English Language Development

Snapshot 5.2. Histogram of Important Words in the Study of Volcanoes

Integrated ELA/Literacy and Science in Grade Four (cont.)

ideas in the text have served as scaffolds for this task. Students look at the histogram they

have created, revisit the text, and, in deep concentration, lean over their desks to generate

their one-sentence summaries.

CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy: RI.4.2; SL.4.1; L.4.6

Related Next Generation Science Standard:

4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.

Source:

Adapted from

Yopp, Hallie K., and Ruth H. Yopp. 2014. Literature-Based Reading Activities: Engaging Students with Literary and

Informational Text. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson. Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., New York, NY.

English Language Development in Grade Four

In grade four, EL students learn English, learn content knowledge through English, and learn about
how English works. English language development occurs throughout the day across the disciplines
and also during a time specifically designated for developing English based on EL students’ language
learning needs. In integrated ELD, fourth-grade teachers use the CA ELD Standards to augment the
CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy or other content instruction they provide. For example, after a small reading
group has read a complex literary text, a teacher asks the students to discuss a text-dependent
question with a partner. She uses the CA ELD Standards to provide differentiated support to her ELs at
varying levels of English language proficiency. She asks the class the question, “Why do you think the
main character behaved responsibly? How do we know?”

The teacher provides substantial support for her ELs at the Emerging level of English language
proficiency (particularly for ELs new to English, or newcomer ELs) by explaining the meaning
of academic words, such as behaved and responsibly, code-switching to explain the question in
the student’s primary language (for ELs very new to English), or by providing a cognate (e.g.
responsablemente). To support them with expressing their ideas, she provides them with an open
sentence frame (e.g., I think __ behaved responsibly because ___.), which she could post for
them to refer to.

Providing opportunities for newcomer ELs at early

Emerging levels of English to read or listen to texts in their

primary language that are the same as those they read

in English also supports their access to English texts and

their development of English. For example, prior to reading

a story in English, newcomer ELs might read and discuss

the text, or selected parts of it, in their primary language

(when possible) ahead of time. Because their comprehension

of the text in their primary language transfers to English,

the students are in a better position to respond to text-

dependent questions in English while reading the text in

English. Later, the students return to the primary language

text to compare the meanings they made in the two texts,

as well as similarities and differences between the language

used in each text. This type of task would not be enacted

Providing opportunities

for newcomer ELs at early

Emerging levels of English to

read or listen to texts in their

primary language that are

the same as those they read

in English also supports their

access to English texts and their

development of English.

444 | Chapter 5 Grade 4