Bricks and Mortar: Strategies
that Work in Building True
Academic Language Proficiency
Jennifer Hamilton, ELL Instructional Specialist
Alexandria City Public Schools,Virginia
Robin Liten-Tejada, ESOL/HILT Specialist
Arlington Public Schools,Virginia
WIDA National Conference, October 2014
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Objectives

To share strategies for building academic
language proficiency that
 go beyond merely introducing words and definitions
to students
 integrate language and content
 incorporate reading, writing, listening and speaking
 provide language for higher order thinking skills
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Why the focus on
academic language?
Current emphasis in research on best
practices for ELLs
 New standards emphasize higher order
thinking, but need the language to express
higher order thoughts
 APS Program Evaluation indicated area in
need of improvement

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How?
www.skyo.com
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So what is academic language
exactly?
Academic language is the set of
words, grammar, and
organizational strategies used to
describe
• complex ideas
• higher-order thinking
processes
• abstract concepts. (p.20)
http://eventcallregistration.com/reg/index.jsp?cid=37182t11
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What does that mean?
What features of academic language do you
find in this excerpt?
Zwiers, J. (2008). Building Academic Language: Essential Practices for Content Classrooms (p.28). San Francisca: Jossey-Bass
Aspects of academic language



Figurative language to express abstractions
Long sentences
Transitions/connectives
◦ Rather, In addition
Passive voice
 Nominalization

◦ we hold the belief that

Condensed complex messages
◦ Pluralist future
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Bricks and Mortar Words
Bricks
imagery
metaphor
revolution
emancipation
hypotenuse
reciprocal
mitosis
gravity
Mortar
therefore
as a result
contains
consists of
thus
infer
dependent
maintain
correspond
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Dimensions of Academic Language
Vocabulary
Syntax
Discourse
http://www.jeffzwiers.com/jeffzwiers-com-new_003.htm
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Vocabulary
Syntax
Discourse
Strategies for teaching Syntax
(how words are used in
sentences):
• Analyze how that word is used
in a sentence.
• Use sentence frames for both
oral and written practice.
• Build sentences with
manipulatives.
• Lastly generate original
sentences.
Otherwise
(conjunction) connecting word that means if you
don’t do something, something else will happen
“I have to pay $15 tomorrow, otherwise the jacket will
be given to someone else.”

Linda must pay the rent, otherwise she will lose her
apartment.

You need to study tonight, otherwise _______

_________________ , otherwise _________
Did my Level 3 student use
“otherwise” correctly?

Many countries have an economy completely
bad. The person who has a big family for the
bad education, and that person cannot find a
job, the only alternative is to emigrate.
Otherwise his family will die or only have for
eat once a day.
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Teach Cause & Effect signal words
because
 since
 so
 therefore
 consequently
 as a result

Using the content being studied…
Reinforcing language and content!!
Effect + Cause Sentences
___effect (what)__because ___cause (why) __
since
 The student opened his eyes because Ms. L-T
dropped the book.
 The student opened his eyes since Ms. L-T dropped
the book.
Cause + Effect Sentences
Because
Since
__cause (why)_______,
effect (what)_____
Because Ms. L-T dropped the book, the
student opened his eyes.
 Since Ms. L-T dropped the book, the student
opened his eyes.

Cause + Effect Sentences
, so
__cause (why)_______
. Therefore,
. Consequently,
. As a result,
effect (what)_____
• Ms. L-T dropped the book, so the student opened his
eyes.
• Ms. L-T dropped the book. Therefore, the student opened
his eyes.
• Ms. L-T dropped the book. Consequently, the student
opened his eyes.
• Ms. L-T dropped the book. As a result, the student
opened his eyes.
Cause + Effect Sentences
___effect (what)__because ___cause (why) __
since
, so
__cause (why)_______
effect (what)_____
. Therefore,
. Consequently,
. As a result,
Because
Since
__cause (why)_______,
effect (what)_____
Night, by Elie Weisel
Cause & Effect Sentence Practice
Cause (why the effect happened)
Effect (what was the result)
The inmates had marched for
hours
Father and son stayed together
The inmates were exhausted
The inmates were given small
rations
Rabbi Eliahu had lost his son
the inmates became emaciated
,
.
they were able to survive for a
while longer
Rabbi Eliahu was searching for
his son everywhere
he
they
Vocabulary
Syntax
Discourse
Strategies for teaching
Syntax and Discourse:
• Use academic sentence
starters to analyze text
Strategies

