Making Language Arts Comprehensible to the English Language Learner

Making Language Arts Comprehensible to the English Language Learner

Respect Student Diversity

National ELA standards require a focus on the importance of native language development and promoting an understanding of, and respect for, diversity in language usage.

Select Appropriate Texts
Research into reading indicates that students use past experiences and background knowledge to make sense out of unfamiliar texts. Literature that is relevant to the life experiences and cultures of ELLs, including folk tales or myths from their first culture, can facilitate cognitive and language development. Short stories written by minority authors are also beneficial because they tend to contain themes and characters with which students from the respective cultures of these authors are familiar. Moreover, these works allow students from the majority culture the opportunity to learn from perspectives that may differ from their own.

Make Literature More Comprehensible
Give students the tools to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate a wide range of texts. Adopt instructional approaches which help make literary material more comprehensible to students and actively teach strategies that will support them in their endeavors to unlock meaning in works of literature.

Into, Through, and Beyond
Present literature in three stages: Into, Through, and Beyond.

Into – stage that occurs before reading begins. Interest students in the text and elicit prior knowledge that may be useful in interpreting the work. Use anticipation guides, introduce reading through simulation activities, or elicit predictions from students about the content and outcome of their work.

Through – students either read the text silently or listen to the reading of selected portions read aloud. By hearing the text Ells get a better sense of inflection, pronunciation, rhythm, and stress, which can aid understanding. Use of a story map graphic organizer can help students with the complexities of theme, character, and plot.

Beyond – involves students in activities that refine their thoughts and deepen their comprehension of text. Comparing a book with its film version, researching issues raised in reading and discussion, or responding through poetry or song are examples of how teachers can further student involvement with a literary work.

Summarized from: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners