Resources
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=297779
 Fall 2014
 Academic Language
http://elaccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/
 The webinar ppt will be posted here!
WHAT: More than vocabulary, terms, conventions and
genres Academic Language is the language that is used in
school to acquire new or deeper understanding of the
content and communicate that understanding to others.
WHY: “Close attention to words, sentences, and language
use within the context of the text’s unfolding ideas initiates
students into the academic language essential to becoming
an educated person.”
Academic Language is:
 the language used in the
classroom and workplace
 the language of text
 the language of
assessments
 the language of academic
success
 the language of power
Where is Academic Language
supported in the Standards?
Not so much
taught…
but acquired
through interactions with
complex texts and meaningful
instructional conversations in
which attention is drawn to
the ways in which meaning
relates to words, phrases,
clauses in the texts.
(L. Wong Fillmore)
Three Dimensions of
Academic Language
 Word/Phrase – Academic vocabulary, multi-meaning
words, technical language
 Sentence – Academic language at this level is
characterized by grammatical structures,
conventions, mechanics, fluency
 Discourse – Oral and written. Could include lab
reports, timelines, word problems, storytelling,
sheet music
1. Word/Phrase Dimension
 Includes Academic Vocabulary – Tier 2 words
 Words in phrases are more meaningful than
vocabulary in isolation
 Is only one aspect of Academic Language acquisition
 Teach word-learning strategies (roots, suffixes,
prefixes)
 Foster word consciousness (an awareness of and
interest in words and their meanings)
 Cross disciplinary terms
 Figurative expressions and
multiple meanings
 Content vocabulary
 Affixes, roots, and
transformations.
O’Hara, Zwiers, Pritchard 2013
 Figure out the meaning of
new words and terms
 Use and clarify new words
to build ideas or create
products
 Choose and use the best
words and phrases to
communicate
O’Hara, Zwiers, Pritchard 2013
Time and Attention
More Time
 Abstract Words
 Words which are parts of
semantic word families
(develop, developed,
developer, development)
 Words which represent an
idea, event, concept
unfamiliar to students
 Words likely to appear in
future texts students will
read
Less Time
 Concrete Words
 Words not part of semantic
word family and have
single meanings (sofa,
gregarious, indispensible)
 Words which are synonyms
for ideas, or concepts
students already know
You Try It!
Which more, which less?
miniscule
or
strategy
envied
or
majestic
sheath
or
obstacle
2. Sentence Dimension
This dimension involves putting words and phrases together in
sentences. Academic texts include compound and complex sentences
with multiple ideas. Readers can be challenged to find the primary idea of
a sentence and notice how it is supported by other phrases and clauses.
 Sentence structure
(compound/complex) and
length
 Transitions and
connectives
 Complex verb tenses and
passive voice
 Pronouns and references
O’Hara, Zwiers, Pritchard 2013
 Craft sentences to be clear
and correct
 Use a variety of sentence
types, to clarify a message,
condense information
 Combine ideas, phrases
and clauses.
O’Hara, Zwiers, Pritchard 2013
Juicy Sentences
Lily Wong Fillmore and Maryann Cucchiara 2012
Begin with a juicy sentence! A juicy sentence:
is tied closely to the Essential Question being explored
is layered with academic Tier 2 vocabulary
is long and embedded with main and dangling clauses, parts, and
phrases
is filled with figurative language that merits attention
has content specific language functions
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor
did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear
the Rabbit say to itself, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be
late!' (when she thought it over afterwards, it
occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at
this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but
when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its
waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried
on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her
mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with
either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of
it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field
after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop
down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
What’s next?
What do I do with my juicy sentence?
Read the sentence aloud (teacher or students)
Copy the sentence (teacher or students)
Deconstruct (chunk the sentence into parts)
Discuss the meaning of the chunks
Reconstruct
See juicy sentences in action!
Elementary Example
Secondary Example
3. Discourse (message) Level
Academic discourse is putting words and sentences (the other two
dimensions) together to clearly communicate complex ideas.
 Clarity and coherence
 Register for participants
and purposes
 Density of ideas and their
relationships
 Message organization and
structure (visuals,
paragraphs)
 Organization of sentences
O’Hara, Zwiers, Pritchard 2013
 Create a logical flow of and
connection between ideas,
knowing how ideas develop and
need to develop.
 Match language with purpose of
message (Clear, complete,
focused, logical, and appropriate
to the discipline).
 Create, clarify, fortify, and
negotiate ideas.
O’Hara, Zwiers, Pritchard 2013
Instructional conversations work only if the
conversations really are conversations.
L. Wong-Fillmore
Goals for Productive Discussion
 Goal One: Help individual students share, expand,
and clarify their own thoughts.
 Goal Two: Help students listen carefully to each
other.
