English Language

Proficiency Standards (ELPS) in the Social

Studies Classroom

Cheryl Chance

Office of Bilingual Education/ESL

Session ObjectivesContent Objectives (TAKS):

Participants will develop background knowledge of why Language Objectives (ELPS) are an essential part of lesson delivery for English language learners.

Participants will be able to describe how Language Objectives (ELPS) differ from Content Objectives (TAKS).

Language Objectives (ELPS):

Participants will orally discuss and categorize Content (TAKS) and Language Objectives (ELPS).

Participants will demonstrate their knowledge of Language Objectives (ELPS) by sharing with the group.

English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)

The English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) were approved by the State Board of Education on November 16, 2007.  These standards will replace the English as a Second Language Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (ESL TEKS) beginning in the 2008-2009 school year and may be found online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/biling/elps.html.

Why are English Language Proficiency Standards Necessary?

Small Group Activity

1. Attain English proficiency,

2. Develop academic language, and

3. Meet the same challenging academic content and achievement standards that all children are expected to meet.

English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)

The ELPS have two components:

• cross-curricular second language acquisition essential knowledge and skills

• proficiency level descriptors (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced High)

Every teacher in any content or enrichment course in the Austin Independent School District who teaches ELLs must teach a language objective as well as a content objective.

The Nature of Language Proficiency:

BICS

Basic

Interpersonal

Communication

Skills

Conversational

CALP

Cognitive

Academic

Language

Proficiency

Textbook language

Academic Language

Academic language is the language used in content area classrooms. It is linked to higher order thinking processes and developed by extensive modeling and scaffolding of classroom talk. In order to develop academic language, students must be immersed in a language-rich, interactive environment.

Academic language unique to Social Studiesthe pastthe presentpoint of viewanalysis of relationshipspersons, places, and eventscause and effect

Teaching Guidelines for Social Studies

• Assess students’ prior knowledge about social studies topics

• Select content objectives from the TEKS• Provide academic language activities in which

students read, write, listen to, discuss, and make presentations on social student content

• Teach and have student practice leaning strategies with all social studies activities

TEKS and ELPS Objectives

Content Objectives are the:

Language Objectives are the :

Writing Language Objectives

• Language Objectives are the HOW of the lesson. Your language objectives should include interaction in the form of discussion (paired and/or cooperative learning activities). Think about specific language skills you want students to develop; include them as language objectives. Then plan the lesson accordingly.

• Most of the language verbs lend themselves to language objectives:

• define (vocabulary is most important)• describe• identify• label• name• spell

• define (vocabulary is most important)

• describe

• identify

• label

• name

• Spell

• compare

• contrast

• explain

• summarize

• rephrase

• interview

• discuss (peer/group work)

• elaborate

• imagine

• predict

• compose

Objectives

CONTENT• Complete a timeline

listing the events leading up to the Revolutionary War.

LANGUAGE• In the reading,

highlight the colonial action in blue and the British reaction in red.

• Explain to a partner your timeline. Use the words first, second, then to show sequence.

Sentence StemsELLs benefit from having language scaffolded through the use of

sentence stems when engaging in activities involving speaking and writing. Stems are used until they have mastered that scaffold. It should not become a “crutch” for the students. Sentence stems:

• Are short phrases that provide models for how to use academic vocabulary and correct grammar in context.

• Help English learners have a starting place for communicating their ideas orally and in writing.

• May be oral and/or written.• Can focus on issues and concepts.• Should be created using the language of TEKS and TAKS.• Are created by understanding the academic language students are

currently able to use and will need to use to demonstrate their knowledge of the content objective.

Creating Sentence StemsTEKS 8.6C:

Identify colonial grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence. explain how those grievances were addressed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Content Objective:Student will use a graphic organizer to identify colonial grievances in the Declaration of Independence.

ELPS: 3(H)

Narrate, describe, and explain with increasing specificity and detail as more English is acquired.

Language Objective:

Students will identify and describe colonial grievances using the sentence stems:

A grievance can be defined as ___________.

