Tool #4: Checklist for Increasing Academic Language Awareness 

Text Selection Elements

Select the text you will be using with your students. Note the purpose for teaching this text. You can cite content and/or language standards or provide a general purpose. Analyze the various elements of the text’s academic language and complete this checklist. For each question, identify examples found in the text and determine whether you will teach this feature. 

Vocabulary (Word level) 

  • Are there everyday Tier 1 words (e.g., cat) that may be unfamiliar to students?
  • Are there general academic Tier 2 words (e.g., analyze or describe) that may be unfamiliar?
  • Are there Tier 3 words specific to the content you’re teaching that may be unfamiliar?
  • Does the vocabulary in the text lend itself to any mini lessons on word-learning strategies (e.g., words with multiple meanings, determining meaning of words in context, or affixes)?

Grammar or Syntax (Sentence level) 

  • Are there aspects of grammar (e.g., clauses, verb tense, or
  • interrogatives) that may be
  • challenging for ELLs?
  • Is there any syntax (arrangement of words and phrases) that might be confusing?
  • Are there any conventions that may be new or confusing (e.g., punctuation, spelling, etc.)?

Organization (discourse level) 

  • What is the type of text (e.g., lab report or blog post)?
  • How is the text organized or structured (e.g., description or cause and effect)?
  • How do the ideas hang together cohesively?
  • Are there any markers of sequence or relationships between ideas (e.g., in addition or likewise)?
  • What is the purpose of the text (e.g., to persuade or to inform)?

Sociocultural level 

  • Does the text assume any experience, background knowledge, and/or awareness for students to understand it?
  • Could students’ first language and/or home culture impact their understanding of the text?