Signal+Words

=== //__Brief description of Learning Circle plan__://To enhance reading and writing instruction, we are teaching academic vocabulary and sentence structure that is used to connect parts of text. The vocabulary focuses on common signal words and phrases that research shows are critical in reading comprehension and good organization in writing across content areas. The signal words and phrases are commonly used to organize academic language and text, but are less common in everyday speech. Hence, they are vital in acquisition of Academic English. Most are conjunctions and adverbial expressions, which are also difficult to teach as many entail complex grammatical knowledge. ===

=== //__Measuring results__:// We assessed student learning through writing and reading activities such as essays, paragraph writing, and reading short articles. We also made a student rap music video. [|Wellstone International High School Peace Rap] ===

** MOST COMMON SIGNAL WORDS in ACADEMIC PRINT ** *
on the other hand ||
 * ** Listing Order ** ||  ||
 * (Enumerative) || first, firstly ||
 * || second, secondly ||
 * || then ||
 * || finally ||
 * || eventually ||
 * ** Additive ** || also ||
 * || in addition ||
 * || furthermore ||
 * || moreover ||
 * (Evidence or Apposition) || for example ||
 * || for instance ||
 * ** Compare/ Contrast ** ||  ||
 * Similarity || likewise ||
 * Comparative || similarly ||
 * Adversative || however ||
 * || nevertheless ||
 * || though ||
 * || yet ||
 * || although ||
 * Contrastive || by contrast ||
 * || in fact ||
 * || On the one hand....
 * || instead ||
 * Dismissal || despite ||
 * ** Cause/Effect ** ||  ||
 * Causal || as a result (of) ||
 * || hence ||
 * || so, so ||
 * || therefore ||
 * || thus ||
 * || consequently ||
 * conditional causal || otherwise ||
 * || then ||

* Liu, Dilin. (2008) Linking adverbials: An across-register corpus study and its implications. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 13(4). 491–518. © John Benjamins Publishing Company.

UPDATES:
==== //In March, 2012//, we presented and discussed with staff how to develop curriculum and assessments that teach and use typical nonfiction text patterns of organization such as listing and time order, cause and effect order, and compare and contrast order. Most of these patterns use common signal words. We spoke about reading and writing activities, graphic organizers, formative assessments, and other classroom activities that could be used to teach and assess these patterns and vocabulary. ====

==== I//n April, 2012//, we did reading and writing activities across the school curriculum. A reading teacher and writing teacher and several staff members had already begun teaching the use of these words in writing and reading. We began to think about assessment products that that we could publish in a resource to share and use in future years. Students would write sentences, paragraphs, essays and optional songs containing the words. The school staff and students would select and electronically share the best and most representative work in electronic format. ====

==== //In early May, 2012,// we began to assess student knowledge of the signal words through formative assessment. We created models of summative assessments as exemplars to share with students. Students also began working on the summative assessments: from simple sentences and outlines, to paragraphs and essays using the signal words and various patterns of organization: particularly cause and effect, compare and contrast. Many students at the school already had a good working knowledge of listing order signal words used in chronological or linear order. ====

==== //In late May, 2012//, we began to collect and analyze summative assessments. We made a student rap music video using compare and contrast structure. Level 1 students wrote essays with cause and effect structure about nutrition. Level 2 and 3 students wrote paragraphs about the chain reaction global climate change has on glaciers and the environment. Level 2 and 3 students wrote about various immigrants to the United States using compare and contrast structure. ====

Timeline: March to June -- share curriculum already developed. -- establish goals for common curriculum. --Locate multilingual dictionaries and definitions. -- plan sentence and paragraph writing activities. -- share common writing rubrics. || -- students research definitions of signal words in multiple languages. -- students use graphic organizers to illustrate use of signal words. -- students write sentences and paragraphs using target signal words. -- staff share and discuss student work. || -- staff and students record sentences and song in multi-media format. -- staff and students edit and assimilate student work. -- assess student knowledge of target signal words. || -- share student work and curriculum, and published video  with district. ||
 * March || April || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">May || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">June ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">--Identify target signal words and conjunctions.

Proposal <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Terry McDanel, ESL teacher <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Maureen Smith, ESL/reading teacher ||  || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We will be doing this in several classes with several levels. Student writing will be assessed by the teacher. The best material (as voted on by students and teachers) will be made available to other interested teachers in the district. ||  ||
 * <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">School(s) Involved || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wellstone International High School ||  ||
 * <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Participant Names || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Melissa Persson, ESL teacher
 * <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Project Contact person || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Maureen M. Smith ||  ||
 * <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Project Title: <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[1] || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Signal words in reading, writing and song ||  ||
 * <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Problem to be addressed: || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ELL students often have difficulty acquiring certain types of signal words and phrases that research shows are critical in reading comprehension and good organization in writing. These signal words and phrases include conjunctions and adverbial expressions frequent in academic language and text, but less so in speech. These words signal key patterns of organization in nonfiction text. The words are also difficult to teach as many are conjunctions or adverbial expressions that entail grammatical knowledge vital in acquisition of academic English across content areas. . ||  ||
 * <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Actions or activities to reach the goal: || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We will involve students’ knowledge of their own language, and do reading and writing activities across the school curriculum. A reading teacher and writing teacher and several staff members have already begun teaching the use of these words in writing and reading. This project would enable all staff and most students to participate in creating a resource to share and use in future years. Students would record definitions of signal words in multiple languages, and write sentences, paragraphs, essays and optional songs containing the words. The school staff and students would select and electronically share the best and most representative work in electronic format. ||
 * <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How will you measure/assess the effectiveness of your plan? || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students will write sentences, paragraphs and essays using the target signal words and phrases. This will be saved in electronic format and shared with the district. They will also perform and record a music video.[
 * <span style="background-color: #d9d9d9; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How do you plan to share your project? || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The writing of sentences, paragraphs and/or songs will be published via video and/or powerpoint on Wellstone’s web site, and made available to other students in the district as a resource to learn these signal words. ||  ||