Sheryl Nicole Jones

EDU 543
Professor Deaver
Reading Notes
Reading Notes for Access to Academics
You can work with colleagues as long as you have a deep understanding of the content in each
chapter. Use the Key Issues Chart at the beginning of each chapter to guide your thinking. Read
and tab/underline key points in each chapter. Add descriptions, page numbers, or lists as part of
your note keeping. This is the foundation for your study for teaching English as a second
language and is very important that you come to a deep understanding of this material.
Take notes on these key points and add missing points based on the Key Issues Chart at the
beginning of each chapter. Your notes must be sufficient for you to attain and retain the basic
information in each chapter and to effectively lead a class group discussion when asked to do so.
You will be defining, summarizing and/or describing the various key components in each
chapter.
Ch. 1:
Key Issues
Language of school is a distinct and multifaceted type of English
The language of school includes both social and academic language
Social language - everyday, casual interaction
Specific linguistic features associated with different content areas characterize academic
language
The basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language
proficiency (CALP) distinction highlights some of the differences between social and academic
language.
Learning the Language of School
Following directions, taking turns, clean up area, form a line, share attention of one adult
EL - students are expected to learn in a language they havent mastered and are not yet familiar
with
Students learn the use of language, through language, and about language.
Language of School
3 types of social language - everyday, intercultural, instructional (classroom)
3 types of academic language - vocabulary, grammar/syntax, and discourse
BICS and CALPS
Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills, Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
Social Language - the foundation of academic language. Needed both in and out of the classroom
for a functional conversation
Ch. 2:
Key Issues
Language proficiency is multidimensional and entails linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural
factors.
As students learn a second language, they progress at different rates along a continuum of
predictable stages.

CAN DO Descriptors depict what students can do with language at different levels of language
proficiency.
Communicative competence involves more than linguistic or grammatical competence.
Native languages, cultures, and life experiences are resources to be tapped and pro\vide a solid
foundation for learning language and content.
Language Proficiency
Language proficiency requires knowledge, skills, background knowledge, critical thinking, and
metacognitive skills. Language proficiency also requires the ability to appropriately use the four
language domains.
Language Domains
Language domains include listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Receptive language refers to the information someone receives through listening or reading.
Productive language refers to the information produced to convey meaning.
There are five English Language proficiency standards and five levels or language .
Level 1: Starting, Level 2: Emerging, Level 3: Developing, Level 4 : Expanding, Level 5:
Bridging.
Communicative Competence
Communicators comprehensive knowledge and appropriate application of particular language in
a specific context.
THe four elements of communicative competence are grammatical or linguistic, sociolinguistic,
discourse, and strategic.
Native Language and Culture
When teaching ELLs it is important to build on the student's native language, culture, and
experience.
Supporting native language development can be achieved through a wide variety of approaches,
such as, bilingual books, labeling classroom objects, etc.
Ch. 3
Key Issues
Students bring with them different backgrounds, which express themselves as skills, abilities,
knowledge, family and community characteristics, and experiences.
Students strengths and needs, including linguistic, content, educational, and cultural, have their
roots in these backgrounds.
Addressing students strengths and needs can affect learning or language and content.
Teachers can uncover their students strengths and needs so that they can build on them to help
students achieve.
Background
A students culture plays a large role in the way they learn, understand, and actively participate
in learning.
It is important for teachers to be aware of not only the educational backgrounds of students, but
also their cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Teachers will learn basic information/facts about students directly; however, some information
will be learned through observation and assessment.
Not every assignment needs to be tailor-made to the student; however, teachers should be
prepared to offer a variety of effective tasks.

