Guiding Questions 1. How have the “reading wars” influenced literacy instruction in schools? 2. How does reading promote second language acquisition?

Guiding Questions1. How have the “reading wars” influenced literacy

instruction in schools?

2. How does reading promote second language acquisition?

3. How can teachers balance their attention to meaning and skills within the context of reading instructions for ELLs?

4. What does the research tell us about effective reading instructions for ELLs?

5. How can an understanding of ELLs’ reading strengths and needs inform a teacher’s choices of instructional approaches, methods, and strategies?

Introduction Reading is one of the most

important skills students learn in school.

ELL students are expected to learn academic content through reading.

While all agree reading is important, it is one of the most contested areas of the school curriculum• Literacy instruction for ELLs

is highly controversial and political

The Reading Wars War between proponents of the whole-language philosophy of literacy

instruction and those who argue for a skills-based approach• Phonics vs. whole language• Bottom-up vs. top-down text processing reading theories and approaches

Whole language educators• View reading as a holistic (top down) process

o Highly complex and multifaceted• Favor instructional programs that immerse students in whole, authentic texts

o Once a text becomes familiar and meaningful for students, it can be used for more direct reading instruction

• Argue reading cannot be broken into set of isolated skills to be learned in a set ordero One cannot know what a cake tastes like by eating each ingredient separately in

isolation

Skills-based advocates• Take a more linear bottom up approach• Argue that students must first learn sounds and letters and use them to

decode words and then sentences before they can go on to read extended texts in paragraphs and books

• Claim whole language provides a few guidelines for teachers and is in opposition to the teaching of phonics

The Reading Wars Phonics vs. whole language is a false dichotomy

• Whole language is a philosophy of how children learn to read• Phonics is just one component in a set of many reading skills• Whole language does not oppose the teaching of phonics

The issues is how and when phonics should be taught, and which specific phonics skills require explicit instruction• Many phonics rules do not need to be explicitly taught

o Students will acquire them subconsciously the more they read

Phonics instruction• May need to focus just on learning the alphabet and sound

spelling correspondences that help facilitate making meaning from text

• Must be taught within a meaningful context (e.g., a familiar text)o Makes them easier to learn and remember

• Most skills can be taught through brief mini-lessons

The Reading Wars Interactive approach

• Using teaching and learning strategies associated with whole language in combination with skill-based strategieso The “balanced literacy approach”

Reading First, a Federal reading intervention program pushing a skills-based approach, has been ineffective and riddled with political scandal• (see Box 7.2)

Emphasis on skills-based approaches has resulted in instruction ill-suited to help ELLs develop strong English literacy skills

Phonemic Awareness Training for ELLs

Skills-Based Advocates Claim• Students need phonemic awareness training to be able to hear

and distinguish between phonemes before they can learn to read• Phonemic awareness training

o Scripted program following a rigid scope and sequence Rhyming, initial sound recognition, blending, segmentation,

substitution, and other drills

Criticism of Scripted Phonemic Awareness Training for ELLs• ELLs may not get much out of the drills

o Manipulating the sounds of words they don’t know• ELLs may have great difficulty with drills using phonemes that

do not exist in their native language• These drills can be very frustrating for ELLs• Instructional time could be much better spent on more

meaningful literacy activities

Phonics Instruction for ELLs

Skills-based advocates claim• As students become “phonemically aware,” they need

phonics instruction to match phonemes to graphemes (letters) in order to decode (sound out) words

Direct systematic phonics instruction includes• Drills on 1 to 2 new letter-sound relationships each

day• Reading materials that use a limited set of words

exemplifying new and previously learned letter-sound relationships


Criticisms of Scripted Phonics Programs for all students• There are too many phonics rules• There are too many exceptions to phonics rules• Phonics instruction isolated from authentic texts is not beneficial• A waste of time for students who acquired the target letter-sound

correspondence naturally• A waste of time for students who may need more basic letter-

sound relationships• Lessons are much longer than needed• Other activities could help them acquire the target sound more

naturally• Phonics texts or “books”

o Too contrived to focus on particular letters and soundso Feel unnaturalo Lack the appeal of real children’s books which motivate reading

• Instructional time would be much better spent teaching phonics and other reading skills within the meaningful context of authentic literature


Criticisms of using Scripted Phonics Programs with ELLs• They take a one-size-fits-all approach to literacy

instruction• Most programs were not developed with ELL students

in mindo Fail to address their unique linguistic and academic

needs• ELLs are often forced to decode words they do not

know yet• Often result in students who can decode (word-level

skills), but who cannot comprehend what they read (text-level skills)

• Takes time away from the type of ESL and literacy instruction ELLs need to develop literacy skills in English

Wright, W. E. (2010). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.

