Discussion-Based Lessons for English Language Learners

1. Discussion-Based Lessons for English Language Learners May 22, 2012 Connie Smith, Presenter

2. Planning for Academic Oral DiscussionSetting Objectives and Providing Feedback • Language forms and vocabulary will develop as students study areas of interest. • Motivation plays a role in learning complex language structures. • Teachers can activate and build on students’ prior knowledge in the content area. • Language structure and form should be learned in authentic contexts rather than through contrived drills in language workbooks. Hill and Flynn, Classroom Instruction that works with English Language Learners

3. Start with the StandardsSetting Objectives—An Example • Content Standard • RL 6.9: Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics. • Content Objective • Using two different stories about the character Rumpelstiltskin, the students will identify elements that are the same and how the author used them in their approach to the story. • Using the different versions, the students will identify differences in the story. • The students will define how the differences impacted the characters and the outcome of the story. • Language Objective • Students will discuss in pairs the elements that are the same in both texts. • Students will write a list of differences found in the text. • Students will share their list with their group and discuss the impact on the characters and story.

5. RL 6.9: Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

6. Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter, by Diane Stanley from Treasures, Grade 6

7. Rumpelstiltskin By Leon Forer A poor peasant, flustered when faced with his king,Stammered he wanted to tell him something,“Your Highness, my daughter, just eighteen, no more,“Can spin gleaming gold out of common straw.”“What! thundered the king, “you saw“Your daughter spin gold from straw?“Bring her here and let me see“If she can spin gleaming gold for me!”“If she can’t — it’s off with your head“I’ll make idle boasting a thing to dread!”So the peasant went home with fear in his heartFor, how could his daughter live up to her part?To the palace the next day the girl was broughtTo spin the gold his highness soughtShe was put in a room all filled with strawAnd she winced when she heard the lock on the door.To tell the plain and simple truthShe felt terribly, terribly blueFor she could no more make gold from strawThan either I or you. She sat and she sat, and she thought and she thoughtAbout the miserable lot to which she was broughtWhen suddenly a tiny man — in size a mere ladAppeared and said “Stop feeling so sad.

8. Establishing a Clear PurposeThe Role of Academic Language Look at the unit of study and indentifying the language demands Identifying Vocabulary and Key Concepts • Agreeing and disagreeing • Asking for assistance or directions • Asking for clarification • Enquiring/questioning • Evaluating • Explaining • Planning and predicting • Domain-specific vocabulary • Solar System • satellites • Meteoroids • Academic vocabulary • discover • revolve • explore • Basic vocabulary • sun • space • away

9. L.6.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. • Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case, (subjective, objective, possessive). • Use all pronouns, including intensive pronouns (e.g. myself, ourselves) correctly. • Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person. • Recognize and correct vague pro nouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).

10. Syntax Surgery—Chanclas It’s me—Mama, Mama said. I open up and she’s there with bags and big boxes, the new clothes and, yes, she’s got the socks and a new slip with a little rose on it and a pink-and-white striped dress. What about the shoes? I forgot. Too late now. I’m tired. Whew! Six-thirty already and my little cousin’s baptism is over. All day waiting, the door locked, don’t open up for nobody, and I don’t till Mama gets back and buys everything except the shoes. Now Uncle Nacho is coming is coming in his car, and we have to hurry to get to Precious Blood Church quick because that’s where the baptism party is, in the basement rented for today for dancing and tamales and everyone’s kids running all over the place. “Chanclas”, from The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros

11. Speaking and Listening—Collaborative Conversations SL 5.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. • Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. • Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

13. Sentence Frames • In order for students to acquire English Language proficiency, we must help them learn the type of language necessary for completing the various tasks (Dutro and Moran 2003; Dutro and Levy, 2008). • Functional words and phrases connect words to form ideas, such as making predictions, describing a process, or justifying a perspective. • Both ________ and _________ are _________ • However _______ is hotter than ________ by ______ degrees. • Of all the planets, ________ is the __________

14. What can I learn from the charts and captions?

15. Build Background • What do the students already know and bring to the discussion? • What is missing or incomplete? • What strategies will you use to activate the student’s background knowledge? • What will I need to teach and what materials will I use to fill in the gaps my students might have? • Are there language forms or structures that my students will need? Are there equivalent structures in their primary language? • Can I pre-teach these language structures? How?

16. Using Media

17. Find Someone Who…

18. Selecting Words to Teach • Select words that are important for understanding the selection. • Do not exceed the number of words that a student can remember (say around six to ten per lesson, depending on the learners’ age or stage of proficiency). • Select words that can advance student’s word learning skills (words with particular prefixes or suffixes, for example) • Teach words that are frequent, useful, and likely to be encountered in the content area. They should be highly transferrable to other content units or content areas. • Be sure that you select an appropriately leveled passage to begin with, one for which you will only need to teach a small number of words prior to reading.

19. Frayer Model—Team Work Definition Characteristics Word Non-Examples Examples

20. Discussion Web Reasons No Yes Conclusion

21. Discussion Web Reasons No Yes Was it all right for Jack to take things from the giant’s castle? Conclusion

22. Discussion Web Reasons Really Jack’s things anyway Made giant mad Wrong to steal Go to jail Giant was mean No Yes Was it all right for Jack to take things from the giant’s castle? Made the giant’s wife help Jack Jack probably didn’t think it was stealing Giant had killed Jack’s dad Jack got trapped Conclusion

23. Discussion Web Reasons No Yes Should people be forced to use more solar energy? Conclusion

24. Contact information • Connie Smith, Instructional Consultant Tulare County Office of Education 7000 Doe Avenue, Suite A Visalia, CA 93291 connies@ers.tcoe.org • Templates are available at http://commoncore.tcoe.org