What features of the text sample might pose challenges to English language learners? Consider high-level vocabulary as well as idiomatic expressions, common words used in unusual ways, and complex sentence structures
The text sample on sharks contains numerous challenges to ELLs. There is frequent use of high-level vocabulary, and content-specific vocabulary that ELLs may not be familiar with. Some examples include "species," "ecological," "teeming," "pharmaceutical," "affluence," "consumption," and "deployed." In addition to these high-level words, because the article concerns shark species, it refers to shark names that would prove incredibly confusing to an ELL-names such as "dwarf dog shark," "basking shark," and "megamouth shark." Especially because the words are not capitalized, it is not clear that the words refer to parts of names, and this would be an instance where using a dictionary might prove counterproductive to the endeavor of understanding the text. If one could not infer that the words "dwarf," "dog," and "shark" should be strung along together, and not taken separately with their literal separate meanings, one would be lost in the second sentence.
Structurally, the passage employs a number of complex sentences that require a more sophisticated understanding of syntax. The multiple dashes in the text, used to enclose information such as types of species, might create confusion much in the same way the use of parenthesis might. Even if students are familiar with the function and purpose of dashes and parenthesis, because they will be doing the hard comprehension work of making meaning from content words, they may forget that words enclosed in these grammatical structures also need to be considered as they lend and shape the meanings of those words they affect. These major challenges, along with a peppering of other ones like the cultural reference to the movie Jaws, would make the text more difficult for an ELL student. -Holly
Reading the math pages, I found the following to be potentially problematic for ELL students:
* Number 11, part (a) asks if the cartoons are systems of linear equations. Well, of course they are not systems of linear equations, they are cartoons. This might present a difficult barrier for an ELL student to navigate.
* For #41, defining variables might be challenging to comprehend. First, the abstract notion of a variable representing a quantity (and different quantities) is a difficult concept in Algebra. Next, the sentence "Let t = the number of hours..." could be difficult.
* On page 19, "These questions will help you summarize what you have learned" is somewhat vague. How? They are questions -- do they need to be answered or do they summarize on their own? Also, the word "expression" can be a challenging vocabulary word with multiple meanings.
I didn't realize you couldn't edit your post once it was up. The second to last sentence should read: "...they may forget that words enclosed in these grammatical structures need to be considered in light of these grammatical structures..."
D.A. Juliano, you think you're so funny. Although I did get a chuckle out of your first suggestion. I agree that the graphs in question 11 are confusing, especially if students do not know what a nonlinear graph looks like. Also, many students might not know what "solution" means if they don't have a set of equations in front of them. Last, the cartoon uses a lot of adult humor not typically discussed in students' conversations with each other. Jokes about cellulite probably won't register.
Also, the format of questions 41 and 12 is confusing. For #41, it appears as if the "chapter project" is part of the question. For #12, it is unclear why they have a copy of the summer job advertisements. At first I would assume that it is a word problem and that students would have to derive the equations, but then the students are given the equations. Difficult language in both include record, demo tape, rents, on-site, chain, and commission.
As Dave mentioned, I also find the phrase “will help you summarize what you have learned” on page 19 unclear. However, I do feel that it was an attempt to help the students understand and break down the title ‘Mathematical Reflections.’ I also found the word choice of “perform” and “illustrate” to be a challenge for some students. If they have little exposure to math language they may mistake perform and illustrate for an alternate meaning. I also think the directions to ‘evaluate for specific values’ is a saying that may confuse students. One might see the word ‘evaluate’ and think he/she has to say whether something is good or bad. Finally, a student may not understand that they are the ones who get to choose the values. It is confusing to think that there is not one right answer especially when the directions say ‘specific’.
Upon first glance at the shark text, a number of potential difficulties for ELL readers came to my mind. The print is small. There are no pictures. There are few instances of bolded, headed, or otherwise signified text to indicate hierarchy or dimensions of importance. This piece is disembodied from a text which may be chock full of graphic organizers or other helpful strategies for cluing in to the text, but we see none of those helpful qualities here.
Upon reading, there were further difficulties noticed, such as difficult syntax (see Holly's post above for detail which I won't repeat), polysemous words, and some text requiring background knowledge of fish and American films (and even I haven't seen Jaws).
The excerpt brought to mind a perhaps perennial problem of high school ELA teachers in impoverished districts—our texts (novels, short stories, poems, etc.) almost always have these aforementioned intimidating qualities. Picture books or texts with well-organized ways of presenting information are to be found in elementary and middle schools or schools which have access to good literature textbooks. I don't know about other schools TEPers are in, but there is no curriculum set for my ELA classroom, and in the one classroom in my school I have seen with an anthology set, the books are at least ten years old. Thus, a substantial portion of the texts the students encounter, with the exception of the independent reading they choose, suffers from these distancing qualities.
I had similar thoughts to Betsy and David on the Mathematical Reflections page regarding the academic language 'evaluate' and 'illustrate.' I am assuming those describe multi-step processes the students should do. I also thought the directions at the end of the page -where one thinks, discusses, and writes about ones answers - would not provide enough direction for ELL students. Summarizing is a complex process. Lastly, depending on the type of learner the student is, it might actually be easier to do part b before part a, since b is using a concrete example while a is asking for a generalization.
As for the Prentice Hall sheet, I agree with Shannon that the background knowledge and terminology about bands and sales might be an initial barrier for ELL students. For question 41b, I thought asking for the solution to be explained "in terms of your band renting a studio" could be confusing, since "in terms of" is idiomatic (I think).
Jean and Holly already mentioned the first thing that struck me when I read this text; in my opinion, the syntax of this article poses the toughest challenge to ELL students. To elaborate upon the problems already mentioned by Holly, I found the final gerund phrase to be especially confusing. The sentence which begins, "Preserving their genetic development" presupposes that the reader can easily supply the missing pronouns--but in order to to do so, the reader must be sufficiently proficient with English to understand that "but we and other species need them" subtly cues the reader that "we" need to do the preserving. What a deadly conceptual trap!
I also found the barrage of shark terminology intimidating; if I felt the need to look up every unfamiliar word (as i often did while trying to learn other languages myself), I would find this article exhausting. The syntactical phrases already mystify the meaning of the text, but I can not imagine how frustrating it would be to keep track of both the concepts and the vocabulary which function as primary keys to the reader's comprehension of this text.
I am responding to the shark comments. I agree with the challenges that Lily, Jean and Holly have named. Despite these challenges, I see some positives in the text. First, the writing is similar to that which students will encounter on MCAS reading passages. This is a great opportunity to familiarize ELL students with this type of writing in order to lesson their anxiety on test day and increase their test performance. As a science teacher, it is important for me to expose all students to rich text like this. However, I also need to make sure that ELL students will be able to learn science content from this reading assignment, and will not be overburdened by vocabulary. I could include a vocabulary word bank that defines both the scientific terms and the phrases like "dwarf dog shark" that Holly identified.
