Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Current Issue
Dear Subscribers,
We hope the school year has gotten off to a great start for you! This month's T.ELL.E-GRAM features numerous resources to support English language learners' reading skills, as well as lots of great ideas for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
As always, keep in touch with questions, comments, or suggestions.
Sincerely,
The Colorín Colorado Team
This month's highlights
Featured Articles
Are you looking for fresh ideas to enhance your reading instruction this year? Colorín Colorado has some great tips to get you started! Check out Reading in Kindergarten for ways to help students develop the early language and literacy skills that provide the foundation for reading development. See Reading in First Grade for instructions on using read-alouds to develop listening comprehension, as well as strategies for helping beginning readers develop their decoding skills. Take a look at Reading in Second and Third Grades, where you'll find ideas for helping your ELLs develop the word knowledge, fluency, and comprehension skills that will support their learning across the curriculum. Finally, for teachers in grades 4-12, check out our Reading Tip Sheets for Teachers!
Most children arrive at Kindergarten excited and enthusiastic about learning to read. This enthusiasm often fades, however, for English language learners and other students who struggle with learning to read in English. In Suggestions: Working with ESL Students Who Have Special Needs in Reading, Judy Richardson points out that teachers are in a unique position to help children develop positive attitudes about reading. She goes on to discuss effective ways to use culturally and linguistically familiar text in interactive read-alouds that will help students of any age rediscover their excitement about reading.
In many schools, literacy and math testing starts at 3rd grade, a time when readers are transitioning from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." Researchers recognize this as a time in a reader's development when he or she needs extra support to make the transition to a fully proficient reader. Readers who are not able to make this transition fall victim to what has been referred to as "the fourth grade slump." See Kristina Robertson's suggestions about to bypass this trouble spot in Tales of a Fourth Grade Slump: How to Help ELL Students Leap to Success.
Colorín Colorado Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month!
Hispanic Heritage Month is a wonderful time to share rich cultural experiences with your students and learn about their diverse backgrounds. Colorín Colorado has compiled a wide array of Hispanic Heritage resources in English and Spanish for the classroom, including puzzles and multimedia lesson plans.
Don't miss our new Hispanic Heritage booklist! Also, be sure to take a look at the Hispanic Heritage booklist for teens from our sister site, AdLit.org.
Research and Reports
In her article entitled What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners?, Suzanne Irujo discusses the findings of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth in the context of her own experience as an ELL teacher. Irujo organizes her discussion around the five essential components of reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) and offers specific recommendations for enhancing ELL reading instruction in each of those areas.
The Teaching Diverse Learners website, produced by the Education Alliance at Brown University, offers a wealth of information for teachers of English language learners. Of particular interest is the section on Elementary Literacy, which includes the following segments: Understanding the Challenges, Reading: Grades K-3, Reading: Grades 4-6, Oral Language, and Writing. Each segment offers a detailed discussion of existing research, along with strategies for incorporating research findings into classroom teaching.
Book Review
Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners Pre-K - 2
By Diane M. Barone and Shelley Hong Xu
This book is a must-have for anyone who teaches English language learners in Pre-K through second grade. Each chapter is packed with practical, research-based strategies that teachers can immediately put to use in their own classrooms. The discussion focuses on working with ELL families, choosing appropriate instructional materials for ELLs, and effective instructional practices in oral language development, assessment, writing, comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, and phonics. Throughout the book, Barone and Xu summarize current research in literacy instruction for ELLs, but their emphasis is on specific strategies that translate that research into effective classroom teaching. In the last chapter, "Visits to Classrooms and Schools," we see the authors' recommendations in action in a series of vignettes that highlight exemplary teachers at each level from Pre-K - 2, along with a description of what one school has done to strengthen their relationship with ELL parents.
Barone, D. M. & Xu, S. (2008). Literacy instruction for English language learners Pre-K - 2. New York: The Guilford Press.
In the Classroom
Bright Ideas that Work
How to Support ELL Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFEs)
Many English language learners come to the U.S. having had little or no schooling in their native countries, or with an interrupted education if their family has moved frequently. While educating students with interrupted formal education (SIFEs) presents many challenges to educators, they can indeed obtain a high school diploma with the right kind of support, and go on to future academic and professional success. This Bright Ideas article provides a profile of SIFEs and their needs, recommendations of best practices, and examples of the kinds of quality school-wide and classroom support that will accelerate their academic achievement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Teachers are sometimes puzzled to find that many of their English language learners can readily decode English text but still have difficulty understanding what they've read. If you've noticed this pattern in some of your students, you may wish to explore the following FAQ:
Find the answers to these and many other Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching ELLs.
Achieving Success: From the Heart
Jacqueline Jules is an elementary school librarian in Fairfax County, Virginia, as well the author of numerous acclaimed children's books. Her titles include The Ziz and the Hanukkah Miracle, Sarah Laughs, and The Grey Striped Shirt, a story for children ages 8-12 about the Holocaust. Her work has also appeared in children's magazines such as Highlights for Children, Cricket, and Ladybug.
In 2007, Ms. Jules published No English, this month's Book of the Month. No English tells the story about a second-grade girl's efforts to befriend a new student from Argentina despite their language barrier. The book offers an honest, touching portrayal of the challenges and opportunities presented when we get to know someone who speaks another language. In this exclusive interview with Colorín Colorado, Ms. Jules discusses her writing, the students that inspired the story of No English, and ways encourage reading with English language learners.
Don't Miss!
A free Teacher's Guide* full of engaging discussion topics and activities to accompany No English is available for download from Jacqueline Jules' website.
Beyond the Classroom
Book of the Month
No English
By Jacqueline Jules
Illustrated by Amy Huntington
"Can you understand what it's like to be surrounded by people you don't understand?"
No English is the story of Blanca, a new student from Argentina, and Diane, a girl in her class who wants to befriend Blanca despite the language barrier. After a few missteps, the two girls learn how to communicate with each other, and more importantly, how to be friends. This is a wonderful selection for all classrooms, especially those in which students speak different languages. Teachers and students alike will appreciate and empathize with both girls' struggles and their success in overcoming their respective challenges and differences. Compelling illustrations complement the engaging text. There is also an accompanying Teacher's Guide* which provides activities and discussion questions
In a Word: Decoding
This month's glossary term refers to the ability to translate a word from print to speech, usually by employing knowledge of sound-symbol correspondences. It is also the act of deciphering a new word by sounding it out.
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