Book’s Blog 9

Chapter 6      
Developing Academic Vocabulary and Writing Content and Language Objectives

The Freemans focus on the word level in this chapter. I have found them offer specific ways teachers can Help ELLs and struggling readers develop academic vocabulary. I like how they look at the history of the English language to trace how academic words entered the vocabulary and how they distinguish between 2 types of academic words:

a)     Content-specific words.

b)     General academic words.

They summarize 4 procedures of Graves (2006) that teachers should follow to ensure effective vocabulary development:

1-     Provide rich and varied language proficiency.

2-     Teach individual words.

3-     Teach word-learning strategies.

4-     Foster word consciousness.

They argue that researchers have found these 4 keys very essential for developing academic vocabulary. For each of these, they provide examples of academic language and targeted strategies teachers can use as they teach academic vocabulary. They cover different contents such as language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. For example, they talk about developing math vocabulary through daily math journals (130). They also examine subject-specific textbooks, describing the challenges these pose for students and recommending ways to make texts more accessible to ELLs and struggling readers.

For getting an effective approach to teach individual words, they describe Marzano’scomprehensive approach that has 6 steps. They describe these steps and how the approach could be used in any content area and be modified to meet the needs of ELLs. Then, the Freemans offer some strategies for building vocabulary such as:

-        Using context clues.

-        Using word parts.

-        Using dictionaries and related reference tools.

-        Using cognates.

To teach both content and academic language, I have enjoyed their suggestions of how they recommend teachers to plan carefully by using a backward planning design. It is a good model for including both content and language objectives. Backward design includes 3 steps:

1)     Identify desired result.

2)     Decide how you will determine if students have achieved those results.

3)     Plan instruction and learning experiences.

These steps should be involved in teaching language. Teachers should identify aspects of academic language students should learn, decide how to determine if students have achieved those results, and plan instruction and learning experiences to help students achieve those results. They state that content objectives are taken from content-area standards and specify the knowledge and skills students are expected to develop language objectives. In planning for language instruction, teachers must develop language objectives as well as content objectives for their lessons. Language objectives specify the language forms and functions students should develop to comprehend and express the content they are studying. They give some examples of related content and language objectives that are particularly important for ELLs.

One of the interesting quote from this chapter is the following:

"Any effective approach to helping ELLs and
struggling readers develop academic language
proficiency must include teaching academic
language at the text, paragraph, sentence,

and word levels" (p. 143).

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