Problem: Vocabulary and Reading• A reciprocal relationship (Stanovich, 1986)– Vocabulary is required to comprehend text,
BUT vocabulary is built through extensive reading
–Matthew effect: “rich get richer” and “poor get poorer” in terms of vocabulary
– Particularly a problem for ELLs, who are (by definition) “vocabulary poor” (Nation, 2001; Laufer, 1997)
• One potential solution– Explicit teaching of vocabulary in engaging
contexts
The Importance of Academic Vocabulary
• Academic success in middle-school is inextricably linked with academic vocabulary knowledge (Lesaux, Kieffer, Faller & Kelly, 2010).
• Increasing academic vocabulary is even more important for ELLs, whose limited vocabulary knowledge puts them at a higher risk of academic failure (Carlo & Bengochea, 2011).
The Site: Rogers Middle School in Boston
• School statistics*:– 75.6% free lunch, 9.8% reduced-price lunch– 34% of students first language is not English– 21.7% of students have limited English proficiency
*based on Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE)
• Students come from 17 native language backgrounds besides English, including:Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Portuguese, German, Arabic, Hindi, Swahili, Yoruba, Serbian, Greek, Somali, Creole (Cape Verde and Haitian), Nigerian Igbo, Jamaican Patwa
The Model
The Model: Curriculum Design
• Adapted from Word Generation (Snow, Lawrence & White, 2009)– Academic vocabulary presented in short,
informational passages about controversial issues– Discussion and debate activities encourage
students to take a stand and make personal connections
– Activities connected to math, science, social studies, and English language arts
–Multiple, authentic interactions with target words
Debate Format• Students control turn-taking and topic of debate• Use of target academic words to express views• Video: A Word Generation debate at Rogers
Middle School
• Teachers better understand students of their own gender.
• Students need to be prepared for interacting with people of both genders.
• Depending on the student, a co-ed or single-gender environment might be a better option.
Three Points Made by Students
8th Graders at Rogers on Single Gender Education
The Model: Project-Based Learning
• Project-based learning proven effective in teaching vocabulary to undergraduate ELLs (Li & McComb, 2011)
• Ongoing gardening projects successful for improving middle grade students’ scientific thinking skills (Mabie & Baker, 1996)– Outcomes include enhanced abilities to observe,
communicate, compare, order, relate, and infer–More effective on these measures than lecture-
based instruction and isolated classroom activities (e.g., traditional ‘labs’)
Fulbright Canada-RBC Urban Garden Project
• A garden with fruit trees, perennial herbs and annual vegetable plants– Field learning site for social studies and science
education– Supplement to school lunch menu
• Students, teachers and the principal will contribute ideas for the garden design
• About 30 grade 8 students, 7 teachers, the principal and a team of Harvard graduate students will build the garden
• Garden construction scheduled for May 30th, 2012
Garden Project Description
The Curriculu
m
Selecting Lesson Topics • Directly related to the school’s urban
garden project1. Urban Gardens• Is urban agriculture a wise use of
resources?2. Organic Agriculture• Is organic food better for the environment
and our health?3. Composting• Should governments encourage composting? Would you compost in your backyard?
Profiling the Text• Texts analyzed for word frequency and type– 1K: 1,000 most common English words– 2K: second most frequent 1,000 words– AWL: Words on Coxhead’s (2000) Academic
Word List– “Off-list” words: All other (relatively low
frequency) words that are not 1K, 2K, or AWL• Typical academic text contains 76% 1K +
2K, 10% AWL and 9% other words *• Even 2% of unknown words can interfere
with independent reading comprehension**Observations made by Nation (2001)
Vocabulary Profile• Similar profile to a typical academic text, but
with about half the academic words (5.5%)• Reads like an
expository text students would encounter
• Optimal level of challenge
• Aims at students’ Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978)
Selecting Target Words• Words from the AWL (Coxhead, 2000)
and other difficult, high-utility words selected from color-coded profiled text
Vocabulary in Authentic Context
• Each lesson focused around a real life issue that is relevant to adolescents
• Connection to the “bigger picture”– Community– Environment
Examining Academic Vocabulary
• Chart to assist teachers in the exploration of target words
• Words not taught in isolation• Using target words in multiple ways
produceproductivenessproductively unproductive
productproductionreproduce producerproducible
The garden was very productive last year.
