English. Students are carefully assessed in English, and their primary language when possible, to
determine the most appropriate sequence of instruction. Decoding skills that students have developed
in their primary language can be transferred to English (August and Shanahan 2006; Bialystok 1997;
Lindholm-Leary and Genesee 2010) with appropriate
instruction in the similarities and differences between
the students’ and the English writing system. Instruction
is accelerated when time is not devoted to re-teaching
already learned skills.
Attention to oral language is important, and teachers
ensure that children know the meanings of the words
they are learning to decode. Pronunciation differences
due to influences from the primary language, home
dialect of English (e.g., African American English), or
regional accent do not necessarily indicate a difficulty
with decoding and should not automatically be
interpreted as such. In addition, although pronunciation
is important, overcorrecting it can lead to self-
consciousness and inhibit learning. Rather, teachers
should check for students’ comprehension of what
they are reading, respectfully model how words are
pronounced in standard English, and point out differences between pronunciations of different dialects
of English. (For additional information on different dialects of English, see chapter 9 of this ELA/ELD
Framework.)
Teachers of EL children enrolled in an alternative bilingual program (e.g., dual immersion, two-way
immersion, developmental bilingual) use the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the CA ELD Standards in
tandem with the CCSS-aligned primary language standards to guide the development of students’
foundational literacy skills in both the primary language and English. Teaching foundational skills in
two languages requires careful coordination. See the section on foundational skills for English learners
and the grade-level sections in this chapter for additional recommendations.
Fluency
The development of fluency is a major goal during this grade span. Fluency involves accuracy,
appropriate rate (which demands automaticity), and prosody (expression, which includes rhythm,
phrasing, and intonation). Children need sufficient instruction in phonics and word recognition to
develop their ability to quickly access printed words. They also need excellent models of fluent
reading, such as when the teacher reads aloud. And, most important, they need many opportunities
to engage in activities such as choral reading, partner reading, repeated reading, and—especially—
independent reading of a wide range of texts that are “not too
hard, not too easy” (Moats 1998, 3). The grade-level sections
in this chapter discuss fluency instruction.
Teachers of all grades need to keep in mind the primary
purpose of developing children’s fluency with text: Fluency
supports comprehension. Children who are fluent with print
have the mental resources available to attend to meaning
making. Standard 4 (RF.K–5.4) of the Reading Foundational
Skills in the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy makes this purpose
clear: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support
comprehension (italics added). The focus on comprehension is also clear as children use context to
confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Attention to oral language is
important, and teachers ensure
that children know the meanings
of the words they are learning to
decode. Pronunciation differences
due to influences from the primary
language, home dialect of English
(e.g., African American English), or
regional accent do not necessarily
indicate a difficulty with decoding
and should not automatically be
interpreted as such.Teachers of all grades
need to keep in mind
the primary purpose of
developing children’s fluency
with text: Fluency supports
comprehension.Grades 2 and 3 Chapter 4 | 313