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.
Adolescent (7-12)
Contexts for Engagement and Motivation in Reading
by Guthrie, John T.
Guthrie, J.T. (2001). Contexts for engagement and motivation in reading. Reading Online, 4(8). International Reading Association: Washington DC.
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Early (Pre-K);
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Early Elementary (K-3);
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Upper Elementary (4-6);
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Adolescent (7-12);
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Adult;
Tags:
Books and Other Reading Materials;
Comprehension;
Motivation;
Reading;
Struggling Readers;
Transfer of Literacy Skills;
Vocabulary;
Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School
Research Questions the Report Poses: How do engaged and motivated reading contribute to successful reading skills and achievement?
Summary: Engaged reading is a merger of motivation and thoughtfulness. Engaged readers seek to understand; they enjoy learning and they believe in their reading abilities. They are mastery oriented, intrinsically motivated, and have self-efficacy. Teachers create contexts for engagement when they provide prominent knowledge goals, real-world connections to reading, meaningful choices about what, when, and how to read, and interesting texts that are familiar, vivid, important, and relevant.
Findings:
The following all help to contribute to an environment that will foster motivated and engaged reading:
- Identify a knowledge goal and announce it
- Provide a brief real-world experience related to the goal
- Make trade books and multiple other resources available
- Give students some choice about the subtopics and texts for learning
- Teach cognitive strategies that empower students to succeed in reading these texts
- Assure social collaboration for learning
- Align evaluation of student work with the instructional context (e.g., grade students for progress toward the knowledge goal)
Policy Recommendations:
None, this article makes no policy recommendations but instead describes the characteristics of an engaging and motivated reading environment.
Improving Literacy Outcomes for English Language Learners in High School: Considerations for States and Districts in Developing a Coherent Policy Framework
by National High School Center, Nanette Koelsch
Koelsch, N. (2006). Improving literacy outcomes for English language learners in high school: Considerations for states and districts in developing a coherent policy Framework. National High School Center .
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Adolescent (7-12);
Tags:
Bilingual Instruction;
Bilingualism / Biliteracy;
Comprehension;
Curriculum;
Fluency;
Language of Instruction;
Language Proficiency;
Placement;
Reading;
Vocabulary;
Writing;
Target Population: Middle, High School, Post-Secondary
Research Questions the Report Poses: What issues should states consider to improve schooling for English language learners?
Summary: The report suggests that low expectations are the impetus for ELL difficulties in school and that lack of data about course taking patterns for ELLs compounds student difficulties. The report describes recent studies that point to the need for more rigorous course taking to improve the odds of graduation and college entry for ELL students.
Findings:
- ELLs need high quality instruction focused on advanced literacy skills not just language acquisition; and
- Immersion-only programs lead to increased special education placements
- Latino ELLs are overrepresented in special education and lower tracked classrooms;
Policy Recommendations:
- States and districts need to redesign literacy work for ELLs in high schools to change from remediation to academic enrichment; and
- States and districts need to ensure that ELLs participate in rigorous, college preparation courses and receive support so that they can succeed in these courses
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
n/a
Meeting the Literacy Development Needs of Adolescent English Language Learners Through Content Area Learning: Part One: Focus on Motivation and Engagement
by Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory (LAB), The Education Alliance at Brown University, Julie Meltzer and Edmund Hamann
Meltzer, J. & Hamann, E. (2004). Meeting the literacy development needs of adolescent English language learners. Part one: Focus on motivation and engagement. Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory.
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Adolescent (7-12);
Tags:
Content Areas: Math;
Content Areas: Science;
Content Areas: Social Studies;
Motivation;
Placement;
Reading;
Struggling Readers;
Transfer of Literacy Skills;
Vocabulary;
Writing;
Target Population: Middle, High School
Research Questions the Report Poses: Review of the literature concerning student motivation and engagement on literacy development of adolescents and research on the schooling of adolescent ELLs.
Summary: This article reviews the major research findings as they relate to engagement and motivation of ELL adolescents. The highlighted research is meant to explore the confluence of two areas of study—literacy development and schooling practices for ELLs and native English speakers—and serve as a guide for professional development for secondary teachers. The literature review explores school and classroom contexts; instructional principles like relevance, choice, and student-centered classrooms; and instructional practices like scaffolding and activating prior knowledge as they relate to adolescent ELLs.
Findings:
- literacy development and effective instruction for ELL and non-ELL adolescents alike share many commonalities;
- isolated ELL students are further negatively impacted as a result of these findings; and
- content-area teachers may benefit from research and practices designed for ELL teachers
Policy Recommendations:
n/a
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The Education Alliance at Brown
222 Richmond Street, Suite 300
Providence, RI 02903-4226
Phone: 800.521.9550
Fax: 401.421.7650
E-mail: info@alliance.brown.edu
Meeting the Literacy Development Needs of Adolescent English Language Learners Through Content Area Learning: Part Two: Focus on Classroom Teaching and Learning Strategies
by Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory (LAB), The Education Alliance at Brown University, Julie Meltzer and Edmund Hamann
Meltzer, J. & Hamann, E. (2004). Meeting the literacy development needs of adolescent English language learners. Part two: Focus on classroom teaching and learning strategies. Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory .
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Adolescent (7-12);
Tags:
Content Areas: Math;
Content Areas: Science;
Content Areas: Social Studies;
Motivation;
Placement;
Reading;
Struggling Readers;
Transfer of Literacy Skills;
Vocabulary;
Writing;
Target Population: Middle, High School
Research Questions the Report Poses: What instructional practices dovetail in both the ELL adolescent literacy literature and non-ELL adolescent literacy literature?
Summary: As with part one of this publication, part two amounts to a literature review. Part two looks for congruous instructional practices that are good for secondary ELL and native English speakers alike. The article shifts through a series of discussions about a variety of domains related to teaching and arrives at a conclusion in support of strategies beneficial to ELL students and native English language students.
Findings:
Eight instructional approaches are supported in both literatures (what's good for ELL adolescents and adolescent native English speakers):
- teacher modeling, strategy instruction, and using multiple forms of assessment;
- emphasis on reading and writing;
- emphasis on speaking and listening/viewing;
- emphasis on thinking;
- creating a learner-centered classroom;
- recognizing and analyzing content-area discourse features;
- understanding text structures within the content areas; and
- vocabulary development.
Policy Recommendations:
n/a
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The Education Alliance at Brown
222 Richmond Street, Suite 300
Providence, RI 02903-4226
Phone: 800.521.9550
Fax: 401.421.7650
E-mail: info@alliance.brown.edu
I love this newsletter. ALL the information is very valuable and useful. You did a GREAT JOB putting all the data together.
~ Silvia M.