Understanding Strengths and Needs

In order to understand the students strengths and needs, information/data must be gathered
regarding the students background, then the information gathered can be integrated into
instruction.
General information can be gathered through surveys, wall writes, conversations, interviews, and
dialogue journals.
Linguistic information can be gathered through standardized language tests; however, a more
effective approach is to ask basic questions about the students background, which can be
developed from the CAN DO Descriptors. Language can also be observed.
Academic information can be gathered from the students files, which may contain test scores,
previous grades, teacher comments, etc.
Content information can also be gathered from the students files; however, another useful
technique is the use of KWL charts.
Cultural information can be gathered through research of the students native country; however,
surface information is not enough. Therefore, interviews, dialogue journals, and personal
narratives will provide more specific/detailed information.
Guidelines for Understanding Student Strengths and Needs.
Guideline 1: Model the Techniques
Share appropriate, personal stories and relate them to learning helps students understand this
connection.
Guideline 2: Try Not to Assume.
Foreigners may not be comfortable asking about rules or following them to learning helps
students understand this connection.
Guideline 3: Embrace Variety
Change up your methods, strategies, and modes to help students access content.
Ch. 4
Key Issues
All teachers are language teachers.
Students language and content strengths and needs provide a foundation for creating learning
objectives.
Content objectives support facts, ideas, and processes.
Language objectives support the development of language related to content and process.
Objectives must be directly addressed by lesson activities.
Understanding Objectives
Objectives are statements of attainable, quantifiable lesson outcomes that guide the activities and
assessment of the lesson.
Objectives typically follow a general format which is usually:
Students will be
able to + concrete, measurable outcome + content to be learned
Content objectives should influence the language objectives. Although some content standards
and curricula do address general language and communication goals, language objectives are
specifically based on helping students access the content of a particular lesson.
Content Objectives: ideas, facts, and content processes students will learn because of the lesson.
SWBAT identify three attributes of visual art.
Language Objectives: support the development of language related to the content and process.

Language needs to fall into the following five categories: Vocabulary, language functions,
grammar, discourse, and language learning strategies.
Teaching to the Language Objectives
Guideline 1: Integrate Language and Content
Contextualize the language instruction by using content as the language source.
Guideline 2: Use Pedagogically Sound Techniques
Effective language instruction needs to be authentic, taught both explicitly and implicitly, it
needs to be multimodal, relevant, and based on social interaction.
Guidelines 3: Break Down the Language
Teach whole and parts to address the different needs of students.
Ch. 5
Key Issues
All students bring experience and knowledge to school.
Connections between students lives and the task demonstrate to students reasons for listening
and participating in tasks
Connecting tasks and topics to students lives increases engagement.
Connections can be made by teachers or students.
Understanding Connections
There are three main types of connections important for students.
Explicitly linking to the students background experiences
Explicitly linking to past learning and new concepts
Pedagogical or instructional connection
Making connections to the material makes learning more meaningful for students.
Connections between students lives and the task demonstrate to students reasons for listening
and participating in tasks
Students should also be encouraged to make connections to the material by creating a link
between their previous learning and to their lives outside of school.
Making personal and academic connections from instruction to students background and interest
is key to building their ability to access the language and content of a lesson. Teachers should be
willing to adapt lessons so that connections between themselves and the students are able to be
made.
Building Background Knowledge
When background knowledge does not exist, teachers can use different techniques to build
background knowledge needed to access the content and language.
Preteach and reinforce vocabulary
Cue-Do-Review and other techniques
Field trips or hands-on experiences
Visitors
Visuals
Integrating connections
Guidelines for Making Connections
Guideline 1: Be Deliberate
Guideline 2: Help Students Transfer Connections Back to Their Lives
Guideline 3: Consider Culture

Once a connection is made, teachers can involve students in a discussion of their personal
connections

-Helping students make personal connections to topics

Start by thinking of what the main topic/idea of the lesson is
Thanksgiving, penguins, addition, Washington D.C.
Think of ways that students may have had experience with the topic
If no real link between topic and student, go more general with the topic
Example: If the topic is Thanksgiving, and you have ELD students who never celebrated it, you
can generalize the topic to feasts or celebrations.
he students make personal connection to the lesson content, it is important for the teacher to:
Start thinking about the main topic or main idea,
Think of ways, based on knowledge of students backgrounds
If there is no link between the lesson, and personal life, the teacher can:
Go more to a general exploration of the experiences included within the topic
1. Specific Focus
2. More general Idea
3. Most Common Idea
Once this has been established, the teacher can involve the students in discussing their personal
connections and narrow the topic to the specific focus of the lesson.
Connections can be made by teachers or students

Guideline for making connections

Guideline 1: Be Deliberate

Teachers should carefully plan to make academic and personal connections and help students
build any background necessary for each lesson.

Confirm that the students have made the connection and that it has served its purpose of
gaining students interest and preparing students for engagement.
Guideline 2: Help students transfer connections back to their lives.

Connections should be obvious and ongoing throughout the unit.

Techniques include keeping a journal so they can link their learning to their lives.
Guideline 3: Consider culture

The connections made will be dependent on the students culture.

