Adolescent EAL/ELL Readers

Hinchman Ch 2:
Because being bilingual is seen as an advantage across the globe and because students learning English are not expected to forego their native language, there is a push for newcomers to be referred to as EALs (English as an additional language) instead of ELLs (English Language Learner). Hispanics make up the majority of ELAs in the United States, but they, like other nationalities, do not always share similar customs, traditions, and socioeconomic statuses, so we must respect each students' differences. Also, being labeled as EAL/ELL doesn't automatically mean that the student is an immigrant as several students are reared in a multi-language household.
DSL (discipline-specific language) is made of two parts: oral and written. DSL are domain specific vocabularies that students must master. Emphasizing DSL and explicit content instruction will help not only EALs but general ed students as well.
There are several strategies teachers can use to ensure all students, including EALs, are held to high standard and are able to complete complex tasks such as analyzing content-specific texts:
- deconstruction of juicy sentences: analyzing focal sentence(s) for linguistic and conceptual reasoning as well as structure so that scaffolding is firmly in place
-close reading through annotation: modeling is encouraged so that students know what they should focus on and have the opportunity to read/analyze same text 3 times with 3 purposes (verbal pronunciation/emphasis, comprehension, clarification).
-content-area conversations: emphasis of academic langauge through scaffolding and intentional planning where the teacher outlines which and how vocabulary and concepts will be targeted.
-explicit writing: topic sentences of paragraphs need to be explicit and students rely on notes to finish explanation so that students can focus on communicating content rather than figuring out which format is appropriate for which content.

Garcia & Godina:
ELL students come to the classroom with a wide variety of backgrounds, but it is clear that they face challenges greater than native speakers. Classroom support is vital to the success of ELLs, especially in grades 5-12.
-Literacy Performance of ELLs: high-level reading strategies such as accessing prior knowledge, inferencing, questioning and summarizing clearly help ELLs more than low-level strategies such as decoding, restating, and vocabulary identification. Also, emphasizing comprehension by encouraging the use of both languages simultaneously rather than keeping them separated also helps ELLs succeed. Physical interaction and manipulation of new concepts help ELLs learn content quicker than taking notes, reading the textbook, and listening to lectures.
-Literacy Instruction of English Language Learners: writing process approaches taught in the gen ed classroom can be more effective than those in an ESL classroom, but it does have its limitations. The ETR (experience-text relationship) was developed as an alternative to both and uses themes to make connections between texts and personal experiences and relies on literature logs and instructional conversations. The use of culturally-relevant texts also increases motivation and comprehension. Finally, CALLA (cognitive academic language learning approach) is effective as is teaches content through sheltered instruction and explicitly taught metacognitive strategies.
-Effective Schools for ELLs: academic goals and expectations are vital to effective instruction as well as direct, active academic involvement of teachers, administration, students, and parents. The focus on continuing native language development while emphasizing higher-order thinking skills also increases literacy in ELLs.
-Guidelines for Effective Literacy Instruction:
 - backgrounds and development must be taken into consideration for all students
 - native-language instruction as well as English-based instruction should work in tandem
 - instruction in both settings must be coordinated whereby difficult topics are introduced in sheltered instruction before in gen-ed classroom
 - teachers must shelter instruction for ELLs by emphasizing inquiry-based and small-group/cooperative learning as well as making sure the native language and English can be used interchangeably as needed to ensure comprehension and connection
  - content instruction must be standards-based for all students with appropriate scaffolding in place
 - ESL-ELA must be offered as an opportunity to interact with age-appropriate literature and make personal connections to text
 - strategy instruction through modeling and guided practice of specific strategies such as questioning, summarizing, and inferencing will boost comprehension
 - process writing must be combined with explicit and structured writing instruction
 - process literacy approach with strategy/explicit instruction is vital especially when it comes to content that is unfamiliar

Connections:
Text-to-text: The scaffolding and connections that teachers must create for ELLs are no different than those used for struggling (and proficient) readers. The more relevant information can be made and the more connections to prior knowledge and experiences that can be made, the more success is ensured.
Text-to-self: I have taken several years of Spanish, and I know that I always did better when I could connect cognates in Spanish and English. Also, reading texts that were of interest led to a higher level of comprehension than with texts that were not interest-based. 
Text-to-world: Explicit instruction leads to greatest success no matter what content area or field it is applied to. Showing students exactly how something works and exactly what is expected only guarantees success. It eliminates questioning and second-guessing and provides a model for them and future activities. 

Questions:
1) What scaffolding techniques are most useful to you in your classroom?
2) What explicit writing strategies do you employ in your classroom?