©2010 Caslon Publishing www.wright.caslonpublishing.com Page 1Chapter 7 – Activity 2 Phonemic Awareness and Phonics in Context

Which of the following are examples of teaching phonemic awareness or phonics within a meaningful context (“in-context”), and which are examples of teaching phonemic awareness or phonics in isolation, outside of a meaningful context (“out-of-context”)? Which method appears to be more effective for ELLs? Why?

1. _____IN____ Students learn to sing a song with the lyrics written on a chart. Once theyknow the song well, the teacher has students circle all the words on the chart that start with the letter n. Students create a new chart by brainstorming other words they know that begin with the letter n.

2. _____OUT_____ All students are seated at their desks. The teacher opens the teacher manual and follows a script to teach the short u sound. She presents some oral drills and written drills and then reads a little paper book featuring words with the short u sound.

3. ___IN_____ During a guided reading lesson, the teacher notices several of the students have trouble reading words beginning with tr (e.g., try, trick, trip). After the reading, she has students go through the book and identify all the tr words and helps them read each one. Next they make each word with magnetic letters, sounding out each word as they make it. The teacher then has the students brainstorm other tr words and helps them make the words with the magnetic letters.

4. ____OUT____ The letter of the week is y! The teacher shows students a bunch of objects that begin with y. She then shows them word cards for each object. After playing a game to match each word to the correct object, the students draw a picture of each one and write the word underneath it.

5. ___OUT_____ The teacher gives students a worksheet. The worksheet has pictures of several objects, such as a pen, a pan, a bed, and a man. Underneath each picture, the student must circle either the e or the a to indicate the correct vowel sound.

6. ___IN______ After several readings of a big book during shared reading, the teacher calls on individual students to come to the front and use yellow highlighter tape to mark words beginning with the letter g. Students then sort these words by making a chart showing which words have the hard g sound (e.g., get, good, great) and those with the soft g sound(e.g., giant, giraffe, gentle).

7. ____IN______ After analyzing student running records, the teacher identifies about four students who are having trouble reading words with the long a sound following the pattern_a_e (e.g., cake, Dave, tame). The teacher pulls these students together in a small group and provides a 10 minute mini-lesson on the long a sound. He then gives students the books they had previously read where they had trouble reading such words. The student go through and find all the long a words and read them. The teacher then has the students return to their desks to reread the books.

8. ___OUT____ The teacher, following a script from a teacher’s manual, takes students through a series of oral drills. He says three words (e.g., trip, drip, tap). The students have the word in each group that starts with a different consonant sound.

How Reading Promotes Second Language

Acquisition Reading is an excellent source of comprehensive input that enhances

second language acquisition

ELLs have unlimited number of opportunities to encounter written English• Books, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, and other written sources

ELLs have greater control over what they read than over what they hear• Can choose the topic and difficulty level• Can take time to figure out the meaning of new words, phrases and structures

o Re-reado Look up in dictionaryo Ask a teacher or friendo Figure out from context

Students who read more are• Faster readers• Better readers• Better writers• Have more practical knowledge

What We Know from Research about Reading Instruction for ELLs

Findings from the NLP and CREDE Reports• Literacy instruction approaches for mainstream students

are not sufficient for ELLs• English oral language development is critical for English

literacy development beyond word-level skills• Literacy instruction must be combined with high quality

ESL instruction• Oral proficiency and literacy in the first language is an

advantage for literacy development in English• Individual differences contribute significantly to English

literacy development• Most literacy assessments do a poor job of gauging ELL

strengths and weaknesses• Home language experiences can have a positive impact

on literacy achievement• Effective literacy instruction for ELLs provides direct

instruction in interactive learning environment

Transfer between the First and Second Language• Word recognition skills acquired in a first language transfer

to the second language• Positive transfer of vocabulary knowledge for words that are

cognates• Children use spelling knowledge in the first language when

they spell in their second languageo But errors associated with first language spelling disappear as

students become more proficient in their second language• Transfer of reading comprehension occurs in bilinguals of all

ageso Even when the languages have different types of alphabets

• There is also transfer from students’ second language to their firsto Bilingual students who read strategically in one language also

read strategically in their other languageo The more students use strategies in reading, the higher their

reading performance• There are also cross-language relationships for writing

What We Know from Research about Reading Instruction for ELLs

Research-based recommendations from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

