Synthesis Paper

Emilie Spencer
Professor Thompson-Dunn
English 102
13 April 2011

Literacy and the English-Language Learner

Modern-day teachers are affected by an ever increasing student body of English Language Learners (ELL). This trend has caused researchers to develop new ways to accommodate these extraordinary students. Literacy is one of the key elements in academic achievement; because this is a critical component, three articles addressing the issue of English Language Learners and Literacy have recently been published. In 2008, The Reading Teacher published an article titled “What does oral language have to do with it? Helping young English-Language Learners acquire a sight word vocabulary”, by Lori A. Helman and Matthew K. Burns. Helman and Burns address the skills that an ELL student needs to achieve in reading and writing proficiency with the use of sight words. The Reading Teacher addressed a similar issue in February 2011 in an article titled; “Promoting Literacy Development for beginning English Learners” by Eurydice Bouchereau Bauer in cooperation with Juliana Arazi, the article’s featured English as a Second Language teacher (ESL). In the article, Bauer focused on Arazi and her ELL student demonstrating teaching techniques to improve literacy development in English Language Learners. School Library Monthly also addressed this issue in March 2011, the panel of authors focused on the techniques librarians can use to facilitate reading proficiency in ELL students. In the article titled “School Librarians: Bridging the Gap for English Language Learners “by Catherine Blair, Amanda Brasfield, Karen Crenshaw and Amanda Mosedale.

What does oral language have to do with it? Helping young English-Language Learners acquire a sight word vocabulary is written directly to the elementary general education teacher (GE). The article describes the problem of ELL students losing interest in the reading lessons because they cannot follow along and keep the same pace as the rest of the students. The articles’ purpose is to show how certain reading skills, particularly sight word acquisition, are necessary for reading development; what research conveys about sight word acquisition and concludes by giving suggestions to GE teachers on how to practically apply reading skills to their ELL students. The article demonstrates that fluency in the English language directly correlates with the percentage of sight words a child can successfully acquisition. To reach this conclusion, Helman and Burns conducted a research study of forty three second graders in three elementary schools that had an average of fifty three percent of the population ELL. They further conclude that if the GE teacher will utilize three techniques, differentiating instructional activities, incorporating language development activities, and encourage repetition of high–frequency words in reading, he/she can support the acquisition of sight words with their ELL students, leading to academic achievement.

Promoting Literacy Development for beginning English Learners directs its comments to teachers who specialize in English as a Second Language (ESL), however, at the conclusion of the article, it does give a summary of techniques a GE teacher can incorporate in their classroom as well. The article presents the problem of teachers struggling to meet the needs of immigrant students, due to instructional methods and foreign curriculums. The article describes how reading comprehension is acquired by the use of rapid word recognition, semantic and syntactic clues and that ELL students must also have good vocabulary development to achieve reading comprehension. Bauer states that children who have oral and written skills in their native language are able to process reading and writing skills in English faster. In the article, Juliana Arazi, a ESL teacher, exhibits reading techniques that she used with a third grader who is a Chinese immigrant. These techniques included, picture walks- giving names to pictures in a book, personalizing connections, creating a bilingual dictionary and verb bank, creating a physical connection to the story-planting a bean seed, creating sentences, interactive writing, choral reading, question coaching, and story retelling. These techniques were applied over a two month period, teaching the student Jack in the Beanstalk, a fairy tale that most students have familiarity with in their native language. The article concludes that, by addressing linguistic and cultural resources ELL students bring to school, schools will be more apt to present a better education to students and their parents.

School Librarians: Bridging the Gap for English Language Learners was written in a collaborative effort by four student authors under the direction of Associate Professor of Library Science at UNC, Susan Hughes-Hassell, Ph D. They aim their thoughts at school librarians. The article reports that the ELL population as of 2008 has increased to 5.3 million throughout the United States. They further assert that ELL students rank significantly lower than native English speakers in basic reading proficiency assessments. The article provides three key points or strategies to effectively work with ELL students in their quest for reading proficiency. These include: “offering learning resources that are culturally familiar” (Blair, Brasfield and Crenshaw p.35), differentiating between academic and social language, and assessing frequently to gauge comprehension of learning material. School Librarians can make use of these techniques by modeling, pairing students with a peer, using graphic organizers, creating vocabulary/concept inventories, and teaching in small groups. The authors also give advice on the types of library collections schools should acquire to better meet the needs of ELL students, including: books in their native language, picture books, and multiple discipline books such as poetry, media such as DVDs, multicultural literature, and books written by students in their native tongue. The author contends that extracurricular activities also supplement literacy learning and because ELL students require different learning techniques, their assessments should also be specialized to meet the individual needs. The article concludes that school librarians are instrumental in supporting the ELL student and in collaboration with the GE teacher they can provide significant benefits to all of the students.

When comparing these articles the reader sees many similarities. All the articles were published in education periodicals and are directed to members of the teaching profession, particularity those who are responsible for teaching literacy skills. They are quick to point out, in each essay, that their continues to be an influx of immigrant students in the United States which can create a problem for teachers who are not prepared with the specialized teaching skills required for a successful ELL student. Each article gives tips and techniques to the reader on how to provide for the best learning experience. The articles express how ELL students flourish when they have a background of literacy in their native tongue, teachers use culturally responsive teaching techniques, they take their time and don’t rush through reading exercises, and educators use supports such as librarians, ESL specialists, and outside resources to facilitate reading proficiency. All of the authors are objective and cite several resources to validate their points.

Differences in the articles include who the articles are specifically directed to, and where the teaching techniques are being applied such as in the classroom, one on one, or in the library. Two of the articles chose to use examples of particular student’s experiences, where one did not use such examples to uphold their theories. Both Promoting Literacy Development for beginning English Learners and What does oral language have to do with it? Helping young English-Language Learners acquire a sight word vocabulary, use their own research to back-up their conclusions; where School Librarians: Bridging the Gap for English Language Learners rely on gathered statistics.

Although the articles were fairly easy to comprehend, lay readers may have a difficult time following the education verbiage. For example, Helman and Burns description of their research techniques, especially the complex math equations, forces the reader to look back over the text for full comprehension. Acronym use proliferates the articles, and definitions of terms such as sight words, academic and social language, alphabetic principles, and transitional readers were readily available to the reader in text. However, each of the articles assumes that the reader is familiar with many of the terms used, such as in Bauer’s use of “semantic and syntactic” (Bouchereau Bauer and Arazi p.383), which are left, undefined.

By reviewing the articles together the reader gains a panoramic view of Literacy and the English-Language Learner, which is a critical issue faced by educators today. Emerging research is demonstrated and findings assure literacy teachers that techniques are available to support their diverse ELL students. Each of the authors expressed that it is their hope that teachers will implement the prescribed teaching techniques to further advance reading proficiency.

Works Cited

Blair, Catherine, et al. "School Librarians: Bridging the Language Gap for English Language Learners." School Library Monthly March 2011: 34-37.Print.

Bouchereau Bauer, Eurydice and Juliana Arazi. "Promoting Literacy Development for Beginning English Learners." The Reading Teacher Ferbuary 2011: 383-386.Print.

Helman, Lori A. and Matthew K. Burns. "What Does Oral Language Have to Do With It? Helping Young English-language Learners Acquire a Sight Word Vocabulary." The Reading Teacher September 2008: 14-19.Print.