Homework and Independent Practice for English Language Learners

Blog #10

Why is Homework and Independent Practice Important for English Language Learners (ELL’s)?

How can Instructors Help Make Homework and Independent Practice Successful Experiences for their Language Learners?

Many educators exclude ELL’s from certain assignments, including homework because they don’t believe that they can accomplish these tasks without assistance and the students probably don’t have the support they need at home in English. This assumption, along with the obstacles of differentiating assignments, may inhibit ELL’s from receiving important reinforcements of classroom learning and language acquisition practice that they need to advance in acquiring English literacy skills. Children are in school 6-7 hours of their day which are half (or less) of their waking hours and 25% of a day. Therefore, “homework is an effective means of extending student learning beyond the school day” (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Oftentimes, guided practice is overemphasized with ELL’s in the classroom and authentic production of written language might be limited to filling in the blanks or copying off the board. This achieves what looks like proper English, but may not reflect the abilities of a student or tap in on higher level thinking skills. As educators, we must focus on what the learners can do and focus on what we can do (instead of being bogged down by obstacles) in order to facilitate more independent practice. In the Classroom: A Toolkit for Effective Instruction of English Language Learners ( by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, NCELA) suggests several guiding principals for homework and independent practice for ELL’s (Hill & Flynn, 2006).. In this blog, I will explore the recommendations of this article.

First, ELL’s should be provided with “concrete, non-linguistic examples” (Hill & Flynn, 2006). This might include graphic organizers, photos, pictures or icons to trigger understanding. These pictorial and graphic representations scaffold the use of written language. The use of graphic organizers can be modeled in class and when they are familiar to a student, they will be easier to complete independently. Drawings and graphic representations may allow a student who finds written work challenging to reflect greater understanding with limited words. One example is a Venn Diagram. Students might compare and contrast characters in a book or two science or social studies concepts. Students in the pre-production or speech emergence stages might use drawings primarily to represent their understanding. Early production students might use labels and simple phrases. Intermediate and advanced students will be able to produce sentences. Yet all students would be able to complete the task and show some understanding.

A second important factor according to the NCELA is to provide students with opportunities to “ask questions and discuss assignments orally” (Hill & Flynn, 2006). This includes modeling the assignment for the student and providing examples of outcomes. This might mean showing the different levels of response expected from different students. This also might mean pairing up students to discuss the assignment before they attempt to accomplish it independently. They may converse in their native language to check for understanding and negotiate meaning if the instructor is unable to provide second language support. Time is allotted for clarification and question asking during class. The instructor may want to check in mid-way through the allotted time period to complete the assignment to see if anyone has further questions or concerns before the due date.

Native language support can be crucial for some students to complete independent assignments (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Oral instructions in English may be too complex to be comprehended and even after modeling, the ELL’s may still need some clarification in order to complete the task. Peer tutors in class, cross-grade tutors, native language support through teacher’s aides or classroom volunteers may help in translating and communicating the steps and outcomes desired in completing an independent assignment.
.Some schools may have after-school programs with native language support. Often a teacher needs to create the opportunities for native language support. Written instructions in a child’s native language are also helpful (if a child or his/her parents are literate).
In addition to native language support, peer support can also be helpful in other ways. Peers may help with note-taking. Students may understand more English than they can produce and a peer could model proper written English. Study buddies who exchange phone numbers or get together mid-week to complete assignments together may be established as well. Group work is a powerful tool for language acquisition (Gibbons, 2002). The key is to insure that each member has a role so that there is no free riding. A student with less ability to produce written language might be in charge of layout, pictures, illustrations or graphs to accompany a group assignment.

Modified or additional instructions can make independent work more comprehensible for ELL’s (Hill & Flynn, 2006). As communicated earlier, this may mean modeling the steps to complete an assignment and the expected outcome. Breaking tasks down into concrete steps is helpful. Another way of making instructions clear is “message redundance” (Gibbons, 2002). This means saying the same thing in a different way. By varying the vocabulary and restating it, it is more likely for more students to comprehend the instructions. Introducing formal terms (like rotate and dilute) along side more informal ones (like move around and water down) while modeling physically the task is “message redundance” (Gibbons, 2002).
Two other recommendations by the NCELA are to give tips & strategies and to post assignments clearly in the classroom (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Tips and strategies might include answering questions like: “What do I do when I don’t understand?” and, “What if I read a word that I don’t know?” Suggestions might include: reread, ask for help (from your teacher, your study buddy or a parent), look at the word in context, look for picture cues, use an on-line translator, etc. The teacher could also debrief with students and allow them to share their strategies with each other. Assignments should also be accessible on the board or in a certain place in the classroom to avoid confusion. Planners, homework logs or homework packets should be used to record the assignments. Establishing routines can make homework and deadlines more predictable. This results in less instructions to be explained and understood over time.

In conclusion, homework and independent practice are opportunities for ELL’s to reflect their understanding and practice skills. With certain modifications, assignments can be created for language learners that will be comprehensible and manageable. By following these recommendations of the NCELA, ELL’s will not be robbed of the opportunity to further develop their abilities as independent learners and teachers will create the structures, routines and design tasks that are cognitively challenging without being linguistically prohibitive.

References:

Gibbons, Pauline (2002). Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Hill, Jane D and Flynn, Kathleen M. (2006). Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners. Alexandra, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
　

Scaffolding Instruction with Graphic Organizers

Blog #9

Scaffolding can assist students' responses to literature, non-fiction texts and poetry.  Just as a scaffold holds up a building while it is being constructed, a scaffold assists a student in comprehending, analyzing and sythetizing their learning before, during or after a literacy experience.  Graphic organizers are powerful tools to help readers organize their thoughts and visualize them in a written format.  They can be used to brainstorm, take notes, summarize, compare & contrast and to perform other higher level thinking tasks.  They can be especially useful for ELL's (English Language Learners) whose vocabulary might be limited even though their understanding is great.  Graphic organizers can assist an ELL student in reaching more sophisticated levels of written responses to literature, non-fiction texts and poetry. 

There are three main things to consider when choosing a graphic organizer to scaffold instruction.  First, consider the type of text or genre.  Then, consider your grade level and the level of language acqusition of your students.  How much modeling and assistance will they need to complete the task?  Lastly, keep in mind the outcomes that you desire.  What are your standards and objectives?  Will this graphic organizer help your students reach these outcomes?

In this blog, I will give some examples of graphic organizers to scaffold instruction.  I will indicate the type of text (narrative (fiction), expository (non-fiction) or poetry) which each graphic organizer serves best.  Then, I will suggest a grade level or stage of language acquistion for that tool.  Lastly, I will give some reflections on the purposes and outcomes of each activity. 

Type of Text:  Narrative (Fiction)

Comic Strip:  All grades, all stages
This tool allows the students to use drawings to depict scenes in a story.  Narration can accompany these drawings in the ovals above or they can serve as bubbles for dialogue.  This is good for summarizing, visualizing and even predicting. 

Three Part Summary:  Grades 2-4, all stages
The three part summary assists a student in identifying the three main parts of a story:  beginning, middle and end.  In many states, this is a standard for the second or third grade, but can be continued to be practiced in the fourth grade.  It can be used in all stages of language acquistion because pictures may be drawn  or words may be written to depict the three parts of the story.


Character Web:  all grades, all stages
This classic web design can be used for brainstorming about a topic, associating traits & actions with a particular character or for multiple other uses.  This particular web was designed for defining a character.  It can be as simple as pictures around a central name or topic, words or sentences.

Cause and Effect:  grades 3-8, stages intermediate/advanced
This tool helps a reader analyze the internal features of the text.  Although this graphic organizer begins with "cause," it is often easier to begin with "effect."  This is what the reader notices first.  Then, the students can go back and find the causes. 

Character Chart:  grades 1-8, all stages
This tool gives room for pictoral representations of the characters being analyzed, their physical appearance and personality traits.  It could be especially helpful for students in stages 2-3 of language acquisiton who are just learning to put words to their ideas.  For stage 2, it may only be in words and for stage 3 it may be in simple sentences. 

Venn Diagram, all grades, all stages
This classic diagram with overlapping circles assists the reader in identifying similarities and differences.  This particular example is for comparing characters, but it can be used for many other story elements or non-fiction topics (such as animal species).  Understanding can be reflected with pictures, words or complete sentences on the diagram.

