Contents
Foreword Susan B. Neuman ix
Preface: Learning the Language of School xii
Acknowledgments xvii
1. An Overview of Academic Language 1
Academic or Casual Language? 1
How Might Academic Language Look in Early Childhood Classrooms? 4
Conclusion 9
2. Language Learning 10
Principles of Language Learning 10
Facilitating Language 13
Conclusion 17
3. Linguistic Diversity and Registers 18
The Academic Register 18
Teaching Linguistically Diverse Students 23
Celebrating Linguistic Diversity While Fostering Academic Language Development 25
Conclusion 29
4. Academic Vocabulary 30
Selecting Words to Teach 32
Teaching Academic Vocabulary 35
Conclusion 40
5. Complex Syntax 41
Coauthored by Katherine Newman
Development of Complex Syntax 42
Common Syntactic Structures 42
Complex Syntax in Academic Texts 45
Modeling and Instructing 46
Conclusion 52
6. Academic Discourse 53
Features of Academic Discourse 53
Academic Discourse in Early Childhood Classrooms 56
Conclusion 66
7. Mealtimes and Sharing Time 67
Mealtimes 68
Sharing Time 74
Conclusion 79
8. Playful Learning 80
Coauthored by Katherine Newman and Jessica Lawson-Adams
Drama and Imaginative Play 80
Games 83
Music 85
Conclusion 91
9. Scientific Language 92
What Is Scientific Language? 92
Teaching Scientific Vocabulary 94
Pulling It All Together 100
Conclusion 102
10. Mathematical Language 103
What Is Mathematic Language? 103
Modeling Mathematical Language Through Reads-Alouds 104
Teaching Mathematical Vocabulary 106
Mathematical Discourse 109
Conclusion 113
11. Assessment 114
Principles of Language Assessment 114
Informal Assessments 116
Formal Assessments 119
Assessing Classroom Support 119
Conclusion 122
Appendix A. Observing Academic Language in Science and Mathematics 123
Appendix B. Academic Language Observation Tool (ALOT) 125
Appendix C. Academic Language Implementation Assessment (ALIA) 127
Appendix D. Children’s Literature for Building Academic Language 132
Appendix E. Digital Resources 134
References 137
Index 149
About the Authors 157
