2. Reading Comprehension
the ability to make meaning out of text.
Students must:
Be able to make personal connections with the text
Understand meaning of vocabulary used
Understand text structure
Understand purpose for reading

3. Reading Comprehension Skills
Decoding
Ability to use letter-sound relationships to decipher words
Fluency
Automaticity, appropriate reading rate
Vocabulary knowledge
Breadth, and depth, of vocabulary knowledge is important, i.e., not just the number of words students know, but the depth of their understanding
Background knowledge
A conceptual framework, or context, into which students can fit new ideas
Knowledge of comprehension strategies

4. Teaching Comprehension to ELLs
Solution:
Explicit teaching of vocabulary
Preview unfamiliar concepts/ideas before reading. Create connections to familiar concepts
Teach comprehension strategies through modeling
Issue:
Limited vocabulary
Different background knowledge
Lack of effective strategies for comprehension

5. Modeling Reading This part didn’t make sense.
Model effective reading strategies, such as
re-reading.
This part didn’t make sense.
I think I’ll re-read to see if I get it the second time.

6. Teaching Vocabulary Focus lesson on key words
Teach vocabulary intentionally
Explicit definitions
Use cognates when possible
Use “student-friendly” definitions
Writing activities
Classroom discussions
Use context to teach words with multiple meanings

7. Vocabulary Strategy: Index Cards
Include:
Cognates
Synonyms/Antonyms
Picture
Other concepts that help them relate to the word
Help students “own” words
Interacting with the vocabulary helps students understand that words aren’t just something they need to study
By creating their own meaningful definitions, students are empowered to analyze new English vocabulary, and draw on their own knowledge as a resource

8. Preparing for Reading Establish goals for reading
Anticipation guides
Focus questions
Making predictions
“Gist” statements
These are “golden nugget” statements: concise ideas about what might happen based on provided information from the text (such as key vocabulary).
Focus on vocabulary concepts
Preview key words & other vocabulary
Explore/activate background knowledge
Provide bridges between new concepts and what children already know

9. Video Becoming Bilingual: Two Languages at Once
Webster Elementary, Long Beach, CA

10. Role of Native Language
“The effects of primary language instruction
are modest, but they are real and reliable.”
— Claude Goldenberg
Strong literacy skills in native language transfer to second language
The level of reading skills in native language is an important predictor of successful second language reading acquisition

11. Transferable Literacy Skills
Understanding symbolic relationships
Print awareness
Phonological awareness
Decoding skills
Comprehension strategies
Concepts
Cause and effect
Sequencing

12. Comprehension Strategies for ELLs
Strategies to use while reading
Questioning
Ask and answer questions about readings
Summarizing
Using graphic organizers
Monitoring comprehension as students read
Using text characteristics to aid comprehension
headings, bold type, etc.
Note taking

13. Cognates A word that is closely related to
another word in another language.
Remember
If students are using cognates it is important to make the process obvious: highlight the strategy.
Help students realize that using cognates is a tool for comprehension.

14. Using Cognate Word Walls
Word walls are created by the teacher,
and the class, as a way to display
vocabulary that they are using.
A classroom might have large posters with different letters of the alphabet at the top. 
The posters have cognates written on them in alphabetical order. 
Students can add cognates as they discover them and refer to the lists when they are reading to see if they can get the meaning that way.

15. Making Predictions Younger children Older children Based on pictures
Graphs
Illustrations

16. Language Functions Narrative text Re-telling
Vocabulary for description
Adjectives
Comparative language
Re-telling
Vocabulary for order & sequencing
First, next, afterwards

17. Helping ELLs Achieve Academic Proficiency
Finding important information in text
Labeling
Working with information in alternative ways
Help make concepts concrete
Using play dough to create a cell in biology class enables students to use academic vocabulary during the process.

18. Social vs. Academic Proficiency
Social proficiency
Language used in day-to-day interactions
Variety of cues facilitate comprehension
Environment, gestures, facial expressions, etc.
Academic proficiency
Language used in textbooks
More abstract
Higher order skills

19. Strategies for Effective Reading
Relate vocabulary to cognates
Use cues from illustrations
Re-read
Excellent strategy for building fluency and reading rate.
Read aloud
Practice comprehension skills through listening to oral reading.
Keep reading logs

20. Language Strategies for Mastering Academic English
Using description
Characteristics
Locations
Dimensions
Asking and answering questions
What
When
Where
Who
Why
Signal words
Sequence
After, before, finally, now, then, while, etc.
Restatement or synonym
Also, for example, just as, too, etc.
Contrast and compare
Like, similar to, etc.
But, unlike, yet, etc.