Important Elements, grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
This tool assists the reader in identifying key story elements such as setting, characters and plot.  It also goes one step further in requiring the readers to provide evidence (from the text)  to support their claims. 

Type of Text:  Expository (Non-fiction)

Three Main Ideas, grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
This outline guides the reader to identify three main ideas and supporting details.  It works especially well when taking notes from reading in social studies or sciences texts or biographies. It can follow the external features of a text (such as titles and subtitles).  It is really designed for independent readers although it could be completed during or after a read-aloud.   The teacher should pre-view the text and identify how many supporting details are required for each subtopic. 

Non-fiction Text Outline, grades 3-8, all stages
Similar to the graphic organizer above, this tool assist the reader in identifying key points during a non-fiction reading.  The advange to this format is that pictures may be used to support the learner in expressing meaning or to reiforce new meanings encountered in the reading (as in note taking).

KWL Chart, all grades, all stages (with assistance)
This chart is used before a unit to identify what the students already know about a topic.  If a child expresses this information in their native language, a peer or the teacher can translate it into English and write (and draw) the facts on the grid. The second column is for the students to record what they would like to learn. I write this information in a question format.  In kindergarten or first grade more pictures and less words will accompany this information.  In the younger grades, it may be completed by the teacher in front of the class and in the upper grades, students may complete it individually or in small groups.  After reading or finishing a unit, the class returns to the chart to record what was learned. (What questions were answered?)  The KWL Chart sets purpose for learning and triggers students' background knowledge before reading.

Type of Text:  Poetry

Reflect on the poem:  grades 3-8, intermediate & advanced stages
With this tool, the student reflects on each verse in a particular stanza of a poem. It is very non-threatening because there are no "right" or "wrong" answers and it could be a good tool for an initial response to a poem.  It could serve to prepare students for discussion.  It forces the reader to re-read in order to quote each verse.

Analyze Poetic Elements:  grades 4-8, intermediate & advanced stages
First the reader identifies rhyming words and then makes comments about the rhyme scheme of a poem.  Then, the student is lead to identify other elements of the poem such as images, shape, sound (rhythm), meaning and form.  This can assist language learners in expanding their vocabulary.  Unlike "Reflect on the Poem" there are certain responses which could be considered a correct or incorrect analysis of the poem. 

As I was collecting some graphic organizers for this blog, I ran into this site:
www.washingtonco.k12.nc.us/siteimages/images/uploads/Graphic%20Organizers

In summary, graphic organizers are extremely handy and helpful for scaffolding responses to literature, reflecting the comprehension of texts and analyzing poetry.  I hope this blog can assist anyone looking for some ways to integrate graphic organizers into your instruction, especially for ELLs.

 

Comprehension Rising

Blog #8 Comprehension Rising

I had an opportunity recently to view a lesson using the book Esperanza Rising with intermediate and advanced English language learners at a middle school. The central goal of the lesson was to develop inference skills. The teacher defined inferences as good guesses based upon context clues and the background knowledge a reader brings to the text. I thought it was amazing how this instructor packed so many strategies into one lesson. Her intent was to shelter the reading so that comprehension would increase.

One strategy that I thought was effective was the use of pictures to help students visualize vocabulary. For instance, one word was “bouquet.” Even before showing that word, she passed out pictures to trigger some images and words in the students’ minds. Then, when she came to actually reading and defining the vocabulary, the students had something to make reference to. She could have just held up the picture of flowers and said, “This is a bouquet.” I think previewing the pictures first created some anticipation and a desire to figure out what they could be associated with. They were a “hook” in the lesson.

Another technique that I found helpful was actually projecting words from the text onto a screen for all to see as she read. Then, she would underline key phrases or words and use questioning strategies to think aloud about inferences. This made it explicit where the phrase was in the text. It also slowed down the reading to pause and reflect. It provided an opportunity for the students to participate in the formation of inferences by guessing, relating to their own experiences while still using the context cues of the text.