A second positive characteristic is that the content of this article is interesting. In paragraph 10, the article describes the ways in which sharks help human. I could show pictures of sharks to spark student interest in this reading and give student some context for the vocabulary that they will encounter. This will benefit both ELLs and other students who have never been to the ocean or have never seen the movie Jaws, a problem that Jean identified.
A third positive is that the assignment/ thinking question is separated from the text with distinct visual cues-- different font size and a partial border.
I would try to make this article more accessible to ELL students, by including a vocabulary list and by
[Alicia] Much of the commentary that I would have posted about the Shark text has been mentioned by others. Jean mentioned the layout of the text itself and the fact that there are no images or distinguishing characteristics drawing the reader to particular terms. Images of the food "web" would have been helpful, as mentioned in the second paragraph. Additionally, an image of the size of the shark compared to the African elephants and a goldfish would have made that paragraph more easily comprehensible.
Headings would have been helpful to include to visually break up the text and to organize it by sub-topic. It would be helpful for an ELL student to have a heading as a road map as to clue them into what they are reading next. Also under the title there seems to be a couple of sentences in slightly smaller print that serve to highlight two important purposes that sharks have. One is to keep the ocean clean by eating sick ocean creatures and secondly, sharks' immune systems are being studied to learn about how to prevent cancer. These two key points are lost however, because of they are virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the text.
I agree with the comments above on the math sheets. On page 19, from a language viewpoint, it cannot be easy to understand the concept of a "specific value for a variable". It may be though that someone with math knowledge would comprehend. I think it is very confusing in parts b when they refer to part a without making it clear that it refers to a question above. In other languages, the term "order of operations" could be described in a very different way leaving an ELL student looking ignorant of something he or she understood well.
I suspect question 11 would be impossible for someone who did not understand a whole range of references from "linear equations" to "commitments" to "Brad Pitt" to "cellulite". They do sound a charming couple later in life though.
Question 41 seems easier to work out if a student is math proficient although, as noted above, there are works that may puzzle. The Chapter Project to the right of the question may help somewhat with comprehension of Question 41.
Question 12 is similar to the one above in that it is unlikely to be as troublesome as Question 11.
After examining the math text, I agree with previous comments that there are ambiguous words that assume comprehensive understanding. The Mathematical Reflections section contains words like "illustrate", "expression", and "perform" that can easily imply other actions irrelevant to math. Without a solid understanding of these words and their action in the appropriate context, no student would know what they were commenting on.
What separates the Mathematical Reflections page apart from the word problems is increased chances of success due to clarifying equations and numbers (at least for problems #41 and #12). In addition, I agree with Robin's example that the Chapter Project to the right of question #41 helps student comprehend the equations they see to the left. However, I also wonder if the equations at left serve as a tool or as a crutch. I think there are ways to scaffold this problem for ELL students so they receive practice translating applicable sentences into mathematical equations.
Therefore, I think it is up to the teacher to not just give students resources that can help their L2 comprehension skills, but instead manipulate the resources so that there are specific goals and skills required to understand the problem.
I agree with the previous posters about the inclusion of headings, pictures and vocab definitions to allow for understanding.
Have the students that are reading this text been exposed to the multitude of Biology concepts that are included within it? This text involves the concepts of immunology, evolution and classification. The students need to understand these in order to make sense of the text.
Also, scientific writing is usually objective and impersonal. This text uses the first person which is not part of scientific literacy. In other words, scientists do not communicate in this manner. The text does not model appropriate scientific literacy for the students.
Looking at the math reading, I tend to agree with what others have said before me. Additionally, I found the use of the word illustrate numerous times on page 19 to be one that could pose potential problems. Illustrate to me says draw some type of picture, not as part b asks people to "Illustrate your answer to part a by writing an appropriate expression and evaluating it for specific values of the variables".
I also found it interesting that question 12 has two advertisements that are based on sales positions with commissions. A commission is not an easy to understand concept for American citizens, let alone someone unfamiliar with the salesperson model that many employers use in America.
Regarding the Prentice Hall sheet, I agree with previous posts that the language in the comic strip is likely to be a problem. However I like the idea of using comic strips in general. Thinking about my own learning process I found that the visuals provide good context for the text. Also humor, when it translates, is a good way to defuse communication problems (I have a couple Chinese housemates and we laugh a lot about our miscommunications).
Problem 41 does a good job providing context as well - first stating the problem in English and then providing equations related to that statement. While the numbering of 41 between 11 and 12 could be confusing, 12 does seem to follow nicely from 41 as 12 provides a little less scaffolding. I would probably put 11 last in order to give students fresh experience with graphing before asking them what the various things mean. On the other hand, doing it this way would likely bring language issues to the fore earlier so if the teacher is prepared to deal with the language problems that arise this would be a good ordering (assuming it is classwork not homework).
I agree with everything the class has posted about the Mathematical Reflections worksheet. I particularly agree with Dave as he explained the problems presented by number 11 part A. The difficulty here is that the question does not specifically state which part of the cartoon in question is meant to represent the linear function. The question would be aided by asking "are the drawings within the cartoons representations of linear functions?" Furthermore, in number 1 part A, when the question asks to "illustrate your answer to part a" I think ELL students might be confused by the letter 'a' by thinking it is a separate word rather than a description of which question to refer to. I think this could be changed to something like "illustrate your answer to the previous question." The word "operation" may prove to be difficult to understand as it would normally be associated with surgery instead of mathematics. However, I do like that the beginning of the worksheet stated what the students have previously accomplished and what else they will be doing in the future to give students an understanding of where they are in the material.
Alicia, good call about the diagrams showing "food webs" and size comparisons. Subheadings in bold would definitely signal to me where the important information was in this passage, and break up the text a little bit. This requires not just the formatting adjustments that others have suggested, but also a reorganization of the text itself. Points about sharks' feeding habits; sources of endangerment; reputation; and benefits to other species are all listed, but the author jumps back and forth and only vaguely signals how the end of one paragraph will tie into the next. More explicity organization of the text would allow key words to be repeated multiple time in close proximity, so I'd have a better chance of guessing words I didn't know.
Some plusses: The italics on the word "plankton" helped me know it was an important term, but other than that, I had no direction as to which of the many scientific or (otherwise difficult) words I should really make sure I comprehend. I do commend the repetition of words like "shark" and "fish". However, if I don't know the definitions of these words already, I probably won't do too well on the rest of the passage.
I am posting about the math handouts. I agreed with a lot of what has already been said about the challenges in both handouts, and I recognize that we were asked to point out vocabulary or syntax that may present challenges to ELL students. What I'm having a hard time understanding is how to teach students the vocabulary without exposing them to math problems like this and having them see the different ways math questions are asked. Although all of the text had issues for ELL students, I didn't think any of the questions were worded unfairly and in order, to prepare students for standarized tests I think they have to be pushed to understand math vocabulary and strange ways of asking questions.
