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.
Books and Other Reading Materials
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.
Early Literacy: Policy and Practice in the Preschool Years
by Dorothy Strickland and Shannon Riley-Ayers
Strickland, D., Riley-Ayers, S. (2006). Early Literacy: Policy and Practice in the Preschool Years. National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers University.
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Early (Pre-K);
Tags:
Books and Other Reading Materials;
Comprehension;
Motivation;
Phonics;
Phonological Awareness;
Reading;
Struggling Readers;
Transfer of Literacy Skills;
Vocabulary;
Writing;
Target Population: Preschool, Elementary
Research Questions the Report Poses: The policy paper analyzes the literature for specific skills and abilities that predict early childhood reading outcomes as they age.
Summary: Early childhood professionals have long recognized the importance of language and literacy in preparing children to succeed in school. Early literacy plays a key role in enabling the kind of early learning experiences that research shows are linked with academic achievement, reduced grade retention, higher graduation rates, and enhanced productivity in adult life. This report synthesizes the body of professional knowledge about early literacy and offers research-based recommendations.
Policy Recommendations:
- All children should have access to early childhood programs with strong literacy components that include clear adaptations for children with special needs.
- Early literacy curricula and teaching practices should be evidence-based, integrated with all domains of learning, and understandable to staff members.
- Early literacy standards should be established that articulate with K-12 programs and reflect consistency and continuity with overall program goals.
- Early literacy assessment should use multiple methods and use the information to improve both teaching and the total preschool program.
- Standards for early childhood professionals should require staff to meet early literacy instructional standards.
- Parent involvement programs should have a strong early literacy component that guides parents and caregivers in providing early literacy experiences at home.
- Support for English Language Learners should be specified and provided in both the home language and English where feasible.
Fluent and Nonfluent Forms of Transfer in Reading: Words and Their Message
by Heather J. Faulkner, Betty Ann Levy
Faulkner, H., & Levy, B.A. (1999). Fluent and nonfluent forms of transfer in reading: Words and their message. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6, 111-116.
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Tags:
Books and Other Reading Materials;
Comprehension;
Instructional Programs;
Struggling Readers;
Transfer of Literacy Skills;
Vocabulary;
Target Population: No target, instead considers reading skills in general. First experiment uses elementary school students, the second uses undergraduate students.
Research Questions the Report Poses: Do readers understand a passage because of the individual words in that passage or because of the order of the passage's words as a whole?
Summary: Abstract:
In two experiments, we examined transfer to the reading of a normal text from a prior reading of that intact text or from a prior reading of a scrambled word version of the passage. In Experiment 1, we studied good and poor readers in Grade 4; in Experiment 2, high- and low-ability undergraduate readers. Good readers at both ages showed rereading benefits only when the prior reading was of the intact text, with no reliable benefit from experience with words only. The poorer readers showed reliable rereading benefits even when only the words, in a scrambled order, were read on the first encounter. The results are discussed in terms of two forms of transfer: nonfluent reading transfer when attention must be focused on word recognition and fluent rereading transfer when word recognition is skilled so that attention can be focused on text processing.
Findings:
If a reader is reading fluently, comprehension largely takes place on the whole-text level (i.e. sentences and paragraphs), but if the reader is at a lower level and not reading fluently then comprehension occurs at the single word level. This held true for readers at both the fourth grade and undergraduate levels.
Policy Recommendations:
None. This is not a policy piece; instead it is a research report. See findings.
Integrated Vocabulary Instruction: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in Grades K-5
by Camille L. Z. Blachowicz, Peter J. Fisher, Susan Watts-Taffe / Learning Point Associates
Blachowicz, C.L.Z, Watts-Taffe, S. & Fisher, P. (2005). Learning Point Associates.
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Early Elementary (K-3);
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Upper Elementary (4-6);
Tags:
Bilingual Instruction;
Books and Other Reading Materials;
Comprehension;
Differentiated Instruction;
Instructional Programs;
Motivation;
Reading;
Struggling Readers;
Transfer of Literacy Skills;
Vocabulary;
Target Population: Elementary School
Research Questions the Report Poses: What are the different ways that vocabulary can be integrated into the classroom to teach a variety of learners?