Comprehension Checks• Critical Thinking– Questions that draw on students’ personal
beliefs and prior knowledge– Become more familiar with the information in
the text• For Example:
Debating the Issue• Using academic language
to express personal views • Developing reasoning skills– Using facts to support an argument– Considering the issue from multiple perspectives
Persuasive Writing• Making connections between:– Debate and written arguments– Text and personal beliefs– Vocabulary and how it is used
• Tying it all together
Rhetoric
Text Content
Personal Beliefs
Oral debate
Academic Vocabulary
Usage in Context
Making Connections• Academic
literacy across the Curriculum
• Activities that connect target words to different content areas
Math
Science
Social Studies
EnglishLanguage
Arts
Urban Garden Activity• Students can see the math
involved in basic activities– A preview of their real-life garden
activity• Using addition, multiplication,
volume, budgeting, and estimation• Coming up with creative solutions– Adjusting garden size to fit a budget
Organic Agriculture Activity
Science and Math Activity• Students must:– make a hypothesis based on given information– think about what they don’t know
• Students can think about the validity of their arguments
• Students ask questions about gaps in their knowledge
Composting Activity• Students will learn about ratios while also
building their science skills– Compare compostable items–Make inferences and predictions about
compost– Encourages critical
questions• What are the properties of
green and brown compost?• What would happen if we
had too much brown compost?
Composting Activity• Examples of potential student predictions
– More green compost is needed than brown compost – Most compost piles have two to three times as
much green compost as brown compost– Brown compost takes longer to decompose
Incorporating Multimedia • Multimedia resources such as
Websites and videos recommended for lesson extension• Reinforces content and language
• Visual representation provides another entry point for ELLs
• Example: A how-to video about making compost*
*courtesy of Lowe’s website
Outcomes
Intended Outcomes: Development• Improved critical thinking
skills• Greater tendency engage
in multidisciplinary thinking• Increased motivation for
learning• Heightened confidence to
express views
Intended Outcomes: Content Knowledge
• Deeper understanding of target vocabulary • Better understanding of
expository genres• More nuanced
understanding of relationships between individuals, communities, and the environment
Special ThanksFulbright Canada-RBC Eco-Leadership Program
Students and teachers at Rogers Middle School
• This curriculum is a work in progress, and we’re interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions!– Can you see any limitations of
this program?– Can you think of any ways we
could improve it?– Anything that you think is
particularly effective?– Any other suggestions or
questions?
Your suggestions
Selected Resources• Vocabulary Profiler: http://conc.lextutor.ca/vp/eng/• Vegetable product life cycle (lesson plans for grade
9-12):http://www.kidscom.com/pdf_files/HS_Sci_Product_Life_Cycle.pdf
• Basic information on organic foods: http://altmed.creighton.edu/OrganicFood/
• Sustainable Table: NGO promoting environmental awareness: http://www.sustainabletable.org/about/
• EPA resource for teens: http://www.epa.gov/osw/education/teens/index.htm
• Compost activities and lessons (for teachers and students) http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/EPA_Composting-Unit.pdf
References• Carlo, M., & Bengochea, A. (2011). Best practices in literacy instrction for English language
learners. In L. B. Gambrell, & L. M. Morrow (Eds.), Best practices in literacy instruction (4th ed., pp. 492). New York: Guilford Press.
• Coxhead, A. (2000). A New Academic Word List. TESOL Quarterly, 34 (2), 213-238.• Laufer, B. (1997). The lexical plight in second language reading: Words you don’t know,
words you think you know, and words you can’t guess. In J. Coady & T. Huckin (Eds.), Second language vocabulary acquisition (pp. 20–34). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Lesaux, N. K., Kieffer, M. J., Faller, S. E., & Kelley, J. G. (2010). The effectiveness and ease of implementation of an academic vocabulary intervention for linguistically diverse students in urban middle schools. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), pp. 196-228.
• Mabie, R., & Baker, M. (1996). A comparison of experiential instructional strategies upon the science process skills of urban elementary students. Journal of Agricultural Education, 37, 1–7.
• Nation, I.S.P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Stanovich, K.E. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 360–407.
• Snow, C. E., Lawrence, J. F., & White, C. (2009). Generating knowledge of academic language among urban middle school students. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2(4), 325-344.