Module 6 Discussion: Language and Learning

It is important to integrate language into content areas because students must be given the opportunity to learn content through the most appropriate language acquisition resources for them. If it could take a student five to seven years to gain fluency, they cannot wait so long to learn content.

When introducing a new text to high school social studies students, I would plan to teach key vocabulary first. I would have a list of vocab terms on the board or paper for students. We would decipher what they can about each word by breaking down prefixes, roots, and suffixes. We would practice speaking the terms aloud. I would show images that correspond to each term. 

This can be modified by providing differentiated texts to small groups rather than the whole class. I can introduce the activity and model with the whole class, and then ask them to practice in the corresponding groups.