Strategies for Teaching Language

All teachers of English learners must be language teachers. English learners are learning English
continuously and teachers need to be explicit in their instruction of language in the content areas
for ELLs to achieve academically.
Discuss the following two questions with a partner.

How do you already teach the language of the content area in your class?

In what ways do/dont these strategies meet the needs of English learners in your class?

Name two important ideas all teachers should know about teaching language to ELLs.
1.
2.

ELL students have different English proficiency levels.

All English learners are not the same. Some know English almost fluently and some not at all.
Others speak English fluently, but struggle to read or write in the language.
The state of Vermont is part of the WIDA Consortium which was established by a group of
states to meet the requirements of NCLB for English language learners. As a member of this
consortium, Vermont participates in the standards and assessment program that assesses the
proficiency levels of all ELLs in the state.
There are 6 levels of proficiency with Level 1 being the lowest and Level 6 being the highest.
Students proficiency levels are rated in four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
A composite score is given that is a combination of the students proficiency level in the four
domains. Thus, we may say that an ELL student is a Level 2.
To teach language and content to ELLS, teachers must know what language the student can
understand and produce.

ACTIVITY
Review the document on the next page, the WIDA Can Do Indicators.
Together with a partner or small group, complete the exercise on the page following the chart by
identifying appropriate questions or tasks for students at varying proficiency levels.

Strategy: Leveled Questions

(from Herrell & Jordan, 2004)
Goal: to ask students of varying proficiency levels the kinds of questions they can answer.
Directions: Using the WIDA Can Do Indicators, decide what English language proficiency level
the question or task is. Write a number from 1-5 next to the question.
Example: Close your books and look at the overhead. _____________

a) Point to the picture of the cat.

____________

b) How did you do that?

____________

c) Tell me about what happened yesterday.

____________

d) What is that?

____________

e) Label the picture.

____________

f) How do you think the story will end?

____________

g) How are these animals the same or different?

____________

h) Summarize the story.

____________

i) What would happen if

____________

j) Make a list of

____________

k) Go to the board.

____________

l) Listen to the story. Put the pictures in order.

____________

m) Who has the eraser?

____________

n) Is this a pen or a pencil?

____________

o) Can you give that to me?

____________

p) How many people live in Vermont?

____________

q) Describe how you got that answer.

____________

Academic language must be explicitly taught.

Academic language is the language a student needs to participate in and access the curriculum.
It contrasts with the social language that a student learns to interact with peers in school and in
the community. It is cognitively and grammatically complex and difficult to acquire; it must be
learned.
Cummins distinguishes social language (BICS) from academic language (CALP) according to
the amount of context and the level of cognitive demand of the message.

Cognitively Undemanding Language

Contextembedded
language

Contextreduced
language

Cognitively Demanding Language

Which quadrant represents language that is hard to understand?

In which quadrants would academic language be found?

Chamot & OMalley (1994) describe academic language as follows:

Academic language has very specific purposes, including imparting new information,
describing abstract ideas, and developing students conceptual understanding. These
purposes are cognitively demanding, thus increasing the comprehension difficulties
students experience (p. 40)

Dutro and Moran (2003) define academic language as having three features: functions, forms,
and fluency.

AL

COGNITIVE TASKS

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

explain
infer
analyze
synthesize
draw conclusions
compare & contrast
persuade

FUNCTIONS

language of literacy and

formal writing
narrative and expository
text structure
syntax and sentence
structure
grammatical features (parts
of speech, verb tense, mood
and subject-verb
agreement)
academic vocabulary

FORMS

P
PROFICIENCY
Accurate and fluent use of English
includes:
ease of comprehension and
production
automaticity in reading and
writing
appropriateness of discourse
style
facility of language used for
a wide range of purposes

FLUENCY

From Dutro, S. & Moran, C. (2003). Rethinking English Language Instruction: An Architectural Approach in
Garcia, G. (Ed.), English Learners: Reaching the Highest Level of English Literacy.
Adaptation by Elizabeth ODowd, 2005.

Chamot & OMalley (1994) created a list of some of the academic language functions. This list
is copied on the next page.

Here is another list of academic language functions.

Identify
Compare
Order
Analyze
Hypothesize
Create
Suggest
Define
Summarize
Interpret
Contrast
Restate

Inform
Explain
Sequence
Infer
Reason
Justify
Convince
Determine
Evaluate
Discuss
Formulate
Name

Describe
Recount
Classify
Predict
Generate
Persuade
Solve
Synthesize
React
Report
Retell
Label

So what can teachers do to teach academic language? They need to be very aware of the
language demands of the class and the content areas. This takes time and focus. One strategy to
help teachers become more aware of the language demands of their classes is Language
Framework Planning (Herrell & Jordan, 2004).

Strategy: Language Framework Planning

From Herrell & Jordan, 2004.
Goal: to help teachers identify what language the student needs in order to be successful in class.
Directions: Using the chart, identify the language an English language learner would need to
have or learn in order to participate in an activity in your class. Refer to a lesson you are very
familiar with.
Example: A lesson on comparing numbers and fractions for ELP level 1 and 2 students in grades
6-8.
Topic

Activities
Compare two
Comparing numbers and
decide which is
fractions
greater than, less
than or equal to.
Use symbols <,
>, or = between
two fractions or
whole numbers.

Language Functions
Compare

Language Structures
____ is more than
____.
_____ is less than
____.

Justify

Evaluate

Write

____ is equal to ____.

One third is bigger
than one fourth
because ________.
Which is more?
I agree.
I disagree.
Raise your hand if you
agree.
<
>
=

Use the chart on the next page to analyze a lesson you are very familiar with.

Vocabulary
One fourth
One third
One half
One whole
Two thirds
Two fourths
Two halves
Three fourths
Three thirds
Four fourths

Language Framework Planning

(Herrell & Jordan, 2004)
Lesson Title ________________________
Topic

Activities

ELP Level of Student(s) ______________

Language Function

Grade Level ____________

Language Structures

Vocabulary