Three examples of colonial grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence are _______, ________, and ________.

ObjectivesCONTENT

• Select the 3 most significant events which led to the Revolutionary War.

LANGUAGE• In writing, summarize the

3 most significant events which led to war._______ was the most

significant event because _________________.

The significance of _____cannot be overstated. It _________.

________ was also significant because _________.

Verbs for Language ObjectivesWrite… Read with a

partner…

Think… Listen… Discuss…

Retell… Read…

Big IdeasMake Content ComprehensibleDevelop Academic Language

Big ResponsibilitiesCommunicateSequence CurriculumScaffoldIdentify Language Levels

Student Expectations

Listening LanguageSpeaking LearningReading StrategiesWritingCross-Curricular

Language LevelsBeginnerIntermediateAdvancedAdvanced High

ELPS

Instructional Strategies

• Act out meanings• Activate prior-knowledge and build upon students’ background

experience (i.e., schema)• Adapt content-critical content• Allow

– multiple learning opportunities (2-3)– the student to highlight texts

• Contextualize language• Create word banks• Describe

– difficult concepts visually with the use of graphic organizers and other charts

– assignments orally and in written form—having the assignment written on the board at the beginning of class gives the student the entire hour to copy it

• Embed definitions• Emphasize of key vocabulary

Instructional Strategies• Employ

– a variety of grouping strategies– brainstorming when seeking answers to questions– journal writing– reciprocal teaching– story creation technique using key words– think- pair- share techniques– writing workshops

• Encourage active involvement • Engage

– higher-order thinking skills– students in activities and small & large group discussions

• Exercise inductive and deductive instruction• Find supplementary materials (books related to topic & at reading level) • Give demonstrations with real objects• Include relevant 5-minute grammar review workshops• Label maps and diagrams with necessary information• Make

– content objectives explicit– language objectives explicit– learning-strategy instruction explicit

Instructional Strategies• Model• Modify pacing• Place an agenda on the board, so students have an advanced organizer for reference• Plan meaningful activities (like games and flashcards) it will motivate and engage all the

learners• Pre-teach important concepts (A Priori)• Provide

– a vocabulary review/preview – ample practice– contextualization clues – lots of feedback on content and language use– words and images together– clear oral and written explanation of tasks– links to past learning– organizational charts for new information – instruction to train the learners to read for context clues

• Repeat in a variety of ways (recycle, connect, and extend)• SQ3R (survey, question, read, recite, review, reflect)• Simplify! Some texts are just too wordy.

– Outlines– Paraphrase and summarize intermittently – Find the main ideas

Instructional Strategies Teach

– the bold face and italics terms and importance of the form– the text backward

• Use – comprehension checks to check students’ attention and understanding– gestures, pictures, drawings, stories.– graphic organizers appropriately (not just a worksheet)– activity before content or ABC=hands on activities and materials-try to

allow learners to conduct a hands-on activity first before a lecture on the principles. They then have the opportunity to use inductive reasoning, and are more likely to understand the principles, or points of lesson, more clearly.

– interest builders (movies, photos, music, field trips, books, anticipation guides, etc) prior to chapter readings

– mnemonic devices– native language (clarification in L1) – overheads, realia, visuals, maps, charts, bulletin boards, timelines...– real-life examples and anecdotes– Think-Aloud Protocol to gain insight into your learners’ reading.– word associations to make connections

Writing Language Objectives

Practice writing content objectives and correlating language objectives. Try to incorporate the four ELPS Proficiency Level Descriptors.

Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking

Share with the whole group.

English Language Proficiency StandardsTexas Education Agency

Developing Language Objectives for theMathematics Classroom

From Theory to PracticeSouthwest Educational Development Laboratory

Mastering Multiple Literacies: Implementing the English Language Proficiency Standards

Austin Independent School District

Stepping Up Your Sheltered Content InstructionDr. Kate Mastruserio Reynolds

University of Wisconsin