I know that wasn't what we were supposed to answer, but I didn't want to repeat other people's observations.
Summarizing the math worksheets people, it seems like these are just poorly done in general. If strategies that help ELLs access text, also help monolingual English speakers, then conversely worksheets that use vague, wordy, indirect language in questions and instructions are difficult for any student to decipher.
Dave and Shannon mention the wording on p19. Using the phrase "in what order" to ask each questions seems very indirect to me – I think it would be easy for an ELL student to get lost in the language and forget what they are actually supposed to do. The directions for the worksheet are below all of the questions – without a clear purpose, are students really going to concentrate on reading each questions for careful understanding? I also completely agree with Shannon about the cartoon on p272. It seems geared toward adults, not adolescent ELLs – cellulite? Again, the language in the accompanying questions is vague, and in b and c the verb is split in a way that makes it hard for me to understand what it is asking. Question a is the most direct question, but again, as Dave points out, the context is a little strange.
People are making excellent points about the difficulties associated with these texts; the syntax is often confusing, a lot of the vocabulary is high-level, the math comic strip seems beyond average student experience, and the math reflections sheet uses words that could be quite confusing in this context. The trick is finding ways to work with these; a lot of the time, as teachers, we don't have the option of choosing an alternate text. Plus, as AYF1 points out, kids need to be exposed to rich and complex text. The Internet is a wonderful resource, and so it could be really useful to consider what materials (visuals, etc.) you could find to augment these passages. -Jen
[David G.] - Anything in a second language can be potentially difficult or challenging for a second language learner. These challenges can be exacerbated or eased depending upon the relationship between the two languages (e.g., Germanic language to Germanic language should be less challenging than, say, a verbal click language to English). Thus, it's difficult for me to to make such a statement without making additional assumptions/having additional background on the learner that will be attempting to master the material covered by the given text.
I would make the assumption, however, that the overall sophistication of the passage would prove challenging to any reader. The sentences structures are rich and varied, with clauses that requires advanced understanding of grammar. For example, "Without their services, the oceans would be teeming with dying fish." The pronoun "their" could be confused considering the antecedent; "species" appears all the way at the beginning of the paragraph. This is obviously written at a high school level.
The comments above on the shark case study are all very similar to my initial reactions to the article. I think an interesting way to address the complicated vocabulary - like whale shark, dwarf dog shark, tiger shark, and all the other sharks that are being referred to as other animals - would be to either show picture of what this would look like literally and then what the animals actually look like, or to ask students what images come to mind when they read such words. The animals are obviously labeled for a reason, so maybe explicitly talking about why a shark would be described as a dwarf dog, talking about nouns being used as adjectives, might be a helpful activity. Getting beyond the initial vocabulary barriers will help a lot in understanding the rest of the passage..
People have done a really excellent job identifying the general categories of problems: technical language, cultural background knowledge, use of parentheses and dashes, lack of illustrations, lack of typographic emphasis on important, technical or difficult terms.
I would add, in terms of grammatical trickiness, that there are some longish parallel constructions, and sentences broken up by subordinate clauses which requires careful attention to pronouns.
Also, there is at lest one rhetorical question: "Whose fault is this?" It's a shift in voice that is not followed up on at all. Also, to piggyback on Melissa, that kind of polemic is not scientific. I would actually call this a piece of rhetorical writing that uses lots of scientific evidence, rather than scientific writing per se. It would therefore be very helpful to attune readers to the writer's purpose beforehand -- to persuade, rather than just to inform.
All of the points made thus far about vocabulary, syntax, and orgaization in the shark reading essentially match my analysis. I particularly agree with Hilary that the organization of this text is unfocused and confusing. Subheadings followed by relevant information grouped together would help students make sense of the information and identify the specific topics that are confusing them.
At first glance, the two-sentence summary at the top seems useful but it's actually a bit misleading because it doesn't capture all of the main ideas. I was primed to read exclusively about the important ecological role of sharks but then was hit by loosely-related informationn about species and media images. Either the summary must be adjusted or the first paragraph(which provides no orientation) should provide a topic sentence and roadmap that clarifies how the supplementary information will help students' understanding of the main issue.
I appreciate Alex's approach to finding the "positives" about the passage. In my experience with after school tutoring and working with students with severe reading disabilities who are mainstreamed in social studies classes, I have seen endless examples of text-book homework assignments that ELL and students with below-grade-level reading abilities are expected to navigate independently, and I--as a tutor who did not assign the work--must figure out how to break it down for a student in a short amount of time. To quote Vicki Jacobs, if you know the purpose of the assignment you are giving students, (i.e. WHAT IS IT YOU WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND AND BE ABLE TO DO WITH THE INFORMATION?) choosing which parts of such a complicated passage to break down explicitly is made less overwhelming. I agree with all the previous comments concerning difficult vocabulary, sentence structure, and phrases, but I would like to add that a deep comprehension of this passage hinges on comprehending the mathematical concepts presented throughout (sharks killed 88 people worldwide - an average of 7 people per year; populations have decreased by 90%). This component of the text may serve as a both an access point and an obstacle in comprehension and should not be overlooked.
Regarding the shark article, I agree with the numerous posts that point out the vocabulary difficulties and complex sentence structures. I had the same initial reaction as Holly regarding the dashes and general tone of the article - in order to fully understand this article you need to be aware are language cues indicating which phrases are seemingly parenthetical and which are emphasizing a main point.
To build off of Holly's point that the names of many sharks ("dwarf dog shark") are confusing because they incorporate the names of other animals in the title - I find it even more complicated that in the first paragraph, the author is comparing these sharks to different animals for the reader to understand their size. For example, consider this sentence in the first paragraph: "The largest is the whale shark, the world's largest fish. It can grow to 15 meters long and weigh as much as two full-grown African elephants." Not only is the name "whale shark" confusing because it encompasses two animals, but it is also being called a fish, and then compared to elephants.
Finally, I appreciate that Alex found some positive elements about this article. I was thinking that, depending on where students in your class are from, this article might be culturally relevant to some of them. It is possible that some students come from a culture that value sharks or hunt sharks and they could share that knowledge with the class.
some additional thoughts on math: as several folks have pointed out, vocabularly is a big part of mathematics (and one that is often underestimated.) comics and visuals can be helpful in math - in this case, there is a disconnect between the visual (curves of lines) versus the definition of "linear" equation - but isn't that the lesson,i.e., know what "linear" means, rather than an vague/misleading term?
Regarding the math article, there are terms that involve a certain amount of cultural knowledge (brad pitt) and terms that have double meanings that could confuse students if they have to look it up in a dictionary (band).
In response to Jennifer's comment, I think the goal of the comic is for students to distinguish between linear systems of equations and non-linear systems of equations.