1. Screen for reading problems and monitor progress

2. Provide intensive small-group reading interventions

3. Provide extensive and varied vocabulary instruction

4. Develop academic English

5. Schedule regular peer-assisted learning opportunities

Promoting Reading Development for ELLs in the

Classroom Research is clear

• Cannot teach ELLs to read the same way we teach native English speakers to reado Consistent with Lau v. Nichols (1974)

• Instructional strategies used with mainstream students need to be adjusted (e.g., “sheltered”) to make them appropriate and effective for ELLs

• ELLs need a balanced approach to reading instruction thato Integrates reading, writing, listening and speakingo Teaches reading skills and strategies within the context of meaningful,

authentic communicationo Is differentiated to meet the diverse language and literacy needs of students

• Teachers need too Understand their students strengths and needso Be clear about what they want students to know and be able to do with reading

as a result of their instruction

Reading and learning to read goes beyond language arts time• Occurs throughout the day as students read across the content areas• All teachers have a responsibility to help ELLs learn to read texts

associated with the content-areas they teach

Identifying ELLs' Reading Levels

Challenges in Identifying ELLs’ reading levels• ELLs entering U.S. schools have

o Different age levelso Different levels of native language literacyo Different levels of English language proficiency

• Reading level frameworks are designed for native English speakers learning to read in early elementary gradeso Ex: Emergent, Early, Early Fluency, and Fluency

• ELLs at the preproduction and early production stages of Englisho Unlikely to surpass the emergent and early levels of

English literacy development, regardless of grade level Lack of proficiency in English makes it difficult for them to understand

what they read even if they correctly decode each word in the text

Identifying ELLs' Reading Levels

TESOL’s ELP standards and sample performance indicators useful for considering the language demands of specific reading tasks at different levels of English proficiency (see Figure 7.1, p. 179)• Gives teachers an understanding of what can

be expected of students• What instruction and guidance students need

to move up to the next level• This information is critical for

o Planning lessonso Selecting appropriate books for reading instruction

and practice

TESOL ELP Standards

Sample Performance Indicator for ReadingStandard 2: Language of Language ArtsGrade level cluster: 1–3Domain: ReadingTopic: Story grammar

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

Identify story elements with visual support by names (characters) or places (settings)

Categorize story elements with visual support using graphic organizers by description of characters, settings, or events

Sequence story events with visually supported text by beginning, middle, and end

Match transition words (e.g., “finally”) or phrases with sequence, main ideas, or details in visually supported stories

Identify and order main ideas and details, using modified grade-level stories

(Source: TESOL, 2006a, p. 61.)

Selecting Texts Students need access to the wide range of texts

• Authentic children and youth literatureo The kind of books you find in libraries and bookstores

• Different content areas• Different topics• Different genres• Different reading levels

Teachers need to select texts for students to read that support specific instructional purposes• But student choice also important

Reading is also an important entry point for addressing goals of multicultural education• Recognizing and valuing students’ home cultures• Helping students learn about other cultures• Preparing students to live and work in a diverse society

Student are more likely to engage in reading when books are reflective of themselves and the world in which they live

Before, During, and After Structure

Teachers use the before, during, and after (BDA) structure to create activities around the reading of any text in any content area• Before reading

o Help students activate their prior knowledgeo Survey or preview the text before reading it

• During readingo Model reading strategieso Help readers make connections with other texts they

have read• After reading

o Help readers consolidate, elaborate, and deepen their understanding of the text and the connections they have made

A reading method from SIOP

Reading to, with, and by ELLs Three essential forms of reading instruction

• Reading to ELLso Read-Alouds

• Reading with ELLso Shared Readingo Guided Readingo Language Experience Approach

• Reading by ELLso Independent Readingo Narrow Reading

Read-Alouds Reading a book or other text aloud to their students

One of the most important thing teachers can do to help ELLs learn to read

Gives students access to text beyond their current level of ability• Demonstrates the connection between oral and written language• Models fluent reading and oral production of English

