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D R . L I N D S E Y M OS E ST W I T T E R : @D R L I N D S E Y M OS E S

SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS IN THE READING WORKSHOP

DR. LINDSEY MOSES

• Literacy and ELLs• Reading and Writing

Workshops with ELLs• Differentiation• Small-group Instruction • Culturally and Linguistically

Diverse Education• Arizona State University• Heinemann Author and

Consultant• lindseymoses1@gmail.com• Lindseymoses.weebly.com• Twitter: @drlindseymoses

GOALS: SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS

• Who are English learners?• Effective instruction for English learners• Top five tips for supporting English learners in a Reading

Workshop• Reading Workshop• Sample unit of study• Whole-group instruction• Guided learning experiences• Small-group instruction• Culminating experiences

WHO ARE ENGLISH LEARNERS?

• Diverse and growing • (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2010)

• Over 400 languages in the U.S. • (Kindler, 2002)

• Many linguistic resources• (MacSwan, Rolstad, and Glass 2002; Valdes et al., 2005)

Bilingualism and biliteracy are assets!

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY LEVELS(MOSES, 2015)

Stages of Language Proficiency Description

Stage 1:PreproductionSilent Period (Starting)

Students areina silent period inwhich they listen, but do not speakin English. They may respond using nonverbal cuesin attempt to communicate basicneeds.

Stage 2:EarlyProduction (Emerging)

Students arebeginning to understand moreoral language. They respond usingone- ortwo-word phrasesand start toproduce simple sentences for basicsocialinteractions and tomeet basic needs.

Stage 3:Speech Emergence (Developing)

Students’ listening comprehension improves, and they canunderstand writtenEnglish. Students arefairly comfortable engaging in socialconversations usingsimple sentences, but they arejust beginning to develop their academiclanguage proficiency.

Stage 4:Intermediate Fluency(Expanding)

Students understand and frequently useconversational English with relativelyhigh accuracy.Theiracademic vocabulary isexpanding, but they still needsupport with contextualization of abstract concepts. They areabletocommunicate theirideas in both oraland written contexts.

Stage 5:Advanced Fluency (Bridging)

Students comprehend and engage inconversational and academic English withproficiency. They perform neargrade-level in reading, writing, and othercontent areas.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF ENGLISH LEARNERS

• Performance on standardized assessments• (NAEP, 2009; Muter et al., 2004; National Research Council,

1997)• Instruction and grouping• (Allington, 1991; Darling-Hammond, 1995; Ruiz-de-Velasco &

Fix, 2000)

• Language as a form• (Bernhardt, 2011)

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WIDA SUGGESTED SUPPORTS CHALLENGING AND RIGOROUS CURRICULUM

• English learners should be exposed to the same content, concepts and opportunities as monolingual English speaking students.• This includes narrative and informational texts• Units of study throughout the presentation will focus on

narrative and informational experiences for primary grades• Opportunities for inquiry and building on background

knowledge

SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS IS ABOUT DIFFERENTIATION

WHAT ARE WE DIFFERENTIATING IN DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION?

(SERAFINI, 2012)

• Texts• Teaching• Task• Time• Talk • Context

TOP FIVE TIPS FOR SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS IN A READING WORKSHOP

1. Build a Classroom Community: Supportive Spaces2. Encourage Discussion: Chatter Matters3. Implement Meaningful, Consistent, Thematically

Integrated Curriculum: Insightful Instruction4. Focus on Content and Language Instruction:

Balancing Both5. Use Assessment to Guide Instruction and

Differentiation: Ideal Individualization

#1. BUILD A CLASSROOM COMMUNITY: SUPPORTIVE SPACES

• Cooperative learning• Low-stress situations to take risks with language• Opportunities to speak and listen

• Choice• Texts, topics, and responses (see example in video with #3)

• Celebrate “thinking in progress” and clarification of misconceptions• It isn’t what you already know that is important. Celebrate

the learning and shifts in thinking. Think like a scientist!

