The “Ls” ELLs Need: Learning, Language, Literacy

1. The “Ls” ELLs Need: Learning, Language, Literacy Maryann Cucchiara macucchiara@gmail.com

2. An Immigrant’s Tale Dear Mrs. Robbin I really not need humanity 20 writing class because since time I come to United State all my friend speak english. Until now everyone understand me and I don’t need study english. I have no communication problem with my friend in dorm. My english teacher in high school key person to teach me. My teacher explain to me that how important the book was for the student and persuaded me read many book. I get A in English through out high school and I never take ESL. I gree that some student need class but you have not made a correct decision put me in english class. Please do not make me lose the face. I have confident in english. Letter to Robin Scarcella from Van Requesting an Exemption from UCI’s ESL Requirement

3. Reading with Stamina, Fluency, and Critically: Getting Ready for College • “It seems to me curious, not to say obscene and thoroughly terrifying that it could occur to an association of human beings drawn together through need and chance and for profit into a company, an organ of journalism, to pry intimately into the lives of an undefended and appallingly damaged group of human beings, an ignorant and helpless rural family, for the purpose of parading the nakedness, disadvantage, and humiliation of these lives before another group of human beings.” • From Let us Now Praise Famous Men, James Agee

4. English Language Learners: The L2 Stall BICS quickly learned by Grade 3 ELLS are comfortable and not as focused on language, form and function Reading becomes harder, more complex just around the time that ELLS and teachers become more relaxed This comfort zone leads all to be less focused on language, meaning and use across content areas Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore and Dr. Katherine Snow Why Reading is Hard

5. Impact of Dr. Fillmore’s Work • “Children can only augment their knowledge base when they read IF they can make sense of what they read.” “The thicker the glacier the faster it moves. That’s because the greater weight of the glacier causes the crystals of ice to creep more rapidly.”

6. A Closer Look at the Text: “The thicker the glacier the faster it moves. That’s because the greater weight of the glacier causes crystals of ice to creep more rapidly. Also, a steep glacier will flow much more quickly than one on level land. Temperature is a third factor that affects the speed of a glacier. The warmer the glacier the faster the ice moves because there is a greater amount of meltwater beneath the ice. In fact, scientists sometimes group glaciers together depending upon whether they are cold or warm. But even “warm” glaciers are still freezing. Some glaciers move so slowly that you might not notice their movement for a long time. The cold Alaskan glaciers in this aerial photo creep downhill at only about six inches per year. But there are some steep, warm glaciers that flow more than one hundred feet a day.” Icebergs andGlaciers, by Seymour Simon

7. What is the “Catch 22”, the glitch…..??? • ELLs become too comfortable and pay less attention to how English works • This happens at around the same time as the reading gets harder, the CALP occurrences are greater, the content is more rigorous, and the high stakes exams are pending

8. Compounding the Problem • “Students who are classified as ELs are usually grouped for instruction. The instruction they are given is generally pitched at a lower level than instruction provided for English proficient students. • The texts used in such classes are usually less complex, less informative, and less demanding than those ordinarily used. As a result such texts rarely if ever provide any exposure to the kind of language students need to learn and use in carrying out academic work; • Less is asked and expected of students in such classes, and many of them lose hope in making academic progress, and sadly––their faith in their own ability to learn.” • Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore

9. Why the Lag for ELLs? Too much variability in understanding and beliefs around what ELLs need to meet any standards Too much confusion from a variety of fragmented and isolated literacy approaches Far too many long term ELLs, far too many ELLS/SPED, far too many pull-out, and way too much of watered down texts and curriculum Too much of a “pot luck” approach Lily Wong Fillmore

10. And for ELLs and SPED and any at risk student: “The materials that are so greatly simplified that they provide virtually no exposure to the forms and structures of academic language they should be learning.” Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore, 2010

11. Furthermore, if research shows… Teacher talk contains little academic discourse (CALP) The most reliable source of academic discourse (CALP) comes from written texts. Then….. Dr. Fillmore’s suggestion: “Have each teacher explore 1 or 2 “juicy” sentences found in their content texts each day….”

12. An Unexpected Consequence BICS B A Cognitively Undemanding Context Embedded Context Reduced D C Cognitively Demanding CALP

13. Text Complexity Matters!!! The most important implication of this study was that a pedagogy focused only on “higher-order” or “critical” thinking was insufficient to ensure that students were ready for college and careers: what students could read, in terms of its complexity, was at least as important as what they could do with what they read.”

14. Complex Texts and Complex Tasks “ Worse still, what little expository reading students are asked to do is too often of the superficial variety that involves skimming and scanning for particular, discrete pieces of information; such reading is unlikely to prepare students for the cognitive demand of true understanding of complex text.”