Summary: The goal of this document is to provide the information that teachers and other educators need to implement an integrated and comprehensive approach to vocabulary instruction. Integrated means that vocabulary is a core consideration in all grades across the school and in all content areas across the school day. Comprehensive means that vocabulary instruction encompasses much more than a list of words to teach at the beginning of the week. Rather, it involves a common philosophy and shared practices, based on a solid understanding the knowledge base and supported by curricular considerations as well as classroom and school organizational procedures.
Findings:
This article does not contain research findings so much as it contains a collection of strategies and techniques for integrating vocabulary into the classroom. Some of the vocabulary areas covered are:
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Compound words
- Root words
- Using technology to teach vocabulary
Policy Recommendations:
None; this is not so much a policy document as it is a collection of strategies for teachers to use to teach vocabulary more effectively. If anything, the policy recommendation is for teachers to begin incorporating some of these techniques.
- Download full article (159KB PDF)*
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Learning Point Associates
1100 17th Street N.W., Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036
(P): 800-252-0283
Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children
by National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); International Reading Association (IRA)
International Reading Association (IRA) & National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. NAEYC: 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);
Tags:
Books and Other Reading Materials;
Comprehension;
Curriculum;
Differentiated Instruction;
Fluency;
Instructional Programs;
Intervention;
Motivation;
Phonics;
Phonological Awareness;
Placement;
Reading;
Vocabulary;
Writing;
Target Population: Preschool, Elementary
Research Questions the Report Poses: How does the research from the 1990s inform best practices for teachers and policymakers when it comes to teaching young students how to read and write?
Summary: Learning to read and write is critical to a child's success in school and later in life. Although reading and writing abilities continue to develop throughout the life span, the early childhood years--from birth through age eight--are the most important period for literacy development. The primary purpose of this position statement is to provide guidance to teachers of young children in schools and early childhood programs (including child care centers, preschools, and family child care homes) serving children from birth through age eight. By and large, the principles and practices suggested here also will be of interest to any adults who are in a position to influence a young child's learning and development--parents, grandparents, older siblings, tutors, and other community members.
Findings:
n/a
Policy Recommendations:
- A comprehensive, consistent system of early childhood professional preparation and ongoing professional development
- Sufficient resources to ensure adequate ratios of qualified teachers to children and small groups for individualizing instruction.
- Sufficient resources to ensure classrooms, schools, and public libraries that include a wide range of high-quality children's books, computer software, and multimedia resources at various levels of difficulty and reflecting various cultural and family backgrounds.
- Policies that promote children's continuous learning progress.
- Appropriate assessment strategies that promote children's learning and development.
- Access to regular, ongoing health care for every child.
- Increased public investment to ensure access to high-quality preschool and child care programs for all children who need them.
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
n/a
Reading Storybooks to Kindergartners Helps Them Learn New Vocabulary Words
by By Claudia Robbins and Linnea C. Ehri
Robbins, C., & Ehri, L. C. (1994). Reading storybooks to kindergartners helps them learn new vocabulary words. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 54-64.
Topics Covered:
Best Teaching Practices / Professional Development;
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Early (Pre-K);
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Early Elementary (K-3);
Tags:
Books and Other Reading Materials;
Comprehension;
Vocabulary;
Target Population: Preschool, elementary
Research Questions the Report Poses: The research seeks to identify whether reading to kindergarteners improves their vocabulary skills.
Summary: In sessions conducted individually, 45 kindergartners who were nonreaders listened to an adult read the same storybook twice, 2-4 days apart, and then completed a posttest measuring their knowledge of the meanings of 22 unfamiliar words, half of which had appeared in the story. Children recognized the meanings of significantly more words from the story than words not in the story, indicating that storybook reading was effective for building vocabulary. Gains were greater among children with larger entering vocabularies.