Although I like the use of visuals as a means to gauge student understanding, there is so much confusing language, especially for an English Language Learner, that many students miss the point.
Regarding the shark article, as I perused the article and then read through my lovely colleagues' comments, I keep wondering how this article would fit in a classroom lesson plan. As many people have pointed out, the dashes, challenging vocabulary and idioms, and the various names describing or naming the animals can all be confusing. I'm wondering how a teacher would work to scaffold a lesson around this article so that ELL students (as well as struggling learners in general who may experience similar difficulties and challenges) can approach it. Maybe teachers have a lecture or mini-unit describing the vocabulary before diving into an article like this? Perhaps the teachers have already established a point of reference or a framework for their students. I feel like most articles read out of the context of a classroom would prove challenging on some level. Thinking about the Vgotsky idea of challenging your students just beyond their comfort zone and pushing them to become independent learners, I'm considering how I can challenge my ELL students while not overwhelming them.
In sum, I'm trying to imagine the unit and overall purpose that surrounds this shark article because I think that, hopefully, there are ways to prepare students and give them the appropriate tools with which to tackle this level of writing. I'm hoping that, as this class progresses, that we will learn different teaching strategies and methods to employ in situations like this one with this article, so that we can identify problems and then work to solve them.
Another positive on the shark article: The heading poses a guiding question - Why are sharks important species? Guiding questions can help students focus on the text because their goal would be to respond to the question by the end of the reading. However, the question is not emphasized visually so it would be my job to stress it.
If I were introducing this text to ELLs, I would read aloud this question and restate it for those who may not know what species means. I would say, "Why are sharks important animals?" I would ask the students to read this passage with the goal of finding at least three different responses to this question.
Suzannah's post persuaded me to focus on a learning goal for the students. Thanks!
(Nick) I am writing in regard to the math work. I generally agree and understand with what people have said here. What I find interesting is to see the comparison between what I call "naked math" which involves no words and just pure numbers and word problems which are impossible to answer without a context of what the words mean and how they tie in together. Many ELL students who have the math skills can solve the naked math problems that are seen in problem # 41 when a problem is given and a direct solution is desired. The problem is hardly any questions on standardized tests are organized in this manner and almost all are set up like the "Mathematical Reflections" sheet and problem # 11. These types of problems cause situations in which standardized tests become largely a test of reading. The reading skills are not enough to pass alone, but without them passing becomes almost impossible. The context clues and cultural references that Danny and Jennifer mention I also find to be difficult as many students lack the exposure to these types of examples and their context.
As someone who is a very visual learner I agree with the many points made above that the Shark piece is very difficult to read. As an ELL I'd look at this and be extremely daunted by the excessive amount of type I'd have to try to get through. The lack of headings and pictures/diagrams as jean suggested, are a problem. Thinking about universal design as well, this excerpt is not conducive to engaging all learners. Furthermore, having many Asian friends, and having been asked to try shark-fin soup, heard about the medicinal properties of shark etc, and thinking about the fact that when I go back to Vancouver, most ELL's will be from Asian backgrounds, I feel that they might feel personally attacked. It would be important to make sure other students do not automatically assume that their Asian peers all eat shark now that they read it in this article. It would not help an ELL in trying to become part of the class.
I think Maurice brings up a good point when he says “what I'm having a hard time understanding is how to teach students the vocabulary without exposing them to math problems like this and having them see the different ways math questions are asked.” Like Maurice, I found myself thinking about what students might have been exposed to prior to reading these problems. Knowing how the information was taught or presented would help me evaluate the fairness of these examples. I think that Maurice is right on when he says students need to see examples of the many different ways that math questions can be phrased before encountering an assignment like this. I liked the repetition and consistency in the phrasing of the questions on the Mathematical Reflections page. I can imagine that once terms like “expression,” “given,” “perform,” “illustrate,” and “evaluating” are defined and used in a number of examples that it would be easier to work through this set of problems because they use the terms in a similar way question after question.
As for the Prentice Hall sheet, I don’t know that I have anything new to add to what has already been said.
Paperbag Princess makes a great point about the cultural ramifications of the piece, especially in the West.
I would speak, however, tentatively in favor of at least one aspect of this article--the short paragraphs provide manageable, intuitive divisions by which to tackle the whole. From my own foreign language experience, I know that few things are more intimidating than the long paragraph.
On the other hand, as some folks mentioned above, this reading is not simple. To mention one specific aspect of this difficulty, I would imagine the various specialized verbs could be potentially problematic to getting any momentum going (filtering, distorts, etc.).
I totally agree with Adam. In reading the science piece, I imagined being a ELL student from a country in which the ocean and sharks are unfamiliar and found that I would be very confused simply by attempting to read the content at hand.
There were several words that I believe would be difficult to comprehend if I were not familiar with the context such as 'critically endangered', 'mercury' (if I did not have a strong science background), 'immune system', 'genetic development',etc.
The format used is clear but the wording is seemingly difficult altogether. Utilizing additional resources (videos, primary resources) may be very helpful.
From what I have observed and also personally experienced as a math student, being able to do what Nick remarks as "naked math" is much easier than solving the actual word problems for ELLs. I couldn't agree more with the fact that word problems are in fact a test of reading skills. I grew up also learning a certain Japanese method for mathematics, which was purely "naked math" - there were no words (sometimes the words, "Solve the equation") and only mathematical equations/models on the page. While my quantitative skills with naked math advanced quickly to the point where I was able to do algebra earlier than students in my class, I found myself really struggling with math problems. When it came to problems in the SATs that were mainly composed of words and not models, I found myself having to adapt a different set of skills.
When looking at texts, we already utilize reading techniques that may not occur for ELL students. We look for titles, indications of importance, key vocabulary, and other cues from the text. Often ELL students don't even know how to start at this point.
I think one of the key aspects of looking at texts is thinking more about the reading techniques and strategies that go along with the texts.
at this a bit too late point it's hard to say much that hasn't been said about the shark article, but I'll go ahead and say the most obvious again: the print is intimidatingly small and spare, I can't imagine being too excited to read it if I knew I wouldn't understand a lot of the words on top of it. My mentor teacher is very gung-ho about textual graphics and i have discovered that I'm frighteningly graphically unaware. I've been trying to develop this sense but what i've continued to wondering about two things: how often do our attempts to rework our presentations of texts end up distracting our students? and What kind of activities and lessons can or should we do to teach students on how to access texts that AREN'T graphically unfriendly? Or am I missing the point on that last question...
