the context of purposeful and meaningful reading activities, and because they read for meaning, they
are guided by the teacher to use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition (RF.1.4c). Time is
provided for independent reading in school, and children and their families are encouraged to read at
home.
Foundational Skills for English Learners
English learners can and should develop foundational
reading skills at the same pace as their non-EL peers, provided
that additional considerations for their particular learning needs
are taken into account. Issues related to transfer, fluency, and
meaning making are especially important.
Many skills are transferable between languages. Teachers
or other qualified educators carefully assess, when possible,
which skills students already possess in their primary language.
For example, teachers determine the extent to which their EL
students have already developed phonological awareness in
their primary language. Since phonological awareness transfers
across languages, teachers build on the primary language phonological awareness skills their students
already have. They save valuable time by not reteaching what children already know. Instruction in
foundational skills in English is differentiated based on similarities and differences between ELs’ native
language phonology and writing systems and English. For example, children who already know letter
sounds or names in a language that uses the Latin alphabet (e.g., Spanish) transfer this knowledge
more readily than students who are able to decode in a language with a non-Latin alphabet (e.g.,
Arabic, Korean, Russian), a nonalphabetic writing system (e.g., Chinese), or visual languages
(e.g., American Sign Language). However, even when EL children bring phonological awareness or
knowledge of the alphabet from their home/primary language, they need targeted instruction in
sounds that are different in the new language and decoding English graphemes that are nonexistent
in their native language. (See Yopp and Stapleton 2008 for a discussion of transfer of phonemic
awareness.)
In the area of of fluency, teachers are aware that
pronunciation differences do not necessarily reflect inaccuracies
in decoding. Sometimes, pronunciation differences are due
to influences of the child’s primary language, home dialect of
English, or regional accent. Teachers listen to their students
carefully as they speak and read to determine when to provide
judicious feedback on pronunciation, and they accept children’s
approximate pronunciations as they practice orally blending or
reading words containing sounds that are new to them.
Teachers actively and frequently model fluent reading of
narrative and informational texts. Although such modeling is
good for all students, it is especially important for EL children
for whom teachers may be the only models of English reading.
As they a read aloud to students or read a chant or poem as
students read with them, teachers draw EL children’s attention to the cadences and intonation of their
voices or signs (for EL children who are deaf or hard of hearing and who use ASL) and encourage the
children to imitate them. In addition, teachers ask children to practice reading with expression while
reading independently, pausing and allowing their voices or signs as appropriate to the text.
English learners can and
should develop foundational
reading skills at the same
pace as their non-EL peers,
provided that additional
considerations for their
particular learning needs
are taken into account.Teachers actively and
frequently model fluent
reading of narrative
and informational texts.
Although such modeling is
good for all students, it is
especially important for EL
children for whom teachers
may be the only models of
English reading.162 | Chapter 3 Transitional Kindergarten to Grade 1