I really liked the idea of a “Diary Board” that this instructor employed. On her white board, she had categories such as:
Visualizing / Inferring/ Summary of learning / Questions / I’m confused (?) / Background Knowledge(I imagine…) (I wonder…) (I didn’t get…) (This reminds me of…)
Then, the students were encouraged to note these types of comments about what they were reading as they read. These observations were noted on Post-it notes and stuck to the “Diary Board.” The class will have an opportunity to hear the thoughts of others as they interact with their reading through this board. This seems like a powerful collaborative tool for students to model for each other their comprehension strategies. It also gives them a framework to practice reading comprehension strategies.

How do Students' Primary Languages Affect their English Reading Development?

Blog #7

Without going into great depth to answer this question, let's look at a case study of two second grade students.

While observing the reading of two second grade students who are acquiring English as a second language, I asked myself these questions:

1. How does their first language influence their decoding of English print?
2. What errors or strategies do they use that are most common for children at their grade level (and stage of literacy)?
3. Based on these observations, what techniques or lessons could be implemented to assist these learners with their reading in English?

I chose two students. The first student’s first language was Spanish. The second student’s primary language was German. I chose them because both were reading at a similar level (near or at grade level).

The first student I observed while reading was Ulises. He read “A Job for Karla, “ a passage used as a benchmark fluency test from CA Progress Monitoring Unit Assessment, Grade 2, Theme 3 from a Macmillan/McGraw-Hill text. His fluency was 78 words per minute. He had only four errors in the reading of this passage. The first error was graphophonic, but did change the meaning (although he didn’t self correct). He replaced “across” for “actors.” My guess is that he saw the visual cue“ac” at the beginning of the word and the “s” at the end and he quickly guessed that the word was across.” “Across” is a familiar sight word. This visual miscue resulted in a syntactic error.  Obviouslyn, the preposition "across" couldn't replace the noun "actor.  In a similar way, he substituted “sit” for “still.” Again, they look similar and he was trying to do a quick reading (knowing that he was being timed). None-the-less, this did change the meaning, but he didn’t self-correct. Later, he substituted “at” for “like” which is a visual mistake with a substitution that might make syntactic sense (preposition for preposition). Instead of decoding, he predicted from the syntax what word would fit and made an incorrect assumption. The phrase was, “Ann looked like a real queen,” and Ulises read, “Ann looked at a real queen.” . Lastly, he substituted “for” for “from.” These both have the same initial consonant and the same vowel.

This is the only error which I think could be related to Spanish language syntax. In Spanish there are two words for “for.” They are “por” (which could mean doing something for another person) and “para” (which refers to whom an item or action is for). There is a possibility that this student is using “from” for “para.” This could be clarified through a lesson about the meanings of “for” and “from” and how they are similar and different than “por” and “para.” This might help the student internalize the meaning of “for” and predict it in the syntax of a written sentence while reading. Repeated exposure may also correct this problem over time.

The second student I observed was at another school. His home language is German. I used a level “N” text (DRA 20+) which was a green, Early Fluency Sunshine Book published by McGraw-Hill. At this school, they don’t use textbooks in reading instruction. I chose a text that was similar in level with the one Ulises was reading. Pascal read this story, Herding Dogs, at 75 words per minute. He had 6 errors. The first error was one many readers make. He substituted “the” for “this.” They are both articles beginning with “th” and the syntactic difference is slight. In analyzing some of his other errors, I decided to consult with his mother (who, obviously speaks German) because I know very little German. My purpose was to see how Pascal may have substituted German phonemes for English phonemes. Three of his errors were related to decoding the “er” sound. He read, “harding” for “herding,” “ranchars” for “ranchers” and “hard” for “herd.” His mother told me that the “er” in German is pronounced like “air’ with the tongue high up arching in the mouth making an “r’ sound. This is similar to what I heard. I believe that Pascal was substituting the German sound for “er” for the English sound “er.” It might seem like a small difference, but this substitution would make these words unintelligible to the English speaking ear. (Although Pascal may have understood those words even though he pronounced them incorrectly). I also asked her about two other sounds. One was the “y” between two consonants. She said that she couldn’t think of a word with the “y” between two consonants in German, but the “y” in general makes the long “e” sound. This could account for Pascal’s graphophonic error decoding “types” as “teeps.” His last error could have also been due to German phonemic information. He decoded “suited” as “suded.” The “ui” doesn’t exist in German. Often, his mother says, the “t” is a soft sound as the “d.” This could account for the error.

