Miriam-- would it be appropriate for me to attach my PowerPoint on assuring success for non-literate learners that I gave at COABE?? It was warmly received by a big audience of people who work with these learners; many said these principles made sense.?? Robin Schwarz


 


 

-----Original Message-----
From: Miriam Burt <mburt at cal.org>
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List <englishlanguage at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wed, 14 May 2008 10:03 am
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2447] Re: literacy for very low literate ornon-literate learners














Hello, 
everyone:


?


What?an?excellent?discussion.?I?agree?with?Jane?about?the?need?for?beginning?level?and?literacy?level?adult?English?language?learners?to?understand?the?connection?between?oral?and?written?expression.?It?is?also?true?that?one should make no assumptions about prior 
knowledge...one needs to go back?thinking 
about??holding? a pencil, 
and issues of directionality and so on.


?


There are some free 
resources on the CAELA Web site that should help practitioners working with 
literacy level (and higher as well) learners who are not native speakers 
?learning to read in English.


?


The Practitioner 
Toolkit: Working with Adult English?language Learners? (National 
Center for Family Literacy and Center for Applied Linguistics, 2004) is 
available on the CAELA Web site at? http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/instructional/prac_toolkit.html


?


It includes activities to 
use with literacy level learners to get them accustomed to the connection 
between spoken language and symbols and to give them practice with 
directionality issues and so on in written English, starting on page 60 of part 
II of the toolkit. 


?


Other free resources 
on this topic available on line at CAL include?an?online resource 
collection on Working with Literacy-Level Adult English Language learners at 
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/collections/literacy.html, which include links to?many CAELA and other resources, such as 
a brief of the same?name?at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/litQA.html, and annotated bib?on Beginning- and Literacy-Level 
Learners at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/bibliographies/literacy.html, and FAQ on the topic at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/faqs.html#nineteen. There are also summaries of 
discussions on this list about literacy-level learners at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/litdiscussion.html?(2006) 
and http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/practlitdiscussion.html? 
(2007). Finally, there is a brief that summarizes salient differences between 
teaching adult English language learners to read in English and teaching native 
English speakers to read in English, 
How Should Adult ESL 
Reading Instruction Differ from ABE Reading Instruction? http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/readingdif.html


?


Miriam


?




Miriam Burt


Center 
for Adult English Language Acquisition


Center for Applied Linguistics


4646 40th Street NW


Washington, DC 20016


(202) 362-0700, ext. 556 (phone)


(202) 363-7204 (fax) 



mburt at cal.org 
(email)





  

  


  From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov 
  [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of 
  janeaddeo at comcast.net
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 11:58 
  PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion 
  List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2440] Re: literacy for very low 
  literate ornon-literate learners



  


  
Hi all,

  
?

  
My name is Jane Addeo. I teach adult Latinos in the Annapolis, MD. area 
  in a faith-based program ( The church allows us to use the high school for 
  night classes)? The majority?has little or no literacy in Spanish 
  and app. 3 years of formal education.? 

  
?

  
At the beginning level, we usually have a teacher and an assistant. We do 
  not begin with the alphabet, but rather, provide a lot of oral practice with 
  gestures, pictures.?The oral practice includes large group, small group, 
  students, teacher and assistant circulating room.? ?When the 
  students are comfortable with orally producing, for example, "I am___.? I 
  am from____.? I live____"? etc., we introduce the writing of the 
  expressions- tracing the letters, connecting the dots of the letters- if 
  necessary, Cloze exercises etc. ?At times, it is necessary to teach some 
  how to hold a pencil/pen.? Then, we practice reading the 
  expressions.

  
?

  
We concentrate on using students' info to personalize the lesson and to 
  make the lesson relevant to them.? 

  
?

  
I recommend? A teacher's guide: teaching basic literacy to ESOL 
  learners? (2006) by Marina Spiegal & Helen Sunderland available 
  from? peppercornbooks.com

  
?

  
We avoid rules at this level because most are not familiar with rules in 
  L1.? 

  
?

  
An earlier posting discussed written corrections-?we assist the 
  student with corrections?in pencil or black or blue pen- this reduces 
  stress.

  
?

  
Thanks to Heide and all for your informative comments.

  
?

  
?

  
?

  
?

  
-------------- 
    Original message -------------- 
From: "Wrigley, Heide" 
    <heide at literacywork.com> 


> Hi, Darlene and everyone who 

    works with low level learners. 

> 

> We worked with the 

    Coalition for Limited English Speaking Elderly to 

> develop a 

    curriculum for refugees and immigrants who struggled with 

> English 

    and were relatively new to English literacy. 

> 

> This may 

    still not be low enough for what your students need and we'll 

> talk 

    about the issues that Phil from Florida has also raised - how to 

> 

    help non-literate immigrants and refugees break into literacy without 
    

> killing them with the alphabet. The curriculum relies on hands-on 

    work 

> with literacy and tries to link ideas from learners' everyday 

    lives ( 

> based on a needs assessment) with English language and 

    literacy skills.) 

> < BR>> ; 

> For those of you who 

    work with non-literate learners, what do you do to 

> introduce print 

    without killing them with the alphabet? Environmental 

> print, anyone 

    - combined perhaps with an introduction to the rules and 

> patterns 

    of English print that uses texts from learners' lives as a 

> starting 

    point? 