Ch. 6
Key Issues:
Tasks are designed to help students meet objectives.

The design of learning tasks must also emphasize access & engagement. (Egbert, 80)
Tasks must be engaging in order for students to learn.
The amount of time spent on a task equals the amount of engagement students feel. (Egbert, 80)
Engaged students receive more. (Egbert, 80)
Engaging activities does not mean that they are always fun
3 Strategies for engagement: 1.) Making connections to students lives, 2.) Having students
interact 3.) Creating responsive classrooms (students needs, wants, abilities & interests)
Task Process: what happens when the learning takes place (Egbert, 81)
Task Product: the end result of a task
Elements of Task Process: Instructional settings (homogeneous or heterogeneous), modes, task
structure, scaffolding, resources/texts, teacher/student role, procedural tools (differentiation)
Elements of Task Product: audience, modes
Engaging tasks make pedagogical connections between students backgrounds & needs in
relation to lesson objectives.
Teachers should be considering the background & interests of their students when creating tasks
Connections lead to student success. (Egbert, 85)
Successful learning tasks are due to students being encouraged to produce products using
their creativity & experiences. (Egbert, 85)
Tasks should incorporate culture & be culturally responsive.
Principles for connecting instruction to students lives: 1.) listen to students, 2.) respond to
students, 3.) interact with students, 4.) connect with speaking, listening, reading & writing
activities, 5.) encourage students to express their understanding, 6.) encourage students to use
first & second languages in instructional activities. (Egbert, 86)
Integrating cultural facts: (refer to table 6.3 on page 86)
Students can help design & carry out tasks.
Guideline 1: Give students a reason to listen
Guideline 2: Do not do what students can do
Tasks students can do: write test questions, help peers, lead in brainstorming, explain tasks, form
groups, decorate a classroom, provide feedback, search for resources, find facts, find cultural
facts, create choices for products
Guidelines for designing engaging tasks: (refer to table 6.3 on page 88)
Ch. 7
Key Issues:
Teachers can assess their lessons before, during & after their implementation.
Teachers can assess student progress toward both content & language.
Assessments should be integrated into the lesson & focus on students ways of knowing.
Assessment refers to the general process of gathering data about something or someone, while
evaluation refers to a final judgement.
Teachers can use assessments to make an evaluation, or they can use the data they gather for
goals.
Alternative assessments are alternatives to traditional assessments and consist of any open-ended
method that uncovers what students know and can do as students create an answer.
They include verbal reporting, observation, oral interviews, demonstrations, retellings, role
plays, portfolios, and journaling.

Hybrid test or quiz questions include features or both traditional (multiple choice/true and false)
and alternative assessments (open ended questions).
A rubric is a scoring tool for alternative assessments. It contains criteria, developed by
teacher/students that are linked to the content and and language learning objectives.
Interactive Homework include:
Teacher's guide involvement and interaction.
Parents do not teach- students are responsible for learning and sharing.
Parents interact with children in new ways.
Teachers show children that they understand the importance of family interaction.
Tasks are engaging and challenging.
Interactive homework is assigned two or four times per month. Family interaction is expected to
be 10 to 15 minutes per task, and two to three days may be given for completion.
Tasks are content-and language-based, relevant, interactive, and written in simple language.
Teachers provide follow up meetings.
Transparency affects assessments and supports student achievement is transparency.
Students should be aware of how task elements affect process and outcomes.
Teachers can begin transparency by:
Making sure that students know what the language and content objectives are and how they will
be assessed. (Post them on the board, or refer to them, discuss them).
Model and explain the task that links to the objective.
Explain what the product expectations are and how achievement can be demonstrated in relation
to the objectives.
Ch. 8
Key Issues
Science texts, materials, and processes may present many challenges to English language
learners.
Science texts are complex, passive voice is pervasive.
Assessments dont always match classroom or lab activities.
Content is covered fast.
Directions are multistep and complex.
Making guesses or drawing conclusions may not be a part of students prior experiences.
Hands-on, inquiry based, and experimental science activities provide an ideal setting for
learning. language and content simultaneously.
Multifaceted activity that includes:
Making observation
Posing questions
Examining sources (books and other sources)
Planning investigations
Reviewing evidence
Using tools to analyze and interpret data
Proposing answers, explanations, and predictions
Communicating the results
The specialized language of science is filled with technical terms and features needed to describe
the natural and physical world.

