2. Strategies to Build Literacy for ELLs;
Fluency
Why is it important?
-English is one of the most
challenging alphabets to decode
-Readers who struggle to decode
aren’t able to focus their
attention on comprehension
(Thompson & Vaughn) 2004.
Strategies
• Pre-teach unfamiliar words
• Read with a model reader
• Readers’ theater
• Partner reading
• Choral reading
Elizabeth Salazar
3. Strategies to Build Literacy for ELLs;
Vocabulary
Why is it important?
- This is the foundation for ELLs to
make sense of the language
-The less vocabulary a student has the
more difficult it is to comprehend text
-Supports students with expressive and
receptive abilities
Strategies
• Teach individual words and strategies for
learning words explicitly
• Focus on the key words
• Use a wide variety of teaching methods that
includes visual representations, gestures, and
realia
Strategies to Build Literacy for ELLs; Vocabulary
9 Activities that encourage vocabulary development:
Personal vocabulary books
Synonym webs
Concept maps
Restating definitions in their own words
Vocabulary word sorts
Teaching Latin and Greek roots
Word maps
Semantic maps
Use elaborating words to create interesting
sentences
4. Strategies to Build Literacy for ELLs;
Comprehension
Why is it important?
•Often times ELLs struggle with comprehension, they are able to read
the text, but can not answer questions or tell you about what they have
read
Strategies
•choose text that is culturally relevant to the student
•preview text
•model think-alouds
•give students questions to think about while reading
•have students summarize specific paragraphs
•use graphic organizers
•cloze activities
5. Benefits of
Cooperative Learning
•Promotes a collaboration among students
•Give the students an opportunity to support
each other during classroom activities
•Allows the students to realize the value of their
contribution to group work.
•Empower the students to take on different
responsibilities in team efforts.
6. Language Development Activities
Gap Activity
• Give the students a chart with different information about the same concept
or topic.
• The students will sit in front of each other (for pairs) or in a circle (for more
members).
• The students will ask their teammates questions about the chart in order for
them to get the missing information.
Jigsaw Listening
• The students are divided into 4 to 5 groups.
• The students interview each other to gather information about a specific
topic.
• Responses will be recorded in a chart.
• The students will then be regrouped based on the different subtopics in the
chart.
• Each new group will create a graphic representation of their data.
7. Phonological Awareness
• English Language Learners need early,
explicit, and intensive instruction in
phonological awareness and phonics in
order to build decoding skills (The
Spalding News, 2009).
• Phonics instruction provides the
chance for English Language Learners
to learn the systematic relationships
between letters and sounds.
• All words have letter patterns that
represent the sounds of spoken English
(The Spalding News, 2009).
What is Phonological Awareness?
• Breaking apart and identifying the sounds of
spoken language
8. Using Phonics to Teach ELL
Students
1. Teach letter-sound correspondences and give students
multiple opportunities daily to practice .
2. Provide practice opportunities with new letter-sound
relationships as well as previously taught relationships.
3. Give ELLs opportunities to apply their newly acquired
knowledge of letter-sound relationships to the reading
of phonetically spelled words that are familiar in
meaning.
4. Provide additional practice in the sounds that are not
part of a student’s home language.
9. Supporting Reading Acquisition
Teachers should consider whole group instruction
and supplemental interventions for explicit,
intensive, and systematic instruction and intervention
in phonological awareness for ELL students (Francis
et al, 2006).
–Interventions should be specific to child’s needs.
–Students should be progress-monitored in order to measure
growth.
10. Advantages of good instructional
strategies for language development
• Total Physical Response (TPR) – incorporation of body movement with language
• Understanding of the concept at task will be acquired through a physical model
• Repetition in demonstration and simple word usage in order to solidify understanding
• Students will not feel forced to participate
• Promotes a soothing approach for board of entry students when introduced to the classroom
procedures
• Promotes self-reliance
• Builds a foundation of understanding
• Use of Graphic Organizers such as: KWL chart (What do I know?, What will I like to know? What have I learned?)
• Promotes participation through the sharing of ideas
• Clarifies prediction allowing the students to feel accomplished
• Facilitates recall
• Reinforces the understanding of the main idea and supporting details.
(Diaz-Rico, 2014)
11. Instructional strategies for language
development
Methods that help teachers matriculate a lesson plan geared to vocabulary
• Say words aloud together
• Model and practice syllabication by clapping of hands
• Build a word wall
• Look up words online
• Use a bilingual dictionary to build prior knowledge
• Vocabulary games to promote usage
• Promotes understanding of words with multiple meaning
• Increases phonemic awareness
(Newman, 2006)
12. Integrating Language
Skills
Integrated Skills Approach
• Teachers should associate
reading, writing, listening
and speaking
• The intermingling of oral
and written language
occurs in literate societies
across ethnic and social
class boundaries (Heath,
1983)
13. Listening Strategies
•English language learners need to be taught to listen
attentively by providing listening activities. Jazz
chants provide rhythmic presentations of natural
language in a meaningful context. This language
mimics what children would hear in a natural
setting (Graham, 1992).
14. Oral Language Strategies
Oral language learning approaches that take place
habitually in my school and should in yours also
•Extracurricular Activities
•Roll Call/Name Recognition
•Snack and/or Lunchtime
•School Announcements
•Physical Education Class
15. References
Linan-Thompson, S., Vaughn, S. (2004). Research-based methods of reading instruction for English language learners: Grades
k-4. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Herrell, A., Jordan, M. (2012). 50 strategies for teaching English language learners (4th ed.). Boston, MA.: Pearson
Strategies for ESL teachers. (n.d.) Tennessee ESL resource guide. Retrieved from:
http://suu.edu/ed/fso/resources/tennesee-esl-resource-center-strategies-for-esl-teachers.pdf
Francis, D., Rivera, M., Lesaux, N., Kieffer, M., & Rivera, H. (2006). Practical Guidelines for the Education of
English Language Learners: Research-Based Recommendations for Instruction and Academic Interventions. (Under
cooperative agreement grant S283B050034 for U.S. Department of Education). Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research
Corporation, Center on Instruction. Retrieved from http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL1-
Interventions.pdf
Pre-reading skills focus: Phonological awareness. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.lovelycommotion.com/pre-
reading-skills-focus-phonological-awareness/
The Spalding news. (2009). Spalding Education International, volume 24, (issue 3), pages 2-8. Retrieved from
http://www.spalding.org/about/SEI-News_24-3.pdf
Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words : Language, life, and work in communities and classrooms. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Graham, C. (1992). Singing, chanting, telling tales. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
The Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development Handbook: A Complete K-12 Reference Guide.
http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/pearson/2013/crosscultural-language-and-academic-development-
handbook_a-complete-k-12-reference-guide_ebook_5e.php
Newman, C.M. (2006). Strategies for test-taking success:Reading. Boston: Thompson Heinle.
