Teaching Science to English Learners - Day 2

Training Overview

  • The training focuses on teaching science to English learners using the Colorado English Language Proficiency Standards.
  • The presenter is Rebecca Ottenbright from the Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education.

Materials

  • Participants receive a science packet that emphasizes the "We Can Do" philosophy.
  • A cognates packet is used, with some content overlapping from the previous day’s session, but with different examples focused on science.

Redundancy & Skills

  • Skills taught are consistent with previous sessions but applied to science contexts.
  • Alternative activities are available for returning participants to minimize redundancy.

Participant Background

  • The presenter surveys the audience to understand their roles:

    • Science teachers
    • Teachers from other content areas (e.g., math, online classes)
    • Elementary school teachers
    • Bilingual education teachers
    • ESL teachers and coaches
    • Special education teachers
    • Instructional coaches
    • Administrators
    • Co-teaching teams
    • School teams

Session Outcomes

  • The session aims to familiarize participants with WIDA (World-Class Instruction Design and Assessment) and its resources.
  • The goal is for participants to identify at least one strategy they can implement in their classrooms.

WIDA Consortium

  • WIDA develops the ACCESS test for English learners.
  • Colorado is part of the WIDA consortium, granting access to ELD standards and resources.
  • The presenter aims to highlight the most useful WIDA resources for teachers.
  • WIDA no longer stands for anything officially, but formerly meant World Class Instruction Design and Assessment.

WIDA's Mission and Vision

  • WIDA consortium includes 39 U.S. states and territories, international schools, the Department of Defense, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • Puerto Rico uses WIDA’s Spanish standards.
  • Colorado joined the WIDA consortium around 2007 or 2009.

Can Do Philosophy

  • Participants engage with the “Can Do” philosophy through readings and discussions.
  • Alternative readings are provided for those familiar with the concept.
  • Participants highlight key points from the readings and share insights.

Guiding Principles of Language Development

  • The guiding principles of language development, which serve as the research foundation for WIDA’s philosophy, are explored through readings.
  • Alternative, longer readings are available for those already familiar with the material.

Jigsaw Strategy

  • The session employs a jigsaw strategy where participants read different texts, form expert groups to discuss their readings, and then share their knowledge with others.
  • The expert group phase is emphasized as crucial for English learners to clarify understanding in a safe environment.
  • This strategy empowers all students and helps to avoid the deficiency mindset often associated with language learners.

Student Portrait

  • The student portrait is used to visually represent WIDA’s “Can Do” philosophy, emphasizing a holistic view of students.
  • It includes factors like academic strengths, cultural background, and linguistic abilities.
  • Participants reflect on how many of these factors they consider in their classrooms.

Data Collection

  • The session touches on the types of data collected about students, including family values, age, and language use.
  • Language distance is mentioned as a factor.
  • The importance of conversations with students as a form of data collection is highlighted.

Access Scores

  • Participants are encouraged to access and understand their students' ACCESS scores.
  • The ACCESS test includes speaking, listening, reading, and writing components, scored from one to six.
  • Scores include oral, literacy, and overall scores.

Redesignation Criteria

  • Redesignation to Fluent English Proficient (FEP) status is considered when a student achieves a level four overall and in literacy.
  • A body of evidence is required to support redesignation decisions.

Obligations to English Learners

  • The U.S. public school system is obligated to teach English and provide access to content for English learners.
  • Proficiency on the ACCESS test (level 4) indicates English proficiency, but access to content must also be demonstrated.

Data-Driven Analysis

  • A CDE data team spent a year analyzing ACCESS scores in relation to CMAS scores, determining that proficient students scored around level 4 on ACCESS.
  • Previously, redesignation occurred at level 5.

Monitoring Redesignated Students

  • Students redesignated as FEP are monitored for two years.
  • If they regress, they may be redesignated as LEP (Limited English Proficient) and receive additional support.
  • Monitoring should focus on classroom work, local assessments, and state assessments, not continued ACCESS testing.

Parent Refusal of Services

  • Students whose parents refuse EL services are still required to take the ACCESS test.

Interpreting ACCESS Scores

  • An overall score of two on the ACCESS test provides limited information and should be supplemented with subscores.

Raul: a case study

  • Raul is a sixth-grade student who immigrated from Mexico in the fourth grade.
  • His ACCESS scores reveal strengths in speaking and listening but weaknesses in reading and writing.
  • Participants brainstorm scaffolds to support Raul in science class, considering his strengths and needs.