Language is used to:

Describe relationships of taxonomy, comparison, cause and effect, hypothesis, and interpretation.
Describe procedures explicitly via the use of language functions
Connect abstract ideas illustrated by various media
Use generalized verbs in the present tense to describe phenomena, how something occurs, and
why
Appear to be highly objective
Use many new and big words with new meanings, many of which are nominalizations.
Practicing compare-and-contrast and cause-and-effect methods and the language of scientific
inquiry can benefit all students, particularly ELLs.
Compare-and-contrast: identifying how things are similar and how they are different, evaluate
and synthesize
Cause and effect: essential for explaining how things happen the way they do, one way to teach
this is to teach signal words (aka secret code or nerd words)
A key component in learning how to talk science is to analyze the Greek and Latin roots as
well as the prefixes and suffixes that permeate scientific language.
Generate the overwhelming majority of science terms
Helping students to brainstorm the origin and meaning of technical words might unveil
potential connections among the meaning of the words, the students background, and the
science register. (p. 117)
Ch. 9
Key Issues:
The mathematics reform movement, with its current emphasis on communicating
mathematically, may pose some challenges for English Language Learners (ELLs).
The language of mathematics uses unique symbols, technical language, and diverse
representations.
Mathematics may not always be universal language, there are many variations across languages
and cultures.
Mathematical language used in tasks, tests, texts, and teacher talk can have many confusing
usages.
Explicit instruction, speech modification, and modeling are necessary for students to learn the
language of mathematics.
Challenges of ELLs:
Many students have never worked with manipulatives
In some countries, periods are used instead of commas when representing large numbers.
Many ELLs are familiar with the metric measurement system and are not familiar with feet,
pints, miles, ounces, etc.
5 Standards that apply to all grade levels:
To understand and value mathematics.
To reason mathematically.
To communicate.
To solve problems.
To make connections to contexts and other academic subject areas.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) says that all standards are documents
placed equity, communication, and mathematics for all at the heart of mathematics reform.

Mathematics register: a critical component of developing mathematical understanding in all

students, including ELLs.
Instructional formats and ways to support ELLs:
Design multisensory lessons (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic).
Use visuals (graphs, charts, diagrams, models) when possible.
Use graphic organizers to visually represent mathematical concepts.
Point to or explicitly connect terms with a visual representation.
Design hands-on activities.
Use different technologies
Vary grouping throughout the lesson (independent work, pairs, groups, whole class).
Use real life problem solving situations to teach.
Make connections.
Wait-Time: refers to the time that students are given to respond to a question posed by the
teacher.
Use cognates as much as possible; Cognates- is a word in one language that is similar in meaning
and form to a word in that same language.
Ch. 10
Key Issues:
English text and tasks with various idioms, figurative language, imagery, and symbolism present
challenges to ELLs.
Language arts includes: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing.
Educators need to draw on various literacy practices to that students develop in and out of
school.
Early elementary grades focus on learning to read, then later on reading to learn.
Students benefit from receiving extensive and varied vocabulary instruction.
Four language domains: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Today however, k-12 language
arts curriculum has included viewing and representing to make it six rather than four.
Multiple literacies: There has been an uproar of multiple literacies beginning to show among
students. Students are learning literacy practices in a variety of context with the influx of
technology in and out of the classroom and schools are diversifying their strategies due to
demographic changes.
Key Elements for Improving Literacy
Theoretical Orientation
Determining what strategies should be utilized and varying the instruction with each student and
EL students.
Language-Rich Environment
Surrounding ELs with several opportunities to listen and use language for meaningful purposes.
Meaningful Literacy
Learning how to read and write with more efficient ways compared to traditional ways of
teaching.
Culturally Relevant Literacies Practices
Cultural practices are vital for succesful literacy learning.

Emphasis from Day One on Academic Language

Ch. 11
Key Issues
1. The field of social studies includes many disciplines (e.g., archaeology, history, philosophy,
psychology), each with its own set of language demands.
2. Social studies may be the most difficult content area for English Language Learners because
they may be unfamiliar with many of the topics, particularly in relation to history.
3. Many terms in social studies are abstract, hard to translate, and culturally based.
4. Social Studies textbooks and curricula assume that students have a great deal of background
knowledge
-knowledge that U.S. students accumulate over time from one grade level to the next.
5. Many strategies and approaches are available for enhancing the learning experiences of
English language learners (ELLs) in social studies classrooms of all types.
Potential Challenges for ELLs in Social Studies Classrooms

