Academic Language for
English Language Learners
Featuring
Dr. Robin Scarcella, University of California at Irvine
Hosted by
Delia Pompa, National Council of La Raza
Available on demand | www.ColorinColorado.org/webcasts
What is academic language?
Academic language is:
the language used in the classroom and workplace
the language of text
the language assessments
the language of academic success
the language of power
Note: To see an extended introduction to academic language, look at chapters 4
and 5 of the Doing What Works Digital Workshop about Teaching Reading to
English Language Learners.
Why is academic language so important?
Students who master academic language are more likely
to:
be successful in academic and professional settings
Students who do not learn academic language may:
struggle academically
be at a higher risk of dropping out of school
Academic language in action:
Two writing samples from a university ESL student
Letter #1: Before Academic Language Instruction
Dear Mrs. Robbin,
I really not need humanity 20 writing class because since time I come to United State all my
friend speak language. Until now everyone understand me and I dont need study language.
I dont know Vietnam language. I speak only English. I have no communication problem with
my friend in dorm. My English teacher in high school key person to teach me.
My teacher explained 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 has not made a correct decision put me in English
class. Please do not makes me lose the face. I have confident in English.
Academic language in action (cont.):
Letter #2: After Academic Language Instruction
Hi Robin, I am apologize for having to send you this information at the last minute. I still
need a letter. This letter should discuss my qualifications, skills and accomplishments. It
should be written on letterhead and addressed To Whom It May Concern and submitted
with a Recommendation Form (which I will give to you tomorrow).
Please write a letter that addresses my academic achievement, seriousness of purpose,
personal maturity, and whether or not I possess the skills necessary to adapt to a new
environment. Also, please address my ability to think analytically, my aptitude, my overall
maturity and my independence. Thank you so much Robin for doing this for me. I truly
appreciate it. Let me know if you have any last minute questions.
Social language vs. academic language
When using social, or informal, English in daily conversation,
its possible to communicate by using slang and without
using English in a grammatically correct way
You can be understood without using:
articles
prepositions
sophisticated vocabulary
pronoun reference
Note: Read more about the difference between social and academic language at
Colorn Colorado.
Do students need to master social language first?
In the United States, we tend to teach informal survival
English first, and then academic language
However, it is possible to lay the foundation for academic
language while teaching conversation skills
Recognizing social vs. academic language
When comparing social and academic language, students should
look for the following differences:
Informal Language
Academic Language
repetition of words
variety of words, more
sophisticated vocabulary
sentences start with
and and but
sentences start with transition
words, such as however,
moreover, and in addition
use of slang: guy, cool, and
awesome
No slang
Note: This chart may not appear on printouts of the outline format.
Activity Idea:
Recognizing social v. academic language
Passage comparison is an effective way to teach students
how to recognize the differences between social and
academic language
1. Give students 2 passages one using informal language, and
one using academic English
2. Ask students to compare the passages step-by-step in groups
or with a partner
3. Have groups write a list of differences between the kinds of
languages used, and discuss their findings
4. Repeat this exercise with numerous passages until students are
able to recognize the differences between social and academic
language
Academic language in oral expression
Academic language is also a part of speaking
Mastering oral academic language will allow students to
participate in:
academic discussions
debates
presentations in front of their peers
Activity Idea:
Practicing oral academic language
1. Prepare students to speak in front of others by teaching them
academic words and grammatical features that would be
used in a presentation, such as:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The topic of my presentation is
First, I will provide some background information
In conclusion
Are there any questions?
Activity Idea:
Practicing oral academic language
(cont.)
2. Have students practice these expressions in pairs before
doing an oral presentation
Helping students prepare for presentations with a partner
will:
increase their confidence
give them more opportunities to practice using their academic
language
Using academic language in a students native
language
As with reading skills, if students have acquired academic
language in their first language, they will be able to acquire
academic language much more quickly in their second
language
At what age should academic language
instruction begin?
Preschool through 3rd grade
Students need to learn age-appropriate vocabulary and
language that will give them a strong foundation for academic
language in the future
4th grade through 8th grade
Instruction should transition in order to teach students more
sophisticated academic language skills, including vocabulary
and grammatical structures
Note: Formal academic language instruction should begin in 4 th grade.
At what age should academic language
instruction begin? (cont.)
9th grade through 12th grade
Students need to know a large vocabulary of academic words
used across academic disciplines, and they need to have access
to and use more complicated grammatical structures
Note: Learn more about ELLs in Middle and High School from the related webcast
on Colorn Colorado.
Instruction for young children
What does age-appropriate instruction look like for young
children?
