Fall 2020      Volume 48, Number 4

Engaging English Learners in the Reading Classroom: New Perspectives on Traditional Strategies
By Peet Smith, James Cohen, and John Evar Strid

Document: Article

Introductory Paragraph:  Perhaps you are an elementary or middle school teacher who has English Learners (ELs) in your classroom who struggle to stay engaged in reading or rarely participate in class activities. You may feel helpless because you do not have the second language skills to communicate with these students in their native language. This is not uncommon given the national shortage of bilingual teachers with the required skills to provide instruction in an effective dual language program (Office of Language Acquisition, 2015). Therefore, finding ways to engage ELs in elementary or middle school classrooms is critical for English monolingual teachers. Teachers can have a positive impact on ELs’ engagement by implementing targeted instruction that supports ELs’ language and literacy development in their native language and in English. In this article, we provide seven strategies that support elementary and middle school ELs’ engagement in reading while keeping in mind the importance of bilingual literacy in the classroom. While many of these strategies are well known in most classrooms in the United States, we provide ideas for enhancing these practices in a way that nourishes ELs’ native languages to build on and support their literacy learning in English. These bilingual literacy practices can be implemented by English monolingual and dual language teachers alike and can positively impact ELs’ learning of both languages while boosting their engagement in the classroom.

DOI:    https://doi.org/10.33600/IRCJ.48.4.2020.11

Page Numbers: 11-24