In the course of the second grade, they will most likely do mini-lessons related to the “er” sound in words. This instruction Pascal will receive with the rest of the group at his grade level. It might be helpful for a bilingual (German-English) speaker to discuss with Pascal the different “er” sounds in German and English. It may just take time for him to hear the differences and pronounce them correctly. Practicing the hard “t” in the middle of a word (between vowels) might also be helpful to train his ear.

Overall, I was very impressed with both of these second language learners at the two school sites in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, California. Both had began learning to read in English in kindergarten. Both spoke a primary language other than English at home. Both were reading at grade level fluency in English. Ulises is in a Spanish-English Two-way Bilingual Immersion program in which they learn to read in both languages from kindergarten. Pascal learned to read first in English and is learning to read in German school on the weekend and at home in his primary language. It appears that as they are acquiring English, they are decoding very well using English phonemes.  As they continue to hear the language and become more fluent, a sociolinguistic point of view, errors related to language interference should self-eliminate.  From a word recognition philosophy, some direct instruction could help.  Why not both? 

Language Acquistion and Language Learning

Blog #6 Language Acquisition & Language Learning
My Personal Experience
The topic of language acquisition and language learning has fascinated me for years. Currently, I teach Spanish and speak Spanish at home even though I live in the United States and English is my first language. I began learning Spanish in high school with a model that definitely followed a language learning methodology. The instruction was delivered in English and we learned about the language. We read some passages in Spanish and memorized dialogues. We took tests on grammar and we studied verb conjugations. I didn’t take Spanish my Senior year in high school or my first year in college, so I forgot a lot. At that time, I didn’t identify with the speakers of the language much. Oddly, one of the few things I retained from two years of high school Spanish was “limpia para brisas” which means “windshield wipers.”
I remember being in line at a Cinco de Mayo celebration with a bunch of Spanish speakers and feeling very out of place.

Something drastic began to changed when took Spanish my sophomore year in college. My motivation for taking the first two classes was to prepare me for a short-term mission in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. I was going with a team of college students to teach vacation Bible school along with the young adults in the pueblos we visited. At UCSC, they used an immersion methodology. The Immersion method combined elements of language acquisition and language learning. The professor used photos, pictures and physical objects to show us things instead of translating. We could not really much on English (except for our knowledge of language) to learn Spanish. I needed to make a lot of hypotheses, confirm or refute them and take the language in context. Of course, we did use a textbook and we learned formally about the grammar, syntax and spelling of Spanish.

When I went to Mexico, suddenly I had to apply what I learned in a social context. I also lived with three different Mexican families in three villages. Although I struggled and went through different stages of culture shock, I remember in our last week in Yucatan understanding a sermon for the first time. It was like the clouds had cleared. Something came over me after that summer. I got an insatiable desire to learn Spanish and to hang around Latino people. I continued to take classes to learn the language, but I also looked for opportunities to speak with Hispanic people, volunteer or work with them. I think that the psychologist, Guiora has a point about the “language ego.” “Older learners who acquire a second language and speak with little or no foreign accent are often people who admire and identify with people who live in a country where the language is spoken” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004). I was an older learner (in the formal operational stage) and I suddenly could relate to the speakers of Spanish after living and working with them for six weeks. I felt accepted by them and I felt like a member of their “group.” I think this is a significant part of becoming fluent in a second language- feeling like you are a member. The fact that I associated with people who shared similar beliefs allowed me to be member of their cultural group despite the fact I was still acquiring the language and this transferred eventually to becoming a member of the larger group of Spanish speakers.
I am an usual breed. When I was a teen, I would have never dreamed that I would be bilingual or that I would teach Spanish. I taught my children my second language as their first language. I spoke to them exclusively in Spanish and developed a social context for them through a Spanish language pre-school so that they would develop Spanish early and acquire it naturally before formal instruction. So, I have observed and been an active part in their process which has been different than my own. It was an experiment. It was an experiment that I do not regret and that has been very successful. My only disappointment is that they currently don’t have many peers to speak Spanish with in the community that we are in presently. I  have felt a salmon, swimming against the current, to make gains in their language acquisition without the supportive context (outside of the home) they had when they were young. Yet now, in a Cinco de Mayo celebration, I feel like one of the participants and I may be even one of the organizers!