Scaffolds

  • Suggested scaffolds include sentence starters, graphic organizers, and pre-teaching vocabulary.
  • Pairing Raul with stronger writers, using art, providing exemplary examples, and leveraging his hands-on skills are also recommended.
  • The importance of collaborative learning and dual teaching approaches is mentioned.

Importance of Collecting Student Data

  • Gathering information about students is essential for effective instruction.
  • The session acknowledges the challenges of data collection and shares a sample class portrait to organize information.

Sociocultural Context of Language

  • The sociocultural context of language emphasizes that language learning is closely linked to culture and involves interaction.
  • This includes considerations of courtesies, expected behaviors, and values.

Key Components

  • Key components of the sociocultural context include:

    • Register or formality of language
    • Participant identities and social roles
    • Topic or content area
    • Genres within the content area
    • Task or situation

WIDA Standards

  • The session focuses on WIDA standard four: that English learners will communicate in the language of science.
  • WIDA encompasses speaking, listening, reading, and writing within the concept of communication.

Getting Ready for Work: A Linguistic Analysis

  • To illustrate the language demands of different content areas, participants recount the steps they take to get ready for work each morning.

Cognitive functions vs Langauge functions

  • The activity involves both thinking (cognitive functions) and language.
  • Cognitive functions include things like visualizing, remembering, and feeling, which can occur without language.

Required languages

  • Language functions include descriptive vocabulary, sequencing, and the use of verbs.
  • The register used is typically informal.
  • Participants leverage shared experiences and humor in their language.

Language Functions

  • Participants analyze the types of language used, distinguishing between single words and sentences.
  • They discuss both content and cross-content vocabulary.

Language functions are critical

  • Language functions (e.g., compare, contrast, persuade) are contrasted with cognitive functions (thinking).
  • The morning routine activity primarily involves the language functions of retelling, sequencing, and describing.

WIDA's Key Linguistic Functions

  • WIDA's key uses are highlighted as the language functions that occur most frequently.
  • Resources are available for teaching these language functions.

Standards & Instruction Units

  • The Office of Standards has developed instructional units aligned with standards, including sections on critical language and vocabulary.

Language Functions

  • Terms such as "academic vocabulary" and "technical vocabulary" are clarified.
  • Academic vocabulary is defined as cross-content vocabulary, while technical vocabulary is content-specific.

Hands on example

  • Participants engage with a unit sample, identifying language functions and vocabulary.
  • They differentiate between content and cross-content vocabulary.
  • The activity is designed to help teachers look at standards and resources through both a science and a language lens.
  • Language functions that students need in order to show that they know the science

WIDA Vocabulary

  • WIDA categorizes vocabulary as general, specific, and technical.
  • General words are everyday words.
  • Specific words are specialized words.
  • Technical words are highly specific content-related words.

Examples

  • Knee, kneecap, patella
  • Eat, consume, masticate.

Word Walls and English Learners

  • Word walls are highlighted as beneficial for English learners.

Multiple meaning words

  • Multiple meaning words (e.g., matter) and words with multiple forms (e.g., force) are discussed as challenges for language learners.
  • The session also touches on slang, idiomatic expressions, and collocations (e.g., carbon atoms).
  • Comics using wordplay are used as an example.

Meaning vs Science

  • Participants complete a table contrasting everyday meanings of words with their science meanings.
  • The activity aims to highlight the complexities of vocabulary acquisition for ELs.

Vocabulary strategies

  • A synonyms activity is conducted to expand students' vocabulary and understanding.
  • Participants generate as many synonyms as possible for a given science word (e.g., membrane).
  • The value of anchor charts and word walls to support vocabulary development is emphasized.

Further Anchor Charts

  • Examples of anchor charts and word walls are shared, including interactive and student-generated versions.
  • Research supporting the use of word walls in secondary classrooms is cited.

Personal Dictionaries

  • Personal dictionaries are presented as a valuable tool for students.
  • A Frayer Model is shown as a means of teaching all aspects of vocabulary

Choosing words and Cognates

  • The presenter shares a strategy for selecting which words to teach to maximize impact.
  • The next activity is about cognates.
  • True: Same spelling and meaning
  • Partial: Same but diff meaning
  • False: Looks similar but diff meaning.
  • 76% of 4th grade vocab are cognates
  • Spanish language and common words
  • Master list from Robert Bouchong for scientific words