Academic Oral Language: Building the Foundation for Writing and Content

Learning

Deming, New MexicoJune 6, 2011

Jeff Zwiers

Today’s Objectives

How can I teach conversation skills in order to improve

content understandings and writing (& reading)?

Why is it

important?

What is it?

Academic Oral Language

J.Zwiers

How can I assess it and with it?

Reflective Inquiry/Action Research

Analyze Evidence

(student work)

Reflect & Plan

Teach & Assess

(Academic language inquiry)

(Academic language inquiry)

How can I develop my students’ language of cause and effect,

evidenced by essays and interviews, by using academic conversations?

How can I develop my students’ language of cause and effect,

evidenced by essays and interviews, by using academic conversations?

Academic language is the set of words, grammar, and

organization used to describe:

Abstract concepts

Complex ideas

Higher-order thinking processes

Cause-Effect, Empathize, Compare, Classify, Apply,

Evaluate, Persuade, Interpret Recognize patterns,

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Examples?

Academic Language

Academic Language Snapshot

Content vocabulary(brick)

Content vocabulary(brick)

Photosynthesis, democracy, imagery, numerator, etc.

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Academic Language Snapshot

Ab-Co-Th Terms (Terms that travel across disciplines)

Grammar, organization, prosody

Long Sentences U-turn terms

Transitions Clauses

Pronouns Word order

Punctuation Text structure

Evidence AnalyzeInterpret ElaborateSupport CompareFosterAspects

ACADEMICMETAPHORS:[100/hr! (Pollio, 1977)] “stand idly by while…” “played a key role in” “in the wake of” “narrow pursuit” “no simple formula”

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Content vocabulary(bricks)

Photosynthesis, democracy, imagery, numerator, etc.

Content vocabulary(bricks)

Additional Mortar Words (Coxhead, 2000)

Home and Academic Languages

General academic language for thinking, reading,

writing, & communicating

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Math language

Sciencelanguage

Historylanguage

Student B

Student A

Literaturelanguage

Watching for Academic Language

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By the 1880's, steam power had dramatically shortened the journey to America. Immigrants poured in from around the world. They came from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Southern and Eastern Europe, and down from Canada. The door was wide open for Europeans. In the 1880’s alone, 9% of the total population of Norway emigrated to America. After 1892 nearly all immigrants came in through the newly opened Ellis Island. Families often immigrated together during this era, although young men frequently came first to find work. Some of these then sent for their wives, children, and siblings; others returned to their families in Europe with their saved wages. (http://www.ellisisland.org/immexp/wseix_5_3.asp)

3. Interaction (negotiating meaning)

1. Input

2. Output

Three Ingredients for Building Language

PresentationsAnswer questions Sentence framesPair-shares Drama/Improv

ReadingListeningVisualsGestures

Scaffolding Oral Academic Language Output with Pro-Con Improv

Topics: Camping, Shopping, Traveling, Cell Phones, TV, Computers, Video Games, School, Cars, Conferences

Transitions: However, On the other hand, Then again, but

Frames: One advantage is …A negative aspect of ___ is …In spite of the positives of _____,

Variations: Whole class Pro-Con; Compare-contrast, For-Against J.Zwiers, 159

Negotiating Meaning

A B

InfoGap-Negotiation Cards

2. Students read and try to memorize points on the cards.

3. A and B pairs converse (friendly debate) the issue and come to a conclusion. They can look at the cards, if needed.

1. Teacher previews key vocabulary on cards & goes over sentence starters.

J.Zwiers, 159, Handout 11

B Viruses are alive because they:B Viruses are alive because they:A Viruses are not living because they:A Viruses are not living because they:

Quantity & Quality of Classroom Talk: Findings

• Teachers encouraged elaborations, but only 16% of the paired interactions were beneficial to learning. (Staarman, Krol & vander Meijden, 2005)

• English learners spent only 4% of the school day engaged in school talk; and 2% of the school day discussing focal content of the lesson. (Arreaga-Mayer & Perdomo-Rivera, 1996).

• 85% of class time was devoted to lecture, question and answer, and seatwork. (Nystrand, 1997)

Not enoughThe following practices were not enough to develop deep and enduring academic language, skills, and content understandings.