15. What is Academic Language Planning Your Trip to Antarctica by Lucy Jane Bledsoe Why would anyone go to Antarctica? It’s the coldest, windiest, driest, and most remote continent on Earth. Winds coming from the South Pole can howl across the ice at 200 miles an hour. The temperature can drop to 100 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (–73° C). An ice sheet, three miles thick in places, covers 98 percent of the continent, giving it the nickname the Ice. There are only two ways to get there: by plane, which, if it flies into a blizzard, might not be able to land; or by ship across the roughest seas on Earth. If you’re the kind of person who says, “Yeah! Sign me up!” when you read those kinds of facts, then Antarctica is the continent for you.

16. Where does the answer reside? What Academic Language is Needed? • What does paragraph 1 suggest about the continent of Antarctica? • A. Scientists rarely are able to research Antarctica. • B. There are many different landforms in Antarctica. • C. People know very little about the history of Antarctica. • D. Antarctica experiences some of the most severe weather in the world

17. Complex Texts, Complex Tasks • Based on the selection, explain why a trip to Antarctica could be considered a great adventure. Support your answer with important information from the selection.

18. The Language that Frames the Big Ideas Lurking inside this Complex Texts 5 Nested Components of Academic Language: Phonological: Remote Lexical: far, distant, isolated, remote Grammatical: “….the most remote continent on this earth.” Sociolinguistic: Expository: Conveying Information as an Expert Discourse: Science/Geography Robin Scarcella, Academic English, A Conceptual Framework

19. Productive Mindset for a Transformation • “Professional development – what little is invested is too often spent on forms of training aimed at improving things at the margins rather than developing structures aimed at causing teachers and administrators to think differently about their work and work differently because of what they come to think.” (Schlechty, 1990)

20. Why was Change Needed? • Closing the “Opportunity Gap” • L2 Stall • Fragmented Approaches • ESL Teacher Isolation • Simplified Materials regardless of ESL Level • CCSSs

21. Cycle of Change

22. Stages of Learning: Fisher, 1998

23. Becoming Aware: Gathering Baseline Data through Learning Walks • CALP Observation Protocols • Along the Pathway Classroom Practices • Teacher Self Evaluation Surveys • Observation Protocol for CCSS

24. Gathering Baseline Data: Working with Instructional Leaders

25. The Culprit: Simplified Texts Frogs are outside his house. They are quiet in the daytime. They are noisy at night. It is nighttime. The frogs are singing. He grabs a flashlight. He goes outside. He shines the light on a frog. It hops. He picks it up. It is soft and wet. It kicks its legs. He puts it down.

26. The Culprit: Simplified Tasks

27. The Reality: Complex Texts, Complex Ideas Tiny poison dart frogs may only be one inch (2.5 centimeters) long, but they pack a powerful punch—of poison. Weighing less than an ounce (28 grams), these frogs are considered one of Earth's most toxic, or poisonous, species. For example, the golden poison dart frog has enough poison to kill 20,000 mice. With a range of bright colors—yellows, oranges, reds, greens, blues—they aren't just big show-offs, either. Those colorful designs tell potential predators, "I'm toxic. Don't eat me."

28. The Reality: EquallyComplex Tasks • After multiple opportunities to read informational texts and use information/facts students will write a report about what they have learned about frogs.

29. Becoming Aware: Building a Deep Understanding of Language, Literacy and Learning Year 1 • Reliable Research: Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore • Study Groups • Summer Institutes

30. Thinking Differently • From Remedial Approach to Acceleration • From Simplified to Amplified • From Everyday to Academic • From Pull out to Push in and Co-teach • From Isolated ESL Skills to Knowledge Building • From Everyday Topics to Content Themes • From an “Achievement Gap” to an “Opportunity Gap” • From “Near Home” to “Far Away” Literacy and Language Practices

31. What’s needed • Accessto “input” that contains instances of forms to be learned, and to meaning. No access to meaning, the input is not usable. Attentionto the forms to be learned and the relationship of form, function and meaning. If language is not noticed, there is no “uptake • Active Engagement with and thinking about the language in instructional conversations and putting it to own use. If there is no engagement or no thought, it remains inert. Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore, April 2009

32. High Leverage Language Practices • Previewing Vocabulary: Emphasis on Tier 2, Rigor and Play • RA/TA: “Landing Places” with the RA/TA to highlight/Amplify text • Shared/Guided reading time which explored language that framed big ideas/concepts within texts • Role of Mini Lesson: “Lifting the text” to study “author’s craft” and the language that he/she uses to frame ideas

33. Becoming Aware: The Journey

34. “From Tacit, to Aware, to Strategic to Reflective” (Wilhelm)