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#2. ENCOURAGE DISCUSSION: CHATTER MATTERS

• Supportive classroom language• Opportunities for meaningful discussions

#3. IMPLEMENT MEANINGFUL, CONSISTENT, THEMATICALLY INTEGRATED CURRICULUM:

INSIGHTFUL INSTRUCTION

• Emphasize skills and strategies IN CONTEXT!• Encourage higher-order thinking and moving

beyond the text• Whole-group supports small-group and

independent inquiry

#4. FOCUS ON CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION: BALANCING BOTH

• Set content and language objectives• Plan for both• Ask yourself….• What is my goal/objective for the content?• What language supports do I need to provide to support

my English learners in meeting this goal and objective?• What language supports do English learners need to

demonstrate their understanding of the content?

#5. USE ASSESSMENT TO GUIDE INSTRUCTION AND DIFFERENTIATION: IDEAL INDIVIDUALIZATION

• Successful instruction for ELs clearly and consistently aligns with standards and assessments (Doherty et al., 2003; Montecel & Cortez, 2002)• Ask yourself• What do I want to know?• Why do I want to know it?• How can I best discover it?

• Options• Student work • Observations• Conferring

• Use what you know to differentiation accordingly

IMPLICATIONS FOR LITERACY INSTRUCTION ACCORDING TO LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY LEVELS

(SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS IN THE READING WORKSHOP. MOSES, 2015)

Stages of LanguageProficiency

Implications for Literacy Instruction

Stage 1:PreproductionSilent Period (Starting)

Oralreading should bemodeled by the teacher and other students. Studentsin the silent period should not be forced to speak, but should be given theopportunity to try,if they want, in agroup activity where they won’t besingled out.

Stage 2:Early Production(Emerging)

Teacher and students should continue to model oralreading. Students shouldbe encouraged to begin taking riskswith simple, rehearsed reading anddiscussion innon-threaten ing situations.

Stage 3:Speech Emergence(Developing)

Students continue to learn through modeling. Students should beparticipating in whole-class, small-group, partner, and rehearsed reading,writing and discussion activities. They will need support and opportunities topractice with feedback before independent orpaired sharing orreading for anaudience.

Stage 4:IntermediateFluency(Expanding)

With scaffolding, students can successfully participate in most all literacyactivities that native-speakers areexpected tocomplete. Open-endedquestions will allow students to demonstrate comprehension and academiclanguage development.

Stage 5:Advanced Fluency(Bridging)

Students should beencouraged to use higher-level thinking skills during theiroral reading. They are near native-like proficiency in oral reading, but maystill need support with analyzing, inferring and evaluating.

THE READING WORKSHOP(STRUCTURE)

Units of StudyTeacher-Guided Lessons/Mini-lessonsGuided Learning Experiences/Purposeful Independent Learning Experiences

ConferringSmall-Group InstructionSharing

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UNITS OF STUDY FOR ELS

• Connected and cohesive instruction over time• Predictable structures• Ranges in focus and genres• Content and language objectives for the unit and

individual lessons

TEACHER-GUIDED LESSONS/MINI-LESSONS: ANCHOR LESSONS

• Introduce essential skill or concept that will be helpful to students’ independent reading• 7-10 minutes suggested time• Extended time for multilingual classrooms to build

community, foster deeper thinking, discussion, exploration, and engagement with literature• More wait time for ELs• Provide additional language scaffolds• Opportunities for talk

INDEPENDENT READING WITH CHOICE

• Reading work with choice• Book shopping• Reading texts of interest• Allows ELs to build on background knowledge• Allows ELs to select culturally relevant text

• Applying skills while reading self-selected text• Reading responses• Busy work or authentic engagement and responses with

literature?

RESPONDING TO READING

ASK YOURSELF…•What do you do when you finish reading a book?•Take a minute and share some responses with us…

RESPONDING TO LITERATURE

• Talk About Texts• Read Another Connected Text• Make Suggestions for Other Readers• Research a Related Topic of Interest• Question the Text / Ideas• Re-Read Text• Reflect in Writing• Write to the Author / Illustrator• Use Ideas for Own Writing

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SMALL-GROUP INSTRUCTION

• Many types of small-group options to support ELs• Guided reading• Strategy instruction• Vocabulary instruction sheltering/frontloading/reviewing• Supported literature circles• Fluency • Word word• Decoding skills

• Needs-based, interest-based, flexible!

