As the second benchmark test approaches, Janet notices that the students in her groups are not progressing in the ways that she predicted. All of the children in her “high” group are showing diminished interest in the books Janet chooses for them. She shares this concern with a colleague: “The kids come from good homes. I know that they receive support at home. I know their parents make sure they read.” But these same children do not participate in discussions about their books and they seem disinterested during small group instruction.
Janet believes that the subject of the book – volcanoes – was exciting to them. She also thinks that these more able readers are ready for nonfiction texts. The book was somewhat difficult, but she had listed all of the difficult words on chart paper and had helped the students know these words before they started reading.
The students in the “low” group were struggling, too. Since three of these students receive daily support from an ESOL teacher, Janet consults her. The ESOL teacher commends Janet on her observational skills and that what she has been doing is a kind of “formative assessment.” She urges Janet to begin one-on-one reading conference with her students so that she can get to know each student better. “These conferences will give you an opportunity to see how they are making sense of what you chose for them to read.”
She asks Janet to show her some of the books she had chosen for this group. Seeing the book, Maria Likes To Swim, she wonders if Janet if had any nonfiction books for them. Janet is confused. “Will these kids be able to comprehend nonfiction?” The ESOL teacher tells Janet that by reading nonfiction books, ELL children will increase their English vocabulary, and acquire competence with academic language. “They were looking at the books about volcanoes,” Janet recalls, “But I selected books according to their reading level, and I chose a book with a Latina character to help the Latino children feel a connection to the story.”
As the ESOL teacher leaves, Janet has much to think about...
- She has seen her highly capable readers show no interest in the books that she chose for them
- She has learned that ELL children benefit from nonfiction texts
- She realizes that she has selected books according to reading level, perhaps at the expense of other important characteristics
Janet begins to gain clarity, however, when she hears some of the children in her “low” group talking about volcanoes. She hears them talking about lava, and fire, and about an eruption that occurred in Mexico when their grandparents were children. She also notices some of the White girls, her fluent readers, bringing in books from home. Most of their books are fiction, and during independent reading time, she observes them reading, laughing, and whispering to each other about the stories.
Janet has new issues to consider
Broaden criteria when selecting texts for diverse learners
Allen outlines the kinds of texts to use for reading instruction with English Language Learners:
- Concept Books—these books describe the varied dimensions of a single object, a class of objects, or an abstract idea.
- Books with Predictable Features—these include content as it relates to the background experiences of the child, language patterns, vocabulary, illustration as it supports the meaning of the text, and the narrative style of the book.
- Books Whose Illustrations Support and Extend Meaning—the illustrations and patterned language make the text comprehensible.
- Books That Invite Talk—these can help second-language learners by providing them with real reasons to talk, as well as the story language input to support the talk.
- Books That Offer a Framework for Writing—these can offer models to frame the written product.
- Books That Support the Curriculum—these supplement and enlarge the information in textbooks.
- Books Linked to ESL Children’s Cultures—these texts boost the self-esteem of the ESL children, (and) support the growth of the other children’s awareness of and respect for the cultural groups that make up their society.
Source: Allen, V. G. (1994). Selecting materials for the reading instruction of ESL children. In K. Spangenberg-Urbschat and R. Pritchard (Eds.). Kids come in all languages: Reading instruction for ESL students, (p. 118-124). Delaware: IRA.
Learn how to conduct and analyze running records of oral reading.
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