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literacyworldwide.org | January/February 2017 | LITERACY TODAY
The Literacy Scene
LIT BITS
Marybeth Haas, Crystal Lee, Hyun McGee,
Maria Gonzalez, and Jody Turner dressed as the
pumpkins from Five Little Pumpkins for Halloween.
All five are ESOL teachers at Charles Brant Chesney
Elementary School in Georgia.
E-mail photos to literacytoday@reading.org or post
them on social media with #Steps4Literacy and they
could appear in the next issue.
As a researcher and former high school EL teacher, I’ve been able to introduce culturally relevant reading to many EL
classes. Here are some ways to teach ELA standards for beginner through advanced ELs:
Culturally Relevant Readings for English Learners
My Five…
1. Picture books. ELs can teach the class about their
country while using their emerging oral and written
English. For rich illustrations with limited text, try
the I See the Sun series from Satya House Publications,
bilingual books about countries from ThingsAsian Press,
and the Country ABCs series from Capstone.
2. Poetry. Using fewer words to say more is excellent
for students acquiring vocabulary. Try Red Hot Salsa:
Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United
States or 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East.
3. Short stories. Papers: Stories by Undocumented Youth
and First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants are
collections containing short narratives of rich stories
about youth from various countries.
4. L1 or bilingual books. Don’t put nurturing a love of
reading on hold until students can read an entire novel in
English. Many ELs read well in their L1. Popular books-
turned-movies are a good choice and are often available
in various languages.
5. High-interest novels. When students are ready, authors
such as Julia Alvarez, An Na, René Saldaña, Beverley
Naidoo, Firoozeh Dumas, and Anilú Bernardo write
about topics ELs might relate to: leaving your country,
culture shock, and living biculturally.
Give students time in class for self-selected independent
reading, insist they take books home in any language, and
use these stories to inspire them to write about their own
lives. —Mandy Stewart, Texas
Have an idea for a brief My Five article?
E-mail literacytoday@reading.org.
Calling all
leaders
Although nominations close
for the current ILA Board of
Directors election cycle on
Jan. 13, we are now accepting
nominations year round.
Nominate a literacy leader any
time at literacyworldwide
.org/elections, and they will
be considered for next year’s
election.
■ The search continues for
the next editors of Reading
Research Quarterly, our
premier, peer-reviewed
journal. The application
deadline is Feb. 15. For
more information, visit
literacyworldwide
.org/rrq-call.