- Exposure(listen-read), Interrogation, Regurgitation - Sentence starters and frames - Think-pair-shares - Group & whole class discussions in which a

few students & the teacher dominate the talk - Isolated & disconnected facts & vocabulary - Quantity rather than quality - Limited assessments (written, MC, )

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IRF

David: Why did that happen?Liliana: Gravity, I think.David: Yeah, gravity pulled it down. Liliana: So, now what?

Bulking up Classroom Conversations

Lisa: I think there are different ways to solve it.Edgar: So? Just do what the book example did.Lisa: But why do you turn the fraction over? Edgar: Who cares? Just turn it over.Lisa: OK.

3a 9ab

3c - 6 c - 4

3a 9ab

3c - 6 c - 4÷÷ 22

Elaborate, clarify, and question Support ideas with examples Build on &/or challenge partner ideas Paraphrase ideas Synthesize conversation points

(Goldenberg, 1992; Zwiers, 2009)

Students should stay focused on a topic and negotiate meaning like emerging subject

matter “experts” by using the following skills:

Academic Conversations

J.Zwiers, 139

Not natural; Each a double skill

Advantages of Academic Conversation

Thinking Skills Advantages - Builds thinking skills- Promotes different perspectives & empathy- Fosters creativity- Fosters skills for negotiating meaning and focusing

Language and Literacy Advantages  - Builds academic language- Builds vocabulary - Builds literacy skills and comprehension- Builds oral language and communication skills

Social Advantages - Builds relationships- Builds academic ambience - Makes lessons more culturally relevant- Fosters equity

Content Learning Advantages  - Builds content understandings - Cultivates connections - Helps students to co-construct understandings

- Conversation helps teachers and students assess learning

Psychological Advantages

- Develops inner dialog and self-talk- Builds engagement and motivation- Builds confidence & academic identity

- Fosters self-discovery- Builds student voice & empowerment

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• Skills with symbols

x

• Hand motions for prompts

Developing Academic Conversation Skills

Topic

How do these skills support writing and content understandings?

Activities for developing AC skills

ELABORATING & CLARIFYING: Opinion Continuum

Corn for fuel Corn for foodAlexX

LaraX

KarimX

- Equip students with teacher-like skills- Focus on one skill - Move from less to more challenging

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Use table to solve Use graph to solveSaraX

TheoX

LeaX

Activities for developing AC skills

SUPPORTING WITH EXAMPLES: Evidence Columns

Thesis, theme, argument:

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Activities for developing AC skills

PARAPHRASE: Interview Grids & Webs

What is your favorite holiday and why?

Etienne Halloween because…

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Designing Conversation Prompts & TasksUse an essential question

Use a thinking skill

Use a product or task

Use life experiences

LanguageExample

Discuss the value of school sports programs.How are you biased?

Apply, perspective, real world, connects to, challenge

How does great literature influence history—and vice versa?

One way to explain,impact, factors, led to, as a result of

Compare the two charactersArgue for or against …Evaluate solutions of…

A major difference,outweigh, long run,criteria, perspective

Design an experiment to measure the speed of sound.

Hypothesize that…Control variablesExtrapolate from the data, correlate

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Practice Academic ConversationsChoose your topic/text (handout). Have a conversation with a partner.

Use the symbols on the handout and use the sentence frames.

Language Arts History

(poem) (myths)

Math Science

(interest) (resistance)

Persuasive Seesaw Conversation (& pre-writing)

My responses to opposing points

2D-seesaw

3D-seesaw

My position

Opposing position

Reasons & Evidence

Reasons & Evidence

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Persuasive writing sample with colors

J.Zwiers, 212

Persuasive Language Posters

J.Zwiers, 212

Persuasive Writing Check-bric

J.Zwiers, 210; handout p. 8

Paired Planning Practice

1. Work with a partner to clarify language objectives for an upcoming lesson

2. Design (or modify) the summative assessment & rubrics for academic language and thinking, as well as formative assessments.

3. Weave oral language and academic conversation activities into lesson to support and assess learning.

Conclusion

Contact: jzwiers@stanford.edujeffzwiers.com

Language empowers students to use, change, challenge, and explore ideas—not just regurgitate them or select them from a list. In developing their academic language, we can help reduce the “Gap of Potential,” which is the gap between who a student is now and who that student can, wants, and should become in the future to create a better world.

Thank you!

J.Zwiers