Importance of Read Alouds for ELLs• Many parents are unable to read aloud in English to their children• Cultural differences in home literacy practices• Some parents may be unable to read in their native language• ELLs may rarely see adults or others reading

o Lack models of fluent readers who read for enjoyment and information

Read-Alouds Whole group

• Younger students should sit on rugo Easier to see the illustrations and interact with the text

• Books selected for a clear purpose

• Appropriate for students’ level of English proficiency

• Good read-alouds• Interactive• Focus on the meaning of the text• Follow the BDA structure

Read-Alouds Before

• Discuss cover• Picture walk• Make predictions• Pre-teach key vocabulary• Build background knowledge

During• Use gestures• Show and point to illustrations• Rephrase or explain difficult words or phrases• Pause to allow students to confirm predictions and make new ones

o “Were you right?” “What do you think is going to happen next?”• Think aloud to model how good readers make sense of the text

After• Build and check students’ comprehension• Extend and deepen their understanding• Confirm predictions• Discuss favorite parts• Relate to other texts, content-area learning, and out-of-school experiences• Repeated Readings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u10bx_dvRP0&feature=related

YouTube Example

Shared Reading Whole group

Focus on getting students to read along

Purpose is to help students learn the strategies and skills needed to become independent readers

Text slightly higher than students’ current reading level• ELLs at beginning or emergent levels of reading

o Text with rhyme, rhythm, and repetition of words, phrases, and language patternso Illustrations which facilitate comprehension

• More advanced ELLso Closely resemble grade-level reading materialso Contain illustrations or other features which facilitate comprehension

Use of enlarged text and illustrations to engage all students• Big Books• Charts with poems, chants, song lyrics• Pocket chart with sentence strips• Text projected on a screen• Or, each student has their own copy of the text

Shared Reading Provides opportunities to

• Teach concepts of print• Teach phonics and other strategies and skills in a meaningful context• Demonstrate strategies used by good readers• Involve students as a community of readers• Enable students to learn new vocabulary and syntactic structures

Follows the same BDA structure as read-alouds

One big book or enlarged text can be used for one week or more• First few sessions focus on getting students familiar with the text so they

can read along• Subsequent sessions focus on comprehension and direct instruction of

reading skills and strategies

Younger students and those with lower levels of English proficiency• Teacher tracks the text point to each word as she reads• Students join in the reading and/or do echo reading

Older and more advanced ELLs• Choral reading

o Practice expressive reading• Awareness of how particular words and phrases are stressed

o Become aware of complex literary texts

Guided Reading Small groups

• 3 to 6 students who read at about the same level• Each student has their own copy of the same text• Texts at students’ instructional level

Purpose is for students to practice reading and use the skills and strategies learned through read alouds and shared readings

Teacher prepares students to read on their own• Before

o Discussion of the topic to active prior knowledge and build background knowledge, discussion of the book cover, picture walk, students’ predictions, pre-teaching of unknown vocabulary, etc.

• Duringo Teacher helps students read the titleo Students read text aloud on their own (not choral reading)o Teacher provides help to individual students as needed

• Aftero Mini-lessons based on the words, phrases, or structures students struggled with

Each guided reading session informs the next• Level of books to read• Mini-lessons to be taught

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0D7VdieHxE&feature=related

Language Experience Approach

It can be a challenge to find texts Without an abundance of unknown vocabulary and unfamiliar

language structures Personally and culturally relevant for students

Language Experience Approach helps resolve this challenge• Student tells a story from his or her personal experience• Teacher writes down the story• Text is used for reading instruction with the student• “What I say I can write” and “ What I write I can read”

Teachers can provide corrective feedback on errors in students’ oral language before writing it down• Ensures the text reinforce correct forms while maintaining the

authenticity of the student’s own words

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOL3EoCFa3E&feature=related

Independent Reading Purpose of reading to and with ELLs is to get them to

point where they can do independent reading

Students need time in class every day to read independently.• Sustained silent reading (SSR)• Drop everything and read (DEAR) time• Free voluntary reading

Requires an extensive classroom library• Books students are genuinely interested in reading• Appropriate to students’ language and reading levels• Variety of reading materials• Well organized

Independent Reading Students should be free to choose any book they

look• But teachers should monitor students and guide them to make

appropriate choices• Lower-level ELLs who can’t read even simple books yet can

read with a buddy, the teacher, listen to a book at the listening center, or interact with an electronic book on the computer