SHARING

• Sharing, reflection, celebration!• Provide an audience• Make the time• Daily• Culminating

• Related to reading content AND language objectives• Discuss, revisit, reflect on challenges and success

with reading and second language acquisition

CONFERRING

• So important with English learners because their language is developing at such a rapid rate!• Meet on a regular basis

• Focus on language and content• Informs your future grouping and instruction

CONFERRING SESSIONS (AND NOTEBOOK ORGANIZATION)

1. Observe, discuss, and check in with student during independent work2. Document and share something that is going well3. Provide coaching for an area of need or aspect of language support4. Encourage continued use in independent work

ASSESSMENT

• Again, content AND language• Observations• Formal and informal assessments• Assessing progress toward unit objectives• Teacher-created rubrics

LOGISTICS…H OW DO W E F IT I T AL L IN?

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SAMPLE SCHEDULE

• Introduction (3-5 minutes)• Includes connections to previous learning and content and

language objective presentation. • Anchor Lesson (15-20 minutes, though some days may

be longer while others just include a brief mini-lesson)• Involves the modeling and guided practice.

• Guided Learning Experiences Workshop Time (60 minutes)• Students are working from their guided learning experiences

menu to read and apply skills (independently or in partners or small-groups) while the teacher confers and meets with small groups.

• Reflection and Sharing (5-10 minutes)• Students and teachers review objectives, reflect, share successes and

challenges and participate in discussion of the workshop.

ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULE #2

• Introduction (3-5 minutes)• Includes connections to previous learning and content and language objective

presentation. • Anchor Lesson (10-15 minutes, though some days may be longer while others

just include a br ief mini-lesson)• Involves the modeling and guided practice.

• Guided Learning Exper iences Workshop Time (20 minutes)• Students are working from their guided learning experiences menu to read and apply skills

(independently or in partners or small-groups) while the teacher confers and meets with small groups.

• Or, options for independent reading (reading pictures , retelling, reading the words), partner reading, reading responses, word work, writing

• Mini-Lesson (10 minutes)• Involves revis iting and guided practice with s trategies or expectations for responses

• Guided Learning Exper iences Workshop Time (30 minutes)• Students are working from their guided learning experiences menu to read and apply skills

(independently or in partners or small-groups) while the teacher confers and meets with small groups.

• Or, options for independent reading (reading pictures , retelling, reading the words), partner reading, reading responses, word work, writing

• Reflection and Shar ing (5-10 minutes)• Students and teachers review objectives , reflect, share successes and challenges and participate in

discuss ion of the workshop.

ROUTINES: WHOLE GROUP AND GUIDED LEARNING EXPERIENCES

* FR OM M OSE S, L . ( 2 0 1 5) . SU P POR T I NG D I VER SE LEAR N ERS IN T HE R E A D I N G WOR K SHOP . POR T SM OU TH, N H: HE I NE MAN N

WHOLE GROUP MINI-LESSONS

• Should set the stage…this is the I do, we do part of the workshop• Should provide instruction that will be applicable to

their small group, partner and independent reading• Also an opportunity to introduce, scaffold and

support opportunities and expectations for small group, partner and independent work• Introduce options and practice…Create a “menu

of options”• Ex. Lit. circles, book talks, book club, readers’

theatre, readers’ response notebooks, responses to reading, text selection, writers’ notebooks, listening center, etc.

SAMPLE: WHOLE GROUP TO ESTABLISH SMALL GROUP (PRIMARY LESSON)

Unit Focus:• Researching Natural DisastersContent Objectives: • I can research a natural disaster• I can identify two nonfiction text features and their

purposeLanguage Objectives:• I can listen to information about a natural disaster• I can share information I learned with others• I can use two nonfiction text features in my researchCornerstone Text:• Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens

(Lauber, 1986)

ANCHOR LESSON: NONFICTION TEXT FEATURES

1. Objectives2. Exploration, noticing, naming and purpose of

nonfiction text features

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SAMPLE FROM CLASSROOM

NonfictionTextFeature Purpose Example

Image “Helpsustoknowwhatyouarereading.” -Jorge“Showsuswhatishardtounderstandfromjustwords.” -Chris

Labels “Tellsustheimportantwordsandpartsinthepicture.” –Sarai“ It’slikethevocabularywords.”-Jon

Captions “Tellswhatisinthepicture.”- Sarai“ It’sthestoryofthepicture- soweknowwhat’sgoingon.” - Paloma

INDEPENDENT INQUIRY

1. Self-selected inquiry (natural disasters)2. Independent exploration/reading3. Represent a new understanding utilizing an image,

label and caption (or the nonfiction text features you have introduced) and share in a small-group setting.