Essential Linguistics: What You Need to Know to Teach
by David Freeman &Yvonne Freeman
In chapter 2 of this book, there is an activity on page 48 to identify activities of students or teachers as following a language learning (L)or a language acquisition (A)model. Below, I will make a two column analysis of each activity. In the second column, I will justify my decisions for their classifications.
(I had a few formatting issues with the columns...sorry.)

Student activities:Look up words in the dictionary                               This is a formal, analytical activity.
and provide definitions (L)

Make a Venn Diagram to compare                            It is language learning because
two stories (L &A)                                                     it is formal and analytical. It is
                                                                                 language acquisition because
                                                                                  it gives an opportunity for students to
                                                                                express their ideas &                                                                                 reflect their understanding about ideas
                                                                                 in a greater context.

Practice sounding out words.(L)                                It is conscious, formal practice.

Read in a round-robin fashion. (A)                            Round-robin is a structured reading experience,
                                                                                but the learner has no control over
                                                                                what he may be asked to read.
                                                                                The reader needs to have “learned” to
                                                                                 read well before having success in this activity,
                                                                                 but the activity itself isn’t a learning activity.

Correct peers when they make
a mistake during reading (L)                                       This is conscious activity which requires                 
                                                                                   analyzing correct syntax and vocabulary.

Identify words on a big book page                             This is a directed, school-type of activity which re-
that start with the same sound. (L)                               qures breaking down words into parts.

Group cards with classmates’
names classified by first letter                                       The activity requires analyzing graphemes.
or last letter. (L)

Write rhyming poetry and then                                       This requires phonemic awareness brought to
discuss different spellings for                                          a formal, conscious level through spelling and
The same sound. (L)                                                      then analyzing spelling in a formal way.

Ask the teacher how to spell                                         This involves a preoccupation about correct
a word they don’t know. (L)                                          form.

Read a language experience                                           Language experience writing ex-
story they have created with a                                        presses natural oral language production.
teacher. (A)

Work in pairs to arrange words                                     This is a learning experience developing familiarity
from a familiar chant into sentences.                                with syntax.
(L)

Divide words into syllables. (L)                                     This requires consciously analyzing words.

On a worksheet, draw a line to the
picture that starts with the same sound. (L)                   This is a formal exercise in phonemic aware-
                                                                                   ness.

Make alphabet books on different topics.(L)              Requires formal learning of the alphabetic
.                                                                                 principal and phonics
The teacher’s activities
Preteaches vocabulary (L)                                          Formally teaching out of context

Does shared reading with a big                                    It is context embedded. Formal
book. (A)                                                                  learning may have contributed to
                                                                                 accurate decoding, but it could be a natural
                                                                                  shared literacy activity.

Makes sure that students read                                  First, it is learning activity because
only books that fit their level. (L &A)                       the child is limited to being exposed to books
                                                                              Only at a certain level. It could still be                                                                         be  an acquistion activity because in reading a lot of
                                                                              spontaneous language learning occurs, the                                                                          the books provide context and could be in the zone                                                                      zone  of proximal development of the learner.

Has students segment words into                          A formal learning experience.
phonemes. (L)

Asks students to look around the room
and find words that start with a certain letter. (L) This requires formal, analytical phonemic awareness skills.

Uses decodable texts (L & A)                                Both. The texts may be structured for language     
                                                                              learning.The texts also may allow children to advance     in                                                                            in their zones of proximal development in a lnatural                                                                    natural (although controlled) way through                       
                                                                              comprehensible input.

Sets aside time for SSR (A)                                 Informal, natural, self-selected reading

Teaches Latin and Greek roots (L)                        Requires formally analyzing language.

Has students meet in lit circles (A & L)                 The spontaneous conversation that emerges around       literature creates an language acquisition experience. Some lit. circles are highly structured and require specific linguistic tasks. Under those circumstances, they would be learning experiences.

