Q&A

1. Is language "hardwired"?

Spoken language is genetically hardwired, written is not. Learning to read is more successful when words are already known to the child.

2. Under what conditions is written English more difficult to learn for ELLs?

When L1 is non-alphabetic, written English is more difficult to learn, and this is compounded by English having "deep orthography", i.e., there is not 1 to1 correspondence of phonemes to graphemes. English has 26 letters and more than 44 phonemes.

3. What is the developmental process of alphabetic awareness?

Alphabetic awareness develops from pre-alphabetic phase to partial alphabetic, to full alphabetic, to consolidated alphabetic phase. In that final phase, learners chunk letter combinations efficiently. As alphabetic awareness develops, vocabulary increases dramatically.

4. Why should ELLs learn to speak before learning to read?

ELLs generally should learn to speak before reading, because reading depends on a knowledge of spoken vocab. Brain research confirms that reading requires more processing that is not genetically programed.

5. Should ELLs learn to read in L1? Why or why not?

Children with no EL proficiency, but who have spoken proficiency in the L1, benefit from learning to read in L1 as they develop spoken proficiency in English (because speaking proficiency facilitates learning to read) and only then learn to read and write in English. If there are no resources to develop reading in L1, English should concentrate at first only on spoken.

6. Does cultural background affect the learning of reading comprehension?

Learning reading comprehension is more difficult for ELLs partly because of cultural background differences in understanding texts.

7. Why is cooperative learning effective in teaching ELLs to read?

Because of "opportunities for sharing of understandings", cooperative learning is effective for ELLs.

8. What is BCIRC?

BCIRC stands for Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition, and has shown to be effective in developing reading in both L1 and English.

9. What does writing instruction involve?

Writing instruction involves mechanics, English proficiency, and content knowledge. Limited English proficiency and differences in rhetorical structure are two kinds of hindrances.

10. What are some communicative resources for teaching writing?

Research shows that read-alongs and drawing provide communicative resources for writing. Teacher modeling and think-alouds are effective. Graphic organizers and breaking writing tasks into small steps are also effective.

11. Why should the ELL teacher gather background knowedge from students?

Gathering background knowledge from students is effective in showing student you are interested in his/her experiences, gaining knowledge of student, and providing ideas for writing.

12. What are some ideas for teaching reading comprehension?

For reading comprehension, teaching alphabet, identifying necessary background info, modifying instruction according to need, using graphic organizers, vocabulary support, pointing to words as reading, use of illustrations, multiple readings, giving short readings, focusing on single theme or author, explicit strategy teaching, informal assessments, sharing ideas about readings, and having a reading center are all ideas for teaching.

13. What are some cooperative reading strategies?

Cooperative reading strategies include building background and vocab, predicting read aloud, partner and silent reading, treasure hunt, story mapping, retelling, writing about story, spelling, mutual checking, sentence making, test taking, direct instruction, writing workshops, and independent reading.

14. What are some ways to support learning to read?

Relating readings to students' cultures, involving family, pre-teaching vocabulary, and pre-reading activities are some ways to support learning to read.

15. What are some ways to support the learning of writing?

For writing, showing connection between reading and writing, relating both to thinking, modeling writing, demonstrating steps in writing process, giving challenging writing tasks, teaching grammar in context of writing, giving core vocabulary for writing, and integrating spelling into instruction are ways to support learning.