Assisting Advanced Language Learners to Read Advanced Texts

Assisting Advanced Language Learners to Read Advanced Texts

Meg Crosby, PhD, and Sheryl Slocum, PhD, Alverno College

Sheryl’s Handout

Sheryl Slocum, PhD

The Growing Student(Alverno College Intermediate Student Study Committee, 1996)

Recognizes connections between prior and present learning
Selects from among a variety of strategies that which is appropriate to a situation
Transfers abilities between and among contexts
Demonstrates flexibility in responding to varying learning and performance situations

Re-Teach Old Strategies

Teach Pre-Reading Based on Purpose

Article: “A Literature Review on Disciplinary Literacy: How do Secondary Teachers Apprentice Students into Mathematical Literacy?” (Hillman, 2014)

Sample Readers: High school math teacher

Teacher educator

College student for a research paper on education policy

Which sections of the article will be most important to you?

Methodology

Theoretical Perspective: Discourse Theory

Mathematical Standards of Practice

Mathematical Literacy

Conclusions: Educational Implications

Which graphics will be most important to you?

Table 1: Connections Between Standards, Disciplinary Literacy Discourses, and Mathematics Discourses
Table 2: Mathematical Features and Suggestions for
Instruction
Take Action: Steps for Immediate Implementation

Teach Purposeful Text Marking

Sample Purposes: For key ideas

For a test on article content

For research on policy

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) draw attention to disciplinary literacy for improving adolescent literacy. Disciplinary literacy has been described as “advanced literacy instruction embedded within content-area classes such as math, science, and social studies.” Policy supports disciplinary literacy in secondary classrooms, notable in the CCSS for reading, science, and mathematics. Educators need to understand how disciplinary literacy affects instruction, curriculum, and assessment in order to follow the spirit of the CCSS. Yet it remains unclear exactly what disciplinary literacy means for instruction in specific subjects, including mathematics (Hillman, 2014, p. 397).

Teach How to Deal with the Challenge of Vocabulary

Teach strategic “look-up”

The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you arrange nazduck into different groups depending on their lorsted. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go to a magnameter due to the lack of facilities, that is the next step; otherwise, you are pretty well set. (Thanks to Kate Reynolds, PhD, UWEC)
Teach a system for learning vocabulary

VOCABULARY CARDS

Front of Card / Back of Card
Word
Part of Speech
Other forms of word
Sentence/phrase with word / Definition/translation
Other helpful information (collocations, etc.)

A VOCABULARY LOG

One page of notebook paper per letter of the alphabet (add pages as needed)

Wide left margin (Cornell note paper is great)

In left margin

word forms and part(s) of speech

In right area

definition/translation, notes, example

Fold pages to study

Teach “New” Strategies

Teach how to Read Academic Articles

Pre-read: Journal Title, Author, Author bio, Headings, Subheadings
Peruse: Graphics
Read: Abstract and Discussion (Results, Implications)
Choose: Any other necessary sections, based on reading purpose

Teach how to Deal with Affective and Physical Responses
Anxiety
Breathe
Remember goal, inspiration
Focus on what you can do
Small steps

Boredom
Create a reading goal and track progress
Remember goal, inspiration
Orally argue, agree, give examples, etc.

Confusion
Stop, seek reason for confusion
Determine the importance of the problem
Develop a plan of action

Fatigue
Vary reading place
Read aloud
Walk it out
Take a physical break
Interleaf with other tasks

References

Alverno College Intermediate Student Study Committee. (1996). Capacities of a successful

intermediate student. Milwaukee, WI: Alverno College Institute.

Buehl, D. (2011). Developing readers in the academic disciplines. Newark, DE: International

Reading Association.

Cantrell, S.C., Dorrell, P., Clouse, J., Creech, K., Bridges, S., & Owens, D. (2103). Patterns of self-

efficacy among college students in developmental reading. Journal of College Reading

and Learning, 44(1), 8-32.

Fine, G.A. (2011). Learning to read, again. Chronicle of Higher Education, 57(22), B4-B5.

Hillman, A.M. (2014). A literature review on disciplinary literacy: How do secondary teachers

apprentice students into mathematical literacy? JAAL 57(5), 397-406.

Meg’s Handout

Meg Crosby, Ph.D.

Alverno College

414-382-6385

Reading Strategies for Advanced Spanish Students

Pre-reading Strategies:

1)Provide relevant information about the author

2)Consider the title

3)Read the epigraph and identify the cognates

4)Read the first paragraph and identify the cognates:

Lees eseanuncio: unaoferta de esanaturaleza no se hacetodos los días. Lees y relees el aviso. Parecedirigido a ti, a nadiemás. Distraído, dejasque la cenizadelcigarrocaigadentro de la taza de téque has estadobebiendo en estecafetínsucio y barato. Túreleerás. Se solicitahistoriadorjoven. Ordenado. Escrupuloso.Conocedor de la lenguafrancesa. Conocimiento perfecto, colloquial… (Carlos Fuentes, Aura, 2, 4).

5)Identify verb tenses and subject pronouns

6)Describe the language: narrative, descriptive, argumentative, expository, colloquial, poetic or journalistic.

Reading Strategies:

1)Less is more

Fewer questions yield more time for deeper and sustained discussion

2)Student-generated questions

Aim for critical thinking, avoid factual or strictly comprehension

3)Extensive Reading Program (ERP):

Students select online texts
Motivated to read outside class
Builds confidence and reading fluency

Consulted Works

Arnold, Nike. “Online Extensive Reading for Advanced Foreign Language Learners: An

Evaluation Study.” Foreign Language Annals. 42.2 (2009): 340-55.

Fuentes, Carlos. Aura. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962.

García Serrano, M. Victoria, et al., ¡A quésí! 4thed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2013.

Urlaub, Per. “Reading strategies and literature instruction: Teaching learners to generate

questions and to foster literary reading in the second language.” Elsevier. 40.2 (2012):

296-304.

Zivin, Erin Graff. Syllabus for “Narrative, Audio and Visual Culture in Latin America”

Modern and Contemporary Latin American Fiction (Spanish 372).

University of Southern California. Retrieved 28 October 2014.