Findings:
Children recognized the meanings of significantly more words from the story than words not in the story, indicating that storybook reading was effective for building vocabulary. Gains were greater among children with larger entering vocabularies.
Policy Recommendations:
N/A
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
APA Service Center
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 800-374-2721 or 202-336-5510
TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123
Fax: 202-336-5502
Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do
by The American Federation of Teachers
Moats, L. C. (1999). Teaching reading is rocket science: What expert teachers of reading should know and be able to do. Washington, DC: American Federation of Teachers.
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Tags:
Books and Other Reading Materials;
Comprehension;
Curriculum;
Differentiated Instruction;
Instructional Programs;
Motivation;
Reading;
Struggling Readers;
Transfer of Literacy Skills;
Vocabulary;
Target Population: Elementary School
Research Questions the Report Poses: What practices in the classroom and elements in curriculums facilitate teaching reading to students?
Summary: This report discusses the current state of teacher preparation in reading. It reviews the reading research and describes the knowledge base that is essential for teacher candidates and practicing teachers to master if they are to be successful in teaching all children to read well. Developed by the American Federation of Teachers(AFT).
Findings:
The following are all part of effective reading instruction:
- Direct teaching of decoding, comprehension, and literature appreciation
- Phoneme awareness instruction
- Systematic and explicit instruction in the code system of written English
- Daily exposure to a variety of texts, as well as incentives for children to read independently and with others
- Vocabulary instruction that includes a variety of complementary methods designed to explore the relationships among words and the relationships among word structure, origin, and meaning
- Comprehension strategies that include prediction of outcomes, summarizing, clarification, questioning, and visualization
- Frequent writing of prose to enable a deeper understanding of what is read
Policy Recommendations:
The following recommendations pertain to professional development that should be employed to best train reading teachers:
- Research should guide the profession.
- Core requirements and standards for new teachers should be established.
- Teacher education programs should be aligned with standards for students and licensing requirements for teachers.
- Professional development institutes should be created for professors of education and master teachers.
- Developers of textbooks and instructional materials should be encouraged to improve their products.
- High-quality professional development must be available for teachers.
- An investment in teaching should be made to attract and retain high-caliber teacher candidates.
- Download full report (320K PDF)*
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
http://www.aft.org/teachers/pubs-reports/reading.htm
What Makes Literacy Tutoring Effective?
by Connie Juel
Juel, C. (1996). What makes literacy tutoring effective? Reading Research Quarterly, 31, 268-289.
Topics Covered:
Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;
Tags:
Books and Other Reading Materials;
Comprehension;
Struggling Readers;
Vocabulary;
Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School
Research Questions the Report Poses: What factors contribute to successful tutoring outcomes?
Summary:
In 1991, researchers Connie Juel reported that university student-athletes who were poor readers seemed to be effective tutors of first-grade children who were poor readers. This 1996 study explores factors that may account for successful tutoring outcomes when poor readers tutor other poor readers. Two activities were found to be particularly important in successful tutor-student relationship: (a) the use of texts that gradually and repetitively introduced both high-frequency vocabulary and words with common spelling patterns and (b) activities in which children were engaged in direct letter-sound instruction. Two forms of verbal interaction were found to be particularly important: (a) scaffolding of reading and writing and (b) modeling of how to read and spell unknown words.
Findings:
- Two activities were found to be particularly important in successful tutor-student relationship: (a) the use of texts that gradually and repetitively introduced both high-frequency vocabulary and words with common spelling patterns and (b) activities in which children were engaged in direct letter-sound instruction.
- Two forms of verbal interaction were found to be particularly important: (a) scaffolding of reading and writing and (b) modeling of how to read and spell unknown words.
Policy Recommendations:
n/a
To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
http://marketplace.reading.org/products/tnt_products.cfm?Subsystem=ORD&primary_id=10.1598/RRQ.31.3.3&product_class=IRABOOK&action=Long&PPV=Y
