Strategically Enhancing ELL Access to
the Language Demands of College
and Career-Ready Standards
February 2014
Features which Strategically Prepare
ELLs for Increased Language Demands
Lessons/Activities . . .
1. Emphasize use of language in context
2. Connect with central concepts of content
3. Connect with standards for practice
4. Emphasize ELL interaction with other
students
5. Provide avenues for broader modes of
communication
6. Include educative/formative assessment
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2
CONTEXT-ORIENTED
LANGUAGE
1. Lessons and activities
emphasize use of
language forms and
functions in context
3
Language Proficiency Had Been Configured as a
Bridge to First Cross Before Approaching Content
Previously Framed
Now Framed as a
as a Sequential
Relationship
Parallel Relationship
Content
ELP
Content
ELP standards and
instruction provided a
foundation from which
to approach content
standards
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ELP
ELP standards and
instruction reflect the
language expectations
contained in content
standards
4
ELL need more support than
decontextualized vocabulary and grammar
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Unpack Content Area Language Demands
Using Text Analysis Approaches –
Learn the Language of Schooling
Mary Schleppegrell, Univ. of Michigan
Increase student reading comprehension,
content-area understanding, and expository
writing ability by examining . . .
• What a text is about
• How a text is organized
• How the author’s perspective
is built into text
6
Schleppegrell Example: Analyze how
definitions and explanations are constructed
Cells divide in two steps. First, the nucleus of the
cell divides, and then the cytoplasm divides.
Mitosis is the process in which the nucleus
divides to form two identical nuclei. Each new
nucleus is also identical to the original nucleus.
Mitosis is described as a series of phases or
steps. The steps are named prophase, metaphase,
anaphase, and telophase. …
Schleppegrell Example: Focus on
“Connectors” in Language
Enlightenment Ideas Influence American Colonists
Although a war had begun, the American colonists still
debated their attachment to Great Britain. A growing
number, however, favored independence. They heard the
persuasive arguments of colonial leaders such as Patrick
Henry, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. These leaders
used Enlightenment ideas to justify independence. The
colonists had asked for the same political rights as people in
Britain, they said, but the king had stubbornly refused.
Therefore, the colonists were justified in rebelling against a
tyrant who had broken the social contract.
Schleppegrell Example: Unpack
Multiple Modalities in Mathematics
 Math symbols :
a2 + (a + 2)2 = 340
 Spoken language : “…and then you’ve got to add
on the ‘a’ squareds because of the brackets and
the squareds, add up the ‘a’ squareds so you get
two ‘a’ squareds plus your four ‘a’”
 Written language : The sum of the squares of two
consecutive positive even integers is 340
(O’Halloran, 2000:384; 2003:196)
Use the Core Six Strategies to Unpack Text
The Core Six include:
• Reading for Meaning
•Compare & Contrast
• Inductive Learning
• Circle of Knowledge
• Write to Learn
• Vocabulary's CODE
The Core Six: Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the
Common Core. (2012). By Harvey F. Silver, R. Thomas Dewing,
& Matthew J. Perini
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Top Hat Organizers – The Core Six
Similarities
Differences
Differences
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11
CENTRALIZED
2. Lessons and activities
connect with core ideas
and concepts in curriculum
12
Dramatically Higher Expectations
ELA
Math
DOK1
25%
24%
DOK2
38%
40%
DOK3
26%
25%
DOK4
11%
11%
*Example based Smarter Balanced Specifications/Elementary Grades
Courtesy: Herman (2013)
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Increased Rigor Is Due to Added Cognitive
and Academic Language Complexity
Academic Language
Complexity
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DOK and Cognitive
Complexity
Curriculum
Simple Language Demands at DOK1
Math – Recall, Draw, Define, List, Label . . .
Courtesy: Herman (2013)
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Language Demands Increase Slightly at
DOK2 Math – Simple Application
Courtesy: Herman (2013)
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At DOK3, ELL Need to Use Language to Draw
Conclusions, Cite Evidence, Explain, Revise . . .