> 

> Here's the link for the curriculum 

> 

    

> http://www.clese.org/brightideas_eslcurric.htm 

> 

> By 

    the way, there is no copyright on any of these materials, so Xerox 

> 

    away 

> 

> Let me know if this is helpful 

> 

> 

    

> Best 

> 

> Heide 

> 

> -----Original 

    Message----- 

> From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov 

> 

    [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Darlene Snider 
    

> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 5:06 PM 

> To: The Adult English 

    Language Learners Discussion List 

> Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2394] 

    Re: R eading and Adult English Language 

> Learners 

> 

> 

    Heide, 

> 

> I am very excited about this discussion. I work 

    with the 

> level 1 (including pre-lit) and level 2 ESL students at 

    

> Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla Wa. I would 

> 

    like to gain some insight into how to really address the 

> needs of 

    the students who enter at the pre-lit reading 

> level. I feel that 

    these are students who really need 

> every ounce of expertise i have 

    and I'm looking for some 

> strategies I can apply in my classroom . 

    

> 

> darlene 

> 

> 

> 

> On Mon, 12 May 

    2008 14:17:49 -0400 

> "Wrigley, Heide" wrote: 

    

> > Good morning all 

> > 

> > 

> > 

    

> > It's 7 am here in Southern New Mexico, it's still nice 

    

> >and cool and the 

> > roses are blooming big time and 

    I should be going out to < BR>> ; >water soon 

> > 

    (coffee first, though) 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> 

    > 

> > 

> > I wanted to welcome you to the discussion 

    on ESL Reading 

> >and am hoping 

> > that we'll have a 

    lively back and forth as you pose 

> >questions, challenge 

> 

    > assumptions, and share your own experience teaching 

> 

    >reading to ESL 

> > students - either teaching these skills 

    explicitly and 

> >systematically or 

> > just folding 

    reading into your regular curriculum. 

> > 

> > 

> 

    > 

> > I would like to invite you to tell us a sentence or two 

    

> >about yourself 

> > and your work and your experience 

    before you post your 

> >messages. 

> > 

> > 

    

> > 

> > Just a bit of background: I'm Heide Spruck 

    Wrigley and 

> >my work revolves 

> > around the 

    intersectio n of r esearch, policy and 

> >practice. I've been 

    

> > involved in several studies on ESL literacy (broader 

> 

    >than just reading) 

> > that we can talk about, and this year 

    I'm doing quite a 

> >bit of work 

> > around workplace 

    literacy. Most of my work has been 

> >with language 

> > 

    minority adults who are relatively new to English but 

> >I've also 

    taught 

> > in intensive reading programs at the university level. 

    

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > I've been working 

    with the Texas GREAT Centers 

> >(professional development 

> 

    > centers) for a number of years, and this year we started 

> >a 

    series of 

> > institutes that focus on ESL Reading with a special 

    

> >emphasis on 

> > comprehension skills. So this 

    discussion is an outgrowth 

> >of this work. 

> > 

> 

    > 

> > 

> > A bit later, I'll write a note about the 2 

    or 3 things 

> >we know for sure 

> > about reading (of 

    any kind, not just reading in another 

> >language so we 

> 

    > don't have to get caught up in the "reading wars"). 

> > 

    

> > 

> > 

> > But in the meantime, I'd like to 

    invite you to jump in 

> >and say a bit 

> > more about 

    who you are and what issues you are 

> >grappling with when it 

    

> > comes to helping your ESL students understand what they 

    

> >read. 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

    And a special welcome to the Texas teachers who have 

> >been 

    involved in 

> > the institutes. I'm hoping you will share your 

    

> >experience teaching 

> > reading and tell us what has 

    worked for you. 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > All 

    the best 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > Heide 

    
&g t; > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

    

> > 

> > 

> >From: 

    englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov 

> > 

    [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of 

> >Lynda 

    Terrill 

> > Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 7:21 AM 

> > To: 

    englishlanguage at nifl.gov 

> > Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2374] 

    Discussion on Reading 

> >and Adult 

> > EnglishLanguage 

    Learners begins 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > Dear 

    subscribers, 

> > 

> > I am happy to announce that our 

    discussion on reading 

> >and adults 

> > learning English 

    as a second language is beginning. 

> > Heide Wrigley will 

> 

    > be facilitating this discussion along with Texas 

> 

    >practitioners who have 

> > been working on a project related 

    to reading. I look 

> >forward to hearing 

> > what they 

    have to share, butI also l ook forward to 

> >hearing many of your 

    

> > experiences, questions, and answers about this important 

    

> >topic. 

> > 

> > Lynda Terrill 

> > 

    lterrill at cal.org 

> > 

> > 

> > 

    ________________________________ 

> > 

> > Stay in touch 

    when you're away with Windows Live 

> >Messenger. IM anytime 

    

> > you're online. 

> > 

> 

> 

    > fresh_messenger_052008> 

> > 

> 

> 

> 

    This message has been scanned for SPAM and viruses by Barracuda Networks 
    

> SPAM Firewall 400. 

> Please call the WWCC Helpdesk @ 

    509-527-4357 if you have questions. 

> 

    ---------------------------------------------------- 

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    delivered to janeaddeo at comcast.net 


 





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