Module 18 Video/Resource Discussion

A good place to begin is with Tier 2, high-frequency, general instruction words (such as paraphrase, summarize, predict, and justify) that learners need to know to complete an activity but that are not a lesson’s primary learning objective. These words are critical to students’ successful processing of academic tasks and appear in the Common Core State Standards and on standardized tests.

1. Encourage students to read diverse texts: Reading and then thinking and talking about different genres is a robust sequence for learning academic language.

2. Introduce summary frames: Summarizing is a simple and fail-safe approach to academic language activities. Students read a section of text to themselves before verbally summarizing the passage to a partner. Alternatively, learners can complete sentence frames, or guides for summarization. Some examples:

If the main idea of the paragraph is problem/solution, use the frame: “_____ wanted _____, but ______, so ______.”
If the main idea of the paragraph is cause/effect, use the frame: “_____ happens because ______.”