This month I will be presenting on how to incorporate syntax teaching strategies into a close reading lesson of content text at the Minnesota Educator Academy (MEA) (Thursday, October 19) and the Minnesota English Learner Education Conference (MELed) (Saturday, October 28).  Considering this, I am posting here a collection of teaching strategies focused on explicitly teaching the syntax of the text in order for students to comprehend the text. Syntax is an area of academic language often overlooked when teaching comprehension; however, the reserach is clear we must explicitly teach the syntactic structures of the text when teaching students how to comprehend the text. 

These 4 strategies along with other resources discussed in both presentations are provided here with no log in to the member site required. If you'd like additional resources not discussed in the presentations, access to  the member site is free. Enjoy!
teaching_adverbial_clauses_2.pdf
teaching_passive_verb_construction.pdf
noun_deconstruction.pdf
sentence_decomposition_2.pdf
​Syntax Teaching Points for Comprehension
Close Reading Meaning Focused Lesson Template
​Grammar cheat sheet
​Powerpoint

Yes! The research is clear. There is a direct link between syntactic knowledge of complex text and reading comprehension (Fang, 2008; Zipol, 2017; Scott, 2009; Kahmi & Catt, 2012; Guthrie, Wigfield, & Perencevich, 2004; Hirsch, 2006; Snow, 2010). Metacognitive strategies are not enough. We must teach the academic language of school in order for students to be successful in our content curriculum. Academic language encompasses not just vocabulary but oral language discourse, text organization, culturally responsive teaching, and syntax. Each of these areas is what makes text difficult for students, all students, but particularly culturally and/or linguistically diverse students whose home languages do not mirror the language of school. Let's start making the implicit, explicit. 

Join me the next two weeks to learn specific ways to do just this!

MEA Conference - Thursday, October 19 @ 1:30PM, Meeting Room 3 - Open to the Public - Free Registration! http://www.cvent.com/events/2017-mea-conference/agenda-288e6ed215274793b265c8b0ad4f50a7.aspx?ct=04d3f382-0b08-4fd0-9755-4efaca7e751d

MELed Conference - Saturday, October 28 @ 2:15PM, Bloomington Room 225 - Register Today! https://minnetesol.wildapricot.org/event-2655988