Academic Language Strategies for Today's Youth

Word Generation emphasizes 21st century learning goals, such as using academic language, developing an argument, reasoning analytically, reading to find evidence, reviewing data, discussing various perspectives, engaging in debate, and expressing well-reasoned positions in writing.
In other words...
Word Generation teaches today's youth how to join the national conversation.
WordGen Weekly uses compelling topics to engage middle school students in meaningful academic language development work with all their content-area teachers.
Specifically, this interdisciplinary program:
Expands general and content-oriented academic vocabulary. 
Builds the reasoning and argumentation skills that are necessary for learning in all content areas.

Builds reading comprehension and content-area literacy by providing students with motivating text, opportunities for discussion and debate, and weekly writing.

Sets students on a path to college and career readiness by providing multiple perspectives on complex problems, and requiring that students sift through evidence that supports or contradicts particular perspectives.
Another Perspective, My Position, Evidence to Support
Many Raised Hands

Basic Facts about WordGen Weekly:

Three “series” (years) of materials, with 24 one-week units per series
Series/units can be used in any order
Units focus on a social or civic dilemma
Five connected 15–20 minute activities for ELA, math, science, and social studies
Five academic “focus words” emphasized per week
Aligned to Common Core State Standards (details)
Related Products:
Interdisciplinary Academic Language for 4th and 5th Grades
WordGen Elementary is comprised of 12 two-week units per grade level. It expands students’ background knowledge and academic vocabulary, while emphasizing practices such as argumentation, analytic reasoning, reading for evidence, discussion, and writing.
Science Curriculum for Middle School
Inspired by the original Word Generation program, Science Generation focuses on science topics commonly taught to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. These 18 week-long units provide opportunities to read, write, discuss, and build arguments about basic questions in science. A digital dashboard of teacher resources recently added. 
Social Studies Curriculum for Middle School
Inspired by the original Word Generation program, Social Studies Generation (SoGen) goes in-depth on topics commonly taught to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. These curricular materials provide opportunities to read, write, discuss, and build arguments about basic questions in history, geography, and government.

Development of Word Generation was led by Catherine Snow (Harvard University) and Suzanne Donovan (SERP). Major SERP contributors to program development include: Claire White, Alyse Krantz, Halley Wheeless, Matt Ellinger, David Dudley, and Patrick Hurley. Boston Public Schools and other districts in Massachusetts and Maryland collaborated with SERP to develop Word Generation.


Support for Word Generation was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Noyce Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Leon Lowenstein Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education through grant numbers R305A090555 and R305F100026. The information provided does not represent views of the funders.

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