Term
Summer 2018
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAESL
Facilitator(s)
Melissa Erikson
Content Expert
Anne Kaufman
Abstract
Participation in academic conversation and disagreement with peers is a key vehicle in development of critical thinking and academic language. Ninth-grade English Learners and mainstream students often have difficulty building on each others’ thoughts during discussions, rather than sharing their ideas developed in isolation. Students need multiple experiences of direct instruction of content-embedded language and content coaching to develop these advanced discussion interactions. In order to answer the question How to prepare mid-level ELs to demonstrate critical thinking and advanced discussion skills?this project designs curriculum for a structured debate Paideia seminar questioning the role of borders. This two-week long curriculum plan will both introduce key concepts for a migration unit as well as instruct in text comprehension, academic language and discourse skills using transfer between modalities. The curriculum follows the Paideia discussion process of formative pre-seminar activities for content and language, the examining viewpoints seminar based on Robert Frost’s Mending Wall,and concludes with a post-seminar extension activity and class reflection. The goal is to support all students to independently engage in higher-level academic dialogue. (176 words)
Project Type
Curriculum
Keywords
Curriculum, ESL/ ELLs, Discussion
Recommended Citation
Nunez-Gibbs, Sonia, "Preparing 9th Grade English Learners for Critical Thinking and Advanced Discussion Skills: Curriculum for Paideia Seminar" (2018). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 205.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/205
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects