Developing Academic Language with the SIOP Model

Description

This resource shows teachers how to promote academic language skills for all students—English learners and native English speakers alike. The text guides educators in designing and delivering lessons that engage students in learning and using the academic language effectively.

Building on the SIOP^® Model’s instructional framework, this book offers guidelines and techniques for strengthening academic language and literacy development in all students—especially English learners—in today’s school curricula based on the Common Core and other state standards. The focus is on ways to develop and advance English learners’ proficiency in academic English across all grades and all subjects so they are able to access and acquire information related to academic topics; communicate and produce information in academic contexts; and create and extend knowledge through rigorous academic discussion

Packed with practical guidelines, activities, techniques, and lesson vignettes, the book helps educators with a number of teaching and learning tasks such as:

• Determining the academic language embedded in textbooks, classroom talk, instructional tasks, and standardized tests.
• Writing effective language objectives.
• Implementing a variety of techniques that can strengthen students’ academic vocabulary, oral language, and collaborative discussion skills to improve content area reading and writing.
• Diagnosing aspects of weak or missing language proficiency in order to target interventions that help students reach advanced levels of English proficiency.

With this resource as a guide, educators see how to advance students’ academic language abilities to be successful in school.

What They’re Saying About Developing Academic Language with the SIOP^® Model:

“It has practical, realistic information that teachers need to help them design and deliver lessons that will build their students’ academic English proficiency within the structure of content area achievement.”

Dr. Margaret (Meg) E. D. Baker

Regional Title III Program Specialist

Georgia Department of Education

Atlanta, Georgia

“It does an excellent job of integrating theory and practice. The text builds on SIOP^®, yet provides enough background information that if readers are not familiar with SIOP^®, they will still understand the connections. The balance of practical suggestions with foundational theories provides readers with a good understanding of academic language and how to develop this type of language.”

Dr. Laurie Weaver

University of Houston–Clear Lake

Deborah J. Short, Ph.D., directs Academic Language Research & Training, a consulting company, and provides professional development on sheltered instruction and academic literacy worldwide. Formerly she was a Division Director at the Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC where she co-developed the research-validated SIOP Model for sheltered instruction. She has directed numerous research studies on English language learners funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education, among others. Her publications include journal articles, the SIOP Model book series, and several ESL textbook series for National Geographic Learning/Cengage. She taught English as a second/foreign language in New York, California, Virginia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Jana Echevarría, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita at California State University, Long Beach where she was selected as Outstanding Professor. She has taught in elementary, middle, and high school in general education, special education, ESL, and bilingual programs. An internationally known expert on second language learners, her research and publications focus on effective instruction for English learners, including those with learning disabilities. She has presented her research across the U.S. and internationally including Oxford University (England), Wits University (South Africa), Harvard University (U.S.), South East Europe University (Macedonia), and University of Barcelona (Spain). A founding researcher of the Sheltered Instruction Observational Protocol, commonly known as SIOP, her publications include over 50 books, book chapters and journal articles.

• Teachers learn effective new instructional techniques for helping English learners and others strengthen their academic language and literacy skills for listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• How to teach the academic skills needed for students to be successful is clear in the connections made in each chapter to the various types of academic language embedded in the Common Core and other state standards.
• Guidance for better lesson planning and delivery is provided through sample lesson plans and reflection activities presented in the book’s SIOP Model. The model enables teachers to design lessons that meet high standards and also scaffold content information and promote language development.
• Language objectives are made comprehensible in Chapter 3, which focuses on showing teachers how to identify language targets for lessons and units and to write language objectives using guiding frames.
• Teachers get strategies for diagnosing areas where students have plateaued in language development, and strategies for improving their knowledge and skills so they become advanced learners or fully proficient in Chapter 7. Attention is provided to long-term English learners and other students stuck at an intermediate or intermediate high level of academic language proficiency.
• Instructors who have learned the SIOP^® Model can use this book as an opportunity to drill down to unique aspects of teaching vocabulary, oral language, and collaborative academic discussions. It is the perfect companion book to Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners.

This versatile new book can serve as a stand-alone book for teachers and teacher candidates who might not be familiar with the SIOP^® Model.

It also serves as a companion book to Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners Using the SIOP Model, the popular, research-validated approach for teaching English learners.

Teachers see how to use the SIOP^® Model to design effective lessons that meet high standards, while scaffolding content information and promoting language skills and development for all students–English learners and native English speakers alike.