Look at the drawing. The numbers alongside each
column and row are the total of the values of the
symbols within each column and row. What
number should replace the question mark?
(Webb et al., 2005)
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Courtesy: Herman (2013)
Much More Complex Language
Demands at DOK4
Your class and your teacher are going on a field trip. There are
three possible choices for the field trip: an aquarium, a science
museum, or a zoo. Your teacher asked students to write down
their first and second choices. In this task, you will determine
where the class should go on the field trip based on the survey
results and the cost per student.
• This is a map of your school and the three different field
trip locations.
• Here’s how students voted, first and second choice
• Here are costs --in time, fees, transportation costs
Analyze, recommend, justify
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Courtesy: Herman (2013)
“Water up” the Curriculum (Edwin Ellis)
Focus instruction on
• Core Ideas
• Critical details
• [vs. Clarifying details]
Similar to Backwards Design, first stage:
• What is essential to know and be able to do?
• What is important to know and do?
• What is nice to know? What is worth being familiar with?
Content Preview (August, 2011)
1. Focus students on important ideas in upcoming text by
asking guiding questions
•
2.
specific to the text or use imagination and think beyond the text.
Build background knowledge related to the text
•
3.
short video clips, visuals, readings in English or in L1 and questions
that draw on students’ background and/or connect to related
texts/topics.
Pre-teach content obligatory vocabulary
•
Tier II (general academic terms) or Tier III (high frequency domainspecific terms)
4. Create oral summary of text , then create written summary
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Schleppegrell Example: Examining the Language
of the Content Area
rewrite
– What CCSS allow us to do is to use language to explore and deepen
understanding about the content.
– We need to bring greater dimensionality to our instruction rather
than simplifying it.
– We need to engage students in how language works in real complex
texts.
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Lily Wong-Fillmore: Analyze “Juicy”
Sentences Found in Complex Text
A different way to think
about text complexity…
• Each day select text to
amplify as part of
instructional conversations.
• Choose text that has
complex structure but
also that holds the essence
of your lesson/activity, or
some really pivotal
information.
Butterfly unit classroom
(7 minutes) Example:
http://vimeo.com/47315992
Secondary teacher example of
juicy sentence type of lesson
http://indulgy.com/post/cW48ibBa1/goodlesson-for-making-juicy-sentences
Understanding Language Instructional Units
https://www.teachingch
annel.org/blog/2013/10
/25/video-playlist-ellinstruction/
:
Interacting with
Complex Texts:
Scaffolding Reading
Grades 6-8 / ELA / ELL
CCSS: ELA.RI.7.2
ELA.RI.7.4 ELA.RI.8.
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Understanding Language Instructional Units
https://www.teachingchan
nel.org/blog/2013/10/25/
video-playlist-ellinstruction/
Extending Understanding:
Vocabulary Development
Grades 6-8 / ELA / ELL
CCSS: ELA.RI.7.6 ELA.RI.8.6
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DEPTH
3. Lessons and
activities are designed
in relation to the
Standards for Practice
26
Tool Created to Unpack the Language Practices
Found in the CCSS and NGSS
Google ELPD Framework to download this document.
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Strategy: Tie Instruction Related to Student
Language Access to Use of the Practices
“By explicitly calling attention to these
practices, [analyses of the language demands
of college and career-ready standards can be
used to] cultivate higher order thinking
skills in ELLs and target their ability to
comprehend and communicate about
complex text.”
(CCSSO, ELPD Framework, 2012, p. 16).
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The ELPD Framework
provides us with a strategic
choice about creating
correspondences between
ELP standards and CCR
standards: Focus on
Standards for Practice
Strategy: Design Language Lessons/Activities
Around Instruction Involving These Practices
EP2, EP5, MP3, EP4,
SP7: Develop a strong
base of evidence to
support arguments,
claims, or statements.