Lack of prior knowledge from instruction in U.S. elementary classrooms

Unfamiliar with historical concepts and vocabulary

Worldview, perspectives, and values presented in textbooks and curricula may be different
from those of ELLs families and countries.
About the Field of Social Studies
Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic
competence
Educators believe that social studies may be the most challenging content area due to invisible
features of many of the topics.
1. Content may be new - students may be unfamiliar with terms/concepts such as liberty, free
will, civil rights, and democracy.
2. Topics are not only abstract but language-dependent, to.
3. The field of social studies incorporates many disciplines.
4. The field relies on extensive background knowledge.
5. History is presented in a linear manner, like a timeline.
The Specialized Language of Social Studies
Many social studies passages/text contain complex vocabulary terms and difficult grammatical
constructions, which can cause great confusion for ELLs.
1. Vocabulary many of the words, phrases, and expressions included in social studies do not
have direct translations to other languages.
a. Many terms and concepts within social studies may have different meanings dependent
upon the
students worldview/perspective; therefore, the meaning of a word or symbol may carry a
different
emotional charge from one student to another.
2. Grammatical Features
3. Discourse

Strategies for Teaching and Learning Social Studies

1. Develop Socially Supportive Classrooms provide a classroom that supports and
encourages ELLs native languages, cultures, and experiences. Make connections to prior
knowledge, use collaborative groups, allows students to lead the lesson (flip the classroom), and
provide hands-on opportunities for learning and sharing knowledge.
2. Explicit Teaching of Academic Skills help students to learn and understand the content by
using instructional approaches that focus on learning strategies for ELLs, plan for academic
discussions where ELLs are actively involved in academic talk, use direct/deliberate instruction,
and utilize graphic organizers as visual aids/models for understanding and applying concepts and
terms.
3. Reducing Cognitive Load and Increasing Accessibility of Complex Content provide the
same content/topic information written using simpler more direct language, or in the students
first language for background knowledge. Also provide visuals such as power points to support
students understanding. Preview new reading materials and vocabulary terms.
Conclusion
When planning social studies lessons it is important to provide deliberate and explicit instruction
regarding vocabulary, grammatical structures, and genres that comprise the language of social
studies, as many ELL students for not have the background knowledge or experience to interpret
and understand the content.
Ch. 12
Key Issues
Every lesson must be accessible to all students.
Lessons that focus on content and language, connections to students, engaging tasks, and
authentic assessments are more accessible than those that do not.
Every lesson can be improved in some way.
Lesson Examples
Creating a new lesson (based on concepts presented in Figure 7.7)
Step 1: Find and Create the Learning Targets - after reviewing the content standards (what each
student is required to be able to do), the teacher can create a variety of content objectives as well
as provide language objectives for the students to meet successfully.
Step 2: Make Initial Connections - Making connections to previous lessons, background
knowledge, and/or interests prior to presenting the lesson objective(s) allows the teacher to gain
the students attention/interest as well as present essential vocabulary.
Step 3: Create Engaging Tasks - Planning lessons to include tasks that meet the students needs
and interests (being aware of students skills, abilities, learning preference, etc.) encourages
students to actively participate, gain and express knowledge, and succeed in meeting the
objectives.
Step 4: Assessment - Include an assessment plan that provides students with the ability to
practice and review throughout the lesson. Provide students with feedback and rubrics so that
they know exactly what is expected.
Adapting Lessons (the text provides 3 examples of lesson adaptations)

For example, the first adapted lesson includes the addition of essential components such as
language objectives that are related to the content objectives, the presentation and discussion of
the objectives and assessment of the lesson, and homework.
The second adapted lesson includes access to the content and language for diverse learners. For
example, language objectives are included, introducing a new perspective and new vocabulary,
and making links between activities.
The third adapted lesson also includes language objectives, and making prior connections.
Guidelines for Creating and Adapting Lessons
Guideline 1: Do Not Reinvent the Wheel
If a lesson plan is not provided by administration or the curricula there are standardbased lessons
provided by websites, as well as colleagues, which can be adapted to meet the needs of
your students.
Guideline 2: Share
Utilize your colleagues and lesson planning sites to discuss effective and successful
lessons.
Conclusion:
The universal goal is student achievement and the information, ideas, and lesson components
presented in this text provide diverse students with the opportunity to access the content and
language of the lesson.