Improving Literacy for

Young ELL Students

Nani Vercruyssen
TE 845
Course Objectives
1)Provide research based practices or ideas to engage ELL learners in literacy development.

2)Shed light on reading progression and development and give ideas for school
implementation.

● Classroom culture
● Language development
● Parent involvement
● Reading comprehension
● Writing
 Classroom Culture

● Attitude
● Literacy Club
● Modeling -SSR
Attitudes
When it comes to reading, students will develop in their own time, just
keep reinforcing to them that they can do it, and praise all of the little
moments.

● “You can read your __________.”

Cultivate a classroom environment where students are comfortable to

take risks and make mistakes.

Show students how reading and writing are valuable to them.

Idea - Literacy Club / Incentives
Promote culture of reading and achievement through in class literacy club.

● Everytime you finish a book, answer a question orally.

○ Who is your favorite character and why?
○ What was your favorite part?
○ What do you remember?
○ Did you learn anything new?
● Every 10 books, teacher gives student a book to take home.
○ Builds students at home libraries, and encourages more reading at an appropriate level.
● Books read can be displayed for the class or on a individual sticker board
to track progress.
● Option to level books and “level up”.
 Silent Sustained Reading
● Simple, carve out time for it.
● 15 minutes
● Teacher models importance by reading as well.

*Make sure ALL students have this opportunity.

David Freeman & Yvonne Freeman (2000). Teaching Reading in Multilingual Classrooms
 Language Development

● Narrow reading
● Predictable texts
● Picture/word sorts
Consider if they have had exposure to these activities.

Vocabulary / Language Rhyming Songs

“Narrow Reading”
Reading the same kinds of books or books from the same author.

● It is predictable
● Students can learn sentence patterning

“Becausea book is more predictable, it provides more

comprehensible input, and students acquire more aspects of literacy.”
David E. Freeman / Yvonne S. Freeman
Teaching Reading in Multilingual Classrooms
 Start with predictable texts
Easier books not only have familiar words and words that students can
decode, but it also helps students to learn language through predictable
sentence patterns. They learn to fill in the blank with a word that makes
sense.

I like dogs.

I like pigs.

I like cats.

I like hats.
David Freeman & Yvonne Freeman (2000). Teaching Reading in Multilingual Classrooms
 Picture / Word Sorts
Sort pictures or words based on initial, ending or middle sounds.

Builds phonemic awareness and phonics instruction.

Can be a way to introduce new vocabulary.

Students can:

● write down/label pictures

● find rhyming words

Barone (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), Chapter 4: “Engaging Young ELLs with Reading and Writing”
 Parent Involvement
Intergenerational Literacy Program / Lectura en Familia

● Repeated Reads
● Questioning
○ Vocabulary / pointing / labeling
○ Questioning
● Parent Workshops
 Studies show...
● Training parents to tutor specific literacy skills over 7
studies (d=1.15)
● Training parents to listen to their children read books
over 6 studies (d=0.52)
● Repeated reads increases receptive vocabulary.
(d=1.06)
● Parents talk more when reading expository texts, which
helps to build students academic vocabularies.

Paratore, Krol-Sinclair, Paez, Paratore Bock (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 13: “Supporting Literacy Learning in FAmilies for Whom English Is an Additional Language”
Idea - Parent Workshops
● Once a month, skill or strategy based workshops
○ Teach them what to focus on / how to engage their child with the book
○ Pointing, naming, building vocab vs. text comprehension
● Targeted families and students (club)
● Teach the parent how to work with student at home
● Take-home book boxes to promote interests and rereading
○ Library books are returned too quickly
○ Paper printed consumable books are not as interesting to reread.
 Tips/ Lessons
● Helping your child choose the right books
● Listen to your child everyday - be patient!
● Read/ reread / reread with expression and voices
● Model fluent reading

Paratore, Krol-Sinclair, Paez, Paratore Bock (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 13: “Supporting Literacy Learning in FAmilies for Whom English Is an Additional Language”
 Reading Comprehension

● Meaning making
● Talk Back
● Vocabulary
● Good Reading Strategies
● Chunking Informational Texts
 Meaning Making
● The floor of reading comprehension is making meaning of the words. Too
often we become critical of students answers instead of encouraging them
to recall what they remember and make meaning or connect after reading
a text.
● Construct meaning through graphonic, syntactic, and semantic cues.

