ELL Students in the reading curriculum

1. Submergence into the culture. ELL Students in the reading curriculum

2. Safe Community • Psychology of a teen= being foreign to a city • So what about a teen who IS foreign • Safety is key • Community in a classroom • Know your ELL student; • make them feel important; know their educational level; be aware of their culture ( incorporate it). • Give them the feeling of control , choice and empowerment.

3. Personal Schema Theory • Besides graphophonics and syntax • The processing/comprehension of text highly depends on your schema ( what you’ve learned, seen, experienced) • Lack of Cultural knowledge = lower reading comprehension ( wedding example) • May be drastically different schema ( understanding of the world and culture) but mistaken for “stupidity”

4. Ways to develop/expand their Schema • Newspaper work • Teaches reading/writing structures • Vocabulary • Our culture, society and values • Teach a simple story narrative ( we may be used to the hero’s quest but ELL student not be) • Lead character, goal, obstacles Newspaper work

5. Literature Use • They deserve exposure to meaningful , engaging , great American literature • Don’t demean their emotional/intellectual maturity • They don’t need to full comprehension to gain other knowledge