The English-Language Development Guide and Workbook
in Open Court Reading and English Learner Support Guide and English Learner Support Activities provide specific
activities to use with English learners. Below are
additional suggestions for working with these students.
Using Big Books
By sharing and experiencing print with the rest of the class, English learners benefit greatly from reading the Big Books. The illustrated text also helps with English learners' language and vocabulary development. To help English learners reap the greatest benefits from the Big Books:
- Read each story with the English learners before reading it with the whole class.
- Review any actions associated with each story and clear up any confusing points in it.
- Discuss the illustrations.
- Help the students identify objects, people, animals, and actions in the illustrations to promote vocabulary growth and increase their familiarity with the story.
- Watch to see whether your English learners are reading the repetitive passages aloud with the class; if not, encourage them to do so.
Many English learners understand more English words than they can produce. Blending can provide valuable support by helping them figure out, on their own, words they do not recognize in print. As with all students, however, they must understand the sounds and letters introduced on the Alphabet Sound Cards.
During Workshop, you might want to review the Alphabet Sound Cards with English learners until they are thoroughly familiar with the English sound/letter associations. This should help give English learners the confidence they need to begin blending.
English learners can also benefit from using the Alphabet Sound Card Stories Audiocassette or CD, or eAlphabet Sound Cards that accompany the program. They can listen, alone or in small groups, to the recorded story that accompanies each card, thus reinforcing their understanding of the sound/letter correspondence.
Help English learners understand the meanings of the words in Blending by preteaching these words to the students.
Reading a Decodable Book
Partner reading can significantly help English learners It is important, however, to choose partners carefully. Reading alternate pages with a supportive partner gives the English learners a less intimidating atmosphere in which to attempt to pronounce the new words and sounds.
Monitor your children's reading of the phonics materials so you can provide early intervention and remediation as needed.
