Angela Johnson Pasco School District

Research interests:

Angela Johnsons research interests include bilingual education, language acquisition, literacy and biliteracy.

Teaching/professional interests:

Angela Johnson teaches English Language Learners in a K-8 context in both English and Spanish in the Pasco School District, Washington.

Educational Background:
M. Ed. Bilingual Education, Washington State University B.A. of Arts in Languages, Centro Universitrio Ibero-Americano, So Paulo, Brazil U.S. teaching endorsements in English Language Arts, English Language Learners (ELL/ESL), and K-8 elementary education.

Explore cultural and linguistic factors involved in first and second language acquisition. Outline the development of ELL students academic language and literacy skills. Suggest strategies for developing activities, lessons, and units across multiple content areas.

Part 1: 1st language acquisition vs. 2nd language acquisition Part 2: Myths in Language Acquisition Part 3: Literacy acquisition and ELLs Part 4: More classroom ideas

Language Acquisition
know want to know learned

5-7 years Combination of: biological, environmental and cognitive influences

Development of:
*Sounds (phonology) *Grammar (syntax) *Meaning (semantics) *Vocabulary (lexicon) *Social norms (pragmatics)

They are intertwined and play equally important role.

(Johnson, 2008)

Babies are exposed to language even before they are born. Comprehension of language comes first. Production of language comes later. 6 months of age- babbling by repeating a series of identical syllables. (e.g. ba-ba-ba), expanding their vocal apparatus to more complex syllables (e.g. bab-bab-bab) 1 year-old- produce words- single word stage (Johnson, 2008)

At 18 months- two-word sentence structures. By 3 years-old, children are able to have full conversations 4years-old- distinction between different phonemes when spoken to. By the age of 5- most of the phonological inventory is flawlessly acquired

Chomsky believes that language acquisition is a biologically innate language faculty of the brain (universal grammar) Poverty of stimulus- childrens language isnt result of a behavioral reinforcement and repetition.

10/2:

How does human interaction foster language learning?

5-7 years Combination of: biological, environmental and cognitive influences Development of: *Sounds (phonology) *Grammar (syntax) *Meaning (semantics) *Vocabulary (lexicon) *Social norms (pragmatics)

They are intertwined and play equally important role.

(Johnson, 2008)

Sociolinguistics- social and cultural factors of language development

Teachers can promote SLA by creating a classroom environment in which students can interact with and develop positive attitudes towards speakers of the targeted language. (Freeman, 2008)

10/2: How can you promote SLA in your classroom? Think about at least one strategy that can be used!

Krashens theory- innate ability to learn a language.

1st hypothesis: *Language is learned subconsciously (language for real purposes) *Learning is a conscious process (classroom)

2nd hypothesis: *natural order

Monitor hypothesis: the monitor is like an editor, checking what we produce. The focus is on grammatical production, error correction and in written output. (Freeman, 2008)

The input hypothesis: people acquire language in only one way by receiving oral or written messages they understand. Krashen believes that learners must receive input that is slightly beyond their current ability level (input+1)- comprehensible input

(Freeman, 2008)

Question: What about the output of the language? (writing and speaking) What about the social and cultural aspects of it? (Freeman, 2008)

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Brainstorm 2 strategies you can use to minimize the cultural and social gaps for English language learners in your classroom to promote effective language and content instruction.

Why do we want to learn a second language anyway? We learn language for communicative purposes! (written or spoken)

L1 Time Context Meaningful Interactions Learning vs. Acquiring

L2

17

4 groups 4 myths Read your myth Discuss with your partners about what you just read As a group, come up with a poster to teach the other groups about your myth (use sketches and brief explanations) You are the expert! Go back to your original group and teach them (1 minute)

Children learn second languages quickly and easily.

The younger the child, the more skilled in acquiring a second language.

The more time students spend in a second language context, the quicker they learn the language.

Children have acquired a second language once they can speak it.

ELLs face unique challenges in developing academic literacy skills in English, especially if they have not yet developed literacy skills in their first language. In addition to learning new subject-area content in the classroom, they are also working to acquire oracy and literacy skills in a new language. While acquiring English, ELL students may struggle to identify or distinguish between all of the sounds in the English phonological system, and/or understand English syntax and grammar structures. By understanding how native-language oracy and literacy skills can be used to scaffold learning during the development of English language abilities, teachers can greatly enhance their students learning experiences.

 Share what is on your yellow strip of

paper with 4 different people (not from your group)! Explain how you can use this idea in your classroom.

read-alouds

shared reading

guided reading

independent reading

all teacher modeling

teacher and students guided practice

independent writing

shared writing

Interactive writing

Guided writing

Independent writing

Word study

Oracy
Productive Receptive Speaking Listening

Literacy
Writing Reading
26

L1 proficiency will transfer to a second language, assuming they are given enough exposure to the second language and are motivated to learn it. (Cummins, 2000) Research has shown that the development of academic language takes from 4-9 years. (Freeman & Freeman, 2006)

1- Reading and writing behaviors emerge prior to conventional literacy.

2-Prerequisites for emergent writing include: writing the alphabet, phonemic awareness, and associating letters with sounds.

3-Five written language skills should be assessed: phonemic awareness, print concepts, writing vocabulary, spelling knowledge, and reading miscues.
4-Reading improves writing; writing improves reading. 5-Four emergent writing stages are scribbling, drawing, letters strings, and invented spelling.

Literacy
L1 literacy is acquired through meaningful social interactions surrounding the use of print. L1 literacy is connected to L1 oracy.

