Building Academic Language

Many students, native English speakers and English learners alike, need extra support in understanding and using the language of school. Language plays a major role in learning, particularly in upper grades as content areas begin to specialize and emphasize different thinking skills, abstract concepts, and complex relationships. Building Academic Language shows what teachers can do to help all students develop the language needed to reach high levels of academic achievement.

Developing academic language involves more than acquiring content-specific vocabulary; it includes learning a wide range of general utility words, figurative expressions, grammatical conventions, and discussion strategies. Drawing from current theory and research, this book provides insights and practical guidance in the following areas:Developing an additive approach that builds on students’ existing ways of learning and communicatingModeling and scaffolding language(s) used by content area experts in language arts, history, science, and mathDesigning effective assessments and lessons with language in mindStrengthening the interweaving strands oflanguage, literacy, and content learning

Building Academic Language offers many practical activities and classroom examples as well as a wide range of tips, tools, templates, and rubrics to help teachers integrate language development into content instruction and assessment every busy day.