“Reading instruction should focus on meaning-making rather than

getting text details right.”

David Freeman & Yvonne Freeman (2000). Teaching Reading in Multilingual Classrooms
Meaning Making
Ask students:

● What do you remember?

● What else would you like to know?
● What does this story remind you of?

Hansen (1989)

“...keep the focus on meaning. If they correct every mistake or supply a word when the child pauses that
child will not become an independent reader. Help the child use the context to figure out difficult passages,
rather than trying to sound each word out.” (Freeman and Freeman)
 Good Reading Strategies - make a poster/refer to
● Preview
● Predict
● Pay attention to pictures and headings
● Monitor understanding
● Clarify
● Question
● Summarize

Barone (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), Chapter 4: “Engaging Young ELLs with Reading and Writing”
 Dealing with Vocabulary
● Define unknown vocab up front (Dr. Mary Howard)
● Have students read the text 3 times as a group and make their own
vocabulary list (5-6 words) and together infer what it means. 1
● Chart words that present challenges for meaning or pronunciation for
students. 1
● Use post-it notes to draw pictures, write and define while reading a book
you cannot annotate. 2

1
Au & Raphael (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 9: “Using Workshop Approaches to Support the Literacy Development of ELLs”
2
David Freeman & Yvonne Freeman (2000). Teaching Reading in Multilingual Classrooms
 Idea: Could be used during Wonders day 3 to promote more
discussion and thought through longer texts.
Talk Back
After one child reads a section aloud, they talk back to the book.

“I want to know more about…”

“I find it interesting that you say…:

“I do not understand what you mean when you say…”

“I disagree with you about…”

Then other children in the group are allowed to join in, adding, explaining or
questioning.

McIntyre (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), Chapter 3: “Principles for Teaching Young ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom: Adapting Best Practices for All Learners”
 Chunking Information
For informational texts:

1. Note take in sections (highlighting, writing, underlining)

2. Summarize each (orally)
3. Give it a heading and tell the topic (write)
4. Let students talk about the details

Like forwards and backwards mapping, students will

Project GLAD Expert Group Text strategy
learn how to do this independently but also pay closer
attention to text features that are helpful in doing this.

Barone (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), Chapter 4: “Engaging Young ELLs with Reading and Writing”
 Writing

Make it Authentic
● Feedback
● Letters ( in school mailbox)
● Entry and exit activities
 Feedback
Write comments to students writing to give suggestions, encourage, and guide
students towards strong writing.

Hold small group conferences

Use the workshop model

“Responding to students’ writing can be one of the most powerful ways to validate students.”

McCarthey & Zheng (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 5: “Principles for Writing Practices with Young ELLs”
Idea- In School Mailboxes
● Promotes authentic purposeful writing
● Passive station in classroom
● Students can write to classmates or teachers and adults on campus
● Write about issues or suggestions, write to thank someone
 Short and sweet doable activities that engage

Entry and Exit Activities the learner in pre-reading and reflective

activities.

Entry:

● Preview pictures and jot three things you think the book will be about.
● Jot down what you know about the genre.

Exit:

● Jot down a new way to describe the character

● Jot down a new fact they learned
● Draw three things about the book

Barone (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), Chapter 4: “Engaging Young ELLs with Reading and Writing”
 Collaboration & Talk Time

Respect families / 1st language

References
Au & Raphael (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 9: “Using Workshop Approaches to Support the Literacy Development of ELLs”
(pp.207-221)

Barone (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 4: “Engaging Young ELLs with Reading and Writing” (pp.84-102)

Freeman, David E., and Yvonne S. Freeman. Teaching Reading in Multilingual Classrooms. Heinemann, 2000.

Hansen, J. 1989. “Comprehension Questions to Make Reading and Writing Connections.” In Graduate Seminar in Literacy. Fresno,
Calif.

McIntyre (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 3: “Principles for Teaching Young ELLS in the Mainstream Classroom: Adapting Best
Practices for ALL Learners”(pp.61-83)

McCarthey & Zheng (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 5: “Principles for Writing Practices with Young ELLs” (pp.103-126)

Paratore, Krol-Sinclair, Paez, Paratore Bock (2010) in Li & Edwards (2010), chapter 13: “Supporting Literacy Learning in Families for
Whom English Is an Additional Language” (pp.299-327)
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