Academic Language

Table of Contents
• Early Experiences
• Social Language and Context
• Purposes of Language
• Functions
• Forms
• Discourse and Syntax
• Brick-and-Mortar Words
• Strategies
What Is Language?

Complete Boxes #1, #2, and #3

on your worksheet
Definitions of Language

• Our definitions
• Webster’s definition: words, their
pronunciation, and the methods used
to combine them and be understood
by a community
EARLY EXPERIENCES
WITH LANGUAGE
• Most children first develop their receptive
language and then their expressive language.
• Somewhere between the ages of 1 and 2, most
young children begin to speak their first words,
then phrases, and eventually complete sentences.
They mimic the language they hear around them,
which is generally produced by family members
or caregivers.
• The vocabulary they produce, the purposes for
speaking, and the frequency of talk are all
determined by the social factors of the
community in which they are developing.
• “Schools often operate in ways that advantage
certain children and disadvantage others, causing
distinct outcomes that align with social and
political forces in the larger context. Institutional
support for the primary language and students
who speak it is a prime factor in school success
for these students” (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 2006, p.
24).
• Students who have interacted with fewer novel
vocabulary words struggle with acquiring a
broader vocabulary set. This is likely due to their
lack of relevant schema, or background
knowledge.
 The 30-Million Word Gap

Professional Working Welfare

Class. Class lass Class
Class

P C P C P C

Recorded 2176 1116 1498 749 974 525

vocabulary
Utterances per 487 310 301 223 176 168
Hour

(Hart & Risley, 1995)

Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com

So What?

• Merely being exposed to, or even engaged

in, an activity in English is not sufficient to
ensure academic success or English
language development (Doughty & Williams,
1998; Scarcella & Oxford, 1998).

• Academic language must be intentionally

and purposefully taught to K-12 students.
SOCIAL LANGUAGE AND
CONTEXT
 Why Don’t You Understand?
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(http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/198573-overview)
Academic vs. Social

• Based on what you know language is, what

do you think academic language is?
• How does it differ from social language?
• Can you give some examples of each?
Academic Language Is . . .
• The language used in the classroom and
workplace
• The language of text
• The language of assessments
• The language of academic success
• The language of power

• 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 and be(Dutro
at &aMoran,
higher2003)

risk of dropping out of school.

Social Language Is . . .
• When using social, or informal, English in
daily conversation, it’s 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
(Dutro & Moran, 2003)
Recognizing Social vs. Academic
Language
Informal Language Academic Language

repetition of words variety of words, more

sophisticated vocabulary

sentences start with sentences start with transition

“and” and “but” words, such as “however,”
“moreover,” and “in addition”

use of slang: “guy,” “cool,” and No slang

“awesome”

(Dutro & Moran, 2003)

PURPOSE OF LANGUAGE
• Remember that academic language is all about
providing equity and access for those children
who seem destined to fail even before they enter
school.
• The definition of academic language can be
divided into two distinct parts that are connected
to one another, but are useful to look at
separately before putting them back together
when determining how to support these
struggling students.
• These two parts are the purposes of language
(functions) and the structures of language
(forms: syntax or discourse).
Developing Functions
• Functions (Dutro & Moran, 2003)
• The tasks or purposes and uses of
language.
• We use language to accomplish
something in formal or informal settings
for social or academic purposes.
• Social purposes include exchanging
greetings, expressing needs, making
jokes, indicating agreement or
disagreement, participating in personal
conversations, etc.
Examples of Academic Functions
• Navigating written text
• Asking/answering informational questions
• Asking/answering clarifying questions
• Relating information
• Comparing and contrasting
• Explaining cause and effect
• Justifying and persuading
• Drawing conclusions
• Summarizing
• Evaluating
• Conducting research
(Dutro & Moran, 2003)
Examples of Academic Functions:
Comparing/Contrasting
• Stage 1: big ocean
small lake
• Stage 2: An ocean is big.
A lake is small.
• Stage 3: An ocean is larger than a lake.
• Stage 4: An ocean is enormous compared with
a lake.
• Stage 5: An ocean is vast. Even the largest
lake is small by comparison.