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Strategy: Design Language Lessons/Activities
Around Instruction Involving These Practices
SP2, MP4, SP5:
Develop and use
models with
mathematical,
scientific, and/or
computational
thinking
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Strategy: Design Language Lessons/Activities
Around Instruction Involving These Practices
SP8, EP2: Take
information, evaluate
it, and be able to
clearly and effectively
communicate an
appropriate response.
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Strategy: Design Language Lessons/Activities
Around Instruction Involving These Practices
EP7, MP5:
Appropriately and
strategically use
technology and visual
media.
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Strategy: Design Language Lessons/Activities
Around Instruction Involving These Practices
MP1, MP2, MP6, MP7,
MP8: Use problem
solving strategies
involving problem
definition, modeling,
precision, and regularity
of reasoning.
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Strategy: Design Language Lessons/Activities
Around Instruction Involving These Practices
SP1, SP3, SP4, SP6: After
defining a problem and
completing
investigations, analyze
data, construct
explanations, and
design solutions.
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Strategy: Design Language Lessons/Activities
Around Instruction Involving These Practices
EP4, EP5, EP6: Participate in classroom
discourse around a wide range of topics and
texts (including complex texts), coming to
understand other perspectives and cultures.
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Language Access Demands of the Common
Core (Bunch, Kibler, & Pimentel, 2013)
• Engage with complex texts to build
knowledge across the curriculum
• Use evidence to inform, argue, and analyze
• Work collaboratively, understanding multiple
perspectives, and presenting ideas
• Use and develop linguistic resources to do all
of the above (e.g., vocabulary, grammatical
structures, and coherent and connected
discourse)
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The New ELP Standards Emphasize Embedded Use
Key Functions Found in the Common Core/NGSS
1
construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through
grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing
2
participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and
analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions
3
speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and
topics
construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning
and evidence
conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve
problems
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing
adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing
determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and
informational text
create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text
make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and
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writing
Connect to Rubrics Rating the Quality of the
Content Area Lessons: EQuiP Rubrics
EQUiP Rubric
http://aldnetwork.org/page/exemplar-units-lesson-plans-and-tools
Academic Language Development
Network Lesson Plan Toolkit
See Zwiers, O’Hara, & Pritchard (in press) Common Core Standards in
diverse classrooms: Essential practices for developing academic language
and disciplinary literacy. Stenhouse Publishers.
INTERACTIVE
4. Lessons and activities
which require ELL to interact
and collaborate with others
45
Emphasis on Interaction and Collaboration
• Two-way interactive
communication involving
negotiation of meaning and
developing proficiency in sociocultural aspects of English
• Successful instructed language
learning also requires
opportunities for output (Ellis,
2008)
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Anita Archer’s Graphic Organizers
•Strategies for improving comprehension before,
during, and after reading.
http://miblsi.cenmi.org/MiBLSiModel/Implementation/ElementaryS
chools/TierISupports/ArcherHandouts.aspx
•Active Participation Instruction,
Modeling and guided practice are used to teach
students class participation strategies and behaviors.
http://www.iu17.org/best-practices/best-practices-videos/anitaarcher-strategies-engagement-videos/
http://www.scoe.org/pub/htdocs/archer-videos.html
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North Carolina DPI ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND
MATH GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/commoncore-tools/#gomath
English Language Arts Graphic Organizers
•Argument
•Compare and Contrast
•Dialectic Response
•Inquiry
Math Graphic Organizers
•Synthesizing
•Number Lines in the Common Core
•Vocabulary
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http://aldnetwork.org/page/exemplar-units-lesson-plans-and-tools
Academic Language Development Network Lesson
Plan Toolkit - 7th Grade Math Toolkit
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Academic Language Development Network Lesson
Plan Toolkit - 7th Grade Math Toolkit
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EQUITY/ACCESS
5. Lessons and activities
provide avenues for
broader modes of
communication
52
Broader Communicative Modes to Support
and Enhance ELL Potential to Learn
•Even though ELL will produce language that includes features
that distinguish them from their native-English-speaking peers,
“it is possible [for ELs] to achieve the standards for college-andcareer readiness” (NGA Center & CCSSO, 2010b, p. 1).
