This document discusses strategies for scaffolding reading and writing for students in an academic setting. It emphasizes explicitly teaching academic language, reading skills and strategies, and the structures and choices involved in different types of texts. Some key strategies mentioned include modeling, joint construction of texts with students, providing graphic organizers, teaching vocabulary in context, and using techniques like partner reading, outlining, rewriting and feedback to support students in developing their skills. The goal is to make the processes involved in reading and writing as transparent as possible for students.

1. Scaffolding Reading and WritingAcross the Curriculum

2. Some starting points:We are often misled when we hear students speak in everyday conversation.

3. When conversing informally they use a very different type of English than they need for academic purposes.

4. We cannot assume that students have the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to read or write in English for a particular academic situation.

5. We need to explicitly model and teach the academic English that IB tasks require.

6. If we explicitly address the academic and linguistic demands that IB tasks demand of our students, everyone should benefit.

7. The “But I have a syllabus to cover!” argumentIn their oral interactions, our students generally use English fluently, confidently, but not accurately.

8. The textbooks and other materials we use give the students exposure to well-written English, appropriate to a particular type of situation/audience/culture.

9. In their books and other reading materials students have the opportunity to develop their language skills as well as their subject knowledge, but we need to guide them, or, in the rush to acquire subject knowledge, they miss the chance to enhance their understanding of how the language is used.

10. The “but as long as they can communicate...isn’t that enough?” argument

11. Setting the contextFind out what the students know about the topic

12. Engage students, create connections, stimulate interest, motivate, and establish a purpose

13. Generate questions and opinions

14. Introduce useful terminologyModeling/DeconstructionExamine the structure of model texts.

15. Look at language choices and predictable patterns in texts and the expectations of tasks.

16. Discuss the above explicitly with students.Joint constructionWork with students to jointly produce a sample text or texts.

17. Draw on shared understandings about the topic and the text.

18. Create an opportunity to participate in a successful text construction.

19. Take through students through some of the decisions made in constructing a successful text.

20. Generate feedback from the class on joint construction effort.Independent constructionSupport students to produce their own texts, applying new understandings of text and topic.Provide explicit feedback (from peers and/or teacher) on how to improve the text.Language can be challenging on account of...variety

21. idioms

22. humour

23. pronunciation

24. grammatical structures

25. sentence length

26. pronoun references

27. transition words/phrases

28. familiar words used in an unfamiliar way

29. abstract nounsHow can we scaffold the reading experience for our students?

30. What do the students need to understand in order to successfully engage with a text?

31. PurposeWhy was this written? To explain? Persuade? Argue? Instruct? Describe?

32. Why are the students being asked to read it? What will they be expected to do with it?Structure How is the reading organised?