Language Power
Key Uses for Accessing Content
Foreword by Pauline Gibbons
Because explicit language instruction serves ALL students
Here, at last, is every K-8 teacher’s playbook on the critical role academic language plays in content learning and student achievement. What exactly is so different? Margo Gottlieb and Mariana Castro distill the complexities of language learning into four key uses through which students can probe the interplay between language and content, and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. It’s as straight-forward as that.
Best of all, Language Power is jam-packed with hands-on, replicable resources to help you seamlessly integrate academic language into your daily routines: targeted examples, activities, and templates. Along the way, you’ll learn how to
- Identify, plan, assess, and implement academic language instruction using the Discuss, Argue, Recount, and Explain conceptual tool
- Utilize language within and across domains and content areas
- Apply the inquiry cycle to the theme of academic language use
- Expand stakeholders to include students other families
No matter who your students are, no matter which discipline you teach, the research reads the same: school achievement depends upon effective communication. Read Language Power, implement its resources, and soon see for yourself what a powerful tool language is in realizing this goal.
“This thought-provoking and very practical book will be welcomed by all educators who are striving to provide a more equitable curriculum for students. As Gottlieb and Castro suggest, this endeavor requires classroom teachers to think critically about the language they use with students, and develop the knowledge and skills to provide students with explicit and well-planned support for the development of academic language. Language Power will assist educators to make these endeavors a reality.”Pauline Gibbons, Author of Scaffolding Language,
Scaffolding Learning, Second Edition
"As educators strive for equitable, collaborative classrooms inclusive of all students in an uncertain educational and political landscape, Gottlieb and Castro focus on students who may find themselves marginalized or otherwise left out due to their developing grasp of academic language. This timely book provides educators with accessible, research-based tools for students to learn the power of language. They have taken a complex, nuanced concept and synthesized it into an easy-to-access framework chock full of authentic examples that teachers across all disciplines can easily implement into their instruction. Through its careful construction framed around an inquiry cycle, the book easily lends itself to a wide audience from K-12 through post-secondary educators. I’m definitely integrating Gottlieb and Castro’s framework into my future professional development!"
“Language Power is helpful not only for teachers who want to adapt materials for English learners, but also for all teachers, no matter what content area, who want to move their students beyond the comprehension level. It breaks down the notion of academic language to four key uses--discuss, argue, recount, and explain--identifies the language associated with those uses, and offers practical examples for classroom instruction. With handy charts to apply to your own situations, and examples of scaffolds and supports, this book is a practical guide that highlights the language students need in order to access, engage in, interact about, and demonstrate learning of content in school. We’re very proud at BrainPOP to provide content for the examples used in this valuable resource for teachers.”
"For the first time, Drs. Gottlieb and Castro move beyond a theoretical description of the critical role of academic language to describe key uses, tools, and strategies that facilitate the instruction and acquisition of academic language across content areas and relevant assessment resources to capture students' performance level. This is a powerful resource."
"Language Power is a compelling resource for educators in 21st century schools. Through skillful use of the inquiry cycle and practical tools for application, Gottlieb and Castro empower teachers to support learners in multilingual and multisemiotic classrooms. Understanding key uses of academic language helps teachers unlock opportunities for their multilingual students. With a commitment to social justice and integration of technology, Language Power challenges teachers with a forward-thinking perspective on how we can serve multilingual students who must navigate today's globally interconnected learning environments."
Sample Materials & Chapters
Chapter 1: Examining Key Uses of Academic Language
Figure 1.3: Typical Language Features and Example Tasks Related to Key Uses
Resource 2.1: Identifying Key Uses of Academic Language in Content Standards and
Resource 2.1: Identifying Key Uses of Academic Language in Content Standards and
Resource 2.4: A Needs Assessment for Teachers of 21st Century Classrooms
Resource 2.4: A Needs Assessment for Teachers of 21st Century Classrooms (Blank)
Resource 2.10: Representation of Key Uses of Academic Language in Curricular Res
Resource 2.10: Representation of Key Uses of Academic Language in Curricular Res
Figure 3.3: Key Uses of Academic Language Assessment/Success