Teacher should read too

Overwhelming research evidence that SSR is effective and helps students become lifelong readers

Narrow Reading Narrow reading is a form of independent

recreational

Reading several books• On the same subject• By the same author• In the same book series• In the same genre

Narrow reading enables students to accumulate a great deal of background knowledge• Facilitates comprehension of each new related text read

An efficient way to acquire a second language• Maximizes comprehensible input• It can be very motivating

Reader’s Workshop Extension of the balanced literacy framework into secondary schools

• Differenceso More difficult reading materialo Greater range of genreso Complexity of thinking needed to comprehend texts

Reader’s Workshop Expectations• All students will read, discover books they love, and enter the world of

literature, become captivated, find satisfaction, and learn

Offered one class period at least 2 times per week

Each session begins with a mini-lesson (5 to 10 minutes)• Based on teachers’ assessment of students interests, strengths, and needs• Demonstrate to students

o How to choose appropriate bookso How to use effective reading strategieso How to respond to literature


©2010 Caslon Publishing www.wright.caslonpublishing.com Page 1Chapter 7 – Activity 1 Reading Instruction

Match the description to the type of reading: read-aloud, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, narrow reading (Note: Some types may be used more than once)

1. _________________ A small group of students meets with the teacher. Each student has the same book, which has been carefully matched to the level. The teacher introduces the book and then the students read on their own. The teacher provides assistance as needed.

2. _________________ A student loved reading a book from the Arthur series by Marc Brown that his teacher had recommended. He reads all the other Arthur books in the classroom library and checks out other Arthur books from the school and public libraries to read.

3. ________________ The teacher reads to the students from a big book with enlarged text. Students sit on the rug close to the text. They read along with the teacher as she tracks the print with a pointer.

4. ________________ The teacher calls all the students to the rug. She reads them a book related to a topic they are currently studying. She talks with the students about the book before she begins to read, asks questions while she is reading, and has a discussion with the students about the book when she finishes reading.

5. ________________ The teacher provides 20 minutes each day in class for students to read on their own. They are allowed to read anything they like, but the teacher has a well organized classroom library that makes it easy for students to select books by topic or reading level.

6. ________________ The teacher notices one of her students is a Pokémon fanatic. She gathers together several different types of reading material related to Pokémon, including picture and chapter books, comic books, and appropriate articles from Bulbapedia, a community-based wiki Pokémon encyclopedia (like Wikipedia) with over 10,000 articles. The student, usually a reluctant reader, reads everything the teacher brings in and begs for more.

7. ________________ The teacher puts a copy of a short article from a news magazine on the overhead projector. He has a brief discussion with students about the topic of the article. He circles a few words in the text and talks with students about the meaning of the words. He then reads the article aloud, tracking each work with a pencil tip as he reads. Students are invited to read along.

8. ________________ The teacher brings in a copy of the local morning newspaper. She reads an article to the students related to something they have been studying in class. During the reading she pauses to provide explanations of difficult vocabulary or to ask questions. After reading, she discusses the article with the class.


©2010 Caslon Publishing www.wright.caslonpublishing.com Page 1Chapter 7 – Activity 1 Reading Instruction

Match the description to the type of reading: read-aloud, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, narrow reading (Note: Some types may be used more than once)

1. _Guided Reading__ A small group of students meets with the teacher. Each student has the same book, which has been carefully matched to the level. The teacher introduces the book and then the students read on their own. The teacher provides assistance as needed.

2. __Narrow Reading____ A student loved reading a book from the Arthur series by Marc Brown that his teacher had recommended. He reads all the other Arthur books in the classroom library and checks out other Arthur books from the school and public libraries to read.

3. __Shared Reading_____ The teacher reads to the students from a big book with enlarged text. Students sit on the rug close to the text. They read along with the teacher as she tracks the print with a pointer.

4. _Read-aloud____ The teacher calls all the students to the rug. She reads them a book related to a topic they are currently studying. She talks with the students about the book before she begins to read, asks questions while she is reading, and has a discussion with the students about the book when she finishes reading.

5. Independent Reading___ The teacher provides 20 minutes each day in class for students to read on their own. They are allowed to read anything they like, but the teacher has a well organized classroom library that makes it easy for students to select books by topic or reading level.