Background building
◦ Content specific (ex. the Civil War)
◦ Pre-teaching key vocabulary (Tier 2 and Tier 3 words)

Scaffolded instruction
◦ Modeling use of target language
◦ Gradual release of responsibility through structured activities
◦ Graphic organizers

Explicit academic language instruction
◦ Sentence frames
◦ Oral and written use of target language
◦ Use of target language in context of reading discussions

Cooperative learning
◦ Paired and small group tasks for reading, discussion, and some
writing tasks
Sample Sentence Frames & Transitions
Instead of “The
author says…”






According to _______,
“______”
The author argues/claims
that _____
Based on the text, the
reader can infer that the
author believes _____
Consequently, the author
claims that _____
With this in mind, the
author argues _____
Considering the
evidence, the author
deduces that _____
To Show Contrasting
Ideas:
Although some people
believe ______, the author
claims that ______
 In contrast to popular
opinion, the author argues
that ______
 While popular opinion states
that ______, the author
claims that _____
 Whereas others have argued
that ______, the author
believes that _____

General
Transitions:








For example,
For instance,
In addition,
Furthermore,
Moreover,
Based on the
evidence,
First, (second,
third, finally, etc.)
In summary,
Summarizing Arguments with
Academic Language
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Vocabulary
Syntax
Discourse
Strategies for teaching
Vocabulary through
interdisciplinary
reinforcement:
• Content teachers
collaborate to determine
“words of the week”
Multidisciplinary Content
Vocabulary for Level 2 ELLs
Crucial stage in English-language acquisition,
acquiring content vocabulary, developing
language structures
 Teachers created strategies to teach mortar
words and phrases across the curricula of
language arts, science and social studies

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Mortar Phrases Selected

Sixteen paired mortar phrases were selected from Building Academic
Language based on teachers’ informal observation of phrases most used in
mainstream academic content classes. In addition, academic brick words
and phrases from English language arts, science and social studies SOL
word lists were also chosen.
that is
to be specific
in other words
more precisely
in this manner
furthermore
in particular
besides
conversely
as a result
in spite of this
therefore
meanwhile
in brief
presently
to sum up
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Interdisciplinary Pre-Assessment
Students all took a written interdisciplinary multiple-choice
assessment to establish a baseline of their prior knowledge
and use of these phrases.
SAMPLE QUESTION
Animal scientists have established that the relationship
between dogs and humans has existed for thousands of years;
__________, canines and people have long been living
together.
a) furthermore
c) in other words
b) precisely
d) meanwhile
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Written and Spoken Evidence



Phrases introduced weekly and practiced in each class through cloze
activities, skits, picture writing prompts, games
Using the phrases in writing encourages more advanced sentence
structures—complex sentences—and more advanced punctuation—
semicolons and colons.
Spoken and written evidence demonstrates that students are
consistently using the phrases, and speaking and writing more
academically sophisticated sentences:
SAMPLE
Harriet Tubman helped fellow slaves to escape to freedom; more precisely, she
was a successful conductor on the Underground Railroad.
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Look at a writing sample from Maureen’s class.
How many academic mortar phrases are used
correctly?
Vocabulary
Syntax
Discourse
Strategies for teaching
Vocabulary through
interdisciplinary
reinforcement:
• Content teachers
collaborate to determine
“words of the week”
Is breaking the law ever justified?
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Objectives

To share strategies for building academic
language proficiency that
 go beyond merely introducing words to students
 integrate language and content
 incorporate reading, writing, listening and speaking
provide language for higher order thinking skills
30
Cocktail Party

How can you use the
information we shared today?
that is
to be specific
in other words
more precisely
in this manner
furthermore
in particular
besides
conversely
as a result
in spite of this
therefore
meanwhile
in brief
presently
to sum up
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Contact Info
Jennifer Hamilton,
jennifer.hamilton@acps.k12.va.us

Robin Liten-Tejada
robin.litentejada@apsva.us

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