| Tina Walker LIST 5325 � Dr. Hirtle October 13, 2005 Session 7 RR&D Article 2 � Voices From the Middle. Urbana: Sept. 2003. Vol. 11 Iss. 1. Scaffolds to help ELL readers What do I want to remember from this chapter that may be helpful to my present or future teaching or to the TExES exam? From this reading, I want to remember that although my ELL students tell me that they have read material and that they comprehend it, many times they may think they comprehend but really don�t. ELLs sometimes think because they can call words they are reading and that�s all that it entails. They are not aware of the reading process and that comprehension is the goal of reading. ELL students who have a firm basis in native language literacy skills find it easier to acquire a second language. The strategies they�ve learned for reading and writing in their native language are building blocks for learning another language. T-Charts can help students stop to think about what they�ve read. Teachers will need to model their own reading habits so students can visually see how good readers read and comprehend. T-Charts are also helpful in tracking main ideas and new vocabulary words. Using this type of scaffolding helps students think about how they learn and remember new information. Sticky notes help students �leave tracks� while they read. Tracking provides a means for go back to important parts of the text without have to search or read through the entire text. Students use sticky notes to mark important words in sections of text. Teachers need to model this strategy to help students understand how to select words that are important. Samples of students� work must also be reviewed to ensure they are selecting appropriate key words. This strategy is useful when students need to summarize material and modeling is necessary to show students how to use their key words in the summary. How do these readings connect to my prior experience in education? I could not necessarily connect he readings to my prior education, but I can relate it to my current teaching. After reading this, I now feel like I understand why my ELL students are having difficulty with the reading process. They are fluent readers, but don�t have the comprehension skills to make sense of what they read. None of my ELL students have any formal education in their native language, which could be hindering their acquisition of English. I�m having quite a bit of difficulty helping my ELLs make connections this year because they also have limited vocabulary. My class this year is a bit different from my students that I had last year. I don�t recall have such a hard time with vocabulary and they�d had the same kind of schooling as my current students. What questions or comments can I bring forth to help me and my colleagues, extend, expand, explain, question, or clarify issues surrounding this reading? I�m wondering if my 2nd graders could benefit from the use of these strategies or if they are too advanced for them. I�m going to attempt to use them in my classroom with all of my students because I think all students would be able to use them to help organize and synthesize information. Have you ever used these strategies in your classroom? If so, with what level students and how did you use them? What were the results? Did you find them beneficial? How can I extend the virtual classroom conversation on this reading by responding to my colleagues� posts? I can extend the virtual classroom conversation by staying open to the suggestions made my colleagues. I can also read and respond to their postings. |