•ELL have the same potential as native speakers of English to
engage in cognitively complex tasks.
•Regardless of ELP level, all ELLs need access to challenging,
grade-appropriate curriculum, instruction, and assessment and
benefit from activities requiring them to create linguistic output
(Ellis, 2008a; 2008b).
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Broader Interpretation of Communication
Receptive modalities
Listening
and reading
Productive modalities
Speaking
and
writing
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Some people STILL think of UDL as a technology
initiative or just for students with disabilities or
intensive support needs.
http://udlcenter.org/
UDL is framework for proactively designing
learning experiences – from the beginning – that
address grade level standards in ways that enable
all students to gain knowledge, skills,
and enthusiasm for learning.
http://udlcenter.org/
Goals
Firm Goals, Flexible Means
• Clearly identified
• Do NOT embed the
means unnecessarily
• Allow multiple paths to
achievement
http://udlcenter.org/
Principles of UDL
UDL calls for ...
 Multiple means of representation, to give learners
various ways of acquiring information and knowledge
 Multiple means of expression, to provide learners
alternatives for demonstrating what they know
 Multiple means of engagement, to tap into
learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and
increase motivation.
http://udlcenter.org
58 /
Differentiating Instruction
(Flanagan, Liebling, & Meltzer, 2013)
Visual Thesaurus
 The Visual Thesaurus is an interactive dictionary
and thesaurus that allows you to discover the
connections between words in a visually
captivating display. With a subscription you will
also get access to the Spelling Bee,
VocabGrabber, and Online Magazine.
http://www.visualthesaurus
.com/trialover/
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Shahi
Shahi is a visual dictionary that combines
Wiktionary content with Flickr images, and more!
http://www.blachan.com/shahi/
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World Digital Library

http://www.wdl.org/en/
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Etype
http://www.etype.com/
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Paper Rater
http://www.paperrater.com/
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Thinkquiry Toolkit
http://www.thinkquiry.com/
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Voki (Speaking Avatars)
http://www.voki.com/
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CAST UDL Book Builder
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/
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EDUCATIVE
ASSESSMENT
6. Lessons and
activities include
formative assessment
69
Formative Assessment in NOT…





A test or instrument
More frequent use of tests
A score
A one-time event
Something that happens at
the end of a period of
learning
 Something only teachers do
Margaret Heritage(2013)
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Educative Assessment (Wiggins)
•The use of assessment tasks with real-work
implications
•The use of real models of performance
•The use of on-going feedback and guidance from the
instructor, including negotiated criteria
•The use of objective, independent assessment criteria
•The use of on-going, recursive opportunities for
learners to improve their performances (Wiggins, 1998)
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Using Formative Assessment with ELLs
Assessment/Audit Question:
“At what ELP level is the ELL performing?”
Question that uses assessment to inform
instruction:
“Based on the targets outlined for the end of each
ELP level, what resources and competencies will
the ELL need to develop?”
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Four questions which serve as a
starting point for any PLC:
Dufour and Marzano offer the following:
• What is it we want our students to know?
• How will we know if they are learning?
• How will we respond when individual students
do not learn?
• How will we enrich and extend the learning
for students who are proficient?
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Intersecting Conversations around
Improvement of Instructional Design
Use of
Formative/
Educative
Assessment
Use of
Professional
Learning
Communities
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Improved
Data Literacy
Features which Strategically Prepare
ELL for Increased Language Demands
Lessons/Activities . . .
1. Emphasize use of language in context
2. Connect with central concepts of content
3. Connect with standards for practice
4. Emphasize ELL interaction with other
students
5. Provide avenues for broader modes of
communication
6. Include educative/formative assessment
www.csai-online.org
75
Strategically Enhancing ELL Access to
the Language Demands of College
and Career-Ready Standards
February 2014