Part 1:
Contextualized Academic Language Intervention
Academic language is the sophisticated language required to comprehend and express knowledge. It consists of word-, sentence-, and discourse-level patterns characteristic of written language. However, academic language is also present in certain types of oral language, such as narration and information discourse, and oral language precedes the development of written language. All students need intentional instruction on academic language features such as discourse structures, sentence structures, vocabulary, morphological awareness, and inferencing; however, students on SLPs’ caseloads have an even greater need for academic language intervention. In this event, the presenter will do a deep dive into what academic language is and how to teach it. Importantly, the context of academic language is the academic curriculum that students need to access in general education. The presenter will cover practical and empirically based recommendations for promoting students’ academic language in the context of their grade-level expectations and general education curriculum, as well as present several examples of academic language goals. She will draw materials from open education resources and present case scenarios showing efficient, powerful, and integrated academic language lesson plans.
Part 2:
Supporting Literacy Learning Across Grades
The presentation will outline key concepts that relate to literacy-based language intervention approaches with a focus on the integration of spoken and written language. The two-hour presentation will provide a conceptual framework that underpins the writing of meaningful goals and objectives for children and adolescents that address language and literacy connections. The themes addressed will be that language includes and encompasses literacy and literacy includes and encompasses language. Highlighting the continuum from early elementary school to middle and high school levels, we will ask: What should language-literacy based intervention “look like” at each level? And what is the role of the speech-language pathologist in literacy? The components of intervention will be addressed including: (1) the beginnings and evolution of literacy; (2) the use of background knowledge in the construction of meaning; and (3) the integration of content and structure knowledge. A strategic approach to intervention weaves its way through the discussion. We will also question questionable practices that exist and persist and offer evidence-based alternatives.
Part 3:
Contextualized Expository
Intervention
Expository discourse is hard. There are difficult ideas, words, sentences, and text structures, and no “magic of story” to keep the learner’s attention. Speech-language pathologists must find ways to systematically teach skills and strategies while providing meaningful communicative contexts that motivate and engage students in their own learning. This presentation addresses these challenges with evidence-based, practical guidance within a contextualized skill framework. It explains expository discourse and academic expectations across the grades, address key elements of treatment, and explain a whole-part approach with examples of goals, activities, procedures, and materials.
Part 4:
Disciplinary Literacy, Language Comprehension, and Oral and Written Expression for Students with Language/Literacy Disorders
Being relevant to the needs of students with language and literacy disorders across the school-age years requires awareness of the demands of disciplinary literacy, grade-level texts, and written language as discipline-specific communication for different areas of academic learning. Participants will learn how to apply four questions of curriculum-based language assessment and intervention to personalize interventions for individual students. Principles of intervention and examples of change will be illustrated with case studies across the age-range K-12plus, with examples illustrating word-level to discourse-level intervention goals and outcomes.