USING NONFICTION IN GUIDED READING WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC VOCABULARY AND COMPREHENSION

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1 USING NONFICTION IN GUIDED READING WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC VOCABULARY AND COMPREHENSION Presented by: MARY CAPPELLINI Educational Consultant and Author Billie J. Askew Reading Recovery and K-6 Literacy Institute Dallas, Texas Nov. 2 & 3, 2015 (949)

2 How Can We Help ELLs Improve Academic Vocabulary and Comprehension Using Nonfiction in Guided Reading? DEVELOPING ACADEMIC VOCABULARY INCLUDES DEEPER OR CLOSER READING FOR ELLS WITHIN GUIDED READING Guided Reading is a critical part of a reading workshop for ELLs. This is a time where they try out cognitive or higher level strategies, which have been explicitly taught in minilessons, shared reading and read aloud, and now through scaffolding, they are trying them out themselves. Through guided instruction and oral discussion, ELLs can gain the foundation of language which helps support these cognitive strategies as they talk and discuss what they have read, which helps build comprehension and confidence. Not only are oral language skills linked to the code-related skills that help word reading develop, but they also provide the foundation for the development of the more advanced language skills necessary for comprehension. Cain & Oakhill, 2007 Guided Reading using Nonfiction texts helps ELLs add to their academic vocabulary by reading within content area themes. The text features of the books, like the graphic designs, titles and captions, photographs, charts, graphs, and other features like glossaries, table of contents and indexes add to their understanding. All of these features help ELLs gain more information about the text and make the meaning comprehensible. Scaffolding for ELLs includes slowing down, reading deeper, stopping at the main points to see if they truly understand the meaning. Checking understanding of complex language an author might have chosen which may be difficult for them. The questioning that a teacher does with ELLs during a guided reading lesson should focus on the deeper understanding of the text, not on the surface level understanding, but encouraging them to think about what the text truly means. When asking ELLs if they understand a word in the text, it is in the context of the sentence or the whole paragraph in order for the students to learn the academic vocabulary in context and to see if they grasp the meaning of the text regardless if they understand that one word. They may be able to substitute a word that they know makes sense and does not disrupt meaning, which shows that they understand the author s purpose, but perhaps not this individual word choice. Checking for meaning, going back in the text, having the ELLs proving their point, finding the information which will help them understand the text better and support their understanding or point of view, is critical for ELLs. This must be done in the context of the guided reading lesson. Grammatical Structures and verb tenses in Nonfiction are often less challenging than fiction, and although the content might be challenging most nonfiction is in the present tense which might be helpful for ELLs. It is important during the guided reading lesson that the main idea is the focus, with the language and the vocabulary adding to the understanding of the text. By using guided reading texts that are all within the same theme or unit of study, ELLs can benefit from knowing the context and can add more information to their repertoire Copyright: Mary Cappellini, Educational Consultant, New book in Process, 2013 Cappellini, Mary. Balancing Reading and Language Learning: A Resource for Teaching ELLs, K-5. Stenhouse

3 THEMATIC TEACHING IS CRITICAL FOR ELLs IN ORDER TO IMPROVE BOTH THEIR LANGUAGE AND THEIR READING DEVELOPMENT By Teaching Academic Vocabulary, Sentence Structures and Patterns, as well as Reading Strategies in the context of a Theme, with content area objectives as well as language and literacy objectives, ELLs are much more likely to improve their reading comprehension while they are also improving their English language proficiency. By Choosing Books that Relate to the Theme, ELLs can use vocabulary that they are learning within the theme and within different books, and draw on those to continue to develop their academic vocabulary and their comprehension while they read new and more challenging texts. By choosing non-fiction texts to model in Shared Reading and other nonfiction texts in guided reading, ELLs can access more knowledge through photographs and labels that they may be familiar with, but not sure of the correct name, and they can continue to build their academic vocabulary and language patterns by using similar themed texts. By first charting predictions and drawing on the ELLs prior knowledge or schema at the start of the unit, ALL students feel validated and get ready to add new vocabulary and concepts to their repertoire, as they become better readers, writers and speakers of English. Discussing what they are learning is an important part of the Reading Process, and it is critical that ALL ELLs, regardless of their speaking ability, participate in the discussion and share their knowledge with their peers at their instructional level, whether it be a one word response or a complete sentence. All responses should be validated and honored as ELLs work their way through the various stages of language development. ALL students should also have an opportunity to write and draw a response to their learning. Mary Cappellini Balancing Reading and Language Learning: A Resource for Teaching English Language Learners, K-5. Portland, ME: Stenhouse 3

