| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| October 16, 2023 | 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm |
Jeff Zwiers (2006) notes that the middle grades offer important opportunties for closing the achievement gaps in content, cognition, language, and literacy between English as an Additional Language (EAL) students and proficienct speakers of the school language. One of the primary reasons for these gaps is the EAL students' lack of academic language proficiency in English (Scarcella, 2003). Academic language encompasses the cognitive, linguistic, cultural, and displine-specifi features of discourse found in school and beyond. This means that all teachers, not only Humanities teachers, are responsible for EAL students' academic language proficiency skills. And yes, this includes Phys. Ed. and CTS teachers too. There is a lot of discipline specific vocabulary and discourse happening in those areas of instruction as well.
This session will look at two of the cornerstones of academic literacy: vocabulary and discourse, and what routines teachers can use to develop them.
Junior High Teachers
Educational Assistants, Support Staff, Instructional Coaches, District Leaders/Consultants
