Language Acquisition and Academic Language Development

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 ___.

1990-2005: 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

5 7

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?

Factors that Affect Second Language Acquisition

• Language• language distance• level and type of L1 proficiency• previous experience and knowledge of L2• L1 status

• Learner (Internal)o motivation and attitudeo ageo personalityo disabilities

• Learning process (external)– Access to the language– Quality of instruction

Stage CharacteristicsStudent

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...

Stages of Language Acquisition

(Source: Adapted from Krashen and Terrell (1983)

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.

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.

Everyday versus Academic Language

Everyday versus Academic Language

• T-chart• What are the differences

between everyday language and Academic Language?

Defining Academic Language

Activity: Look at the iceberg diagram and match language skills from the slide onto either BICS or CALP section of the iceberg.

Are these BICS or CALP?1. A student asks permission to see the nurse.2. A student describes what he or she did over the

weekend during the circle time.3. A student writes a paragraph comparing and

contrasting a rectangle and a parallelogram.4. A student is able to understand a movie about a

futuristic event.5. A student asks for clarification in Science class.6. A student describes his or her favorite president.7. A student evaluates which president is the best.8. A student is able to understand a lecture on

photosynthesis.9. A student is able to write a letter of apology to another

student.

BICS

BICS

BICS

CALP

CALP

CALP

CALP

CALPCALP

WIDA Standards Framework

Features of Academic Language

Performance Definitions

StandardsMatrix

Appendix 10

Activity:

Translate the two sentences on your own.

A. Meine Mutter ist intelligent.B. Wenn meine Mutter nicht intelligent wäre,

würde ich traurig sein.

Math Proficiency: Language of Math

Math as a Language

SemanticsMathematical

DiscourseSyntax

• Three is greater than “n”;

• If “n” is greater than five, then…

• Knowing definitions;• Connotations of words based on the

context;• Ability to translate

•More extensive reading and writing;

•Cognitively demanding;• Uses specific linguistic

functions like: persuading, arguing,

hypothesizing

Word/Phrase Level

Sentence Level Discourse

Level

Math Vocabulary (Types of Words)

• Contextual (Difficult vocabulary that describes the context of a problem)

• Content (Math words and phrases)

• Functional (Action Verbs)

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?

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?

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.”

Content and Language Objectives:

Analysis of language• What language does the student

need to…?

Make predictions on states of matter with a partner.

Linguistic Complexity:Uses expanded clauses (e.g., I

predict the ice will melt when exposed…”

Vocabulary Usage:Liquid, solid, gas, states of matter

Forms and Conventions:

Future tense (e.g., I predict the ice will melt…”

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.

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)