Transcript Slide 1

4th grade slump
Due more to an increase in demands than a decrease
in skills
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Early instruction focuses mostly on word reading
By 4th grade, assessments are about comprehension
Reading comprehension becomes an expectation across
subject areas
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4th grade transition for ELLs
 Similar challenges, but more intense for ELLs
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Kids with lower vocabulary and limited proficiency with
language have greater difficulty with comprehension
 Problem becomes more apparent in 4th grade
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Newcomers in 4th – 6th grade
 Need to build both conversational skills and
academic language skills
 Greater demands on comprehension abilities than
for native English speakers
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Academic language
Language of print is different than conversational
language
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Complex sentence structures
Different vocabulary (analyze, abstract, observe)
Multiple word meanings
Function words (therefore, however)
Comprehension requires understanding of purpose of
reading and author’s intent
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Academic language:
Strong predictor of comprehension
Good comprehenders tend to have good academic
language
They understand nuances, difficult syntax
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How long does it take to develop
academic language?
 Depends on type and amount of instruction
 Roughly 3 – 7 years to develop full academic
proficiency
 Some kids never become fully proficient due to lack
of proper instruction
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Effective ways to improve academic
language
Anchor instruction in print
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Discussion about text: language, ideas, connecting
sentences
Written activities: feedback, revising, rereading,
summarizing
* Download list of academic words:
http://www.colorincolorado.org/content/vocab.php
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Video:
Maricely
Hartford, CT
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5th grader, born in Puerto Rico
Learned English as a second language
Faced challenges learning to read in second language
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Addressing diversity within ELL
population
 Differences in reading and language abilities
 Differences in experiences and reasons for coming
to this country
To do:
 Create goals for instruction around student profiles
 Group native/fluent speakers with ELLs to scaffold
language development through peer learning
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Utilizing first-language literacy skills
 First-language literacy can be a strong asset
 Many aspects of reading are not language-specific
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Knowing how print is used
Thinking about author’s intent
Reading for meaning
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Impact of prior schooling
 First language may be well-developed
conversationally but not academically (oral skills
but not literacy skills)
 Children with well-developed literacy skills in first
language need new labels (English vocabulary), but
may already know the concept
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Activating prior knowledge
Have them represent knowledge through:
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Graphics
Casual conversation
In native language with support materials, in preparation
for learning it in English
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Does a child need oral proficiency before
learning to read?
 In an English-only instructional environment: don’t
wait!
 Some bilingual programs start strictly in first
language and transition to second
 Reading is a powerful tool for developing
vocabulary
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Value of writing
 Writing is an excellent way to gauge literacy skills,
and proficiency with language
 Allows kids to experiment with language
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Teaching unusual spelling patterns
 Teach spelling in a meaningful way
• Traditional rote methods have been unsuccessful because
they are taught in isolation
• Teach the ‘ph’ pattern, for example, through a character
named Christopher
 Spelling is an opportunity for language
development!
• Kids should be learning meaning along with spelling
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Teaching strategies for spelling
 Free write
 Structured activities alongside text in any content
area
 Writing activities that focus on improving spelling
and vocabulary
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Developing vocabulary in your native
language
Research shows that kids learn vocabulary by
being exposed to words, high-quality language
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Conversation:
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Kids learn through language models – teachers, but also
older peers
Vocabulary develops when there is interaction between
people
Reading:
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Reading is necessary to develop academic language
Kids acquire vocabulary at a rapid rate and in a short time
when reading
Kids should leave high school with a working
understanding of about 50,000 words.
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Developing vocabulary in a second
language
Develops in similar way but is dependent on
instruction
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ELLs need structured opportunities with language, print,
writing, and discussion
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Strategies for vocabulary learning
in 4th-6th grade
 Importance of breadth and depth of word knowledge
 Use direct instruction (vocabulary worksheet or
activity)
 Teach strategies for word learning so kids can
problem solve with new words independently (root
words)
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Which words should we teach?
 High utility academic words
• Words that cut across curriculum (analyze, frequent,
compare)
 Teach kids to look for cognates
• They do not always pick this up on their own!
