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Academic Language! Academic Literacy!
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Academic Language! Academic Literacy!
A Guide for K–12 Educators

Foreword by Arthur L. Costa



June 2009 | 152 pages | Corwin

"Academic language and literacy are essential keys to conceptual understanding and ultimately to student success. Eli Johnson provides a foundation that all teachers and school leaders can use for improvement that will reach every classroom and every student."
—Peter Dallas Finch, Assistant Superintendent
West Valley School District, Yakima, WA

Develop students' understanding of academic language and watch literacy skills soar!

To achieve higher levels of learning, students must be able to understand academic language—the formalized language of instruction found in classrooms, textbooks, and standardized tests. Eli R. Johnson conveys a powerful message of the need for teachers to provide explicit academic language instruction for all students, especially English language learners or those struggling with reading.

Filled with 36 hands-on strategies, this practical, solidly researched guide helps teachers make the critical connection between academic language, literacy, and student achievement for all learners, regardless of home language or socioeconomic status. Explained in reader-friendly terms, each strategy helps teachers give their students the tools and skills necessary to decipher academic language in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This K–12 book also includes:

  • A strategy matrix to help teachers select appropriate strategies for their grade level
  • A description of each strategy, with information on how it works in the classroom and why it is effective
  • Collaborative protocols to help infuse academic language throughout the content areas
  • Lists of words that can be introduced at each grade level to build students' vocabulary

Academic Language! Academic Literacy! helps teachers instruct students on the language of education so they have a chance to demonstrate what they know and experience success.


 
Academic Language! Academic Literacy! Strategy Matrix
 
Foreword by Arthur L. Costa
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
1. Academic Language and Academic Literacy
 
2. Academic Language and Learning
 
3. Academic Literacy Challenges
 
4. Academic Reading: Inferring Strategies
 
5. Academic Reading: Text Structure Strategies
 
6. Academic Listening: Explicit Learning Strategies
 
7. Academic Speaking: Dialogue & Discourse Strategies
 
8. Academic Writing: Revealing Ideas Strategies
 
9. Creating an Academic Culture
 
Appendix 1. Academic Language: Grade Level Lists
 
Appendix 2. Academic Resources: Content Area Lists
 
References
 
Index

“Academic language and literacy are essential keys to conceptual understanding and ultimately to student success. Eli Johnson gives all teachers and school leaders a foundation for improvement that will reach every classroom and every student.”

Peter Dallas Finch, Assistant Superintendent
West Valley School District, Yakima, WA

"A terrific resource for teachers of every grade level! I especially loved the academic grade-level word lists that highlight the specific words pertinent to every grade level. All students will benefit from this, especially my struggling readers. This is a wonderful resource and should be in every teacher’s library."

MicheleTimmerman, Sixth-Grade Teacher
Rose Hill Elementary School, Kirkland, WA
Key features
  • Provides comprehensive coverage of the critical connection between academic lanaguage acquisition, literacy, and student achievement
  • Includes a range of practical instructional strategies to develop academic language and literacy for all students at the elementary and secondary levels
  • Powerful tools for teaching academic language include a list of key academic language terms for each grade level, as well as specific content language lists
  • Conveys a powerful message of the need to provide access to the curriculum for all students, regardless of home language or socio-economic status

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1


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