Identifying Language Demands

Change Idea Overview:

Language functions are the academic thinking skills (i.e. comparison and contrast, persuasion, cause and effect, categorization, etc.) that are part of any writing task that includes extended discourse. Language functions are used to express the content and language focus of the content standards. They define how students can communicate and demonstrate proficiency when speaking/writing about a content objective. In order for MLs to attain academic language proficiency in English, they need to be able to use a variety of language functions. For this reason, identifying what language function is core to a task and providing explicit instruction to students in its usage provides an important context for planning language instruction and assessment for MLs.

The Change Idea

THE PROCESS

STEP 1: Write an “ideal” student response to the extended writing task you have developed and analyze it to identify the language function(s) being used.

STEP 2: Develop a schema-building activity to introduce the language function to students

STEP 3: Design activities that help students practice the new language frames with the target content.

STEP 4: Support students in applying the language function and accompanying language frames in more extended writing (e.g. paragraph or essay) with the target content.

Click here to access the full guide and supporting resources.

Measurement Tool

This data tracker is a tool for capturing student data (including their scores on the measurement tool) throughout the PDSA cycles you run, so you can responsively plan the next steps and track focus student progress over time.

Change Idea In Practice

You can draw from these change packets, which were created by our schools to share the way they used this change idea to lead to promising improvement, as you plan out how to implement and measure the change idea in your school.

09X022 - Increasing Sentence Complexity through Strategic Inquiry

09X232 - Using Sentence Frames to Support MLs Engaging in Academic Writing and Discussions

10X141 - Using Sentence Frames to Support Students

10X206 - Helping Students Meet Language Demands

10X228 - Using Language Frames to Support Student Writing

10X228 - Writing Complex Sentences

10X254 - Improving Writing by Teaching ELLs to “Attack the Prompt”

10X254 - Get Ready to Listen (GRtL)

10X279 - Unpacking the Task and Teaching Vocabulary for Clarity in Writing

10X315 - Response Frames to the Rescue

10X368 - Utilizing Thinking Maps for Language Mastery

10X390 - Integrating 2 Change Ideas

10X391 - Explicitly Teach Language Functions

10X391 - Identifying and Teaching Language Demands of a Task

10X447 - Language Frames for Short & Extended Responses

21K095 - Improving Science Writing with a Four-Part Scaffold

21K096 - Using a Task-Aligned Checklist to Develop Academic Language Ability

21K128 - Using Flashcards for Targeted Sight Word Instruction

21K212 - Oral Language Planner

22K052 - Using 5W Questions to Develop Writing

24Q311 - Using Sentence Frames to Improve Student Discussion

32K162 - Improving Student Comfort with Language Functions

Practice In Action

Click the video below to learn how ENL teachers uses sentence starters and the impact it has on students; and hear from students why they find it helpful!