6. _Narrow Reading__ The teacher notices one of her students is a Pokémon fanatic. She gathers together several different types of reading material related to Pokémon, including picture and chapter books, comic books, and appropriate articles from Bulbapedia, a community-based wiki Pokémon encyclopedia (like Wikipedia) with over 10,000 articles. The student, usually a reluctant reader, reads everything the teacher brings in and begs for more.

7. _Shared Reading_ The teacher puts a copy of a short article from a news magazine on the overhead projector. He has a brief discussion with students about the topic of the article. He circles a few words in the text and talks with students about the meaning of the words. He then reads the article aloud, tracking each work with a pencil tip as he reads. Students are invited to read along.

8. _Read Aloud__ The teacher brings in a copy of the local morning newspaper. She reads an article to the students related to something they have been studying in class. During the reading she pauses to provide explanations of difficult vocabulary or to ask questions. After reading, she discusses the article with the class.

Post Reading Activities

Class Discussions Whole class or small groups

Helps students expand their comprehension and develop new perspectives

Teachers• Ask comprehension questions• Invite students to describe their favorite parts• Allow students to share their thoughts• Help students connect the literature to their daily lives• Help students make “text-to-text” connections

o Relate the book or the text to something they read previously


Reader Response Encourages the reader to reflect on and extend understanding as

they evolve.

Readers• Think about what they read• Ask authentic questions• Make comments and connections• Form opinions and judgments• Develop a sense of what is important in the text

Reader Responses• Oral

o Literature circleso Book clubs

• Writteno Dialogue journalso Reader response logso Readers notebooks


Graphic Organizers Helps students break a text down into its essential

components

Beneficial to ELLs because they represent the main ideas and other content visually with just a few words

ELLs can demonstrate their comprehension of the text by completing their own graphic organizers.• Provides a scaffold to talk about and retell stories or

summarize expository texts

• Examples

Post Reading ActivitiesClass Books and Alternative

Endings Helps students comprehend the text

Gives them practice using new vocabulary and language structures featured in the story

Students can• Draw pictures and write about their favorite parts of a

story• Extend the story by illustrating and and writing new

pages• Write an alternative ending to the story


Performed Reading One of the most enjoyable ways to help students

comprehend stories they read is to have them act them out• Character name cards• Puppets• A play with props, costumes, scenery

Readers Theater• Scripts based on many popular books (YouTube example)

o Many can be found online http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm

o Most effective when the students help write their own script Requires students to use a wide range of cognitive strategies

and higher order thinking skills that facilitate comprehension

Strategies for ReadingAcross the Curriculum

Notemaking Guides• Powerful literacy scaffold for secondary and more

advanced ELL students• Students

o Write down their purpose for reading at the top of the 2-column form

o Left column – Makes on important ideas or what the author sayso Right column – Responses in the form of questions and

comments, or connections made

• Easy to create• Can be adapted for different text types.• Encourage ELLs to use the language associated with specific

academic content areas

Word Study and Interactive Vocabulary Mini-Lessons

Vocabulary is implicitly and explicitly taught through read alouds, shared reading, guided reading, Reader’s Workshop, and performed reading

Word study can be integrated within these, or taught as separate mini-lessons

Help students learn the meaning of new words so they can use them successfully in oral and literacy tasks by• Talking about how they are used in a sentence• Adding prefixes or suffixes• Manipulating them in graphic organizers


Graphic organizers for word study• Word web

o A diagram with a single word in the middle. Showing synonyms or closely related words

• Semantic mapo A diagram in which words are organized by their relationship to each other

• Semantic feature analysis tableo A table in which the semantic features of a group of related words are analyzed

in rows and columns

• Venn diagramo A style of diagram that uses overlapping parts to compare and contrast

• Hierarchies charto A list of related words ordered by their hierarchal relationship

• Linear relationships charto A string of words or phrases that have a linear relationship arranged along a

continuum


Word-study exercises:• Word analogies

o Just like SAT exam questions: clock is to wall, as watch is to…….

• Word substitutionso The teacher displays a sentence, then removes words and ask

students, “What’s another word we could use here?”

• Words in contexto Teachers pulls words and their sentences from previously read

books to explore how the context affects their meaning.

• Word sortingo Students are given a group of word to sort . Words could be

sorted by part of speech, semantic category, or by their prefixes, suffixes, or base words.

