This year, using Jeff Zwier’s Building Academic Language as a guide, we have examined ways that we can better help our students “talk” the language of school. As we bring this study to a close, I would like to highlight a few last academic language practices offered by Zwiers.
First, it should be re-stated that building academic language requires constant attention. It means devoting time and thought to assist our students with not only the content of what we teach, but the language and grammar of school and the specific disciplines with which we work.
Once that commitment is made, we have to work to find novel and varied ways to foster this language growth. Here are a few more practices that might be of use to you towards that end.
Presentations and Evaluations: While some of us are using student presentations (group and individual), we might want to re-think how we use them, specifically with student audiences. For example, we typically put the emphasis on the product (the presentation), but do we think much about the students who listen to those presentations? In the instances where we do, we typically are more inclined to ask students to evaluate the presentation of their peers, which is good, but not the only way to engage the audience. One potential shift is to turn these presentations into learning experiences for the audience. Perhaps the most basic way of doing this is through quizzes designed by the presenter, but it could be more than that as well. When asked to view multiple presentations, open ended questions can ask viewers to connect dots, or look for trends across the speeches. Or perhaps, you hold viewers accountable by requiring them to develop “thoughtful questions” that can be posed to the presenters at the end of the performance. Doing so encourages students to be more invested in the presentations and develop the language necessary to analyze and synthesize the information.
Professional Conference: A professional conference reminds me of the “authentic assessment” and “problem based learning” movements from the past. Essentially, you ask the students to take on the role of a professional from within the field and to develop a presentation (or display) that they will share with the community of learners in school. This format really drives students to take on the language of a specific field to build or establish their credibility.
Analogy Prompts: Analogy prompts can take the form of writing projects or even small group presentations. Essentially, students are asked to develop a comparison between an important concept from class and an unlikely concept unrelated to the field. The purpose of doing so would be to spotlight an element or aspect of the classroom concept that one might not normally consider. This practice allows students to develop their thinking and employ the language of their discipline that is necessary for a tone of credibility.
Read Alouds: One of the most valuable formative assessments you can do is to have students (one-on-one) read aloud one paragraph for you. You learn a lot about students as they read to you-- perhaps you notice a limited vocabulary or a slow pace. Perhaps they actually read much better than what you had originally assumed. It is time consuming (2-4 minutes per student), and it requires a set-up where you can have a little privacy (so that students don’t feel like they are reading aloud in front of a silent class), but it certainly is valuable. I also have students do student led read alouds, where I pair them (randomly) with a partner, give them a text, and have them read to each other (Partner A reads a page, Partner B summarizes at the end of the page, then reads aloud the next page before Partner A is asked to summarize, and then they repeat the process).
Building academic vocabulary is pretty important, not only to the success of a student in school but to their ability to envision themselves as students. Giving them the tools to “sound” more academic empowers them to feel more like a member of the learning community.
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