 Goal Three: Help students deepen their reasoning.
 Goal Four: Help students engage with others’
reasoning.
S. Michaels and C. O’Connor
Writing and Academic
Language
Writing is a part of the Discourse Level.
Follow close reading, juicy sentences, and
conversations with a culminating task.
Encourage students to use academic words and
phrases in their writing.
Use sentence starters.
Writing should be text based.
Dimensions of Academic Language
and Grade-Level Examples
Dimensions of
Academic
Language
K-2
3-12
Word/Phrase Level
Characters, text, titles,
rhyming words
Hyperlinks, stanzas,
perspectives, root
words
Sentence Level
Prepositional phrases,
connectives, sequence
words
Metaphors, similes,
analogies, allusions
Discourse Level
Folktales, blogs,
rhetorical markers,
storyboards
Editorials, soliloquies,
scripts, research
reports
Supporting Academic
Language in the Classroom
K-2
Dedicated peer-to-peer
interaction time
Shared/interactive writing
Read alouds
Visuals
Teacher think alouds/modeling
3-5
“Do-it, Talk-it, Read-it, Write-it” – (Wierman
& Strohl, 2012) With inquiry activities, students work
together to do an activity, talk about it, refer back to
the text or other sources and read about it, and finally
report their observations and results in written form.
This strategy allows students with different proficiency
levels to work together to maximize their learning. It
uses reading, writing and talk in authentic ways.
3-5
 “Hot Seat”
- (Lewison, Leland, & Harste, 2008) – is an
interactive strategy that provides a way for all students to
become a character in a story or event, answering questions
posed by classmates about the character’s role and
motivation for behaving, acting, or participating in
particular ways.
 Theme Wall – (Academic Language in Diverse
Classrooms) - identifies the broad thematic ideas or
concepts from a unit or theme. Each broad concept
includes vocabulary and text features that describe,
connect with, or expand understanding of the concepts.
Students use this academic language in their discussions,
reading and writing throughout a unit.
6-8
Coding the Text
A
Agree
!
Surprising or hard
to believe
F
Figurative device

Confirms what you
thought
?
Confused of
question
X
Contradicts what
you think
D
Disagree
Hmmm
New or interesting
E4
Evidence for
CE
Cause/effect
MP
Main Idea or
purpose
B
Bias
*
Important
WA
Weak argument
VIP
Very important
Q
Quotation to use
or think about
6-8
Roundtable Write
1.
Form groups of no more than five students, and provide each
student with a different question or topic around a shared text.
2.
Each student writes about the topic or responds to the question.
3.
At the teacher’s signal, pass papers to a peer in the group.
Then, students read what has been written with each adding his
or her own thoughts in response to the question or topic.
4.
Continue passing the responses until everyone has a chance to
write on each paper, and each student ends up with his or her
original paper.
5.
Students write a summary synthesizing all the information on
the page, including academic language found in the text on the
topic or question they addressed.
6-12
Dynamically Introduce Academic Vocabulary
http://www.vocabahead.com
9-12
Write with a Transition Handout
http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/trans1.html
9-12
Sentence Frames/Sentence Starters
Author X contradicts herself. At the same time that
she argues __________, she also implies
__________.
She argues __________, and I agree because
__________.
Her argument that __________ is supported by new
research showing that __________.
X insists, “__________.”
As the prominent philosopher X puts it,
“__________.”
In her book, Book Title, X maintains that
__________.
X complicates matters further when she writes that
__________.
K-12
Communication Starters
Resources for Academic Language
Academic Language Infographic
Cultivating Effective Reading Habits
December 10, 2014
Close Analytic Reading integrates and further develops many of the
elements that are needed to support each student in meeting the
standards. This K-12 professional development focuses on practicing
essential literacy components through close reading instruction.
December 10, 2014 9:00-4:00 (NC Education Building, Raleigh - Room
150)
Free registration! Lunch, substitutes, and travel expenses are not
covered.
To register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cultivating-effective-literacy-habitspracticing-within-the-framework-of-close-reading-tickets-13858353709
(Password: instruction)
Contact Information
Julie Joslin, Ed.D.
Section Chief
English Language Arts
919-807-3935
Julie.Joslin@dpi.nc.gov
Anna Lea Frost, M.Ed.
6-8 English Language Arts
Consultant
919-807-3952
Anna.Frost@dpi.nc.gov
Lisa McIntosh, MSA
K-5 English Language Arts
Consultant
919-807-3895
Lisa.Llewellyn@dpi.nc.gov
Kristi Day, M.Ed.
K-5 English Language Arts
Consultant
919-807-3928
Kristi.Day@dpi.nc.gov
Angie Stephenson, M.Ed.
9-12 English Language Arts
Consultant
919-807-3833
Angela.Stephenson@dpi.nc.gov