Book Bridges for ESL students

Book Bridges for ESL students : Book Bridges for ESL students Using Young Adult and Children’s Literature to Teach ESL Suzanne Reid


First Encounters : First Encounters Welcome your new students with gentle and warm sincerity Speak slowly but not loudly Use simple language but avoid broken English Ask your students to help you pronounce their names correctly If your students’ language is a Romance language use Latinate vocabulary


First Encounters : First Encounters Gather as much initial information as possible about your students’ situation and language abilities Use props, pictures, gestures, and examples-anything to assist communication. Encourage all your students to pantomime, demonstrate, draw, point, and translate.


First Encounters : First Encounters Encourage your regular students to learn as much as they can of the new students’ first languages. Suggest comparisons of grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structures. First Priority: A positive social adjustment for new students. Assign one or two “buddies” for the first few days to lead each new student around until the school routine is familiar.


First Encounters : First Encounters BICS – Basic interpersonal communication skills 2-3 years CALP – Cognitive/academic language proficiency 7-9 years


First Encounters : First Encounters First weeks: watch and wait Try to use the same phrases each time you address new students to give directions Initial test (Pre-LAS, LAS) Portfolios for ELL Writing Pronunciation and speaking reading


Literature in the ESL Classroom : Literature in the ESL Classroom Label objects in the classroom and other environments Speak slowly and clearly Let new students participate as much as possible without worrying about what is being retained New information Organized drills to help ELLs learn basic phrases Good Morning Hi. My name is _____. My address is _____. My phone number is _____.


General principles for selecting literature for teaching : General principles for selecting literature for teaching Allow choice if possible: people learn what interests them Recommend works that are not too long or complex and that match the student’s intellectual and maturity level Be aware of cultural preferences as well as individual differences Avoid any stereotyping or phrasing that might be offensive Avoid dialect, jargon, or arcane subjects unless your student expresses a strong wish to learn these.


Providing different experiences with Literature : Providing different experiences with Literature Encourage your students to listen to others read loud Use taped books Encourage new learners to read as a way of learning to speak Ask new learners of English to read literature aloud in a safe environment Ask students to copy short passages from books they have heard and read


Multiple passes : Multiple passes Discuss the cover and title Capture and convey the mood of the book Introduce key vocabulary and concepts Encourage beginning students to copy the title, author, and a simple sentence about the subject onto a page or folder that might serve as the beginning of a reading journal


Start reading : Start reading Read aloud first Shadow read Ask the student to repeat each sentence after you read Ask simple questions about the literal meaning of the main words and developments Reread the first paragraph aloud, and then continue to the next Repeat this pattern for a few pages or paragraphs, or until your readers look dazed (insert simple activity – questions, act out, etc.) If the pace is slower than expected, or finishing the book will take more than one session, provide a simple outline of the whole book (or the next few chapters) after approaching the first section as described above.


For reluctant or basic-level language learners : For reluctant or basic-level language learners Ask how to say something in the students’ native language If possible, try to find a translation in each student’s own language Change books


Second reading : Second reading After finishing the book for the first time, read aloud the whole book without interruption, letting students follow along looking at the text For long complex texts, provide a wall chart or time line of the book’s structure to help struggling readers keep track of events and characters


Checking for general comprehension : Checking for general comprehension Together, help readers write a few sentences, each summarizing a section of the book or a part of the plot Use the same or additional sentences to form cause-and-effect Together, sort events and characters of fiction as “good” or “bad,” “kind” or “unkind,” “successful”, or “unsuccessful”; or select other relevant comparison and contrast categories Together, list appropriate adjectives or adverbs to describe events or characters Together, construct a simple graphic diagram of the plot


Reading for details : Reading for details Write a short series of questions about the book to check both literal and symbolic comprehension Expand descriptive vocabulary by role-playing and demonstrating choices Help students write biopoems about the book’s characters Use passages from a book to point out grammatical features


Independent reading : Independent reading Provide a few comprehension questions at periodic intervals of the text Use simple crossword puzzles based on the text to provide extra exposure to new vocabulary Ask students to select and copy a few memorable quotes, and display them in sequence Provide appropriate worksheets for at-home reading Invite interested students to prepare a montage of quotations from a book and illustrations, patterns, or photos from magazines to represent a personal interpretation Encourage students to read each other’s work. Teach them to critique gently


Elaboration and analysis : Elaboration and analysis Listen to a recorded discussion about the text Help students write a prequel or a sequel Help students describe what happens at certain points in a story, imagining that they are there but invisible Help intermediate and advanced students plan and make “reader support kits” or “book boxes” for other readers to use


Using picture books for basic-level learners : Using picture books for basic-level learners Picture dictionaries Speaking and writing exercises Practice sentence patterns Expand vocabulary by using the dictionary for categorizing games Challenge more advanced writers to compose a paragraph to share, using five items from a selected page or section


Picture books for young children : Picture books for young children Ten, nine, eight Bread, Bread, Bread No, David Goodnight, Moon Runaway Bunny


Some activities for young children : Some activities for young children Read using the exercises suggested in slides from Multiple Passes Repeat picture books regularly, even daily if possible Ask leading questions to encourage verbal and/or written response Provide materials and necessary vocabulary lists to make a simple picture book on a related theme For students who can write in another language, encourage them to write “bilingual” picture books to share with other students.


Picture books for older children and adults : Picture books for older children and adults The Z was zapped: A Play in Twenty-six Acts Madeline’s Rescue Zachary’s Ball Where the Wild Things Are I Love You as Much The True Story of the Three Little Pigs Wordless picture books – Time Flies, The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher, Tuesday


Teaching History : Teaching History An illustrated time line in the classroom will help all students keep historical sequence straight Keep a large world map available and collect magazine illustrations and photos of different types of geography Help students make a scrapbook with a section for each continent, a page for major regions, and a half page for each country or for each state in the U.S.


Teaching math and science : Teaching math and science Make up math problems based on familiar situations for each other to solve Pair a student with advanced language skills or a native speaker with an intermediate-level ESL student to research, write, and illustrate a “course” book for other subjects with specialized vocabularies such as chemistry, physics, geography, computer science, or grammar. As an introduction to a new subject, provide a list of vocabulary, formulas, concepts, and other information to be included, as well as definite deadlines.


Creating community : Creating community All members of the classroom community should be communicating with each other with equal frequency All students should interact socially with each other All lessons should be planned to include second-language acquisition instruction along with the content All members of the local community should be equally encouraged to participate in the activities related to school All school activities should foster equal rights and opportunities for all members of the community