4 Importance Of Developing Language In Themes For Ells Thematic Unit in a Fourth-Grade Classroom Theme Oceanography Sub-themes Marine mammals; exploration and adventure Content Area. Science, with a tie-in from grade-level standards: organisms need energy and matter to grow; food chains; properties of rocks (ocean floor); waves, wind, water, and ice shape Earth s surface Content Area Concepts (Tied to science standards.) There is a wide variety of marine mammals; animals in the sea are part of a larger food chain; storms and ocean currents affect the Earth s surface; human beings explore ocean depths Literary Focus (ELA and ELD standards.) Analyzing author s intent in fiction (two weeks); using nonfiction text features for research (two weeks). Reading Strategies (ELA and ELD standards.) (Hopefully, there are no emergent readers in this grade.) Early readers can be expected to predict and to cross-check using several strategies Early fluent readers, to summarize the main idea and to self-correct Fluent readers, to synthesize information and to analyze the author s intent. Language Functions and Structures Speaking and Writing (ELD standards.) Beginning speakers can be expected to name common marine mammals and use regular plurals Early intermediate speakers, to describe and to use negative statements and the present progressive tense Intermediate speakers, to infer and to use possessive pronouns and ask questions in the future tense Early advanced speakers, to synthesize information and to ask questions in the past tense Advanced speakers, to use the irregular past tense and the conditional tense. Vocabulary Development and Word Skills. (ELA and ELD standards.) Types of marine mammals, endangered species; ocean depths, ocean floor, different oceans, ships, scuba equipment; adjectives, comparison words, cognates, suffixes. List of Books for Theme Appendix C3 lists books on oceanography for Reading To, With, and By children. Big Books: Cousteau, nonfiction; Whale Rap, fiction and nonfiction. Mini-Lessons for Theme Use nonfiction text features for research, synthesize, ask questions, use adjectives and cognates, identify main idea, rereading for information. Building Academic Language Using Cognates with the Thematic Unit English Spanish marine marino biology biología ecosystem ecostistema mammals mamíferos cetaceans ceteaceos dolphins delfines animals animales crustaceans crustáceos penguins pingüínos sponges esponjas English Spanish (p.87, 91) Balancing Reading and Language Learning: A Resource for Teaching English Language Learners, K-5 by Mary Cappellini, Published by Stenhouse,

5 See other oceanography theme charts of English-Spanish cognates on p.87 in Chapter 5 of: Balancing Reading and Language Learning: A Resource for Teaching Ells, K-5 by Mary Cappellini 5

6 Teaching Language Patterns in Language Mini-Lessons for ELLs to Help Develop Comprehension Language Mini-lessons can be planned from Guided Reading Lessons. Using the rich text itself, language extensions taken directly from the text can be used based on the ELLs needs. Focusing on different types of language that is necessary to use with different types of comprehension strategies, helps ELLs with speaking, listening, reading and writing. This helps our ELLs defend their opinions write responses Use language appropriately to: show cause and effect describe problem and solution summarize argue analyze master different types of writing By analyzing the text that you use during your small group instruction, you can continue developing their comprehension strategies as you talk through and work with language patterns that you see in the text that they just read and that they need to develop. For Example, by using the book Saving the Oceans by Kerrie Shanahan, Okapi Publishers, Explorations Series, GR Level 22, (L) You could focus on: Questions & Answers; Declarative Sentences; Commands To show cause and effect and to describe the problem and solution Cause and Effect If If people they pollute the oceans If people take they can also damage If.are damaged, it can take (p.20) Sea animals can be killed, if they become trapped Infinitive to take helps to take Declarative sentences can can take can damage can end up Garbage can kill sea animals if they mistake for food and eat it. Questions & Answers Why are oceans polluted? People put waste in oceans. What can people do? Stop putting waste into rivers & streams. Problem and Solution If we all work together, we will save our oceans. Declarative sentences We can work together We can stop putting waste We can make sure we protect Commands Direct orders Don t Make sure Repair Always Protect Set up Set aside Buy seafood that.. Join.. Encourage Stop Don t take... Copyright: Mary Cappellini, Educational Consultant, New book in Process,

7 Knowing the language level of each of your English Language Learners It is important to monitor the language level for each of your Ells in order to know what the child is able to do and how you can help him/her during the Guided Reading session. The language level does not always correlate with the reading level. The Guided Reading groups are formed by the reading strategy use not by the language use. But by knowing the language level of your students, you can plan effective instruction, correct choice of books and language lessons from the text that will help them improve their language development as well as their reading strategies. Mary Cappellini, Balancing Reading & Language Learning: A Resource for Teaching English Language Learners, K-5. Stenhouse, 2005 Mary s new Texas checklist in new Appendixes, 2015 (see Stenhouse website below) 7

8 BIBLIOGRAPHY (Discussed in presentation at RR Conference, Dallas, 11/15. For more detailed Bibliography, see Cappellini s Balancing Reading and Language Learning) PROFESSIONAL BOOKS To support ELLs Cappellini, Mary. (2005) Balancing Reading and Language Learning: A Resource for Teaching English Language Learners, K-5. Portland, ME. Stenhouse. (2006) Using Guided Reading With English Learners. In Supporting the Literacy Development of English Learners: Increasing Success in All Classrooms, ed. Young, Terrill & Hadaway, Nancy. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Freeman, Yvonne, and David Freeman with Sandra Mercuri. (2002) Closing the Achievement Gap: How to Reach Limited-Formal-Schooling and Long-Term English Learners. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Gibbons, Pauline. (1991) Learning to Learn in a Second Language. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.. (2002) Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Krashen, Stephen. (2003) Three Roles for Reading for Minority-Language Children. In English Learners: Reaching the Highest Level of English Literacy, ed. Gilbert Garcia. Newark, DE: International Reading Association The Case for Narrow Reading. Language Magazine 3, 5: Nieto, Sonia. (2013) Finding Joy in Teaching Students of Diverse Backgrounds: Culturally Responsive And Socially Just Practices in U.S. Classrooms. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (1992) Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Olsen, Laurie. (2010) Reparable Harm: Fulfilling the Unkept Promise of Educational Opportunity for California s Long term English Learners. Long Beach, CA. Californians Together Nonfiction CHILDRENS BOOKS for Guided Reading Session within Oceanography Theme Cappellini, Mary. Whale Watching. Learning Media, Fish Print. Lee & Low, Cole, Sally. Seals and Sea Lions. McGraw-Hill Cranefield, Jocelyn & Long, Don. Sam and Kim. Learning Media Cutting, Brian & Jillian. In the Sea. McGraw-Hill O Neil, Sarah. Shark Attack. Okapi Publishers Shanahan, Kerrie. Saving the Oceans. Okapi Publishers Westerskov, Kim. Whale Tales. Learning Media