Eco-Literacy Intervention: Exploring Academic Vocabulary through an Urban Garden Project

1. Eco-Literacy Intervention:Exploring Academic Vocabulary through an Urban Garden Project Catherine Snow (Academic Supervision) Jia Li (Principal Investigator) Nick Edwards, Mary Turner, and SouhadZendah(Team members)

2. Overview • The Problem: Academic Vocabulary and ELLs • The Model: A Research-Driven Approach • The Project: An Urban Gardening Initiative • The Curriculum: Eco-Literacy • Intended Outcomes

3. The Problem

4. 'What does the word ‘Face' mean in this sentence: 'He was only trying to save face.' The front of the head. B)To look at something. C) The surface of a solid. D) Dignity.

5. The Problem: Vocabulary and Reading • A reciprocal relationship (Stanovich, 1986) • Vocabulary is required to comprehend text, BUT vocabulary is built through extensive reading • Matthew effect: “rich get richer” and “poor get poorer” in terms of vocabulary • Particularly a problem for ELLs, who are (by definition) “vocabulary poor” (Nation, 2001; Laufer, 1997) • One potential solution • Explicit teaching of vocabulary in engaging contexts

6. The Importance of Academic Vocabulary • Academic success in middle-school is inextricably linked with academic vocabulary knowledge (Lesaux, Kieffer, Faller & Kelly, 2010). • Increasing academic vocabulary is even more important for ELLs, whose limited vocabulary knowledge puts them at a higher risk of academic failure (Carlo & Bengochea, 2011).

7. The Site: Rogers Middle School in Boston • School statistics*: • 75.6% free lunch, 9.8% reduced-price lunch • 34% of students first language is not English • 21.7% of students have limited English proficiency *based on Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) • Students come from 17 native language backgrounds besides English, including: Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Chinese(Mandarin and Cantonese), Portuguese,German,Arabic, Hindi, Swahili, Yoruba, Serbian, Greek, Somali,Creole (Cape Verde and Haitian),Nigerian Igbo,Jamaican Patwa

8. The Model

9. The Model: Curriculum Design • Adapted from Word Generation (Snow, Lawrence & White, 2009) • Academic vocabulary presented in short, informational passages about controversial issues • Discussion and debate activities encourage students to take a stand and make personal connections • Activities connected to math, science, social studies, and English language arts • Multiple, authentic interactions with target words

10. Debate Format • Students control turn-taking and topic of debate • Use of target academic words to express views • Video: A Word Generation debateat Rogers Middle School Three Points Made by Students • Teachers better understand students of their own gender. • Students need to be prepared for interacting with people of both genders. • Depending on the student, a co-ed or single-gender environment might be a better option.

11. 8th Graders at Rogers on Single Gender Education

12. The Model: Project-Based Learning • Project-based learning proven effective in teaching vocabulary to undergraduate ELLs (Li & McComb, 2011) • Ongoing gardening projects successful for improving middle grade students’ scientific thinking skills (Mabie & Baker, 1996) • Outcomes include enhanced abilities to observe, communicate, compare, order, relate, and infer • More effective on these measures than lecture-based instruction and isolated classroom activities (e.g., traditional ‘labs’)

13. Fulbright Canada-RBC Urban Garden Project

14. Garden Project Description • A garden with fruit trees, perennial herbs and annual vegetable plants • Field learning site for social studies and science education • Supplement to school lunch menu • Students, teachers and the principal will contribute ideas for the garden design • About 30 grade 8 students, 7 teachers, the principal and a team of Harvard graduate students will build the garden • Garden construction scheduled for May 30th, 2012

15. The Curriculum

16. Selecting Lesson Topics • Directly related to the school’s urban garden project • Urban Gardens • Is urban agriculture a wise use of resources? • Organic Agriculture • Is organic food better for the environment and our health? • Composting • Should governments encourage composting? Would you compost in your backyard?

17. Profiling the Text • Texts analyzed for word frequency and type • 1K: 1,000 most common English words • 2K: second most frequent 1,000 words • AWL: Words on Coxhead’s (2000) Academic Word List • “Off-list” words: All other (relatively low frequency) words that are not 1K, 2K, or AWL • Typical academic text contains 76% 1K + 2K, 10% AWL and 9% other words * • Even 2% of unknown words can interfere with independent reading comprehension* *Observations made by Nation (2001)

18. Vocabulary Profile • Similar profile to a typical academic text, but with about half the academic words (5.5%) • Reads like an expository text students would encounter • Optimal level of challenge • Aims at students’ Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978)

19. Selecting Target Words • Words from the AWL (Coxhead, 2000) and other difficult, high-utility words selected from color-coded profiled text

20. Vocabulary in Authentic Context • Each lesson focused around a real life issue that is relevant to adolescents • Connection to the “bigger picture” • Community • Environment

21. Examining Academic Vocabulary • Chart to assist teachers in the exploration of target words • Words not taught in isolation • Using target words in multiple ways produce productiveness productively unproductive product production reproduce producer producible The garden was very productive last year.