• Beware of false cognates (embarazada in Spanish
sounds like embarrassed, but means pregnant)
* Find a list of English-Spanish cognates at
www.colorincolorado.org/introduction/cognates.php
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Comprehension instruction for ELLs
 Same principles: structured time and
comprehension strategies
 More attention to oral comprehension for ELLs
 Discussion around text
 Practice becoming an active reader
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Strategies for improving comprehension
 Small group oral reading
• Students read aloud, stumble, get corrective feedback,
keep going
• Discuss comprehension in a group
• Generally used today in early elementary special ed, but
beneficial for ELLs in upper grades
 Small group discussion, small group work
 Previewing
• Generates interest in topic
• Provides background knowledge
 Predicting, clarifying, summarizing
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Independent Reading
Independent reading can improve comprehension,
provided there is a good reader-text match!
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Too many unfamiliar words is not a useful way to build
vocabulary or comprehension
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A good match requires 90-95% accuracy
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Do comprehension skills transfer?
 Best case scenario: newcomers with lots of formal
schooling in native language
 Many aspects of reading comprehension are the
same across languages
• Do I know why I’m reading this? What information am I
looking for? Am I supposed to be summarizing? Am I
thinking about what I’m learning?
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Teaching literacy in the content areas
 Reading is both the mechanism by which we deliver
curricula, and the method by which we assess
achievement – too large a job to fall only on
Language Arts teachers
 Content area teachers can:
• Teach registers that pertain to their subject (math: sum,
estimate, fraction, proportion)
• Help kids attack word problems
We are always mediating the curriculum with language
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Video:
Reciprocal teaching
Frank Love Elementary School
Bothell, WA
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Goal: Prepare students to run their own discussion
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Asking a question
Clarifying the meaning of unfamiliar words
Summarizing, finding the main idea
Prediction
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Reciprocal teaching: In the classroom
 Capitalizes on diversity of language and reading
ability
 Uses peers and teachers as models
 Opportunity for structured discussion
 Heterogeneous grouping is part of the goal
 Scaffolded approach
 Chance for teacher to conduct informal assessment
Goal: Gradual release of responsibility to students
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Content areas: Fitting in reading
instruction
 From the outset, think of language and reading as
part of content area delivery
 Integrate reading instruction in the curriculum
planning process
Many native English speakers struggle with language
issues as well and benefit from reading instruction in
content areas too
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Sheltered Instructional Observation
Protocol (SIOP Model)
 Helps teachers identify, in planning stage, content
area goals and language demands
 Originally developed for adolescent newcomers but
can be adapted for upper elementary
* For more information on the SIOP Model, visit
www.colorincolorado.org/webcasts/1004.php
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Vocabulary Improvement Program (VIP)
Published by Brookes, developed by Maria Carlo,
Catherine Snow, Diane August and colleagues
 Designed for upper elementary grades
 Teaches word families, relationships among words,
use of words in both oral language and print
Goal: Develop deep understanding of high-utility academic
words
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Literacy assessment for ELLs
in grades 4-6
 Standards-based tests only give broad
understanding of achievement level
 Ideal assessments tease apart elements of oral
language and reading
• Accuracy, fluency, and comprehension
• Literal comprehension questions vs. inferencing
• Academic language
• Syntax
• Morphological awareness
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Assessment at school and district level
 Typically use large-scale standards-based
assessments
 Recommendation: Take kids for whom that
assessment raises red flag and do more in-depth
assessment
Find out what aspect of the skill had broken down
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Language of assessment
 Depends on instructional goals
• Do we have tools to do native language assessment well?
• May get useful information, but not enough to classify
children
 Native language assessments have often been
created using monolingual students; may be
inaccurate for bilingual students
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Using assessments to inform instruction
 Good instruction starts with good assessment
 ELLs are developing at rapid and uneven rates
 Monitor progress, then think about modifications
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Final thoughts
 Focus on better academic language instruction in
regular classrooms
 Consider language diversity as an aspect of K-12
classrooms, rather than treating ELLs as a
subgroup
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Final thoughts (cont.)
This approach parallels:
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Middle school literacy reform: content-based literacy,
writers’ workshop, improved academic language for all
students
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Special education reform: universal design, preventing
difficulties, increasing opportunity to learn before
labeling child, adjusting curriculum to promote success
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Thank you!
Visit our Web site for recommended readings,
discussion questions, and more on this topic:
http://www.colorincolorado.org/webcasts/2004.php
For general information on teaching English language
learners to read, visit ¡Colorín Colorado!
http://www.ColorinColorado.org
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