Ch.7.Best.Pracatice.in.Adolescent.Literacy.Instruction.3rdEd

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Best Practices in Adolescent Literacy Instruction

• Third Edition

• Edited by Kathleen A. Hinchman and Heather K. Sheridan-Thomas

• Foreword by Donna E. Alvermann

• Published by The Guilford Press, New York and London.

Copyright Information

• Copyright © 2022 The Guilford Press

• All rights reserved; no part may be reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher.

• Printed in the U.S.A. on acid-free paper.

• Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data includes details about the editors, title, edition, and subjects relevant to secondary education in language arts.

Chapter 7: Academic Language Development for Adolescents

• Focuses on the significance of academic language for adolescent learners.

• Explores two main questions:

  • What is academic language and its role in students’ disciplinary knowledge and sense-making?

  • How can teachers support the understanding of academic language across disciplines?

• Students in middle and high school encounter academic language in various subjects like science, mathematics, history, and literature.

What is Academic Language?

• Refers to the specialized use of language in academic texts.

• Used in classrooms and workplaces like research labs and law firms.

• Essential for communicating information, making arguments, and presenting viewpoints.

• Characteristics include formality and specific features that allow precise communication of abstract and technical information.

• Recent studies connect understanding of academic language with deep comprehension skills, requiring integration, analysis, critique, and synthesis of information from texts.

Word-Level Features of Academic Language

• High concentration of terms

• Abstract terms

• Preference for nouns, adjectives, and prepositions over verbs

• Specialized nouns and complex word forms

• Greek and Latin roots prevalent

• Features manifest differently across specific disciplinary genres.

Analysis of Text Excerpts

1. Biology Excerpt: Discusses eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and their features including mitochondria and chloroplasts, illustrating the use of complex, abstract terms.

2. History Excerpt: Explains the Nullification Crisis involving John C. Calhoun and includes specialized nouns and nominalization, emphasizing abstract concepts.

3. Mathematics Excerpt: Presents statistical concepts with words that have multiple meanings, demanding precise understanding.

4. Literature Excerpt from "The Bluest Eye": Showcases Morrison's sophisticated language creating vivid character and situation descriptions.

Text-Level Features of Academic Language

• Coreferents: Terms that refer to the same person or idea, crucial for comprehension.

• Connectives: Words linking ideas (additive, contrastive, causal, temporal) that enhance clarity and coherence in text.

• Complex Sentences: Embedded phrases and clauses challenging readers to grasp complete meanings.

• Text Organization: Use of headings and subheadings in textbooks versus the complex narrative structures in literature.

Instructional Strategies for Academic Language Development

1. Word-Analysis Lessons: Focus on analyzing morphemes like prefixes and suffixes to enhance vocabulary understanding.

2. Text-Analysis Lessons: Concentrate on complex sentences and their organization to improve comprehension.

3. Literary Vocabulary Instruction: Introduce nuanced vocabulary to convey complex ideas and emotional expressions within literature.

Recommendations for Teachers

• Integrate lessons that help students analyze language characteristics in various disciplines.

• Create a collaborative approach among subject area teachers to address academic language.

• Utilize available online resources for vocabulary and literary instruction to support students in their academic growth.