Biliteracy
L2 literacy is most effectively scaffolded through prior L1 literacy knowledge. Proficiency of L2 oracy doesnt necessarily equate to proficiency of L2 literacy. Stages of L2 literacy development transfer more efficiently when there is a L1 literacy foundation.

L1 literacy progress through distinct developmental stages.

Encourage spelling inventions and provide help as needed; Encourage detailed illustrations; Have children read their writing aloud. Read good literature and talk about the authors. Share writing from the authors chair. Allow and encourage students to use their L1 whenever possible.

10/2: What other strategies can you think of that promote the literacy process of ELLs?

Oracy
Listening Phonemic Awareness

Literacy
Reading Writing System Recognition

Receptive Skills

The ability to identify the individual sounds in a language. For Acquiring a recognition of symbolic representation of spoken example, the spoken word cat can be broken down into the language. three distinct sounds or phonemes of /k/, / /, and /t/. This enables children to distinguish meaning between spoken words Becoming familiar with the culturally determined writing system (e.g., alphabet, syllabary, logographic writing). like peas /piz/ and bees /biz/ that only differ by their initial phoneme/p/ vs. /b/. Understanding the principles and norms of a writing system (e.g., shape of characters, direction of writing, orthographic Phonological Awareness conventions). The ability to distinguish larger units of sound, such as syllables and words. Phonics & Word Recognition The ability to determine morphological significance of different combinations of sounds. Applying phonemic awareness to understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent. Phonics helps learners to decode new words by sounding them out. Recognizing site words that do not follow the normal rules of phonics (e.g., the and of).

Comprehension Fluency
The ability to recognize and react to words and phrases according to appropriate cultural expectations. Developing an understanding how individuals talk about texts and use textual information for support within a conversation. Determining the significance of different vocabulary across various social and cultural contexts.

Comprehension Fluency
The childs ability to construct meaning in a text by connecting what is read or spoken to her/his background knowledge. Ability to negotiate written material to accomplish socially meaningful tasks. Recognizing the use of written-language genres across distinct social and cultural contexts (e.g., writing in a book vs. on a street sign). Appropriately identifying and decoding esoteric vocabulary across various contexts (e.g., in a cookbook vs. in a math textbook).

Speaking
Verbal Reasoning

Writing
Meaning

Describing events in various ways: recounting an incident, telling a story, Understanding how and when to use written language to take part in using analogy or allegory, and making connections between self, meaningful communicative interactions. text, and world. Developing the ability to produce symbolic language according to the Understanding how to construct a position by using evidence to support culturally appropriate writing system and following the principles and a particular stance. norms of the writing system.

Productive Skills

Learning how to interpret and convey the internalized meaning of written texts to others. Being able to tell, retell, and invent a story using different perspectives.

Adapting writing forms, conventions, and discourse styles across different social contexts. Applying phonemic awareness to understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent. Integration of phonics instruction for writing should be embedded within meaningful language contexts. The production of contextually appropriate meaning and function of writing should be emphasized and celebrated as students continue to develop writing conventions.

Being able to elaborate and paraphrase to express opinion, make comparisons, and connect to real world contexts.
Using contextually relevant vocabulary and syntactic structures.

Discourse
Acquiring a range of culturally appropriate discourse styles and understanding how they are reflected in written form. Recognizing and using different rhetorical strategies and vocabulary to describe an event. Being able to identify the difference between persuading, entertaining, and informing a listener or audience. Articulating the underlying concepts or purposes of different messages being communicated in texts.

Grammar & Orthography

Ability to write words with letters according to the alphabetic principle (i.e., words are composed of letters that represent sounds). Understanding the differences between various contextual norms of orthography (e.g., essay writing vs. computer programming, or text messaging). Adapting spoken conventions of describing events to written form by integrating contextually appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Making connections that allow students to incorporate unique background knowledge across various contexts.

Technology

Using technology responsibly, creatively, and effectively requires an ability to: Connect traditional literacy forms to new and emerging media. Communicate, access, collect, manage, integrate, and evaluate information in a variety of ways. Solve problems and create solutions according to a variety of contexts. Build and share knowledge in socially and culturally significant ways. Improve and enhance learning in all subject areas and experiences.

Critical Thinking Motivation

Critical thinking involves the ability to: Engage a text and question the authors underlying assumptions according to a variety of audience perceptions. Evaluate the information and messages in a text from multiple perspectives. Identify different topics in a text and support a variety of positions. Use evidence to point out areas of strength and weakness in a text. Synthesize the content of a text with ideas from other texts to generate a personally meaningful stance.

Cultivating an ongoing interest in reading, writing, and communicating includes: Engaging families and surveying the students funds of knowledge for developing instructional materials. Integrating culturally relevant texts and materials into everyday classroom practices. Highlighting the students areas of strength and bridging those skills to developing areas of literacy. Bring in guest presenters (family and community members) to demonstrate literacy skills across various contexts. Encouraging student creativity and participation in the process of developing literacy projects. Emphasizing achievement in terms of individual effort to convey meaning through a text. Showcasing the students work and celebrating their accomplishments publically.

Students have succeeded in becoming biliterate in schools that introduce reading in two languages from the beginning as well as in schools that teach reading first in the native language. (Lindholm-Leary, 2001)

Middle school students go to the elementary school to read to the younger students. Younger students come up with questions to ask the middle schoolers.

KWL Chart What did you learn about language acquisition?

www.polleverywhere.com

Contact information:
[email protected]

Angela Johnson's Education Corner Blog:

www.angelajohnsonseducationcorner.blogspot.com I Followers!!

Pasco School District teacher webpage:

http://www.psd1.org//Domain/622