Young children are good language learners, and are eager to
learn new words and participate in conversation
Teachers of young students can build a foundation for future
academic language skills
Instruction for young children (cont.)
Example: Show and Tell
1. When organizing a Show and Tell session, teach young children
the phrase: Im going to share an experience I had.
2. From this phrase, children learn two new words:
1. share rather than tell or talk about
2. experience
This exercise would be more appropriate than literary analysis,
which is appropriate for older students
Linguistic concepts and academic language
Academic language includes many areas of language such
as:
phonology and spelling
Examples: Pronunciation stress shifts
Anthropology v. anthropological
Morphology v. morphological
manipulate v. manipulation
Although these words are closely related and look very similar,
they have spelling and pronunciation differences that may be
confusing to English language learners
Linguistic concepts and academic language
Academic language also includes:
(cont.)
vocabulary
Points to remember:
Vocabulary knowledge plays an important role in a
students ability to understand the language used in
academic assessments
Ongoing, systematic instruction is needed to help students
expand their academic vocabulary
Students need to know how to use a word as well as its
definition
Note: Read more about vocabulary development at Colorn Colorado.
Linguistic concepts and academic language
(cont.)
Example: Teaching vocabulary
anthropology
Vocabulary teaching technique
1. Repeat word 3 times
2. Show student a sentence using the target word from their
textbook
3. Talk about how it is used
4. Make up new sentences using the word
5. Have students practice using the word with partners
6. Remember that some students need more practice than
others to use language accurately
Note: To learn about other concepts included in academic language, review Dr.
Scarcellas interview for the Doing What Works website.
Choosing what to teach in academic language
instruction
Teachers should teach language that will help students
access the text or content:
When teaching reading comprehension, teachers should
identify language that students will have difficulty
understanding and will undermine students ability to
comprehend text
This language may include:
an academic vocabulary word (such as stimulate)
a preposition (between)
an adverb (hardly)
a conjunction (and)
a grammatical structure (eitheror)
Academic language and word usage
Explicit, specific instruction of word use is necessary for
English language learners (ELLs)
Example: Word Form and Use
Teach English language learners (ELLs) the difference between
stimulate and stimulation, and how the different forms are
used
When teaching native speakers, a definition for a new
word is often sufficient
Academic language and word usage (cont.)
The definition alone is not sufficient for ELLs
ELLs need to:
understand text and definitions
use the word correctly
produce accurate language with the word
understand the definitions of related words
discuss the text using target words correctly
Activity: Beyond definitions
One way to teach word usage is by using a word bank:
1. Give students a word bank. Discuss the words in the bank
and how they are used in the text. Talk about how you
would use the words
2. Provide students with the definitions and model sentences
for all of the words
3. In pairs, have students discuss usage of the words, and how
the words are being used in the model sentences.
Video segment: Beyond Survival English
Excerpt from Becoming Bilingual, hosted by Rita
Moreno
Becoming Bilingual is a 30-minute PBS program that
examines the challenges of teaching children to read in
a new language, and is the seventh episode of the
award-winning series Launching Young Readers
This full program can be seen on Colorn Colorado or
purchased at our Learning Store
Activity: Close reading
Close reading gives students a chance to slow down
1. Read a short passage aloud to students so they hear the
melody of the language
2. Explain the passage to students
3. Ask students to read the passage, focusing on a few specific
features of academic language, such as pronouns
Example: Close Reading
Have students underline all pronouns and then circle the nouns
to which they refer
Fixed expressions in academic language
Fixed expressions (also called collocations) are another
important area of academic language, such as:
peanut butter and jelly (not jelly and peanut butter)
salt and pepper (not pepper and salt)
Mr. and Mrs. (not Mrs. and Mr.)
Using these kinds of expressions correctly is an important
step in learning a second language well
Collocations serve as a marker of being able to speak like a
native speaker
What does close reading accomplish?
Close reading allows students to examine and dissect other
features of the text such as:
pronominal reference (use of pronouns)
synonyms
word families
Talking about the text allows students to incorporate the
authors language into their speech
Activity: Summarization
To get students using academic language, try
summarization:
1. Read a short passage aloud to students
2. Have students read the short passage to themselves and
then summarize verbally to a friend
3. Give students the opportunity to repeat the exercise with
several partners
Through this exercise, students begin to acquire the authors
language, and will get more and more fluent with the language
each round
Activity: Engaging older students
To keep middle and high school students engaged:
1. Explicitly explain the language objective at the beginning of
class: Today were going to work on academic vocabulary
in this passage about poverty, and were going to talk about
ways to eliminate poverty.
