Framework: Supporting ELL Students' Reading

 

Description: The scholarly article I obtained this framework from outlines what teachers should do to support English language learner’s reading in an integrated classroom. The four-part framework is intended to build ELL students’ self-efficacy towards reading by developing a manageable set of strategies that is transferrable to other texts and contexts.

 

Implementation & Adaptability: This four-part framework can be used across all grade-levels and in all subject areas where reading is occurring. It is easily adaptable as each part is merely a description of what needs to happen and the classroom teacher can approach it in various ways. Part one of the framework is using an anticipation guide as a pre-reading scaffold. Examples of ways to accomplish this are by having the ELL students write down their prediction or discuss their prior knowledge in pairs or as a class. The second part of the framework is a directed reading-thinking activity (DR-TA), which occurs during the reading.  DR-TA is a comprehension strategy that is intended to develop critical thinking skills. At this stage, students will be predicting and interpreting, as well as making judgments and verifications. The third part of the framework is two-fold as there is the vocabulary self-selection (VSS), and then the vocabulary squares activity, both which are done after reading. The goal of VSS is to facilitate meaningful vocabulary development. For VSS, the student nominates a word from the text that he or she would like to learn more about. Then, students work in groups to discuss and define the word, while also stating why it was important enough to be nominated. After, each small group can “teach” their fellow classmates about the word and what its significance in the text was. The ELL students then develop vocabulary squares to solidify the selected vocabulary through personal connections. This particular part is very adaptable because there are various templates available online for the ELL student to use, including the vocabulary four square template I’ve included on this website. Some templates may want the ELL student give a dictionary definition of the word and some may want the ELL student to write a definition in his/her own words. Some may want the student to write synonyms and antonyms, while others might want the word written in the student’s native language. The fourth and final part of the framework is a GIST activity which is a post-reading scaffold and possible lead-in to a writing prompt. The students are to give the who, what, when, where, and why about the story as a summarization. This framework can be used in primary and intermediate grades because same steps can be taken no matter which level or genre of text is being used.

 

Rationale: One of the components to sheltered instruction in grade-level classes is to have the ELL students participate in scaffolded reading instruction with a structured language focus. I believe that this framework accomplishes that. There is the presence of support, structure, and a language focus. Additionally, there is room for choice, such as which word the ELL student wants to nominate, which I believe is motivating to students. Choice gives students autonomy, which is a basic need in the theory of self-determination, and therefore will make this approach to reading more appealing to the student. Additionally, within the activities in this framework that focus on vocabulary, students can categorize tier 1, 2, and 3 words as an extension to help with understanding. This framework uses a combination of activities common in guided reading (e.g. anticipation guide & GIST) , shared reading (e.g. DR-TA), and literature circles (e.g. vocabulary self-selection and discussion), therefore creating an overall comprehensive approach to reading development. 

 

Credibility of Source: The article I retrieved this framework from is scholarly and peer-reviewed. The author, Margo DelliCarpini, is a high school ESL teacher whose working goal is to develop ways to make the curriculum accessible to English language learners. She supports content teachers by researching and developing appropriate and manageable strategies/activities for the classroom teacher to use to support his/her ELL students in the

integrated classroom. DelliCarpini seems a credible source due to her work in the field and her framework being published in The English Journal.  

 

Reference: 

 

DelliCarpini, M. (2011). Success with ELLs: Supporting ELLs before, during, and

after reading. The English Journal, 100(5). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/stable/23047813?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents