Strengthening CCRS ELA Alignment: Academic Vocabulary

Presenter: Kristine Kelly
Academic vocabulary is a key part of the CCRS English Language Arts shift of complexity. But beyond the CCRS, academic language in general and academic vocabulary specifically have broad implications for our students’ lives. Academic vocabulary isn’t just for higher education; it’s another tool for our students to learn and use in order to understand texts; oral & written directions; communicate precise ideas when speaking or writing; comprehend language of assessments in the classroom and the workplace; describe thinking and problem-solving; participate more fully in social, community, academic, and work-related settings; and develop greater fluency in English. Join me to explore what academic vocabulary is, where to find tools to identify it and how to decide which words to teach and how to teach them, whether through conversation–at lower levels–or more explicitly at intermediate and higher levels. Leave with concrete ideas for teaching and tools that will save you time!