The text sample on sharks contains numerous challenges to ELLs. There is frequent use of high-level vocabulary, and content-specific vocabulary that ELLs may not be familiar with. Some examples include "species," "ecological," "teeming," "pharmaceutical," "affluence," "consumption," and "deployed." In addition to these high-level words, because the article concerns shark species, it refers to shark names that would prove incredibly confusing to an ELL-names such as "dwarf dog shark," "basking shark," and "megamouth shark." Especially because the words are not capitalized, it is not clear that the words refer to parts of names, and this would be an instance where using a dictionary might prove counterproductive to the endeavor of understanding the text. If one could not infer that the words "dwarf," "dog," and "shark" should be strung along together, and not taken separately with their literal separate meanings, one would be lost in the second sentence.
ReplyDeleteStructurally, the passage employs a number of complex sentences that require a more sophisticated understanding of syntax. The multiple dashes in the text, used to enclose information such as types of species, might create confusion much in the same way the use of parenthesis might. Even if students are familiar with the function and purpose of dashes and parenthesis, because they will be doing the hard comprehension work of making meaning from content words, they may forget that words enclosed in these grammatical structures also need to be considered as they lend and shape the meanings of those words they affect. These major challenges, along with a peppering of other ones like the cultural reference to the movie Jaws, would make the text more difficult for an ELL student.
-Holly
Reading the math pages, I found the following to be potentially
ReplyDeleteproblematic for ELL students:
* Number 11, part (a) asks if the cartoons are systems of linear
equations. Well, of course they are not systems of linear equations,
they are cartoons. This might present a difficult barrier for an ELL
student to navigate.
* For #41, defining variables might be challenging to comprehend.
First, the abstract notion of a variable representing a quantity (and
different quantities) is a difficult concept in Algebra. Next, the
sentence "Let t = the number of hours..." could be difficult.
* On page 19, "These questions will help you summarize what you have
learned" is somewhat vague. How? They are questions -- do they need
to be answered or do they summarize on their own? Also, the word
"expression" can be a challenging vocabulary word with multiple
meanings.
Sincerely,
D.A. Juiliano
I didn't realize you couldn't edit your post once it was up. The second to last sentence should read: "...they may forget that words enclosed in these grammatical structures need to be considered in light of these grammatical structures..."
ReplyDeleteD.A. Juliano, you think you're so funny. Although I did get a chuckle out of your first suggestion. I agree that the graphs in question 11 are confusing, especially if students do not know what a nonlinear graph looks like. Also, many students might not know what "solution" means if they don't have a set of equations in front of them. Last, the cartoon uses a lot of adult humor not typically discussed in students' conversations with each other. Jokes about cellulite probably won't register.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the format of questions 41 and 12 is confusing. For #41, it appears as if the "chapter project" is part of the question. For #12, it is unclear why they have a copy of the summer job advertisements. At first I would assume that it is a word problem and that students would have to derive the equations, but then the students are given the equations. Difficult language in both include record, demo tape, rents, on-site, chain, and commission.
As Dave mentioned, I also find the phrase “will help you summarize what you have learned” on page 19 unclear. However, I do feel that it was an attempt to help the students understand and break down the title ‘Mathematical Reflections.’ I also found the word choice of “perform” and “illustrate” to be a challenge for some students. If they have little exposure to math language they may mistake perform and illustrate for an alternate meaning. I also think the directions to ‘evaluate for specific values’ is a saying that may confuse students. One might see the word ‘evaluate’ and think he/she has to say whether something is good or bad. Finally, a student may not understand that they are the ones who get to choose the values. It is confusing to think that there is not one right answer especially when the directions say ‘specific’.
ReplyDeleteBetsy
Upon first glance at the shark text, a number of potential difficulties for ELL readers came to my mind. The print is small. There are no pictures. There are few instances of bolded, headed, or otherwise signified text to indicate hierarchy or dimensions of importance. This piece is disembodied from a text which may be chock full of graphic organizers or other helpful strategies for cluing in to the text, but we see none of those helpful qualities here.
ReplyDeleteUpon reading, there were further difficulties noticed, such as difficult syntax (see Holly's post above for detail which I won't repeat), polysemous words, and some text requiring background knowledge of fish and American films (and even I haven't seen Jaws).
The excerpt brought to mind a perhaps perennial problem of high school ELA teachers in impoverished districts—our texts (novels, short stories, poems, etc.) almost always have these aforementioned intimidating qualities. Picture books or texts with well-organized ways of presenting information are to be found in elementary and middle schools or schools which have access to good literature textbooks. I don't know about other schools TEPers are in, but there is no curriculum set for my ELA classroom, and in the one classroom in my school I have seen with an anthology set, the books are at least ten years old. Thus, a substantial portion of the texts the students encounter, with the exception of the independent reading they choose, suffers from these distancing qualities.
Jean Jones
I had similar thoughts to Betsy and David on the Mathematical Reflections page regarding the academic language 'evaluate' and 'illustrate.' I am assuming those describe multi-step processes the students should do. I also thought the directions at the end of the page -where one thinks, discusses, and writes about ones answers - would not provide enough direction for ELL students. Summarizing is a complex process. Lastly, depending on the type of learner the student is, it might actually be easier to do part b before part a, since b is using a concrete example while a is asking for a generalization.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Prentice Hall sheet, I agree with Shannon that the background knowledge and terminology about bands and sales might be an initial barrier for ELL students. For question 41b, I thought asking for the solution to be explained "in terms of your band renting a studio" could be confusing, since "in terms of" is idiomatic (I think).
Aaron Shansky
Jean and Holly already mentioned the first thing that struck me when I read this text; in my opinion, the syntax of this article poses the toughest challenge to ELL students. To elaborate upon the problems already mentioned by Holly, I found the final gerund phrase to be especially confusing. The sentence which begins, "Preserving their genetic development" presupposes that the reader can easily supply the missing pronouns--but in order to to do so, the reader must be sufficiently proficient with English to understand that "but we and other species need them" subtly cues the reader that "we" need to do the preserving. What a deadly conceptual trap!
ReplyDeleteI also found the barrage of shark terminology intimidating; if I felt the need to look up every unfamiliar word (as i often did while trying to learn other languages myself), I would find this article exhausting. The syntactical phrases already mystify the meaning of the text, but I can not imagine how frustrating it would be to keep track of both the concepts and the vocabulary which function as primary keys to the reader's comprehension of this text.
I am responding to the shark comments. I agree with the challenges that Lily, Jean and Holly have named. Despite these challenges, I see some positives in the text. First, the writing is similar to that which students will encounter on MCAS reading passages. This is a great opportunity to familiarize ELL students with this type of writing in order to lesson their anxiety on test day and increase their test performance. As a science teacher, it is important for me to expose all students to rich text like this. However, I also need to make sure that ELL students will be able to learn science content from this reading assignment, and will not be overburdened by vocabulary. I could include a vocabulary word bank that defines both the scientific terms and the phrases like "dwarf dog shark" that Holly identified.
