Long Term English Learners and Oral Language: Breaking the Logjam

1. Long Term English Learners and Oral Language: Breaking the Logjam David Irwin WABE 2011

2. Participant Goals • Ensure that instructional leaders are knowledgeable on the research on Long Term English Learners (LTELs) and oral language development in an effort to help ELLs become proficient users of English. BY • Engaging in professional dialogue and practice with colleagues about improving instruction with oral language activities.

3. What is a Long Term English Learner? • A student who has been in a structured sheltered or bilingual program for six years or longer (California Dept of Ed) • Washington has no official definition of LTEL • However we do have students who plateau, or receive the same score on the WLPT for years • LTELs begin to appear in middle school, continuing to high school • Patterns of non-academic English use begin pre-Kindergarten (Kinsella 2010)

4. The Stats in Washington Source: Educating English Language Learners in Washington State, 2009–10 : Report to Legislature

5. The Stats in Washington • 654 of 6502 5-6 year student exited in 2010 • 1499 of 9936 6+ year students exited in 2010 • In 2010-2011 Washington has 14,285 at 6+ years, about 15%

6. Cummins • Academic Language takes 5-7 years for a student with some schooling in L1 • Up to 12 years for a students with little or no schooling in L1 • A student who is 6 years into the program is not necessarily at deficit – unless they are not making progress • (See Margo Gottlieb for tips on assessment at this conference….)

7. “Proficiency in oral language provides children with a vital tool for thought. Without fluent and structured oral language, children will find it very difficult to think.” --Jerome Bruner

8. Children’s speaking and listening skills lead the way for their reading and writing skills, and together these language skills are the primary tools of the mind for all future learning. Roskos, Tabors, & Lenhart, 2005, p. v.

9. Link Between Oral Language and Comprehension Oral Language Oral Language has a direct correlation to reading comprehension Decoding Comprehension Phonological Awareness Letter Knowledge C. Eisenhart

10. What Does Research Suggest Regarding Oral Language Development?

11. The Effects of Weaknesses in Oral Language on Reading Growth (Hirsch, 1996) High Oral Language in Kindergarten 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 5.2 years difference Low Oral Language in Kindergarten Reading Age Level 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Chronological Age

12. Cumulative Language Experiences30 Million Word Difference • – • 45 – • 40 – • 35 – • 30 – • 25 – • 20 – • 15 – • 10 – • 5 – Number of words heard (millions) Children from: Professional Families Working Class Families Welfare Families 1 2 3 4 5 Age of child (years)

13. What is Oral Language? • Oral Language Proficiency: knowledge and use of specific aspects of oral language, including phonology, vocabulary, morphology, grammar, and discourse domains. It encompasses skills in both comprehension and expression. The National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (2006)

14. Oral Language and English Learners • English language learners need plenty of oral practice with social and academic language • English Language Development (ELD) instruction should emphasize listening and speaking although it can incorporate reading and writing. • Allowing the use of the student’s first language (L1) accelerates his/her growth • Use of the L1 can be structured in a dual language program, and can be used strategically in a Sheltered English program Saunders and Goldenberg (2010), National Literacy Panel (2006) Collier & Thomas (1997) and (2001)

15. The National Reading Panel and ELLs • The National Reading Panel reviewed 1,700 scientifically sound studies that guide the implementation of many literacy programs today. • The NRP did not intentionally review research related to English language learners. • The National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth reviewed 700 scientifically sound studies related to literacy for English language learners. • There are relatively few studies to build scientific consensus when it comes to implementation literacy programs for English learners. • The NRP findings do provide guidance for implementing ELL programs; however, these findings are not sufficient to meet all the needs of English language learners. • The studies reviewed by the National Literacy Panel suggests that English language learners need more background built, and more English oral language development (vocabulary) than English fluent readers do

16. Theoretical Foundation for the Use of Primary Language for ELD • Collier and Thomas’ Prism Model • Successful programs include all four components of the theoretical framework, using both L1 (primary language) and L2 (second language) • Social and cultural processes are at the heart of successful programs.

