LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES FOR WORD GENERATION UNIT 1.11 – MUMMIES: WHO OWNS THE DEAD?Word Generation – SERP/SFUSD Partnership

“Sophisticated Language functions”

04/18/23

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In Improving Education for English Learners, Saunders and Goldenberg provide a list of some of these sophisticated language functions:

•argue persuasively for or against a point of view• analyze (compare and contrast)•evaluate alternative points of view and factual information•justify a point of view or to debate different points of view•synthesize and integrate information•follow or give complex directions•hypothesize about the causal relationship between events•justify a prediction, as in a science experiment•present a logical argument•question an explanation (50-51)

Potential Language Objectives for using WG ELA, Social Studies, Math and Science

Math Problem: Analyze by comparing and contrasting

Typical Student Response: They’re alike because they have similar kinds of numbers. You can just do like you do with a number line with this problem except use years and those letters.

Language Task: adapted from Option 1: The iceman died about 5,300 years ago. Which letter represents the time frame of his death? Compare and contrast the timeline with a number line. How can you use what you have learned about number lines to help you solve this problem?

More Academic Response: Just like the numbers in a number line increase as they move away from zero in both directions, so do the numbers on this timeline. The letters “CE” are similar to positive numbers, whereas the letters “BCE” are like negative numbers. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, I need to apply what I’ve learned about adding and subtracting positive and negative integers.

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Math Problem: Analyze by comparing and contrastingLanguage Task: adapted from Option 1: The iceman died about 5,300 years ago. Which letter represents the time frame of his death? Compare and contrast the timeline with a number line. How can you use what you have learned about number lines to help you solve this problem?

Language Objective: The students will be able to analyze by comparing and contrasting, using words and phrases such as Just like…so do; whereas and therefore.

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Sentence Frames: Just like the numbers in a number line _____________________, so do the numbers on this timeline. The letters “CE” are similar to ________________ on a timeline, whereas the letters “BCE” are like ________________. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, I need to apply what I’ve learned about ____________________.

 Science Activity: Evaluate

Language Task: (adapted from science activity): Does this experiment allow you to determine if the hypothesis is supported?

Typical Student Response: Yeah. Because they did it four times and each time the mummy had the disease. You gotta do things more than once for you to say it proves your hypothesis.

More Academic Response: In order to determine if a hypothesis is supported, it is necessary that an experiment have multiple trials. According to this criterion, this experiment does allow you to determine that the hypothesis is supported because there were four mummies.

 Science Activity: Evaluate

Language Task: (adapted from science activity): Does this experiment allow you to determine if the hypothesis is supported?

Language Frame: In order to determine ____________, it is necessary that _____________. According to this criterion, this experiment does/does not _________ because ____________.

Language Objective: The students will be able evaluate the effectiveness of a science experiment using words and phrases such as in order to determine, it is necessary that, according to

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Social Studies: Justify a point of view

Typical Student Response: The scientists should be able to study the mummies because we can learn stuff about how they lived, like diseases and things.

Language Task: (Social Studies Debate): Who Owns the Dead? (pick a position and support using evidence)

More Academic Response: Mummies should be moved to a university where scientists can study what they reveal about the past. In doing so, they can learn about what people ate and the diseases that caused their deaths. This is important to us today because we could learn about viruses have changed over time and help up predict how they might change in the future.

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Social Studies: Justify a point of view

Language Frame: Mummies should be_______________. In doing so, __________. This is important to us today because ______________.

Language Task: (Social Studies Debate): Who Owns the Dead? (pick a position and support using evidence)

Language Objectives: Students will be able to justify a point of view using words and phrases such as: in doing so, this is important to us today because

ELA Essay: Argue persuasively against a point of view Language Task: What should be done with mummies when they are found? Why? (added) Be sure to include a counterargument.

Typical Student Response: I know that some people think that we could learn stuff from the mummies, but I think we should leave them alone because that’s what I think they wanted when they did all that stuff to the dead people. How would you like it if someone dug up your relatives and studied them?

More Academic Response: Some people argue that scientists should study mummies so that we can learn about the past. While it may be useful to learn about past cultures, it is more important that we respect the remains of the dead, especially those who went to such great lengths to preserve their bodies. Regardless of the benefits, we should respect the intentions of the ancient people by leaving their bodies exactly where and how they were buried.

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ELA Essay: Argue persuasively against a point of view Language Task: What should be done with mummies when they are found? Why? (added) Be sure to include a counterargument.

Sentence Frame: Some people argue that ___________. While it may be useful to ___________, it is more important that ____________. Regardless of _________, we should ______________________.

Language Objective: The student will be able to argue persuasively against a point of view by using phrases such as: some people argue that, while it may be useful to, it is important that, regardless of, we should