Conducts phonics drills (L)                                    Formal language activity invoking memorization.

Chooses predictable texts (L & A)                      Aids in children acquiring the language more easily.
                                                                           May be formalizing the reading experience.
Teaches students different compre-
hension strategies (L)                                             Metacognative & analytical

Does a picture walk of a new book (A)                   Doesn’t control language. Provides context for understanding & developing background knowledge & personal connections to a text.


Uses a variety of worksheets for different
skills. (L)                                                                Formal school activities.

Creating Classroom Experiences to Increase Reading Comprehension for ELL Students

EDRG 604 Blog #5
The background knowledge that readers bring to the text they are reading helps them interpret the text, make connections to the text and ultimately, influences their comprehension of the text. This is an important factor (in addition to language development) that teachers of students learning English as a second language must consider. Let’s just take a look at a few common children’s books and see what kinds of background knowledge and cultural influences might affect comprehension. Then, let us consider ways to enhance that understanding.
The first book I will be looking at is a popular Dr. Seuss book entitled, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. This book occurs on a snowy day. The setting begins in the snow. The kids are shoveling snow. The cat arrives wearing skis. Consider that you are a teacher of students from Cambodia, El Salvador, Vietnam and Mexico. They live in California in an urban environment and they have never seen snow. What could you do as a teacher to help them increase their experience and background knowledge in order to relate to this? One idea is to rent a snow machine…no, forget that, it is far too expensive. Well, the next best thing to a real experience is pictures. You could show a movie or clips from U-tube showing people shoveling snow and skiing. You could bring in physical objects like skis and shovels. The children could do actions like lifting up the shovels to feel how heavy they are. This would help them understand how difficult the task the children are doing is. This might also help them understand why the mess the cat is making is such a problem. They could try on skis. This would not only provide a visual, but a memorable experience. Virtual snow is now available inexpensively at places like Lakeshore (the learning store). In addition, children who have lived in the snow or visited it could talk about their experiences. When we can’t experience something directly, hearing about another’s experience does create some background knowledge even if it isn’t as powerful as one’s own experience. After these activities that you’ve created as an instructor, you’ve affectively increased the language learner’s experiences. This increases comprehension. The reader can now relate more than ever to the situation in the book.
Another concept (& vocabulary word) that may be unfamiliar to an English language learner is the idea of stains. Everyone has them, but maybe they haven’t talked about them. This becomes a big issue in the story when the cat gets a pink stain on mother’s dress. The teacher could show a stain on her clothing and talk about conventional ways to remove it. The class could even have a stain day in which they wore their favorite stained clothing! Or, a science experiment could be created to find the best way to get out a particular stain (Say, of punch or coffee). This would create a great opportunity for comprehensible output. This would help commit the concept to memory!
The next book we will examine is Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Almost every kindergarten or first grade class I’ve visited has read this book at one time or another. One concept which might be challenging for language learners is that “wild” has two meanings. It could mean untamed or it could be to act crazy. Max’s mother calls him “wild” and then he threatens to eat her like a real wild animal. This results in his punishment of being sent to his room without dinner. Suddenly, his room really goes wild. It grows grass and becomes a forest on the edge of an ocean. One thing an instructor could do is to create a Venn Diagram with wild “untamed” on one side and wild “crazy” on the other and list and discuss the differences and similarities. In a similar way, contrasting a “tamed” animal and an “untamed” animal would be good to clarify the concept of “tame.“ This word is used when Max tames the wild things towards the end of the story. This would be best after reading the book because the book itself creates some background knowledge on the topic. A sophisticated teacher might even investigate which animals are tamed in their students’ countries of origin and then discuss what they are like tame and wild.
In the book it says, “Let the wild rumpus start!” when the wild things (monsters) come out. The concept and vocabulary word “rumpus” would be foreign to language learners (as well as most of the class). Through the illustrations of the book and physically acting out a rumpus, the concept would be understood. I’ve seen this worked out in a first grade class. They actually made masks with glow in the dark paint on paper bags and then, to some teacher-selected music danced in the dark! This book is fairly simple and many children can relate to it because they have all misbehaved and been disciplined at some time. None-the-less, discussing what their parents do when they misbehave would help the children make text-to-self connections. It would also be a good scaffold for a journal entry. A prompt could be provided such as: “When I misbehave…..“ or “When I am wild, my parents….”