2. Choose a topic that older students will find interesting,
such as poverty or another equity issue related to a
passage in your textbook
Activity: Engaging older students (cont.)
3. Ask the students to summarize the text and provide them
with vocabulary words, ideas about ways to end poverty,
and complete sentences and structures to get them going
4. Have students work in pairs, practicing using these
structures such as:
We can stop poverty by
verb + ing
doing the following
Now students can express their own beliefs. These
conversations may serve as the basis for a class
discussion or presentation
Tips for working with older students
Students perform to the expectations we set. If they know we
expect them to think critically about issues and use academic
language, they will
In order to increase confidence:
scaffold instruction to help them acquire the language
allow students adequate time to practice in a safe environment
before getting in front of their classmates
Tips for working with younger students
Keep the material cognitively and linguistically appropriate
Remember that some features of language can be taught
explicitly to young students
Example: Academic language for younger students
Two plus two equals (with an s) four.
Talk about the z sound of a bumble bee, and get students
moving around
Tips for working with younger students
With younger students, use:
songs
jazz chants
Total Physical Response strategies (TPR)
language games and repetition
choral repetition
direct instruction
(cont.)
Does academic language need its own block of
time?
Grades K through 3:
Academic language needs separate instruction, but it also
needs to support the core curriculum
Grades 4 and up:
Academic language needs more explicit instruction. Daily
intensive instruction should include vocabulary, content,
writing, and reading comprehension instruction, as well as
direct scaffolding of oral language
How much time should teachers spend on
academic language instruction?
For younger students, the time varies
If students have big gaps in their basic knowledge, they will
need more time each day
If students dont have instructional gaps in their language skills,
45 minutes a day is sufficient
Older students need more time
Students need more than an hour of daily intensive language
instruction that includes a component of academic language
Tips for academic language and writing
Every time you give a writing assignment, give students
samples to follow so they know what is expected. Multiple
samples are better
Example: Giving students writing tools
In this essay, I expect a thesis statement. This is where it goes,
and this is what it does. Here is an example.
Give students supports, such as:
vocabulary
grammatical structures
tips for organizing essays
Academic writing in the content areas
Content area teachers can also teach writing explicitly
Examples:
lab reports in biology class
persuasive essays in social studies class
word problems in algebra class
One strategy is to:
provide students with examples of academic writing used in
that content area
give students a chance to practice with content-based writing
assignments
offer instructional support and feedback
Importance of feedback
Points to remember:
Its important that academic language instruction include
feedback for both oral and written expression
Example: Uncorrected errors
A student who uses first of all as a single word
(firstable) will not learn that it is an expression of three
words if she is never corrected
The objective of constructive feedback is not punishment or
criticism. Instead, it allows students to learn from their
mistakes
Using a school-wide feedback system
Its helpful if the whole school uses the same system of
proofreading and editing
An editing system may include:
underlining or highlighting words
writing in the margin
using proofreading symbols
Using a school-wide feedback system (cont.)
Advantages of using a school-wide system include:
Students dont have to learn new symbols as they go from one
grade and teacher to the next
Students know exactly what kind of feedback their teachers
are going to give them
They know when the teacher is going to give them this
feedback. They dont consider it punitive because they expect it
Curriculum and content objectives
Points to remember:
When learning new content, ELLs also need to learn the lessons
language objectives in order to understand the content
Every time a teacher chooses a new reading text to help the
students acquire the content standards, students will be exposed
to new language objectives in addition to new content
When students receive reading, writing, or oral assignments,
they will need to learn different language objectives based on
the kind of assignment and what it requires
Who is responsible for teaching academic
language?
In elementary schools, the primary instructor has the
responsibility for laying the foundation of academic language
instruction by teaching a strong language proficiency in:
phonology
spelling
grammar
vocabulary
Teachers in elementary schools can also work closely with
ESL instructors and reading specialists in order to support
language instruction
What is the role of the content teachers at a high
school level?
The content teachers responsibilities do not include:
becoming a reading specialist
becoming an ESL teacher
The ELL instructor is going to be responsible for teaching
academic language and English language development
and proficiency
Note: Read more about teaching content areas to ELLs at Colorn Colorado.
What is the role of the content teachers?
The content teachers responsibilities do include:
teaching reading comprehension by using graphic organizers
and teaching note-taking skills
scaffolding discussions in content-area classes by teaching
related academic vocabulary and using the text
teaching any kind of writing associated with the content area
Example: Teaching language in content classes
A chemistry teacher might teach students the language used in
a lab report or to describe a chemistry experiment
Vocabulary in content instruction
Points to remember:
The best place to teach specific content vocabulary at the high
school level is in the content class, rather than the ESL class
Content vocabulary can be reinforced in the ESL class, but
teaching a vocabulary word within its context will be more
effective
Vocabulary in content instruction (cont.)