Assessing Reading To help ELLs improve their reading ability,

teachers must formative assessments to continually monitor their reading.• Teachers cannot wait for or rely on results of state-

level high-stakes reading testso Of questionable validity for ELLs

• Teachers beware of slick, quick-and-easy skill-based commercial reading assessments that claim to give accurate measures of students’ reading abilityo Ex: The DIBELS test (see Box 7.6)

Alternative, authentic assessments of ELL reading ability are required

Assessing Reading

Concepts of Print Checklists See Figure 7.2 (p. 195) For ELLs of any age at the Emergent

level of literacy Check students’ concepts of print

such as• Understanding the differences between letters

and words and words and spaces• Knowing where to start reading• How to do a return sweep to continue reading

the next line• Understanding the basic features of a book

o Title and front and back cover, how to hold it properly

Assessing Reading

Running Records An excellent tool for in-depth observation of a student’s reading

performance

A visual recording of the student’s reading word by word.

Enables the teacher to identify• The reading strategies the student may or may not be using• The types of errors the student makes while reading

Allows a teacher to quickly assess the student’s strengths and areas in need of improvement

Student reads a book at his or her current reading level

As the student reads, the teacher makes a series of specialized marks on a running recording sheet (see Figure 7.3 and 7.4)• Check mark for each word read correctly• Specialized marks to indicated words that have been omitted, inserted, or

substituted with an incorrect word• Notes on substituted or inserted words• Other marks to indicate repetitions, self-corrections, or appeals for teacher

help

Assessing Reading

Running Records Teacher asks comprehension questions after

students finish reading

The number of words read correctly is divided by the total number of words• Score indicates the accuracy of student's reading• Provides an indication of how appropriateness of the

book level for reading instruction• 95% accuracy or higher – too easy for use in guided

reading• 90-94% accuracy - at the student's instructional level

o within the zone of proximal development (ZPD)• 89% accuracy or less - at the frustration level

o generally are not appropriate for either guided or independent reading

Reading Assessment

Reading Self-Assessments Self-assessments make the

teacher’s expectations for behavior and use of strategies explicit

Students can• Keep track of their own use of strategies• assess their ability to stay on task.

See Figure 7.5 (p. 199)

Links and ResourcesAccelerated Reader From Renaissance Learning.

URL: http://www.renlearn.com/ar/

Graphic Organizers From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education PlaceURL: http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/

Graphic Organizers From TeacherVisionURL: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/graphic-organizers/printable/6293.html

Graphic Organizers From Graphic.orgURL: http://www.graphic.org/goindex.html

Guided Reading Information and Resources

Mrs. Meacham’s classroom snapshots. URL: http://www.jmeacham.com/guided.reading/guided.reading.htm

More Links and Resources

Leveled Books Database From the Beaverton School District URL: http://registration.beavton.k12.or.us/lbdb/

Literacy Center Information and Resources Mrs. Meacham’s classroom snapshots. URL: http://www.jmeacham.com/centers/centers.htm

Making Class Books How-to guides.URL: http://www.vickiblackwell.com/makingbooks/

Narrow Reading Description and example from Bangkok Post Educational Services.URL: http://www.bangkokpost.com/education/site2000/ptau2401.htm

Official DIBELS Web Site From the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon.URL: http://dibels.uoregon.edu/

Discussion Questions1. Why is English oral language development such an important factor in

ELL students’ reading development in English? And how does reading support English language acquisition for ELLs?

2. Current research reports from NLP and CREDE point out that ELLs who learn to decode, may have trouble comprehending what they read. What are some of the sources of this problem? How can the framework of reading to, with, and by ELLs be used to place greater emphasis on meaning and comprehension?

3. In a growing number of schools, much of the reading instruction now focuses on reading short passages and then answering a series of multiple-choice questions on the passage, all in preparation for the big state tests (as mandated by NCLB). What are some of the problems of such an approach to reading instruction, particularly for ELL students? Even if it works to raise test scores, do you feel such an approach to reading instruction is truly beneficial in helping ELLs become proficient readers who enjoy reading and become life-long readers?

Activities Groups of 4 to 5 students

Activity #1• Match the description to the type of reading

o read-aloud, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, narrow reading

Activity #2• Identify examples of teaching phonemic awareness or

phonics within and outside of a meaningful context?o Discuss which method appears to be more effective for

ELLs? Why?

Activity forms available on the Companion Website

Documents

Guiding Questions 1. How have the “reading wars” influenced literacy instruction in schools? 2. How does reading promote second language acquisition?