Teaching English Language Learners to read and write is challenging. Every classroom teacher, ESL teacher, and reading specialist shares this crucial responsibility. These educators need research-based practices to help them meet the challenge, and Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners is their comprehensive guide.
Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners is for everyone who teaches English language learners to read and write. It turns important research findings about ELL students into evidence-based, effective classroom practice. It helps teachers:
- learn more about the ELL students in their classroom
- support the emergence and early development of English literacy skills in nonnative speakers
- help English learners reach their full potential as readers and writers
- promote biliteracy in English and students’ home languages
- guide ELL students as they develop academic language and literacy in English
- connect reading and writing strongly to promote growth in each
- assess the literacy skills of English language learners and use that information to plan responsive instruction.
Internationally recognized ELL experts Nancy Cloud, Fred Genesee, and Else Hamayan have examined the research evidence to determine what works for ELL students. They recommend best practices for teaching English learners to read and write from emergent literacy to primary school and on through middle school. Their guide makes the research understandable and their suggested practices actionable.
- Research findings quickly summarize the latest and most important ideas for teaching.
- Quotes from researchers provide direct support for effective teaching.
- Classroom Suggestions offer practical ways to put research into practice.
- Additional Resources point toward rich information sources for teaching literacy to English learners.
- Research Questions provide paths for investigation in any classroom.
From reading their first English words to basic literacy to a mastery of academic English, students need proven-effective teaching backed by the strongest, most recent research. Find it in Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners.
Nancy Cloud is coauthor of the Heinemann title Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners. She is a Professor in the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development at Rhode Island College. She coordinates the M.Ed. in TESL Program and teaches graduate courses on second language and literacy development. She also works in schools, providing professional development on effective instructional practices and standards-based curriculum development for English Language Learners.
Fred Genesee is coauthor of the Heinemann titles Dual Language Instruction from A to Z and Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners. He is a professor in the Psychology Department at McGill University and the author of numerous articles and books on second language teaching and learning. His research focuses on the academic achievement, language, and literacy development of minority and majority language students in alternative forms of bilingual education. Fred served on the National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth, which issued the report Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners in 2006 and on the Center for Research on Education, Excellence, and Diversity report Educating English Language Learners: A Synthesis of Research Evidence (2006).
Else Hamayan is coauthor of the Heinemann titles Dual Language Instruction from A to Z and Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners. She is the former director of the Illinois Resource Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and currently resides in Argentina. She advises teachers and administrators in schools in the US and internationally. Her areas of interest are teaching English as a second language, English language learners with special education needs, cross-cultural learning, and dual language instruction.
