Reflecting on reading means taking a closer look at the reading process. Reading is a complex task that requires us to take in information and decode it. After we decode the letters, we have to understand, or comprehend, what we just read. ELL students not only have to follow the same decoding process, they must learn new letters and words in order to successfully read a passage. Understanding how it would feel in their shoes in a good place to start when teaching ELL students.
Fluency and comprehension are two terms commonly used by reading teachers. Fluency refers to how many words per minute a student can read. Comprehension is the amount of understanding they pick up after reading a story or passage. Helping ELL students increase their fluency and comprehension skills is an important step in helping them become successful readers.
Although we may not be aware of it, we all use strategies when reading. For example, when we consciously skip a word because we don't know it, or when we divide a word up (a strategy known as "chunking"), we are using reading strategies. Teaching ELL students how to efficiently use strategies is beneficial to them.
ELL students have an easier time reading a new language if you teach them about text structure. The arrangement of sentences and paragraphs follow certain rules. For example, the first sentence of a paragraph is indented four spaces, or the end of every sentence requires an end punctuation mark. Be sure to cover these rules with your ELL students.
Vocabulary building can help ELL students excel in all areas of life. Learning new words is a necessary step for these students. Since they are learning a new language, all of the new words that they learn are beneficial. Introduce new words each week.
Extensive reading means reading outside the reading classroom. Assign your students interesting books to read. Because ELL students are struggling with an unfamiliar language, interesting stories give them the motivation to push on and continue reading.
Planning effective reading classes is essential for your ELL students' success. You need to create a well thought out lesson plan that includes a lesson objective and a number of ways to meet that objective. Games, group reading and vocabulary building are some good activities to use in your reading classroom.
Measuring how much your ELL students are learning requires good reading assessments. This means using state-issued reading assessments, textbook assessments, portfolios, rubrics and observations. A variety of authentic assessments can help you see just how well your teaching methods are working.