AcademicLanguage

Comparisons
Texttotext
Connections

PapertoPractice:
UsingtheTESOL
PreK12ELP
Standards

AcademicLanguagein
DiverseClassrooms:
Definitionsand
Contexts

TeachingMathematics
toEnglishLanguage
Learners

ScienceforEnglish
LanguageLearners

Definitionof
academiclanguage

Academiclanguage
isthelanguage
necessaryfor
successinschool.

Academiclanguage
referstothe
languageusedin
schooltoacquire
newordeeper
understandingofthe
contentand
communicatethat
understandingto
others.

Languageskills
neededfor
cognitive/academic
tasksinthe
mainstream
classroom.

Academiclanguage
proficiencyrefersto
theabilityto
successfullyuse
languageforreading
andwritingandfor
accessing
informationin
contentareas.

Roleofacademic
language

Academiclanguage
isaregisterof
Englishthatisvery
differentfromsocial
language.It
encompassesthe
discourseofa
language,its
grammarand
vocabulary(general,
specialized,and
technical).

Academiclanguage
isusedtodescribe
complexity(the
causesofthe
FrenchRevolution),
describehigher
orderthinking
(analyzingdatain
math)andto
describeabstraction
(democracy,values
andbeliefs).

Thelanguageof
mathdoesnot
overlapinto
everyday(BICS)
language,whereas
somevocabularyof
othercontentareas
do.Manytermsin
matharehomonyms
withcommon
Englishwords,
makingitespecially
difficultforELsand
evenyoungnative
speakersto
differentiate
betweenthe
implicationsand
definitions.The
languageofmath
alsoincludes
symbols,which
studentsmustlearn
thesymbol,its
name,andwhat
actionitrepresents.
Tofunction
successfullyinmath,
learnersmustbe
abletomakesense
oflogicalconnectors
toindicatea
relationshipbetween

Academiclanguage
isaninternalization
andautomatization
ofdealingwith
cognitivelycomplex
and
decontextualized
languageatthelevel
ofdiscourse.

twoormore
propositions.

Philosophyof
academiclanguage
development
TexttoText
Connections

Comparisonsofthe
processofacademic
language
development

PapertoPractice:
UsingtheTESOL
PreK12ELP
Standards

AcademicLanguage
inDiverse
Classrooms:
Definitionsand
Contexts

Teaching
Mathematicsto
EnglishLanguage
Learners

ScienceforEnglish
LanguageLearners

Academiclanguage
isdeveloped
throughsustained
contentbased
languageinstruction.
ELLsmustreceive
initialandcontinuing
schoolbased
languagesupport.

Academiclanguage
isdevelopmentalfor
allstudents,
increasingin
linguisticcomplexity
throughoutthe
schoolyears.A
languagerich
environmentthat
surroundsstudents
withoralandwritten
discoursecan
stimulate
engagementin
academic
conversationsand
writing.Different
perspective
contributetothe
philosophyof
academiclanguage
development.
Sociocultural
perspectivesview
languagelearning
asasocialpractice,
consideringstudents
asactive
participantsinthe
constructionof
knowledge.Social
actionperspectives
seelanguage
developmentas
actionbased
learninginwhichthe
studentlearns
throughactivities
thatinvolvethe
concept/skilltobe
learned.

Thistextpresents
Cummins
quadrants,inwhich
quadrantIIIinvolves
themostsuitable
environmentforEL
language
acquisition:high
context
embeddedness
(including
comprehensible
input)andhigh
cognitivedemand
(engagingand
thoughtprovoking).

FollowingKrashens
MonitorModelofa
language
development,
studentsbest
acquirelanguagein
anatmospherethat
allowslanguageto
beaccessibleinan
informalsettingthat
reducesanxiety,
increasesmotivation
andpromotes
selfconfidence.Itis
inthistypesetting
thatstudents
becomeunaware
thattheyare
acquiringlanguage.
Languagemustbe
providedwith
comprehensible
inputandjustabove
thelearnerscurrent
levelofcompetence
(i+1).