Episode 2: More than Words: Supporting Language Minoritized Students’ Academic Language Development and Literacy Success
While the term, ‘academic language’, is frequently used in educational settings, it still remains unclear which skills and practices educators should teach to support learners’ literacy attainment and, in turn, academic success.
While the term, ‘academic language’, is frequently used in educational settings, it still remains unclear which skills and practices educators should teach to support learners’ literacy attainment and, in turn, academic success. In this interactive session, we will unpack what is meant by ‘academic language’ as well as discuss how this language can be taught in classrooms in ways that center our students’ voices. In particular, we will examine how language-focused talk—or metatalk—which uses students’ own language resources and is embedded in day-to-day instruction can support students’ AL development. In this discussion, we will examine the multiple purposes for teaching AL in the classroom, and reflect on how AL instruction can provide students with language resources for critically examining inequality and envisioning social change. This session will conclude by engaging participants in a reimagining of how AL could be taught in their classrooms, schools and districts.
Resources mentioned in Emily Galloway's presentation:
- A tool for identifying Core Academic Language Skills (CALS) in text
- Four hallmarks of instruction that builds language skills
- Lesaux, N. K., Galloway, E. P., & Marietta, S. H. (2016). Teaching Advanced Literacy Skills: A Guide for Leaders in Linguistically Diverse Schools. Guilford Publications.
- Uccelli, P., & Phillips Galloway, E. (2017). Academic Language Across Content Areas: Lessons From an Innovative Assessment and From Students’ Reflections About Language. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy: A Journal from the International Reading Association, 60(4), 395–404. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.553
- A Series of Topic Briefs: http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/curriculum-instruction/literacy-briefs-walkthrough.pdf
Resources mentioned in the webinar chat:
- https://edsitement.neh.gov/ (Lesson plans and teacher's guides)
- STARI: https://www.serpinstitute.org/stari
- WordGen: https://www.serpinstitute.org/wordgen-weekly
Registration form
Associated resources
These briefs are designed to aid New York State educators in implementing the NYS Next Generation Learning Standards; complement and support the Next Generation Standards and related documents
Educators are aware of the need to promote students’ academic language to support text comprehension. Yet, besides teaching academic vocabulary, many educators continue to ask, What would this instruction entail?
Word Generation emphasizes 21st century learning goals, such as using academic language, developing an argument, reasoning analytically, reading to find evidence, reviewing data, discussing various perspectives, engaging in debate, and expressing well-reasoned positions in writing
STARI, our reading intervention program, is a literature-focused, Tier II intervention for students in grades 6-9 who read two or more years below grade level
EDSITEment is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Trust for the Humanities.
Monster, P.I. is an app-based, gamified diagnostic assessment that measures written language skills
The Ohio Adolescent Literacy Network is a standing committee of regional support specialists who are collectively responsible for supporting literacy initiatives in middle and high schools across the state.
Ohio’s Statewide System of Support: Building State, Regional, and Local Capacity to Improve Instructional Practice and Student Achievement.
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