21. Facilitating Comprehension
Teacher should preview text for:
Words highlighted in text book
Words that ELL’s might have difficulty with
Definitions provided within text
Important to point out to ELLs how to find these.
Give ELLs vocabulary needed for asking for help, or further explanation of text
“I don’t understand. Can you explain it another way?”

22. Video Becoming Bilingual: Beyond Survival English
Heritage Elementary School, Woodburn, OR

23. Strategy: Frontloading
The process of inputting as much
information as possible about a reading
before the students read on their own
in order to increase comprehension. 
Examples:
Highlighting new vocabulary words
Making direct connections to students’ background knowledge
Previewing the pictures to make predictions (no reading)
Previewing the text to make predictions

24. “Tea Party”
A pre-reading activity to help students anticipate what is next in a text
Teachers write down phrases directly from text onto index cards, repeating them at least twice (you want multiple cards of same phrases).
Students each get a card and walk around reading as many of their classmate’s cards as they can in 5 minutes (or so).
Students group to discuss the information they’ve read, and, as a group, write a statement about what they think the story will be about, based on the information from the cards.

25. Tools for Helping ELLs Grasp the Full Picture
Graphic Organizers
A way to visually organize or represent concepts
Examples:
timelines
semantic maps
story maps
Venn diagrams
cause-effect charts

26. More Tools: Thinking Maps
Help break down reading and concepts into manageable parts so students interact more effectively with the text.
Set up structure in “bubbles” or “double bubbles” or other configuration that makes it easy for ELL students to see the relationship between vocabulary and concepts.
Allows teachers to do a comprehension check in a meaningful way and encourage students to support each other in their learning.

27. Additional Tool: Sentence Starters
Help students with limited English language skills “get started” on a response.
Teacher models appropriate academic language structure by starting a sentence that students will finish.
I think the elephant ran away because ___________
When I read about _____________ it reminded me of _____________ because ______________
According to _____________ , _________________

28. Scaffolding Information
The process of breaking down a concept into smaller, manageable parts that can then be introduced with support from the teacher. 
Example of scaffolding for responding to a story:
For very beginning students the teacher may want them to “say” what they think while the teacher writes it down.  Then the students copy the dictation.
Higher level students may be given starter statements by the teacher and asked to complete them in their own words, “After Goldilocks went to sleep?.”
And finally, students who are very proficient are expected to respond in writing on their own.

29. The How-to of Explicit Instruction
Determine the specific strategy to be taught.
Make sure your text facilitates the practice of that strategy.
Use a direct statement to tell your students exactly what strategy they will be learning.
Model the strategy for students out-loud (a think-aloud).
Give students multiple ways to practice the strategy.
Deconstruct why this strategy is useful. Identify contexts for using this strategy.
Repeat these steps when you change genres but use the same strategy.
Allow students to become independent users of the strategy.

30. Continually Monitor Comprehension
Strategy: Think, Pair, Share
Why do you think … ?
Pair-up and share what you think with your partner, talk about differences
Share with the rest of the group
Don’t ask “yes” or “no” questions
Make sure students have to elaborate on their answer
Cross-check

31. Video Reading for Meaning: Practicing Good Strategies
Frank Love Elementary School, Bothell, WA

32. Engaging Students in Reading
Help students understand that we read for information
Ask students questions
Find answers while reading
Have students ask questions
Make predictions
Compare predictions to what actually happens in the story

33. Interacting with Text
Struggling readers are often unaware that reading is an active process and they are engaging with the author about the text continually.
This interaction happens through predicting, recognizing causality, questioning, clarifying, and responding to what is read.
Help students interact with text
Write notes or reactions to text
Analyze words
Teach word families

34. Strategy: SWBS Somebody Wants But So Character in the story
What’s the issue?
But
What is the problem? So
Resolution

35. Story Grammar
Structure of a text:
Characters
Settings
Problem/Issue
Solution/Outcome
Explicit instruction in story grammar is useful for ELLs.

36. Cultural Differences Affecting Comprehension
Story grammar
Varies by culture
In Western cultures story grammar is linear – cause & effect
In Spanish, the subject is often inferred from the verb, rather than stated explicitly
Background knowledge
i.e. Family reunion
Mixed ages
i.e. Holidays and celebrations

37. Tips Try strategies such as Think, Pair, Share
Get your students to use second language
Check comprehension constantly
Try to link academic information to ELLs personal lives
Teach comprehension in all content areas.

38. Thank you
for
watching!