Building on the SIOP^® Model’s instructional framework, this book offers guidelines and techniques for strengthening academic language and literacy development in all students–especially English learners–in today’s school curricula based on the Common Core and other state standards. The focus is on ways to develop and advance English learners’ proficiency in academic English across all grades and all subjects so they are able to access and acquire information related to academic topics; communicate and produce information in academic contexts; and create and extend knowledge through linguistic, conceptual, and sociocultural choices.

Packed with practical guidelines, activities, techniques, and sample lessons, the book helps educators with a number of teaching and learning tasks such as: determining the academic language embedded in textbooks, classroom talk, instructional tasks, and standardized tests; writing effective language objectives; implementing a variety of techniques that can strengthen students’ academic vocabulary, oral language, and collaborative discussion skills to improve content area reading and writing; and diagnosing aspects of weak or missing language proficiency in order to target interventions that help students reach advanced levels of English proficiency. With this resource as a guide, educators see how to advance students’ academic language abilities to be successful in school.

Chapter 1 Understanding Academic Language: A Second Language for All

Defining Academic Language
Social and Academic Language
Characteristics of Academic Language

Academic Language in the Common Core and Next Generation Standards
Using Academic Language to Meet Standards

What Teachers Need to Know About Teaching Academic Language to English Learners

Addressing Academic Language With the SIOP Model

Summary

Questions for Reflection

Chapter 2 Maximizing Language Development in Lessons

Lesson Preparation
Language objectives defined
Meaningful activities

Building Background
Vocabulary emphasized

Comprehensible Input
Appropriate teacher speech

Strategies
Explicit teaching of learning strategies
Scaffolding techniques
Variety of questions for higher-order thinking

Interaction
Frequent opportunities for interaction and elaboration
Grouping configurations that support the language objective
Native language use for clarification

Practice & Application
Activities to apply content and language knowledge
Activities that integrate all language skills

Lesson Delivery
Language objectives supported

Review & Assessment
Review of key vocabulary
Regular feedback on student output
Assessment of student comprehension

Summary

Questions for Reflection

Chapter 3 Strengthening Language Objectives

Basic Guidelines for Identifying and Incorporating Objectives in SIOP Lessons

Recognizing Language Objectives

Categories of Language Objectives

Language Targets

Identifying Language Objectives from Text, Talk, Tasks, and Tests
Language Targets in Text
Language Targets in Talk
Language Targets in Tasks
Language Targets in Tests

Writing Language Objectives

Meeting Language Objectives
Differentiate Instruction Not Language Objectives

Summary

Questions for Reflection

Chapter 4 Building Academic Vocabulary

Academic Vocabulary Development
Word Selection
Word Instruction
Extensive Word Practice
Word Learning Strategies
Word Consciousness

Application to Common Core Standards

Summary

Questions for Reflection

Chapter 5 Enhancing Academic Oral Language

Academic Oral Language Development
A Positive, Respectful, and Communal Classroom Environment
Interesting Topics for Discussion
Active Listening
Scaffolds for Expressing Ideas
Authentic Academic Language Models
Multiple Opportunities for Practice
Less Teacher Talk

Application to Common Core Standards

Summary

Chapter 6 Promoting Collaborative Academic Discussions

Benefits of Collaborative Academic Discussions

Making Collaborative Academic Discussions Work
Rules for Discussion
Formats of Academic Discussions Aligned to Lesson Objectives
Teacher Questions to Stimulate Academic Discussions
Student Questioning
Oral Discourse Linked to Reading and Writing
Student Accountability

Application to Common Core Standards

Summary

Questions for Reflection

Chapter 7 Advancing Academic Language Proficiency

How Do We Advance Our Students Academic English Skills?

A Framework for Academic Language

Diagnose Gaps in Academic English Knowledge and Performance and Monitor Regularly

Plan Interventions

Ramp Up Language Objectives

Deepen Vocabulary Knowledge

Extend Oral Language Practice Opportunities

Apply Oral Language and Vocabulary Knowledge to Academic Writing

Application to Common Core Standards

Summary

Questions for Reflection

Appendix A SIOP Protocol (short form)

Appendix B Alignment of SIOP and Common Core State Standards

Appendix C SIOP Books and Resources

In Developing Academic Language with the SIOP^® Model, teachers and teacher candidates get an informative look at how to use the highly effective SIOP Model to design effective lessons that meet high standards, while scaffolding content information and promoting language skills and development for all students—English learners and native English speakers alike—in today’s age of the Common Core and other state standards. The focus is on ways to develop and advance English learners’ proficiency in academic English across all grades and all subjects so they are able to access and acquire information related to academic topics; communicate and produce information in academic contexts; and create and extend knowledge through linguistic, conceptual, and sociocultural choices. The book is packed with practical guidelines, activities, techniques, and sample lessons.

Additional information