Academic Language
(1) Academic Language
Student teachers must complete the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) to receive credit for student teaching earn and their California Teaching Credentials. Review the Teaching Handbook in your discipline, looking specifically for the concept of "Academic Language". You may wish to review academic language resources for the sciences.
- Define "academic language" for your discipline. List and explain the features of academic language students should master to succeed in the classes you teach.
(2) Editing
Research indicates that students edit and revise more when writing on a computer than when writing by hand.
- Use the footnote feature to identify all of the mistakes you can
find in this document without the aid of a grammar checker,
and repeat with the
aid of a spelling and grammar checker.
- What kinds of errors are generally not detected by the software? Give examples. (see Ode to a Spell Checker) Would you encourage your students to use a grammar/style checker? If so, explain how it might be best employed. If not, explain why not.
(3) Analysis of your textbook
Readability is a measure of the comprehensibility or understandability of written text. There are many methods and formulas for determining readability and the related reading age. Teachers should be aware of the readability level of their text as well as the reading level of their students.
- Scan three or
more paragraphs from your textbook into a word processor
file using OCR software.
Perform a document check and readability estimate on the
text and include the results in your portfolio. Note: if you scan a document as a pdf on a phone, and upload it to Google Drive, it will employ OCR and you corresponding Google Doc will have editable text.
- According to the computer-generated readability estimates, does this text appear to be appropriate for your students? Explain. (Note: In some programs, document analysis appears at the end of a grammar check).
(4) Equations
Many teachers have the need to incorporate equations into handouts, tests and notes. Equation editors allow you to make equations and then export them as graphics to word processors.
- Use an equation editor to create two or more complex equations from your discipline. If your discipline does not use many equations, you may select from the following list.
(5) Word Relationships
English dictionaries contain more than 250,000 words, while Spanish dictionaries contain approximately 100,000 words, and most other languages have far fewer. English has an extensive vocabulary and many synonyms. This can cause difficulties for English learners. An electronic thesaurus may be used to help students understand the complex relationship within the English lexicon.
- Using a thesaurus, paraphrase the preamble of the Constitution. Include at least ten logical substitutions for the original words. You may use the built-in thesaurus (Tools/Language/Thesaurus) in Word or internet resources such as Merriam Webster's Dictionary & Thesaurus, or Roget's Thesaurus
Preamble: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
- Using an example, illustrate how the thesaurus can be used to teach word relationships in the English language.
(6) Mastering Content Vocabulary
Although modern English has the largest and most complex lexicon of any language in history, the meanings of many words can be determined if one knows the common prefixes, suffixes and root words. Knowledge of such morphemes is particularly useful for English learners who face the formidable challenge of mastering English vocabulary, with all of its many nuances. According to Richard E. Hodges of the University of Puget Sound ("Improving Spelling and Vocabulary in the Secondary School; 1982, p 30) ,“If you were to examine the 20,000 most used English words, you would find that about 5,000 of them contain prefixes and that 82 percent (about 4,100) of those words use one of only fourteen different prefixes out of all the available prefixes in the language.” Thus, if students master these prefixes, they will know clues to the meanings of thousands of words."
| ab- (away from) be- (on all sides, overly) de- (reversal, undoing, downward) dis-, dif- (not, reversal) ex- (out of, former) pre- (before) re- (again, restore) |
un- (do the opposite of) ad- (to, toward) com-, con-, co- (with, together) en-, em- (in, into, to cover or contain) in- (into, not) pro- (in favor of, before) sub- (under, beneath) |
- Identify five words that are commonly used in your subject. Identify one or more prefixes, suffixes or roots from each. Use an online dictionary to identify 5 or more other words in the English language that use these morphemes as per the example. When searching, you will need to use standard wildcards: *=multiple characters; ?=single character.
Five or more related words that share this root
dictator (one whose word is law)
diction (enunciation)
edict (a formal pronouncement or command.)
dictum (an authoritative, often formal pronouncement),
dictate (to say or read aloud to be recorded or written by another)
- One way to interest students in the significance of words is to have them study the meaning of their own names. Identify the meaning of five common first names of students in your class.
- Contribute to the class glossary (select 514 tab)
(7) Communicating with English Learners and their families
Southern California is home to a very diverse population (see diversity of Los Angeles County), many of whom are immigrants from non-English speaking countries. Translation programs can help break down some of the language barriers between teachers, their students, and the families of these students.
- Use translation resources to translate a simple document from your class into one or more languages spoken by students in your class. Include the English version AND the translated version. Show this to someone who is fluent in English and the language into which you have translated it, and explain any potential problems.
- Translate a foreign language text-rich website into English. Discuss the values and limitations of such translation resources.
- English has acquired words from many languages as seen in this story. It is helpful to show students these foreign words and cognates so they can better understand the historical relationship between English and other languages and look for cognates when learning new terms. Contribute to cognate glossary (select 514 tab)
(8) What is the influence of computers on the development of student writing?
Does technology have an influence on the quality and quantity of student writing?
- Use ERIC, Scholar,and/ or other reputable resources to research the influence of computer technologies on the development of student writing skills. Each student in the class will review three different studies as per the instructor's directions. Share your results with the class using an online collaborative document. Summarize the class meta-study in 2 or 3 paragraphs.