22. Comprehension Checks • Critical Thinking • Questions that draw on students’ personal beliefs and prior knowledge • Become more familiar with the information in the text • For Example:

23. Debating the Issue • Using academic language to express personal views • Developing reasoning skills • Using facts to support an argument • Considering the issue from multiple perspectives

25. Persuasive Writing Personal Beliefs • Making connections between: • Debate and written arguments • Text and personal beliefs • Vocabulary and how it is used • Tying it all together Usage in Context Rhetoric Academic Vocabulary Oral debate Text Content

27. Making Connections • Academic literacy across the Curriculum • Activities that connect target words to different content areas Literacy English Language Arts Math Social Studies Science

28. Urban Garden Activity • Students can see the math involved in basic activities • A preview of their real-life garden activity • Using addition, multiplication, volume, budgeting, and estimation • Coming up with creative solutions • Adjusting garden size to fit a budget

29. Organic Agriculture Activity Science and Math Activity • Students must: • make a hypothesis based on given information • think about what they don’t know • Students can think about the validity of their arguments • Students ask questions about gaps in their knowledge

32. Composting Activity • Students will learn about ratios while also building their science skills • Compare compostable items • Make inferences and predictions about compost • Encourages critical questions • What are the properties of green and brown compost? • What would happen if we had too much brown compost?

33. Composting Activity • Examples of potential student predictions • More green compost is needed than brown compost • Most compost piles have two to three times as much green compost as brown compost • Brown compost takes longer to decompose

34. Incorporating Multimedia • Multimedia resources such as Websites and videos recommended for lesson extension • Reinforces content and language • Visual representation provides another entry point for ELLs • Example: A how-to video about making compost* • *courtesy of Lowe’s website

35. Outcomes

36. Intended Outcomes: Development • Improved critical thinking skills • Greater tendency engage in multidisciplinary thinking • Increased motivation for learning • Heightened confidence to express views

37. Intended Outcomes: Content Knowledge • Deeper understanding of target vocabulary • Better understanding of expository genres • More nuanced understanding of relationships between individuals, communities, and the environment

38. Special Thanks Fulbright Canada-RBC Eco-Leadership Program Students and teachers at Rogers Middle School

39. Thank you! Jia.li@utoronto.ca or jiali@uoit.ca

40. Your suggestions • This curriculum is a work in progress, and we’re interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions! • Can you see any limitations of this program? • Can you think of any ways we could improve it? • Anything that you think is particularly effective? • Any other suggestionsor questions?

41. Selected Resources • Vocabulary Profiler: http://conc.lextutor.ca/vp/eng/ • Vegetable product life cycle (lesson plans for grade 9-12):http://www.kidscom.com/pdf_files/HS_Sci_Product_Life_Cycle.pdf • Basic information on organic foods: http://altmed.creighton.edu/OrganicFood/ • Sustainable Table: NGO promoting environmental awareness: http://www.sustainabletable.org/about/ • EPA resource for teens: http://www.epa.gov/osw/education/teens/index.htm • Compost activities and lessons (for teachers and students) http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/EPA_Composting-Unit.pdf

42. References • Carlo, M., & Bengochea, A. (2011). Best practices in literacy instrction for English language learners. In L. B. Gambrell, & L. M. Morrow (Eds.), Best practices in literacy instruction (4th ed., pp. 492). New York: Guilford Press. • Coxhead, A. (2000). A New Academic Word List. TESOL Quarterly, 34 (2), 213-238. • Laufer, B. (1997). The lexical plight in second language reading: Words you don’t know, words you think you know, and words you can’t guess. In J. Coady & T. Huckin (Eds.), Second language vocabulary acquisition (pp. 20–34). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. • Lesaux, N. K., Kieffer, M. J., Faller, S. E., & Kelley, J. G. (2010). The effectiveness and ease of implementation of an academic vocabulary intervention for linguistically diverse students in urban middle schools. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), pp. 196-228. • Mabie, R., & Baker, M. (1996). A comparison of experiential instructional strategies upon the science process skills of urban elementary students. Journal of Agricultural Education, 37, 1–7. • Nation, I.S.P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. • Stanovich, K.E. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 360–407. • Snow, C. E., Lawrence, J. F., & White, C. (2009). Generating knowledge of academic language among urban middle school students. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2(4), 325-344.