Rising enrollments of students for whom English is not a first language mean that every teacher – whether teaching kindergarten or high school algebra – is a language teacher. This book explains what teachers need to know about language in order to be more effective in the classroom, and it shows how teacher education might help them gain that knowledge. It focuses especially on features of academic English and gives examples of the many aspects of teaching and learning to which language is key. This second edition reflects the now greatly expanded knowledge base about academic language and classroom discourse, and highlights the pivotal role that language plays in learning and schooling. The volume will be of interest to teachers, teacher educators, professional development specialists, administrators, and all those interested in helping to ensure student success in the classroom and beyond. Quality instruction requires an understanding of the language demands of learning. This is an essential book that provides extraordinary resources for educators, striking a chord with anyone who cares about learning for all children (not just those who are learning English as an additional language). ― Young-Suk Grace Kim, University of California, Irvine, USA The second edition of What Teachers Need to Know About Language is an outstanding volume that makes a significant contribution to the field in so many ways, furthering our understanding of the issues surrounding what teachers need to know about language to be effective educators in today’s K12 public school climate. Reading this book is like discovering a goldmine and I am eager to discuss it with colleagues at my institution. ― MaryAnn Christison, University of Utah, USA Carolyn Temple Adger is Senior Fellow, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC. Her research interests include biliteracy and language variation. Catherine E. Snow is the Patricia Albjerg Graham Professor of Education, Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Her research interests include first and second language acquisition and literacy. Donna Christian is Senior Fellow, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC. Her research interests include dual language education, dialect diversity, and language and public policy. What Teachers Need to Know About Language By Carolyn Temple Adger, Catherine E. Snow, Donna Christian Multilingual Matters Copyright © 2018 Center for Applied Linguistics All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-78892-017-9 Contents Contributors, vii, Introduction Carolyn Temple Adger, Catherine E. Snow, and Donna Christian, 1, 1 What Teachers Need to Know About Language Lily Wong Fillmore and Catherine E. Snow, 8, 2 Analyzing Themes: Knowledge About Language for Exploring Text Structure Mary J. Schleppegrell, 52, 3 What Educators Need to Know About Academic Language: Insights from Recent Research Paola Uccelli and Emily Phillips Galloway, 62, 4 Language and Instruction: Research-Based Lesson Planning and Delivery for English Learner Students Sarah C. K. Moore, Lindsey A. Massoud, and Joanna Duggan, 75, 5 "Languagizing" the Early Childhood Classroom: Supporting Children's Language Development Rebecca M. Alper, Lillian R. Masek, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, and Roberta Golinkoff, 85, 6 Working with Families of Diverse Backgrounds: Learning from Teachers Who "Read" Their Students Sonia Nieto, 95, 7 What Teachers Need to Know About Language: A Focus on Language Disorders Li-Rong Lilly Cheng, 105, 8 What Teachers Know About Language Kimberly C. Feldman, Daniel Ginsberg, and Iris Kirsch, 115, 9 Language Awareness Programs: Building Students' and Teachers' Sociolinguistic Knowledge Jeffrey Reaser, 125, 10 Reflections on "What Teachers Need to Know About Language (2002)" Kristin Denham and Anne Lobeck, 135, 11 What Teacher Educators Need to Know About Language and Language Learners: The Power of a Faculty Learning Community Elizabeth R. Howard and Thomas H. Levine, 143, Index, 153, CHAPTER 1 What Teachers Need to Know About Language Lily Wong Fillmore and Catherine E. Snow Prologue A decade and a half ago, we found ourselves together at a conference at which many of the talks were given in Catalan. Unable to follow them, we withdrew to a shady spot where we started to chat about a shared concern — that many teachers had insufficient access to information about language structure, language analysis, bilingualism, and literacy to be able to optimize their instruction or maximize their contributions to discussions about language policy. In response to our concern, we sketched out the text of "What Teachers Need to Know About Language," producing in effect a long list of topics that we argued deserved more attention in teacher education and professional development. We presented those topics in the chapter that opened the previous edition of this work. We return now, some 16 years later, to the same challenge, but with the recogn