What strategies do we use when reading in a second language?

EDRG 604 Blog #4

Imagine that you read a text in another language in which you aren't yet fluent.  What strategies would you use to decode it?  This is exactly what I am reflecting on in this blog.  I am fluent in English and Spanish and I have always wanted to learn Italian, but I only know a few words and phrases in Italian.  (I am probably a level one terms of fluency (out of five) in Italian.)  I dove into reading in my unfamiliar language.  I read college level text designed for language learners and I turned open to an article in lesson 20.  It was entitled "Sciopero Generale." 

In retrospect the strategies that I used to gain meaning from this article were:
1)  Use picture cues
2)  Utilize cognates to transfer knowledge from Spanish or English to Italian. 
3)  Make hypothesis and confirm those or reject them as I read.
4)  Finally,  to seek a fluent speaker of the language to help me. 

 Now, I had no idea what the first word in the title meant. The second word is a good cognate for "general" in Spanish or English, so I assume that it had the same meaning.  I looked up at the picture above the title and I saw adults holding flags and a banner that appeared to be from a union or organization.  They were in front of a building that could have been a government building or university with classical arquitecture.  It appeared to be some kind of demonstration.  This photo was helpful to give me some background knowledge about what the article.  I saw some acroynms "CGIL", "CISL" and "UIL" on the banner which further reinforced my idea that this was a demonstration advocating for some unions, professions or universities.  So, at this point, because of a cognate in the title and the photo, my conclusion is that the article is about something general which provoked a demonstration by an organization.

As I read through the article, I immediately recognized other cognates.  Some of them were "secondo," ""mese," "governo," "decisa,"  "protesta" and "lavoratori."  I assumed their meaning because I my understanding of Spanish to be "second," "month," government," "decision or decisive," "protest" and "laboratory."  This confirmed my idea that the picture captured some kind of protest and maybe it had something to do with the government and something to do with a laboratory.  Laboratory might also refer to some kind of a practical experience in a class.  The strategy I was relying upon at this point was primarily my understanding of cognantes.  None-the-less, there were only enough cognates to give me a vague gist of the meaning of the article. 

The next strategy that I employed to gain understanding was to make hyphothesis and to confirm or reject those hypothesis based upon further reading.  Here were some of my hypothesis mid-way through the three paragraph article:
*Are these university students and professors protesting about something?
* If so, are they protesting to the government? 
* What are they asking for? 
*Does it have something to do with a laboratory or classes? 
* What do they want to gain from this protest?

While continuing to read the article, I still relying almost exclusively on my understanding of cognates to gain meaning from it.  It appeared to be talking about chaos ("caos") and alot of people (multa gente).  This confirmed my idea about a protest.  Then it took a twist which added new information using words like "trasporto" and "automobili."  Was it talking about transportation and cars?  Did this protest have something to do with transportation? 

The final paragraph didn't answer my questions or appear to clarify the situation.  It seems that the author went to a "bar" and had a "caffe" which I understood to mean to go to a cafe and have a cup of coffee.  It mentioned "emergenza" which I assumed to be an emergency and "confusione" which I interpreted as confusion.  So, I decided that my next strategy would be to find a fluent Italian speaker to clarify the article for me.

While leaving you hanging about the meaning of this article, let me say that I did learn a few things as a language learner.  First, it is an advantage to have some language transference in the form of cognates.  It helped that English and Spanish have many latin-based words.  These could be tranferred to similar words in Italian.  Second, it was nice to have a photo.  There was only one and more photos would have even aided in my understanding.  At the adult level, it is unlikely outside of television or a language acquisiton to get more visual information, but that certainly would have helped me confirm or reject my conclusions.  Third, it was a good idea at the beginning and mid-way through the reading to make educated guesses in the form of questions.  With more information, I might have been able to confirm or refute them better.  My final conclusion is that discussions with a fluent speaker of the language are essential for developing understanding.