Teaching Reading to English Language Learners

Description

A practical, research-based guide, Teaching Reading to English Language Learners gives ESL teachers and grade-level teachers the information and strategies they need to support second language literacy development with their Culturally Linguistically Diverse (CLD) learners, in addition to the program the school already has in place. Throughout, the authors guide teachers to modify literacy instruction to address both the assets and the needs of their English learners. Included are strategies for converting research into practical application; illustrative student samples from multiple grade levels and language backgrounds; teacher insights; a look at the sociocultural, academic, cognitive, and linguistic dimensions of the CLD student biography; and a number of helpful pedagogical aids.

“…unlike many texts on second language learners, this text looks at literacy learning for second language learners from a sociopshycolinguistic perspective. Most importantly for credential students, this text provides multiple teaching strategies and ideas for teaching that are research based and connected to theory. This way student teachers can bridge their own practices and what they observe in the classroom with the language and literacy theories they are experiencing in their university courses.” – Cinzia Forasiepi

“The major strength of this book (and the reason I use it in my class) is its focus on teaching reading to linguistically diverse students at the elementary level. It addresses cross-linguistic transfer issues and ways to teach so that a child’s knowledge of L1 supports his or her learning in L2. This makes the book unique. I also like the strong focus on the use of multicultural children’s books to illustrate concepts being taught. The “Strategies in Practice” examples in each chapter are excellent, especially the strategies that teach ways to focus on comparing and contrasting languages.” – Elizabeth Franklin, University of Northern Colorado

“I enjoyed and appreciated the cultural underpinnings of the text and how it was carried out throughout.” – Robert D. Leier, Auburn University

This book has been revised to include important theoretical and practical applications reflecting the changing landscape of education. Driven by the current educational climate and needs of secondary language learners, the revisions provide readers with the most up-to-date information possible regarding literacy instruction with ELL students.

• Teachers see how critical concepts from each chapter align with a Common Core State Standard—and the implications of those concepts for instructing English learners—in a new callout feature, Common Core State Standards Connections. (Chs. 3–7)
• How key content concepts reflect the needs of older students (especially grades 7-12 and even adult learners) is highlighted for readers in a new callout feature, Secondary Connections. (Chs. 3–9)
• Readers get revised and updated material in popular features from previous editions, including:
• Updated Strategies in Practice—new features have been added to several chapters, and some Strategies are updated with new directions and/or student artifacts supporting implementation.
• Teacher Voices—Additional examples from the field are included throughout each chapter, taken from teacher quotes or examples in practice.
• New Research—Teachers get the latest trends and key information they need to know when providing literacy instruction to CLD students through updated research throughout each chapter.
• Updated Standards—Both the Common Core State Standards and the new TESOL standards for K-12 ELLS are covered.

Readers get a clear understanding of the principles in the book through a number of outstanding pedagogical features, among them:

• Chapter Outlines give readers an overview of the key content and serve as graphic organizers.
• Critical Considerations pose questions to help teachers and practitioners reflect on the issues to be explored in depth in the chapter.
• Strategies in Practice provide readers with detailed instructions for implementing the strategies introduced in each chapter, with special emphasis on adaptations specific to academic and cognitive dimensions of the ELL student biography.
• Samples of Student Work from multiple classrooms in multiple states reflect a wide range of ELL students.
• Teacher Voices give readers real life quotes and insights from teachers’ varied experiences, helping to highlight critical concepts. Readers see firsthand how literacy instruction that targets the multiple dimensions of the ELL student biography impacts academic success.
• Vignettes in selected chapters give readers specific classroom scenarios highlighting critical concepts.
• Key Theories and Concepts are presented at the end of each chapter as a list of key vocabulary terms, reinforcing the chapter’s theoretical foundation.
• Professional Conversations on Practice give readers topics for discussion about key issues presented in each chapter.
• Questions for Review and Reflection at the end of each chapter engage readers in self-reflection on key content.

Dr. Socorro G. Herrera

Dr. Herrera serves as a professor of elementary education at Kansas State University and directs the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA) in the College of Education. Her K–12 teaching experience includes an emphasis on literacy development. Her research focuses on literacy opportunities with culturally and linguistically diverse students, reading strategies, and teacher preparation for diversity in the classroom. Dr. Herrera has recently published two books with Allyn and Bacon: Mastering ESL and Bilingual Methods: Differentiated Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (2005) and Assessment Accommodations for Classroom Teachers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (2007). Dr. Herrera has authored articles for numerous nationally known journals, such as the Bilingual Research Journal, Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, Journal of Research in Education, and the Journal of Latinos and Education.

