English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) in the Classroom

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English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)
in the Classroom
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Session Objectives

• Content Objectives
• Participants will develop background knowledge
  of why Language Objectives are an essential part
  of lesson delivery for Limited English
  Proficient (LEP) students.
• Participants will be able to describe how
  Language Objectives
• differ from Content Objectives.
• Language Objectives
• Participants will orally discuss and categorize
  Content and Language Objectives.
• Participants will create and record Language
  Objectives using TEKS Skills.
• Participants will demonstrate their knowledge
  of Language Objectives by sharing with the
  group.

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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/curricu
  lum/biling/elps.html.

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Why are English Language Proficiency Standards
Necessary?

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.

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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)

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• Every teacher in any content or enrichment
  course who teaches ELLs must teach a language
  objective as well as a content objective.

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The Nature of Language Proficiency

• CALP
• Cognitive
• Academic
• Language
• Proficiency
• Language learning is what usually occurs in
  school. It is an overt and conscious process. 
• When people are learning, they are aware they are
  learning because they are participating in the
  process. Therefore, it must be explicitly
  taught. 
• Once the information (knowledge) is learned, it
  is consciously stored in the brain, for later
  use. 
• This learned academic language is the kind of
  language needed for tasks such as comprehension
  of text, analysis, and synthesis.
• For students learning English as a second
  language, this is what we refer to as Cognitive
  Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). 
• Echevarria Graves, 2006
• Textbook language

• BICS
• Basic
• Interpersonal
• Communication
• Skills
• Language Acquisition is a subconscious,
  effortless process that occurs without people
  actually realizing that it is occurring.The
  information acquired is then stored in the
  subconscious for later use.  It is what children
  do when learning to speak their first language.
• Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
  are the language skills necessary to communicate
  basic needs and wants they do not guarantee
  academic success. (There may be students who have
  'acquired' native-like fluency in oral speech,
  who are still unprepared to face the academic
  challenges of school
• Krashen, 1992 Cummins,
  1996
• Conversational

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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
• characterization
• the present or past
• point of view
• analysis of relationships
• persons, places, and events
• cause and effect
• inference

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Teaching Guidelines

• Select content objectives from the TEKS
• Provide academic language activities in which
  students read, write, listen to, discuss, and
  make presentations on chosen content
• Teach and have student practice learning
  strategies with all activities

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TEKS and ELPS Objectives

• Content Objectives are the
• Language Objectives are the

What?
How?
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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

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• More Procedural Language for ELLs

Classify Collect Distinguish Categorize Match Show Select Construct Assemble Arrange Recall Give examples Draw Organize Decide Suppose Locate List Underline Review Compose Dictate Point out Record Report Predict Express Plan and evaluate Relate Generalize Demonstrate Outline Estimate Judge Debate Illustrate Infer Revise Rewrite Assess Justify Critique Describe Compare Question Map Discriminate
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Sentence Stems

• ELLs 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.

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ObjectivesHistory

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

• TEKS 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.

Language Objective TLW 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 ________.
ELPS 3(H) Narrate, describe, and explain with
increasing specificity and detail as more English
is acquired.
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ObjectivesELA

• CONTENT
• Complete a timeline listing the events in order
  leading up to the climax of the selection.

• LANGUAGE
• In the reading, highlight the important events in
  the story. Highlight the exposition in red and
  the rising action in blue .
• Explain to a partner your timeline. Use the words
  first, second, then to show sequence.

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ObjectivesMath

• LANGUAGE
• The student will be able to use mathematical
  vocabulary to explain orally or in writing the
  attributes of geometric figures.
• Students will construct a Venn Diagram to
  contrast and compare
• one geometric figure to another.
• Students will work in pairs to create a list of
  construction methodologies related to the
  significant attributes of each figure.

• CONTENT
• The students will be able to use constructions to
  explore attributes of geometric figures and to
  make conjectures about geometric relationships.

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ObjectivesScience

• Content
• The student demonstrates that energy, such as
  sound energy, can travel through matter.

• Language
• The student will use English to achieve
  academically in content areas.
• The students will follow oral and multistep
  directions
• The students will make oral and written
  inferences and draw conclusions from the activity

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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 formhaving 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

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LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES LISTENING

• 2A recognizes correct pronunciation
• 2B recognizes sounds in words (ph.awareness)
• 2C recognize words/phrases in discussion
• 2D understand or seek help
• 2E use technology to learn / review
• 2F gist, main points, details
• 2H implied info
• 2I listening comprehension

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LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES SPEAKING

• 3A correct pronunciation of words ____
• 3B use new vocabulary about topic
• 3C use variety of sentence stems
• 3D speak using newly taught vocabulary _____
• 3E share in cooperative groups about ____
• 3F ask / give info using words ____
• 3G give opinions about ___ using words, phrases
• 3H narrate, describe, explain
• 3I use in/formal English to say____
• 3J oral response to variety of media about____

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LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES READING

• 4A letter-sounds phonics
• 4B directionality
• 4C sight vocabulary
• 4D BEFORE reading support
• 4E simplify text (to access content)
• 4F pictures / semantics to support reading
  (predictable text)
• 4G show comprehension individually or in groups
• 4H demonstrate comprehension of text read
  silently
• 4I develop basic reading skills that build
  comprehension
• 4J make inferences about text graphics
• 4K analyze text

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LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES WRITING

• 5A use letter-sounds, phonics
• 5B use new vocabulary
• 5C spell correctly
• 5D Edit writing
• 5E simple complex sentences
• 5F use sentence frames selected vocabulary
• 5G narrate, describe, and explain in writing

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Final Thoughts or Questions
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• English Language Proficiency Standards
• Texas Education Agency
• Developing Language Objectives for the
• 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 Instruction
• Dr. Kate Mastruserio Reynolds
• University of Wisconsin