ReplyDeleteA second positive characteristic is that the content of this article is interesting. In paragraph 10, the article describes the ways in which sharks help human. I could show pictures of sharks to spark student interest in this reading and give student some context for the vocabulary that they will encounter. This will benefit both ELLs and other students who have never been to the ocean or have never seen the movie Jaws, a problem that Jean identified.
A third positive is that the assignment/ thinking question is separated from the text with distinct visual cues-- different font size and a partial border.
I would try to make this article more accessible to ELL students, by including a vocabulary list and by
Ignore the last sentence of my post. I meant to delete it.
ReplyDelete-alex
[Alicia] Much of the commentary that I would have posted about the Shark text has been mentioned by others. Jean mentioned the layout of the text itself and the fact that there are no images or distinguishing characteristics drawing the reader to particular terms. Images of the food "web" would have been helpful, as mentioned in the second paragraph. Additionally, an image of the size of the shark compared to the African elephants and a goldfish would have made that paragraph more easily comprehensible.
ReplyDeleteHeadings would have been helpful to include to visually break up the text and to organize it by sub-topic. It would be helpful for an ELL student to have a heading as a road map as to clue them into what they are reading next. Also under the title there seems to be a couple of sentences in slightly smaller print that serve to highlight two important purposes that sharks have. One is to keep the ocean clean by eating sick ocean creatures and secondly, sharks' immune systems are being studied to learn about how to prevent cancer. These two key points are lost however, because of they are virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the text.
I agree with the comments above on the math sheets. On page 19, from a language viewpoint, it cannot be easy to understand the concept of a "specific value for a variable". It may be though that someone with math knowledge would comprehend. I think it is very confusing in parts b when they refer to part a without making it clear that it refers to a question above. In other languages, the term "order of operations" could be described in a very different way leaving an ELL student looking ignorant of something he or she understood well.
ReplyDeleteI suspect question 11 would be impossible for someone who did not understand a whole range of references from "linear equations" to "commitments" to "Brad Pitt" to "cellulite". They do sound a charming couple later in life though.
Question 41 seems easier to work out if a student is math proficient although, as noted above, there are works that may puzzle. The Chapter Project to the right of the question may help somewhat with comprehension of Question 41.
Question 12 is similar to the one above in that it is unlikely to be as troublesome as Question 11.
Robin
After examining the math text, I agree with previous comments that there are ambiguous words that assume comprehensive understanding. The Mathematical Reflections section contains words like "illustrate", "expression", and "perform" that can easily imply other actions irrelevant to math. Without a solid understanding of these words and their action in the appropriate context, no student would know what they were commenting on.
ReplyDeleteWhat separates the Mathematical Reflections page apart from the word problems is increased chances of success due to clarifying equations and numbers (at least for problems #41 and #12). In addition, I agree with Robin's example that the Chapter Project to the right of question #41 helps student comprehend the equations they see to the left. However, I also wonder if the equations at left serve as a tool or as a crutch. I think there are ways to scaffold this problem for ELL students so they receive practice translating applicable sentences into mathematical equations.
Therefore, I think it is up to the teacher to not just give students resources that can help their L2 comprehension skills, but instead manipulate the resources so that there are specific goals and skills required to understand the problem.
Ashley
I agree with the previous posters about the inclusion of headings, pictures and vocab definitions to allow for understanding.
ReplyDeleteHave the students that are reading this text been exposed to the multitude of Biology concepts that are included within it? This text involves the concepts of immunology, evolution and classification. The students need to understand these in order to make sense of the text.
Also, scientific writing is usually objective and impersonal. This text uses the first person which is not part of scientific literacy. In other words, scientists do not communicate in this manner. The text does not model appropriate scientific literacy for the students.
Melissa
Looking at the math reading, I tend to agree with what others have said before me. Additionally, I found the use of the word illustrate numerous times on page 19 to be one that could pose potential problems. Illustrate to me says draw some type of picture, not as part b asks people to "Illustrate your answer to part a by writing an appropriate expression and evaluating it for specific values of the variables".
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting that question 12 has two advertisements that are based on sales positions with commissions. A commission is not an easy to understand concept for American citizens, let alone someone unfamiliar with the salesperson model that many employers use in America.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Prentice Hall sheet, I agree with previous posts that the language in the comic strip is likely to be a problem. However I like the idea of using comic strips in general. Thinking about my own learning process I found that the visuals provide good context for the text. Also humor, when it translates, is a good way to defuse communication problems (I have a couple Chinese housemates and we laugh a lot about our miscommunications).
ReplyDeleteProblem 41 does a good job providing context as well - first stating the problem in English and then providing equations related to that statement. While the numbering of 41 between 11 and 12 could be confusing, 12 does seem to follow nicely from 41 as 12 provides a little less scaffolding. I would probably put 11 last in order to give students fresh experience with graphing before asking them what the various things mean. On the other hand, doing it this way would likely bring language issues to the fore earlier so if the teacher is prepared to deal with the language problems that arise this would be a good ordering (assuming it is classwork not homework).
I agree with everything the class has posted about the Mathematical Reflections worksheet. I particularly agree with Dave as he explained the problems presented by number 11 part A. The difficulty here is that the question does not specifically state which part of the cartoon in question is meant to represent the linear function. The question would be aided by asking "are the drawings within the cartoons representations of linear functions?" Furthermore, in number 1 part A, when the question asks to "illustrate your answer to part a" I think ELL students might be confused by the letter 'a' by thinking it is a separate word rather than a description of which question to refer to. I think this could be changed to something like "illustrate your answer to the previous question." The word "operation" may prove to be difficult to understand as it would normally be associated with surgery instead of mathematics. However, I do like that the beginning of the worksheet stated what the students have previously accomplished and what else they will be doing in the future to give students an understanding of where they are in the material.
ReplyDeleteAlicia, good call about the diagrams showing "food webs" and size comparisons. Subheadings in bold would definitely signal to me where the important information was in this passage, and break up the text a little bit. This requires not just the formatting adjustments that others have suggested, but also a reorganization of the text itself. Points about sharks' feeding habits; sources of endangerment; reputation; and benefits to other species are all listed, but the author jumps back and forth and only vaguely signals how the end of one paragraph will tie into the next. More explicity organization of the text would allow key words to be repeated multiple time in close proximity, so I'd have a better chance of guessing words I didn't know.
ReplyDeleteSome plusses:
The italics on the word "plankton" helped me know it was an important term, but other than that, I had no direction as to which of the many scientific or (otherwise difficult) words I should really make sure I comprehend. I do commend the repetition of words like "shark" and "fish". However, if I don't know the definitions of these words already, I probably won't do too well on the rest of the passage.
-Hilary
Greetings,
ReplyDeleteI am posting about the math handouts. I agreed with a lot of what has already been said about the challenges in both handouts, and I recognize that we were asked to point out vocabulary or syntax that may present challenges to ELL students. What I'm having a hard time understanding is how to teach students the vocabulary without exposing them to math problems like this and having them see the different ways math questions are asked. Although all of the text had issues for ELL students, I didn't think any of the questions were worded unfairly and in order, to prepare students for standarized tests I think they have to be pushed to understand math vocabulary and strange ways of asking questions.