Dr. Della R. Perez

Dr. Perez serves as an assistant professor of elementary education at Kansas State University and is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Programming at the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA) in the College of Education. Her research has focused on literacy development and instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse students and parental involvement. Dr. Perez has published The Five Components of Reading Development: A Classroom Teacher’s Guide to Scaffolding Reading Instruction for ELL Students (2006) and ELL Literacy Interventions: Accommodations and Acceleration for Reading Success (2005). Dr. Perez also has co-authored a book chapter for Culturally Responsive Teacher Education: Language, Curriculum, and Community (2008).

Dr. Kathy Escamilla

Dr. Escamilla is a professor of education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has been a bilingual teacher, program administrator, and professor for over 37 years. She helped to develop the Spanish reconstruction of Reading Recovery (Descubriendo la Lectura), which was published in the book Instrumento de observación de los logros de la leco-escritura inicial (Heinemann). She has done extensive research in the area of literacy for Spanish-speaking children in the United States and has authored over 40 journal articles in this area. She served two terms as the President of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) and works as a technical assistant and consultant for bilingual/ESL programs nationwide.

This practical, research-based text is organized around the principles that reading and writing instruction for English learners begins with the student biography and focuses on meaning as its core. The authors consider the languages and cultures of English learners as resources to be used in teaching, not problems to be solved, and throughout the book they guide readers to modify literacy instruction to address both the assets and needs of their students.

In this book, grade-level classroom teachers are provided with a research-based framework designed to differentiate literacy instruction for ELL students within the classroom.  Theory blends with practice to give readers the tools they need support English language literacy development with their students in addition to the program the school has in place. It addresses the need for current information on how to most effectively approach the literacy needs of English learners.

Included are strategies for converting research into practical application; illustrative student samples from multiple grade levels and language backgrounds; teacher insights; a look at the sociocultural, academic, cognitive, and linguistic dimensions of the ELL student biography; and a number of helpful pedagogical aids.

1.   Literacy and the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Student

2.   Contextualizing Literacy Development for the CLD Student in the Grade-Level Classroom

3.   Rethinking Phonemic Awareness: A Cross-Linguistic Transfer Perspective   

4.   Phonics: More Than the A, B, Cs of Reading           

5.   Vocabulary Development: A Framework for Differentiated and Explicit Instruction     

6.   Strategies-Based Comprehension Instruction: Linking the Known to the Unknown      

7.   Fluency in Practice: More Than Reading the Text      

8.   Implications of Culture and Language in Writing       

9.   Assessment beyond the Politics of High-Stakes Tests         

10.  Inclusive Literacy Instruction for CLD Students         

In the new edition of this widely-used text, ESL teachers and grade-level teachers get practical, research-based information, approaches, and strategies for supporting second language literacy development with their CLD students–and ensuring that children’s languages and cultures are the cornerstones of their literacy development.

• Theory blends with practice to give readers the tools they need to differentiate literacy instruction for all ELL students.
• The information helps teachers support English language literacy development with their students in addition to the program the school has in place.
• The book bridges the gap between theory and practice while addressing the need for current information on how to most effectively approach the literacy needs of English Language Learners.

Included are strategies for converting research into practical application; illustrative student samples from multiple grade levels and language backgrounds; teacher insights; a look at the sociocultural, academic, cognitive, and linguistic dimensions of the CLD student biography; and a number of helpful pedagogical aids.

And in this new edition:

• Teachers see how critical concepts from each chapter align with a Common Core State Standard–and the implications of those concepts for instructing English learners–in a new callout feature, Common Core State Standards Connections. (Chs. 3—7)
• How key content concepts reflect the needs of older students (especially grades 7-12 and even adult learners) is highlighted for readers in a new callout feature, Secondary Connections. (Chs. 3—9)
• Readers get revised and updated material in popular features from previous editions, including: updated Strategies in Practice; more examples of Teacher Voices; new research; updated Common Core State Standards and TESOL standards for K-12 ELLs.

Additional information