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MOVING TO SMALL GROUP AND INDEPENDENT WORK

• Pull needs-based groups to support their inquiry• Decoding• Comprehension• Nonfiction text features• Documenting their understanding• New inquiry tools

• Encourage students to use this in small group and during workshop/independent work time

TOOLS FOR INQUIRY(ADDRES S ED IN DETAIL DURING MY GETTING S TARTED WITH INQUIRY S ES S IONS TOMORROW)

• Inquiry Strategies• Viewing• Questions/I Wonder• I Learned• Interactive Components• Documenting Schema/I Think• Connecting Thinking • Visual Representation Strategies• Text Features• Sources• Sharing/Presenting

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LANGUAGE FRAMES

• I wonder ____________• I learned ____________• I think ____________• I see _____________

W OR D W OR K

NEEDS-BASED SMALL GROUP EXAMPLE

PRIMARY WORD WORK AND DECODING (WORD FAMILY SCAVENGER HUNT AND POETRY CREATION)

Content Objectives: • I can identify words in the “at” family• I can help create an “at” family poemLanguage Objectives:• I can read “at” family words• I can read our “at” family poem out loudCornerstone Text:• The Cat in the Hat (Suess)

SMALL-GROUP LESSON SEQUENCE

• Objectives• “At” family chart• Scavenger hunt with read aloud• Finger on, finger up• Add to chart (with visual support)• “At” family poetry creation (LEA with visuals)• Small-group poem of the week and independent

reading option

KINDERGARTEN SAMPLE POEM

YES, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER KIDS?

P U R P OS EF U L GU IDED L EAR NING EX P ER IENC ES

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ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS

• Purposeful options for supporting and facilitating independence• Should provide opportunities for readers• To read• To apply their learning and thinking to reading• To respond to reading in meaningful ways without the direct

instruction of the teacher• Choice• Accountability

HOW DO WE HELP THEM BE INDEPENDENT?

• Build stamina• Establish expectations with student input• Create anchor charts together with expectations

(see examples)• Visually display where students should be and when

(groups, rotations, etc.)

STRATEGY INSTRUCTION TO SUPPORT ELS

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

• Strategy clip in 1st grade• Look for the reference to supportive strategies for

English learners in this clip. We will chat about it after.

BUT THEY ARE ONLY EMERGENT READERS AND/OR BEGINNING ELS

• Their responses can be illustrated with written attempts• Provide language frames and scaffolds to enhance

participation: Place these on large posters that are visible to students.• I wonder ____________.• I read _______________ by __________.• I see ___________.• I learned ______________.• Story summary: Illustration with spacing for a

caption

REFLECTION AND SHARING

• Daily reflection and sharing with opportunities for talk• Culminating reflection and sharing with authentic

audience and purpose

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DAILY IDEAS

• Documenting and sharing from reader response notebook• Checklists of menu options during workshop time• Turn and talk about workshop experience• Sharing successes from independent reading and

work• Progress sharing with partners by showing or

presenting their most recent progress during reading or toward culminating projects• Goal and accomplishments notebooks• Goal-oriented to-do-list

CULMINATING PROJECTS

• Should provide an opportunity for students to bring together their learning and present it in an engaging and meaningful way• Audience considerations• Product and presentation considerations (poster,

report, speech, ppt., lapbook, activism, video recording, wiki, podcast, open mic/coffee house)

BOOK AWARDS VIDEO

• We are going to watch a video of a Culminating Event that was a Book Awards Show.• First, you will see the set up and introduction to the

show.• Next, you will see a class performance.• Finally, you will see an English learner nonfiction

expert announce the award for nonfiction.• Consider what aspects of this culminating project would

help support, celebrate, reflect and share English learners’ reading development.

GOALS: SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS

• Who are English learners?• Effective instruction for English learners• Top five tips for supporting English learners in a Reading

Workshop• Reading Workshop• Sample unit of study• Whole-group instruction• Guided learning experiences• Small-group instruction• Culminating experiences