I know that wasn't what we were supposed to answer, but I didn't want to repeat other people's observations.
Summarizing the math worksheets people, it seems like these are just poorly done in general. If strategies that help ELLs access text, also help monolingual English speakers, then conversely worksheets that use vague, wordy, indirect language in questions and instructions are difficult for any student to decipher.
ReplyDeleteDave and Shannon mention the wording on p19. Using the phrase "in what order" to ask each questions seems very indirect to me – I think it would be easy for an ELL student to get lost in the language and forget what they are actually supposed to do. The directions for the worksheet are below all of the questions – without a clear purpose, are students really going to concentrate on reading each questions for careful understanding? I also completely agree with Shannon about the cartoon on p272. It seems geared toward adults, not adolescent ELLs – cellulite? Again, the language in the accompanying questions is vague, and in b and c the verb is split in a way that makes it hard for me to understand what it is asking. Question a is the most direct question, but again, as Dave points out, the context is a little strange.
People are making excellent points about the difficulties associated with these texts; the syntax is often confusing, a lot of the vocabulary is high-level, the math comic strip seems beyond average student experience, and the math reflections sheet uses words that could be quite confusing in this context. The trick is finding ways to work with these; a lot of the time, as teachers, we don't have the option of choosing an alternate text. Plus, as AYF1 points out, kids need to be exposed to rich and complex text. The Internet is a wonderful resource, and so it could be really useful to consider what materials (visuals, etc.) you could find to augment these passages.
ReplyDelete-Jen
[David G.] - Anything in a second language can be potentially difficult or challenging for a second language learner. These challenges can be exacerbated or eased depending upon the relationship between the two languages (e.g., Germanic language to Germanic language should be less challenging than, say, a verbal click language to English). Thus, it's difficult for me to to make such a statement without making additional assumptions/having additional background on the learner that will be attempting to master the material covered by the given text.
ReplyDeleteI would make the assumption, however, that the overall sophistication of the passage would prove challenging to any reader. The sentences structures are rich and varied, with clauses that requires advanced understanding of grammar. For example, "Without their services, the oceans would be teeming with dying fish." The pronoun "their" could be confused considering the antecedent; "species" appears all the way at the beginning of the paragraph. This is obviously written at a high school level.
ReplyDeleteThe comments above on the shark case study are all very similar to my initial reactions to the article. I think an interesting way to address the complicated vocabulary - like whale shark, dwarf dog shark, tiger shark, and all the other sharks that are being referred to as other animals - would be to either show picture of what this would look like literally and then what the animals actually look like, or to ask students what images come to mind when they read such words. The animals are obviously labeled for a reason, so maybe explicitly talking about why a shark would be described as a dwarf dog, talking about nouns being used as adjectives, might be a helpful activity. Getting beyond the initial vocabulary barriers will help a lot in understanding the rest of the passage..
ReplyDeletePeople have done a really excellent job identifying the general categories of problems: technical language, cultural background knowledge, use of parentheses and dashes, lack of illustrations, lack of typographic emphasis on important, technical or difficult terms.
ReplyDeleteI would add, in terms of grammatical trickiness, that there are some longish parallel constructions, and sentences broken up by subordinate clauses which requires careful attention to pronouns.
Also, there is at lest one rhetorical question: "Whose fault is this?" It's a shift in voice that is not followed up on at all. Also, to piggyback on Melissa, that kind of polemic is not scientific. I would actually call this a piece of rhetorical writing that uses lots of scientific evidence, rather than scientific writing per se.
It would therefore be very helpful to attune readers to the writer's purpose beforehand -- to persuade, rather than just to inform.
All of the points made thus far about vocabulary, syntax, and orgaization in the shark reading essentially match my analysis. I particularly agree with Hilary that the organization of this text is unfocused and confusing. Subheadings followed by relevant information grouped together would help students make sense of the information and identify the specific topics that are confusing them.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance, the two-sentence summary at the top seems useful but it's actually a bit misleading because it doesn't capture all of the main ideas. I was primed to read exclusively about the important ecological role of sharks but then was hit by loosely-related informationn about species and media images. Either the summary must be adjusted or the first paragraph(which provides no orientation) should provide a topic sentence and roadmap that clarifies how the supplementary information will help students' understanding of the main issue.
I appreciate Alex's approach to finding the "positives" about the passage. In my experience with after school tutoring and working with students with severe reading disabilities who are mainstreamed in social studies classes, I have seen endless examples of text-book homework assignments that ELL and students with below-grade-level reading abilities are expected to navigate independently, and I--as a tutor who did not assign the work--must figure out how to break it down for a student in a short amount of time. To quote Vicki Jacobs, if you know the purpose of the assignment you are giving students, (i.e. WHAT IS IT YOU WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND AND BE ABLE TO DO WITH THE INFORMATION?) choosing which parts of such a complicated passage to break down explicitly is made less overwhelming. I agree with all the previous comments concerning difficult vocabulary, sentence structure, and phrases, but I would like to add that a deep comprehension of this passage hinges on comprehending the mathematical concepts presented throughout (sharks killed 88 people worldwide - an average of 7 people per year; populations have decreased by 90%). This component of the text may serve as a both an access point and an obstacle in comprehension and should not be overlooked.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the shark article, I agree with the numerous posts that point out the vocabulary difficulties and complex sentence structures. I had the same initial reaction as Holly regarding the dashes and general tone of the article - in order to fully understand this article you need to be aware are language cues indicating which phrases are seemingly parenthetical and which are emphasizing a main point.
ReplyDeleteTo build off of Holly's point that the names of many sharks ("dwarf dog shark") are confusing because they incorporate the names of other animals in the title - I find it even more complicated that in the first paragraph, the author is comparing these sharks to different animals for the reader to understand their size. For example, consider this sentence in the first paragraph: "The largest is the whale shark, the world's largest fish. It can grow to 15 meters long and weigh as much as two full-grown African elephants." Not only is the name "whale shark" confusing because it encompasses two animals, but it is also being called a fish, and then compared to elephants.
Finally, I appreciate that Alex found some positive elements about this article. I was thinking that, depending on where students in your class are from, this article might be culturally relevant to some of them. It is possible that some students come from a culture that value sharks or hunt sharks and they could share that knowledge with the class.
some additional thoughts on math: as several folks have pointed out, vocabularly is a big part of mathematics (and one that is often underestimated.) comics and visuals can be helpful in math - in this case, there is a disconnect between the visual (curves of lines) versus the definition of "linear" equation - but isn't that the lesson,i.e., know what "linear" means, rather than an vague/misleading term?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the math article, there are terms that involve a certain amount of cultural knowledge (brad pitt) and terms that have double meanings that could confuse students if they have to look it up in a dictionary (band).
