More Lingo

Here are some more acronyms you might hear in regards to your ESL students. I hope this is helpful in better understanding your resources and your students, as well as your communication about them.

• BICS- Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills- the language ability needed for casual conversation; usually develops within two years
• CALP- Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency- the language ability needed for learning academic skills and concepts in situations in which contextual clues are not present and an abstract use of language is required
• CUP- Common Underlying Proficiency- refers to the conceptual knowledge that acts as the foundation on which new skills are built; both languages, L1 and L2, facilitate development of such fundamental cognitive patterns within individuals
• SUP- Separate Underlying Proficiency- refers to the separate conceptual knowledge bases in L1 and L2, assuming that the two languages operate independently
• i + 1- comprehensible input- new information that an individual receives that is one step beyond his or her current stage of competence

Instructional Methods

• CALLA- cognitive academic language learning approach- a method of instruction that is grounded in the cognitive approach and focuses on the explicit instruction of learning strategies and the development of critical thinking as a means of acquiring deep levels of language proficiency
• ICB- integrated content-based- a communicative method that involves the concurrent teaching of academic subject matter and second language acquisition skills; this method often employs thematic units as well as content and language objectives across subject areas
• SDAIE- specially designed academic instruction in English- a variation of sheltered instruction that emphasizes cognitively demanding, grade-level appropriate core curriculum for ESL students; primarily applies to students who have attained an intermediate or advanced level of proficiency in L2 (English)
• SIOP- sheltered instruction observation protocol- a vehicle for delivering scaffolded instruction of the existing curriculum so that instruction is more comprehensible for individuals who are acquiring English

Source: Herrera, S.G & Murry, K.G. (2011). Mastering esl and bilingual methods. Boston: Pearson.