(Dutro & Moran, 2003)

Forms: Syntax and Discourse
• Syntax is the grammatical features and word
usage of written or oral communication: the tools
necessary for discourse, for reading and writing,
for using complex language, and for engaging in
cognitive processes (Dutro & Moran, 2003).
• Gee (1990) defines discourse as “a socially
accepted association among ways of using
language, of thinking, feeling, believing, valuing,
and acting that can be used to identify oneself as
a member of the socially accepted group” (p.
143).
Structures/Forms

Syntax

Phonology Structures Semantics

Morphology

(Dutro & Moran, 2003)

Forms Include:
• Parts of speech
• Verb tenses
• Subject/verb agreement
• Use of pronouns
• Conjunctions
• Sentence structure and syntax
• Brick-and-mortar words/phrases

(Dutro & Moran, 2003)

It’s Just like Star Wars

“Much to learn, you still

have.”

“So certain are you.

Always with you it
cannot be done. Hear
you nothing that I
say?"
Brick and Mortar

• “Brick” words are the vocabulary specific

to the content and the concepts being
taught.

• They include such words as government,

democracy, line, tone, mitosis, anaphase,
metaphor, theme. subjunctive, variable,
algorithm, etc.
(Dutro & Moran, 2003)
Brick and Mortar

• “Mortar” words and phrases are the basic

and general utility vocabulary required for
constructing sentences. They are words
that determine relationships between and
among words. They are words that hold
our language together and are essential to
comprehension
(Dutro & Moran, 2003)
Mortar Words and Phrases
• Connecting words: because, then, but,
sometimes, before, therefore, however, and
whereas
• Prepositions and prepositional phrases: on,
in, under, behind, next to, in front of, between,
among, and in the background
• Basic regular and irregular verbs: leave, live,
eat, use, saw, and went
• Pronouns: she, he, his, their, it, each other, and
themselves
• Academic vocabulary: notice, think, analyze,
plan, compare, proof, and characteristics
(Dutro & Moran, 2003)
Brick and Mortar
• Sentence Frame:
• ________ have __________,
whereas________ have _____________.

• Marine mammals have lungs, whereas

ocean fish have gills.

• Providing the mortar words will enable

students in this example to use language
to compare and contrast
(Dutro & Moran, 2003)
Strategies to Support Academic
Language Acquisition
Strategies to Support Academic
Language Acquisition
• Sentence Frames:
• 3 + __ = 9
• What can you do? I can ____.
• I would classify _______ and _________
together, because __________.
• ____________ and ___________ are different
because _____________.
• __________ wanted, but ___________ so
____________.
You Do

• Each group will receive an intermediate-

grade science or social studies teacher’s
edition.
• Determine the academic vocabulary and
academic demands needed to comprehend
the lesson.
A Few Points about Vocabulary to
Remember . . .
• Students need to be exposed to words auditorily
before they can read them or spell them.
• There is a difference between sight words and
vocabulary words.
• State Academic Vocabulary documents are a
guide, and the words listed are not necessarily
going to be tested on State Standardized Tests.
• These words were chosen because of their need
for enduring understanding or as a prerequisite
for other enduring understanding.
A Few Points about Vocabulary to
Remember . . .

• Be careful of the blind spot

Summary
• As with any robust instruction, the first step is
knowing your students and their interests and
background knowledge.
• Figuring out their individual levels of language
proficiency will be fundamental to their success in
school and, therefore, beyond school.
• Getting a grasp on a students’ vocabulary
knowledge can be accomplished through
conversation and quick formative assessments.
Exit Ticket

Complete Box #4
and turn in your paper
References
Diaz-Rico, L. T., & Weed, K. Z. (2006). Cross cultural, language and academic development handbook:
A complete k-12 reference guide (3rd ed). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Doughty, C. & Williams, J. (Eds.). (1998). Focus on form in classroom second language acquisition.
Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Dutro, S. & Moran, C. (2003). Rethinking English language instruction: An architectural approach. In G.
Garcia (Ed.)., English language learners: Reaching the highest level of English literacy. Newark, DE:
International Reading Association.

Gee, J. P. (1990). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses. London, England:
Falmer Press.

Hart. B & Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday lives of young American children.
Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Scarcella, R. C. & Oxford, R. L. (1998). The tapestry of learning: The individual in the communicative
classroom. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.