17. Oral Language and ELLs • Explicit oral language development is critical for ELL students in the mastery of academic language. • ELLs who do not have a strong foundation in academic oral language in the primary years are at risk of becoming long-term English learners (LTELs). • Accurate Oral Fluency: Ease of producing accurate target language forms (vocabulary, syntax, grammar) and ability to comprehend while listening to more sophisticated language Kinsella & Dutro, Cal. Report, 2010

18. Instructional Focus • If there is no dedicated ELD time block, ELD must be integrated into the day, with language objectives included with content objectives. • Intuitively, scaffolded, leveled activities are effective in the content class, although there is not yet research on this. • Washington’s ELD Listening & Speaking Standards offer guidelines for oral language instruction at all language and grade levels. Goldenberg and Saunders, Cal. Report, 2010

19. What is Academic Language? • Academic language is: • the language used in the classroom and workplace • the language of text • the language assessments • the language of academic success • the language of power Dr. Robin Scarcella, University of California at Irvine

20. What is Academic Language? • The language of reading • Infer • Compare • Connect • Conclude, etc • The language of writing • Revise • Edit • Draft, etc • The language of mathematics • Targeted content vocabulary • Standard grammatical structures

21. Academic Language • Success with academic content is dependent on students’ mastery of academic language vsconversational language • Students will learn much conversational language on their own • Academic language must be continuously developed and explicitly taught across all subject areas • Academic language is present in all language domains: reading, writing, listening, speaking Cummins 1981

22. Academic Language • ELL students typically require at least 5 years to attain grade level expectations in language and literacy skills • In order to catch up to grade norms within 6 years, ELLs must make 15 months gain in every school year • Learning academic uses of language is a life-long endeavor for both native English speakers and ELLs Thomas & Collier (1997); Cummins (2010); Dutro (2002)

23. Language Objectives • Use academic vocabulary and academic function words connected to content • Develop higher level thinking • Are used at every proficiency level, including for native English speakers • Enable focus on specific language structures • Provide feedback for improving performance • Provide an opportunity to practice comprehensible output Kinsella (2010)

24. Examples • SWBAT use a variety of passes in a basketball game. SWBAT label and explain why they would choose a certain pass. • In pairs, SWBAT show understanding of forming equivalent fractions using halves, fourths, eighths, and sixteenths. SW use the terms compared to, greater than, less than, equivalent, we agree, we decided.

25. ELD Standards Washington has English Language Development Standards in three areas: • Listening/Speaking • Reading • Writing The Standards are matched to the GLEs at grade bands K-2, 3-5, 6-8, & 9-12 They are also specified for five language acquisition levels, Beginning to Transitional

26. Oral Language and Comprehension Skills • Use linguistic patterning (frames) to have students practice academic language • Frames match comprehension skills • Students practice language while learning content

27. Activities for Turning up the Volume These structures encourage and support all students to speak using academic oral language. • Project GLAD Guided Oral Practice • Narrative Input • Chants • Sentence Patterning Charts • Picture File Card sorts (Promote use of L1 for processing) • Numbered Heads Together (Promote use of L1 for processing) • Corners • Fishbowl • Inside-Outside Circle (Conga Line) • Jigsaw • Round table • Think Pair Share/Turn & Talk/10-2 (Promote use of L1 for processing) • Quiz Quiz Trade • Three Step Interview • Sentence Stems/Frames

28. Practice in Bilingual Settings • Cooperative learning is equally effective in the L1. It promotes development of academic language in the student’s first language. • Activities that use L1 and L2 provide oral practice in both languages when students must interact with those who do and don’t speak their language. • Informal assessment of L1 may include oral reading of text and writing in L1.

29. Oral Language Activities • Narrative Input • Tell a story one picture at a time, text mounted on the back of the pictures • Students retell the story • Write their version on chart paper, different color for each student • Rewrite on sentence strips • Mix the strips, have the small group reassemble the story • Cut into words, reassemble again • Chant – write a chant (with pattern) from content of the story or text • May be done with non-fiction as long as there is a narrative version of the information

30. Sentence Patterning Chart Question Patterning Chart

31. Picture File Card Sorts • Download 80-120 pictures of content related to topic • Use for sorting • Tell students categories (more beginning ) or • Students develop their own categories • Use to support concepts throughout the unit • Students tell their rationale for sorts or describe events in the pictures • Builds background for discussion and writing

32. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Corners Kagan (1986)

33. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Fishbowl

34. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Inside-Outside Circle

35. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Jigsaw

36. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Numbered Heads Together

37. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Roundtable

38. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Think-Pair-Share

39. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Quiz Quiz Trade

40. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Three Step Interview

41. Activities for Turning Up the Volume – Mix & Match

42. What will you try? • Pick at least two of the activities and try them in a lesson. • Bring feedback to your next staff or team meeting. Try someone else’s idea. Thank you for your time and for your work!

43. References Bailey, Allison & Heritage, Margaret (2008) English Learner Literacy Development through Formative Assessment of Oral Language. Schools Moving Up webinar California Dept. of Education (2010) Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches Kinsella, Kate & Dutro, Susana (2011) English Language Development: Issues & Implementation at Grades Six Through Twelve. Schools Moving Up webinar Kagan, Spencer (1994) Kagan Cooperative Learning National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (2006) Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners. Center for Applied Linguistics Thomas, Wayne & Collier, Virginia (1997) School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students.National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition