Information gathered by: Patricia Ramsey EDR 343 March 19, 2012

1. Information gathered by: Patricia Ramsey EDR 343 March 19, 2012 Individual Inquiry and Technology Presentation English Language LearnersReading Comprehension

2. GLCE • Kindergarten: • R.WS.00.03 understand the alphabetic principle, that sounds in words are expressed by the letters of the alphabet. • R.WS.00.01 demonstrate phonemic awareness by the wide range of sound manipulation • competencies including sound blending and deletion. • R.WS.00.02 recognize that words are composed of sounds blended together and carry • meaning. • R.WS.00.10 in context, determine the meaning of a few words, familiar and repeated • phrases including objects, actions, concepts, content vocabulary, and literary terms, using • strategies and resources including picture clues, prediction, and other people.

3. Common Core Standards Craft and Structure 4. Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. 5. Recognize common types of texts (e.g..storybooks, poems). Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

4. The term English language learner (ELL), as used here, indicates a person who is in the process of acquiring English and has a first language other than English.

5. COMPREHENSION Webster's Collegiate Dictionary offers this definition: "capacity of the mind to perceive and understand." Reading comprehension, then, would be the capacity to perceive and understand the meanings communicated by texts.

6. Article: The Cultural Responsiveness and Duel Language Education Project. • When a new child enters a childcare center it can be difficult at first to read the child’s cues. • For an English Language learner it is even more difficult because of language barriers that prevent the child and their family from communicating openly. • Making it difficult to developing effective relationships (Stechuk 24). • Language development requires social involvement. • The primary care giver or parents are the first to educate their child through: • Songs, talking, culture, books and general interaction. • http://www.hello-world.com/songs/index.php?language=Spanish&topic=arroz

7. GRADLE: A group formed in order to assist programs serving infants and toddlers, in the area of cultural responsiveness and duel language acquisition. • Improving or implementing written polices and procedures Language statement that puts everyone on the same page when it comes to the program’s approaches and strategies. • Enriching classroom environments to improve language interaction Post things on the walls from the students home language and use phrases to help nurture the child’s language and to provide an appropriate connection with home when the child misses their parents. • Improving communication with families Short surveys, individual interviews or both to elicit parents’ perspectives around duel language acquisition and culture. • Hiring bilingual and bicultural staff or providing language learning to staff Provide information for staff to staff about local classes, so that they may work on continuing their own education. • Professional development activities In-service training on how children develop their first and second language skills and how language and culture interweave.

8. Discusses the importance of finding books and educational sources that the students can relate to. • In particular how easy it is to relate social studies to students with diverse cultures, languages, and backgrounds. • When ELLs are engaged in meaningful conversation and the tutor or teacher uses targeted vocabulary, text-connections and inferencing strategies increase. Article: Building Vocabulary and Fostering Comprehension Strategies.

9. Article: Investigating English reading comprehension growth in adolescent language minority learners: some insight from the simple view. • This article discusses the importance of linguistic comprehension to Language Minority Learners. • English speakers support the notion that both linguistic comprehension and word decoding contribute to comprehension outcomes. • Listening comprehension and word reading skills contributed significantly to students reading comprehension outcome. • Listening comprehension: being able to recall and understand information is an important pre-reading skill. In order to be a strong reader later on, a child must be able to recall information when it is presented orally (Listening Comprehension1).

10. Resources • Great Link for professional development • http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/Dual%20Language%20Learners/DLL_%20Resources/GuidetoDualLan.htm • Hello World, world language for children • http://www.hello-world.com/songs/index.php?language=Spanish&topic=arroz • Free multicultural and language games, books read online and PDFs for educators: http://www.bookbox.com/ • Dual Language Books: Cost money, but is inexpensive for duel language books. http://www.brightbooks.co.uk/eCommerce/category.aspx?cat=132

11. Why should we know this stuff… • According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000, there are 10 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 who live in a household where their primary language is one other than English. • Currently 140 Languages are represented in the Head Start Program (Stechuk25).

12. Works Cited Page • English Language Learner, 3/14/12, http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/ell.shtml • Head Start 3/18/12, http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/resources/video/Ready%20for%20Success%20Series/ReadyforSuccess_1.htm • Colombo, Michaela. Building Vocabulary and fostering comprehension strategies for English Language Learners: The power of academic conversations in social studies, English Reading Association Journal. 2009. Proquest Educational Journals. 11, March, 2012. • Stechuk, Robert. The Cultural Responsiveness and Duel Language Education Project. Zero To Three. 2008. Tami Lysher. M.A. 5, March, 2012. • Martinez, Jeanette, Kieffer, Michael. Investigating English reading comprehension growth in adolescent language minority learners: some insight from the simple view. Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009. Proquest Educational Journals. 11, March, 2012. • Training Module-Listening Comprehension. HighReach Learning Inc. 2007. http://www.highreach.com/highreach_cms/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=XGCnL-0ev_o%3D&tabid=106 18, March, 2012.