I agree with all the methods suggested for this group. Now I have more tools
to use and/or modify for my students. Thanks! 

Has anyone used L1 materials with these students? I'm experimenting with
short articles from our local Spanish newspaper. So far, most of the
students seem relieved to be able to handle something in Spanish. They are
translating it into English for the tutor. Vocabulary and grammar lessons
included! I hope it will give them more confidence to see that they can read
in Spanish now. They've pointed out repeatedly that Spanish looks like it
sounds. One group even demonstrated the alphabet sounds to a tutor. 

 

  _____  

From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of janeaddeo at comcast.net
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 10:58 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. 

> ---------------------------------------------------- 

> National Institute for Literacy 

> Adult English Language Learners mailing list 

> EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov 

> To u nsubsc ribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 

> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/englishlanguage 

> Email delivered to heide at literacywork.com 

> ---------------------------------------------------- 

> National Institute for Literacy 

> Adult English Language Learners mailing list 

> EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov 

> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 

> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/englishlanguage 

> Email delivered to janeaddeo at comcast.net 


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/englishlanguage/attachments/20080514/00cb7f35/attachment.html