Thu Nguyen

Cohort 01/16

High Expectations for Academic Language

Academic Language

Academic language is a meta-language that helps learners acquire the 50,000 words that they are expected to have internalized by the end of high school and includes everything from illustration and chart literacy to speaking, grammar and genres within fields. (8 Strategies for Teaching Academic Language).

Academic language is the language of school and it is used in textbooks, essays, assignments, class presentations, and assessments. (Academic Language and ELLs: What Teachers Need to Know)

Academic Language can be defined as 1) the language used in the classroom and workplace, 2) the language of text, 3) the language of assessments, 4) the language of academic success and 5) the language of power. (Academic Language Function Toolkit-2010)

the idea of "bricks and mortar"

High Expectations and College Level Answers

The use of academic language is more important than ever in preparing students for academic and professional success, particularly in the era of rigorous college- and career-ready standards (such as the Common Core State Standards) that require an increased use of academic language in and across all disciplines. (Academic Language and ELLs: What Teachers Need to Know)

Teachers have an important role to play in supporting your students' academic language development.

Academic English and social English are not two separate languages. Academic English is more demanding and complex than social English. Learning social English is just the tip of the iceberg. Just because they can speak on the playground, talk to peers, and use everyday English does not mean that they are up to speed in academic English.

(What Is the Difference Between Social and Academic English?)

BICS/CALP

BICS are Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills; these are the "surface" skills of listening and speaking which are typically acquired quickly by many students; particularly by those from language backgrounds similar to English who spend a lot of their school time interacting with native speakers. (Second language acquisition - essential information)

CALP is Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. CALP includes language for formal academic learning and for written texts in content areas such as English literature, math, science, and social studies. CALP skills also encompass reading, writing, and thinking about subject-area content material. Students also use CALP skills to compare, classify, synthesize, evaluate, and infer. (Getting Started with English Language Learners by Judie Haynes)