Example: photosynthesis
Instruction of this content word will be more effective in a
biology context than in an ESL class
Students will be able to develop a more thorough
understanding of target vocabulary in a content classroom
Academic language and newcomers
Students who arrive late in our system need more instruction
than we have previously estimated
Newcomers need a lot of extra instruction. Some scheduling
options include:
intensive 3- or 4-hour language blocks
summer school
tutoring before and after school
attending school for an extra year
Long-term ELLs and academic language
Points to remember:
Long-term ELLs, or students who have been in the United
States for a longer period of time, are the largest-growing
student population that we have in the U.S.
Students need intensive instruction, as well as opportunities
to practice with ongoing feedback, so that their language
skills improve
These students will acquire the language of their peers and
may have very proficient social language, but they need
academic language so that they can succeed academically
and fulfill their potential
Long-term ELLs and academic language (cont.)
ELL teachers can help long-term ELLs develop their
language skills by using:
dictation exercises
oral sentence completion activities
written cloze passages
summarization and retelling of passages
frequent writing practice with intensive feedback
Independent use of academic language
Points to remember:
As students get older, teacher support needs to pull back so
that students learn how to use academic language
independently
Teachers need to plan explicitly to familiarize students with a
lot of effective learning strategies that they will be able to use
on their own
Resources: Learner dictionaries
One way to help ELLs in 4th grade and above use academic
language independently is through learner dictionaries,
offered by many publishers
Learner dictionaries offer:
a definition
grammatical information
the word used in a sentence
variations of the word
expressions using the word (such as discriminate against)
common errors in usage
Independent use of academic language
Students need to learn skills that will allow them to:
self-edit
continue independent language development in the mainstream
classroom
recognize strengths and weaknesses, such as subject/verb
agreement or word forms and related parts of speech
Administrators and academic language
Administrators can support academic language instruction
by:
investigating the very best curricular programs for teaching
academic language
implementing a coherent program for English language
development (ELD)
observing academic language instruction
ensuring that teachers are prepared to teach academic language
Administrators and professional development
Administrators can also support academic language
instruction by:
giving teachers the opportunity to access high-quality
professional development
ensuring that teachers know how to scaffold content so that they
can identify and teach the language objectives necessary for
students to access the content
Teacher collaboration
Teachers can collaborate on academic language instruction
by:
setting aside lesson planning time in which they come together
to talk about the curriculum for English language development
Collaboration should be happening with:
ESL and ELD coaches
reaching specialists and coaches
administrators
any other specialists in the schools
Online resources
Colorn Colorado:
Writing a Winning Essay
Teaching ELLs to Read
AdLit.org (Adolescent Literacy):
ELL Resources
University of California:
Linguistic Minority Research Institute
Online resources (cont.)
University of California:
ESL Program
Doing What Works (website referred to by Dr. Scarcella):
Academic Language
Teaching Reading to ELLs: Digital Workshop
National Council of Teachers of English:
Teaching Secondary ELL Students
Myths and misconceptions
Myth: It takes students a certain number of years (i.e., 7
years) to acquire academic language
Truth: The amount of time it takes students to master
academic language directly depends on:
exposure to academic language
amount of practice in using academic language
extent of academic language instruction and feedback
Myths and misconceptions (cont.)
Myth: We can teach academic language in an ESL or an
English language development (ELD) class, and then
students dont need more instruction afterwards
Truth: Even after completing ESL instruction:
students need sustained, effective academic language instruction
throughout the upper grades and even in college in order to
master correct usage and expression
Myths and misconceptions (cont.)
Myth: Academic language is easy to assess
Truth: Academic language is actually very poorly defined for
assessment purposes
Research is just beginning to develop that will help us identify
the features of academic language that are assessable at the
various proficiency levels
When we get test scores back on proficiency, weve only got a
slice of what students can do academically
Final thoughts
Points to remember:
Academic language is highly teachable
ELLs are a hard-working group of students who can and have
achieved great heights academically
One of the most effective and important ways to support their
future success is by teaching them academic language
Thank you for joining us for this Colorn Colorado webcast!
For more information about instructing English language learners, please visit
www.ColorinColorado.org
Funding for this Colorn Colorado webcast is provided by the American Federation
of Teachers with additional support from the National Council of La Raza.
