Which is a better solution for our non- English speaking students? 1 Susana Pinto Fall 2009

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Introduction The educational issue that I am interested in researching is Immersion versus Bilingual Literacy Instruction. Which is a Better Solution? This is of great interest to me because I came to this country when I was six years old from Portugal and I didn’t know English, so I experienced this dilemma first hand. With our Action Research Project I intend to see which solution is better. 3

Statement of the Problem There has been controversy over which method of instruction is better for English Language Learners (ELL) with regards to Literacy. Should schools use the immersion programs where a students native language plays little or no role or should they use bilingual literacy education where instruction is given in the native tongue? 4

My proposed intervention is to work with two 2 nd grade classrooms in 2 schools (PS X and PS Y). Both are in the Bronx and both have children with the same language issues. I will separate the two groups as follows; one group will be taught to read solely in English and the other group will have bilingual supplies of the same reading material. The two classes will practice their literacy skills everyday the same way for two months. All along, I will give each student in the class the same tests, do running records and also ask questions to see if they understand the material. This will measure which group actually understands the material better and reads fluently. 5

Review of Literature PROS CONS Teachers need to help learners identify skills that can help facilitate their learning. Use Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory to achieve best results. Students must possess both skill and will to read. Provide learners with new experiences to generate new ideas To non-English speaking students series texts with pictures is important. Interaction is important to facilitate language - Vygotsky Leave politics out of the classroom. Attention needs to be paid to the professional development of educators – some don’t know how to deal with these students or their parents In one article that I reviewed there was an interesting fact that some researchers found only 17 studies were concerned with educational quality, compared with more than 450 studies examining types of reading programs. So some believe that maybe the focus should be on the quality of the education and not the instruction. Racism 6

Making Our Own Reading Camp Increase the learners’ self-esteem - show them it can be enjoyable to learn a new language Have interesting and manageable reading materials Create awareness by showing them strategies they can use Develop good reading habits Find on-line technology that will help with this literacy dilemma As one of my articles stated I want to make the “Reading Camp” fun for both groups. We will use computers for visual aids, make our own board games, have drama activities, and many more. 7

Statement of the Hypothesis H R 1 - I believe that after the two month period the group that is intensively learning the English language will read better in English than the other group that is being taught in a bi-lingual environment. 8