Supporting ALL Students with Complex Text
Supporting ALL Students with Complex Text
I’m struggling with how to support my ELLs with accessing complex texts. Are there considerations that should be kept in mind related to text complexity and ELLs?
Thoughts: There are two major considerations educators should always acknowledge when assisting ELL students with complex text: 1. Do not assume that you have acquired the necessary training and preparation to give your ELL students substantial instruction to comprehend complex text. 2. Acknowledge that your ELL students come to you from a rich and valuable language, writing and literary culture.
Seeking assistance and professional development to improve your instructional methods will give you the support you will need to help your ELL students. So many educators assume because they are skilled in teaching their non-ELL students, the same skills will be sufficient for teaching ELL students. There are adjustments in instructional practices that must occur before teachers can meet the needs of ELL students. Outside change agents, such as ELL trained professionals, resource specialist and dual language colleagues, can be a great network to help you acquire the necessary instructional skills. Not being able to help your ELL students can be very frustrating and discouraging for so many educators who have a deep desire for all their students to learn. Seeking more training and knowledge should not be viewed as a negative reflection of your teaching ability. The highest level of professionalism and integrity is knowing when, where, and how to seek assistance to meet the needs of all our students. Our ELL students come from cultural backgrounds that are rich in language acquisition. Educators must incorporate the cultural experience and literature of ELL students into their instructional practice. Locating first language translations of text, in addition to English only text, is one strategy educators can use. When ELL students are able to become more proficient in their own language, this will help them with the English only text. Also, using oral tradition in the classroom environment can assist ELL students. When student hear English words orally, they are able to cognate relationships between their first language and English to understand English words. Finally, when students are able to read literature that is relevant to their cultural experience reading comprehension can increase; therefore, teachers must be culturally competent and culturally responsive to help their ELL students.
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Resources: Complex text and new common standards in the United States: Pedagogical implications for English learners. TESOL Quarterly
ESL (ELL) Literacy Instruction: A Guidebook to Theory and Practice
Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on LanguageMinority Children and Youth
http://www.bilingualeducation.org/pdfs/PROP2272.pdf
Instruction for Diverse Groups of English Language Learners
http://www.sjusd.org/schools/elementary/downloads/UL-Stanford-Final-5-9-12wcover.pdf#page=106
Effective Instruction for English Language Learners. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ920369.pdf
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I’m struggling with how to support my ELLs with accessing complex texts. Are there considerations that should be kept in mind related to text complexity and ELLs?
Thoughts: There are two major considerations educators should always acknowledge when assisting ELL students with complex text: 1. Do not assume that you have acquired the necessary training and preparation to give your ELL students substantial instruction to comprehend complex text. 2. Acknowledge that your ELL students come to you from a rich and valuable language, writing and literary culture.
Seeking assistance and professional development to improve your instructional methods will give you the support you will need to help your ELL students. So many educators assume because they are skilled in teaching their non-ELL students, the same skills will be sufficient for teaching ELL students. There are adjustments in instructional practices that must occur before teachers can meet the needs of ELL students. Outside change agents, such as ELL trained professionals, resource specialist and dual language colleagues, can be a great network to help you acquire the necessary instructional skills. Not being able to help your ELL students can be very frustrating and discouraging for so many educators who have a deep desire for all their students to learn. Seeking more training and knowledge should not be viewed as a negative reflection of your teaching ability. The highest level of professionalism and integrity is knowing when, where, and how to seek assistance to meet the needs of all our students. Our ELL students come from cultural backgrounds that are rich in language acquisition. Educators must incorporate the cultural experience and literature of ELL students into their instructional practice. Locating first language translations of text, in addition to English only text, is one strategy educators can use. When ELL students are able to become more proficient in their own language, this will help them with the English only text. Also, using oral tradition in the classroom environment can assist ELL students. When student hear English words orally, they are able to cognate relationships between their first language and English to understand English words. Finally, when students are able to read literature that is relevant to their cultural experience reading comprehension can increase; therefore, teachers must be culturally competent and culturally responsive to help their ELL students.
Feedback on Thoughts
Resources: Complex text and new common standards in the United States: Pedagogical implications for English learners. TESOL Quarterly
ESL (ELL) Literacy Instruction: A Guidebook to Theory and Practice
Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on LanguageMinority Children and Youth
http://www.bilingualeducation.org/pdfs/PROP2272.pdf
Instruction for Diverse Groups of English Language Learners
http://www.sjusd.org/schools/elementary/downloads/UL-Stanford-Final-5-9-12wcover.pdf#page=106
Effective Instruction for English Language Learners. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ920369.pdf
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