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jennifer's comment, I think the goal of the comic is for students to distinguish between linear systems of equations and non-linear systems of equations.
Although I like the use of visuals as a means to gauge student understanding, there is so much confusing language, especially for an English Language Learner, that many students miss the point.
Regarding the shark article, as I perused the article and then read through my lovely colleagues' comments, I keep wondering how this article would fit in a classroom lesson plan. As many people have pointed out, the dashes, challenging vocabulary and idioms, and the various names describing or naming the animals can all be confusing. I'm wondering how a teacher would work to scaffold a lesson around this article so that ELL students (as well as struggling learners in general who may experience similar difficulties and challenges) can approach it. Maybe teachers have a lecture or mini-unit describing the vocabulary before diving into an article like this? Perhaps the teachers have already established a point of reference or a framework for their students. I feel like most articles read out of the context of a classroom would prove challenging on some level. Thinking about the Vgotsky idea of challenging your students just beyond their comfort zone and pushing them to become independent learners, I'm considering how I can challenge my ELL students while not overwhelming them.
ReplyDeleteIn sum, I'm trying to imagine the unit and overall purpose that surrounds this shark article because I think that, hopefully, there are ways to prepare students and give them the appropriate tools with which to tackle this level of writing. I'm hoping that, as this class progresses, that we will learn different teaching strategies and methods to employ in situations like this one with this article, so that we can identify problems and then work to solve them.
Another positive on the shark article: The heading poses a guiding question - Why are sharks important species? Guiding questions can help students focus on the text because their goal would be to respond to the question by the end of the reading. However, the question is not emphasized visually so it would be my job to stress it.
ReplyDeleteIf I were introducing this text to ELLs, I would read aloud this question and restate it for those who may not know what species means. I would say, "Why are sharks important animals?" I would ask the students to read this passage with the goal of finding at least three different responses to this question.
Suzannah's post persuaded me to focus on a learning goal for the students. Thanks!
(Nick) I am writing in regard to the math work. I generally agree and understand with what people have said here. What I find interesting is to see the comparison between what I call "naked math" which involves no words and just pure numbers and word problems which are impossible to answer without a context of what the words mean and how they tie in together. Many ELL students who have the math skills can solve the naked math problems that are seen in problem # 41 when a problem is given and a direct solution is desired. The problem is hardly any questions on standardized tests are organized in this manner and almost all are set up like the "Mathematical Reflections" sheet and problem # 11. These types of problems cause situations in which standardized tests become largely a test of reading. The reading skills are not enough to pass alone, but without them passing becomes almost impossible. The context clues and cultural references that Danny and Jennifer mention I also find to be difficult as many students lack the exposure to these types of examples and their context.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is a very visual learner I agree with the many points made above that the Shark piece is very difficult to read. As an ELL I'd look at this and be extremely daunted by the excessive amount of type I'd have to try to get through. The lack of headings and pictures/diagrams as jean suggested, are a problem. Thinking about universal design as well, this excerpt is not conducive to engaging all learners. Furthermore, having many Asian friends, and having been asked to try shark-fin soup, heard about the medicinal properties of shark etc, and thinking about the fact that when I go back to Vancouver, most ELL's will be from Asian backgrounds, I feel that they might feel personally attacked. It would be important to make sure other students do not automatically assume that their Asian peers all eat shark now that they read it in this article. It would not help an ELL in trying to become part of the class.
ReplyDeleteI think Maurice brings up a good point when he says “what I'm having a hard time understanding is how to teach students the vocabulary without exposing them to math problems like this and having them see the different ways math questions are asked.” Like Maurice, I found myself thinking about what students might have been exposed to prior to reading these problems. Knowing how the information was taught or presented would help me evaluate the fairness of these examples. I think that Maurice is right on when he says students need to see examples of the many different ways that math questions can be phrased before encountering an assignment like this. I liked the repetition and consistency in the phrasing of the questions on the Mathematical Reflections page. I can imagine that once terms like “expression,” “given,” “perform,” “illustrate,” and “evaluating” are defined and used in a number of examples that it would be easier to work through this set of problems because they use the terms in a similar way question after question.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Prentice Hall sheet, I don’t know that I have anything new to add to what has already been said.
-- Travis
Paperbag Princess makes a great point about the cultural ramifications of the piece, especially in the West.
ReplyDeleteI would speak, however, tentatively in favor of at least one aspect of this article--the short paragraphs provide manageable, intuitive divisions by which to tackle the whole. From my own foreign language experience, I know that few things are more intimidating than the long paragraph.
On the other hand, as some folks mentioned above, this reading is not simple. To mention one specific aspect of this difficulty, I would imagine the various specialized verbs could be potentially problematic to getting any momentum going (filtering, distorts, etc.).
-Matt
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Adam. In reading the science piece, I imagined being a ELL student from a country in which the ocean and sharks are unfamiliar and found that I would be very confused simply by attempting to read the content at hand.
There were several words that I believe would be difficult to comprehend if I were not familiar with the context such as 'critically endangered', 'mercury' (if I did not have a strong science background), 'immune system', 'genetic development',etc.
The format used is clear but the wording is seemingly difficult altogether. Utilizing additional resources (videos, primary resources) may be very helpful.
Political Pearl
From what I have observed and also personally experienced as a math student, being able to do what Nick remarks as "naked math" is much easier than solving the actual word problems for ELLs. I couldn't agree more with the fact that word problems are in fact a test of reading skills. I grew up also learning a certain Japanese method for mathematics, which was purely "naked math" - there were no words (sometimes the words, "Solve the equation") and only mathematical equations/models on the page. While my quantitative skills with naked math advanced quickly to the point where I was able to do algebra earlier than students in my class, I found myself really struggling with math problems. When it came to problems in the SATs that were mainly composed of words and not models, I found myself having to adapt a different set of skills.
ReplyDelete[Amelie]
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at texts, we already utilize reading techniques that may not occur for ELL students. We look for titles, indications of importance, key vocabulary, and other cues from the text. Often ELL students don't even know how to start at this point.
I think one of the key aspects of looking at texts is thinking more about the reading techniques and strategies that go along with the texts.
at this a bit too late point it's hard to say much that hasn't been said about the shark article, but I'll go ahead and say the most obvious again: the print is intimidatingly small and spare, I can't imagine being too excited to read it if I knew I wouldn't understand a lot of the words on top of it.
ReplyDeleteMy mentor teacher is very gung-ho about textual graphics and i have discovered that I'm frighteningly graphically unaware. I've been trying to develop this sense but what i've continued to wondering about two things: how often do our attempts to rework our presentations of texts end up distracting our students? and What kind of activities and lessons can or should we do to teach students on how to access texts that AREN'T graphically unfriendly? Or am I missing the point on that last question...