When you learning something new, you learn new language that goes with the task. Since many students are learning new and not previously exposed content-we must also assume that most of our students are also learning the academic language that accompanies the content. With this in mind, we must accept that all of our learners are language learners.
What do our students need to learn and be able to do?
What is the language that they will need to acquire in order to be able to demonstrate their learning?
Wouldn't it be great to be able to write objectives for student learning that are inclusive of the language they will be using and acquiring?
What's your function?
All learning tasks have a function. A function represents what students have to do with language. We can think broadly that there are four main communicative functions that students will be engaged in: Recounting, Explaining, Arguing and Discussing.
What's the Language?
To be able to recount, explain, argue and discuss, you know as content area teachers, that students need vocabulary that is precise and technical. Students need to differentiate the meaning of words that might have multiple meanings depending on context. As teachers we are often great at figuring out the specific vocabulary our students need to be exposed to.
Vocabulary alone falls short. Most of the time our vocabulary learning stays at the "comprehension level" and helps students to understand text and content, and infrequently transfers to speaking and writing. Why does this happen? This is likely to happen when we have not planned for the language that connects vocabulary word to longer speech and writing applications.
Planning for the phrases and the connected frames of language that allow students to recount, explain, argue and discuss with compound and complex sentences is what binds vocabulary to speech and writing.
Students need to have models and supports of language that helps them sequence, compare, contrast, infer, and cite evidence. These models provide frames for students to use that helps them to apply vocabulary to their cognition. Sample frame looks like: In contrast with _______, ______., ______is in contrast with _____ because...... As you can see, these frames help to support students to apply their extended and compound, complex language.
Am I on my own-who are my allies?
Planning for language (Vocabulary and Compound/Complex Sentences/Phrases) can seem like a very big job. Sometimes content area teachers-those who know their content and it's language best, still struggle to make the language accessible and most of all....learned. To achieve the goal educators have to ensure access and learning of all learners must include planning for the academic language students need. This is especially true for students we know are learning English as their partner language.
Know and Doing-closing the Breach
Now we know a lot, much more than we did when we started reading. What is our next step. In future blogs and resources you will have access to tools to help you plan for language, but for this blog, I am forwarding the idea that the best way to plan for language is to grab a friend! Grad a friend (ie. your ESL teacher) and coplan together. Coplanning allows you both to bring your expertise in content, and language, to serve the learners before you both!
Tools to do the job!
The tools below are tools that you can use to engage with your ESL teacher at your building. ESL teachers are specialists in language and culture. Our SDW ESL teachers are very skilled in ensuring planning is grade level, standards based, inclusive of the language needed to achieve the communicative purpose-but most importantly, these specialists can the key to close the breach between knowing and doing. We are waiting for your collaboration!
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