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To prepare for this workshop session, you will review the key terms, identify the strategies that you already use, and then read two articles on teaching English language learners.
Consider the strengths and needs of English language learners in your classroom. In what ways might their first language skills and culture support the development of background knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing? Think about how you plan instruction that acknowledges and promotes students’ strengths, and addresses their needs.
Now, jot down your answers to these questions and, if you are taking this workshop for credit, save them for your Literacy Practices Portfolio:
Print out two copies of the Examine the Literature Response Chart (PDF). Then read each article listed below, recording your ideas on the chart during and after reading. When you have finished, save your chart to submit as an assignment.
It’s a Difference That Changes Us: An Alternative View of the Language and Literacy Learning Needs of Latina/o Students (PDF)
This article explores how teachers can discover the unique linguistic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of their English language learners, their literacy strengths and needs, and the ways in which reading and writing are important to them.
Jiménez, R. T. “It’s a Difference That Changes Us: An Alternative View of the Language and Literacy Learning Needs of Latina/o Students.” The Reading Teacher 54, no. 8 (May 2001): 736-742.
Making Content Instruction Accessible for English Language Learners (PDF)
This article examines the ways in which teachers combine language instruction with subject area material.
Hernandez, A. “Making Content Instruction Accessible for English Language Learners.” In English Learners: Reaching the Highest Level of English Literacy, edited by G. G. Garcia, 125-149. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2003.