Imparting Academic Vocabulary with Academic Hand Signing A

Imparting Academic Vocabulary with Academic Hand Signing A strategy for imparting sophisticated academic word meanings in a way that young learners can immediately understand, recall and use for academic discourse. Jeffrey Linn jlinn@franklinboe. org Jared Sheffrin jsheffrin@franklinboe. org

Jeffrey Linn, Ed. M. • • BA Linguistics - PSU Ed M Lang Ed - RU GSE 30 years ESL exp Five years developing the AHS approach as a tool to impart sophisticated academic language to all students, especially those from non-academic backgrounds. AHS Page: https: //www. franklinboe. org/Page/11142

Jared Sheffrin • BA History- William Paterson University • Teaching third grade in Franklin for 5 years • For two years I have been a departmentalized Science and Math teacher. • Four years co-teaching with ESL collaboration

Academic Hand Signs A multi-sensory, monosemic approach to imparting academic vocabulary. Jeffrey Linn

An Inventory of Signs • Ferdinand De Saussure described the observable parts of a language as solely words and their meanings, which he called signal - meaning pairs, or signs. • He also explained that sounds of words are completely arbitrary, but this code system works because the meaning of each signal (word) is unique among the others.

Pedagogical Consequences • There are no true synonyms. – Reliance on synonyms as a teaching tool can result in the blurring of the distinctness of terms and reduced precision of comprehension and expression. • Each word has only one core meaning. – Dictionary definitions must be scrutinized carefully to determine the unique contribution of each term to the code.

And. . . • All grammatical and rhetorical “functor words” have specific meanings that guide their use. • The terms of academic discourse, which are often described as synonyms or are learned with imprecision, have differences in meaning that, when understood, facilitate academic thought and expression.

Meaning vs. Message William Diver further asserted that “shades of meaning” are the by-product of the creative use of words to communicate intended messages. (Huffman pp. 34 -35) Pedagogical Consequence Students need master only one meaning for each word and then develop strategies for interpreting and creating messages.

The Approach • These ideas are foundational to the Academic Hand Sign approach. At the outset a core meaning is determined, usually comprised of five or six fairly common words. • A hand sign and “meaning script” are developed which illustrate this core meaning. • The rationale for the choice of hand sign is explained and reviewed during instruction.

Beneficial Effects • The use of hand sign and core meaning enable immediate comprehension of sophisticated and abstract academic terms. • The multisensory approach enables storage in long term memory through multiple mnemonic links. • Tier 2 terms become accessible and relevant to elementary students from ELL and “nonacademic backgrounds”. (Zwiers)

Word of the Week Data • Academic Terms: compare contrast determine elaborate complete analyze summarize conclude classify combine cause effect connect infer cite theme organize interpret • Monthly HR Pre/Post Scores: 18% 80% 27% 68% 15% 66% 32% 68% 13% 61% 25% 46% 13% 81% 23% 65% 4% 77% 10% 43% [Team: L. Sutlic, J. Sheffrin, A. Walsh, C. Jimenez, J. Linn. ]

References • Asher, James The Total Physical Response Approach to Second Language Learning. The Modern Language Journal. Vol. 53, Issue 1, pages 3– 17, January 1969. • de Saussure, Ferdinand Cours de linguistique générale, édition originale: 1916. • Huffman, Alan "The Linguistics of William Diver and the Columbia School. " Word 52: 1, 29 -68, 2001. • Wong-Fillmore, Lily. Supporting Access to the Language & Content of Complex Texts for EL & LM [Maryann Cucciara, , a student and associate of Dr. Wong-Fillmore, emphasized precise knowledge of word meanings in our district PD. ] • Zwiers, Jeff Building Academic Language: Essential Practices for Content Classrooms, Grades 5 -12 John Wiley and Sons, 2008.

Grade 3 ESL • “You exert the same gravitational force on Earth that it does on you. But because Earth is so much more massive than you, your force doesn’t really have an effect on our planet. ” Source: https: //spaceplace. nasa. gov/what-is- gravity/en/ • HOT Q: What is massive enough to have a gravitational effect on the Earth?

Grade 2 ESL • “All of New Jersey's bats feed almost exclusively on night-flying insects, including mosquitoes. ” http: //www. state. nj. us/dep/fgw/ensp/batcount. htm • HOT-Q: Should you be scared of New Jersey bats? Why or why not?

Grade K ESL • “A spider web is a trap laid by a spider to snare an insect. ” • HOT-Q: How do spiders spin a web?

Using Academic Hand Sings in the General Ed. Classroom • We practice our hand signs on a daily basis in our classroom. • It only takes up a few minutes in the beginning or end of the lesson. (or anytime throughout)

Using Academic Hand Sings in the General Ed. Classroom Cont. • We started with 1 -2 words a week that had to do with the current math unit. • As the Word of the Week (WOW) started in our school we just used that word along with other important vocabulary as needed.

Using Academic Hand Sings in the General Ed. Classroom Cont. • I didn’t even know what an ELL was before I came to Hillcrest School. • Collaborating with Mr. Linn and taking risks and trying new things has made me a better ELL teacher as well as a regular education teacher. • Who is ready to see some hand signs in action?

Using Academic Hand Sings in the General Ed. Classroom Cont. • By the end of March we already had over 40 words that the students learned. • It seems a little crazy and overwhelming at first but trust me THIS WORKS!

Appendix A: The SKIER Model for Creating AHS • Select a significant word. • Know the word meaning well. • Illustrate the word meaning with a hand sign. • Explain the hand sign with respect to the word meaning. • Review, practice, assess.

Appendix B: Presenting AHS 1. View the printed word. 2. Perform the hand sign, reciting the meaning script. 3. Pronounce the word. 4. State the core meaning. Review: Ask for someone to explain how the hand sign depicts this meaning. Usage Check: Conduct turn and talks where students use the word in sentences.

Appendix C: Sample Meanings and Scripts Complete - Core Meaning: add in the missing parts Meaning Script: “Hey! Something’s missing. ” Elaborate - Core Meaning: add more detail Meaning Script: “You told me this much, now tell me more!” Summarize - Core Meaning: tell the main points Meaning Script: “You told me the whole story, but I just heard this, this and this. ”

Then. . . use the words! • If you have selected tier 2 academic terms carefully, many of them should fit your curricular goals and be usable over and over in the classroom to facilitate academic communication and to develop academic expression and thought.

Your Turn • Turn to the person next to you and develop an academic hand sign for: integrate • Core meaning: add parts into a whole • Hand sign: • Meaning Script: • Explanation:

Questions • How do I implement AHS in my ESL pull out class? • How do I implement AHS in my mainstream push-in class? • What is my next step? • ?