"Choosing Diverse Books for Your ELLs: Tips for Educators by Maryam Ahmad

mahmad23s — 2023-11-07 03:54:32 UTC

Enhancing Cultural Understanding: Diverse books provide insights into various cultures and traditions, fostering empathy and understanding among students. For example, using books like "Last Stop on Market Street" by Matt de la Peña exposes students to what it is like to live in a city and promotes discussion on socio-economic diversity in a colorful and vibrant way.

mahmad23s — 2023-11-07 04:01:13 UTC

Broadening Perspectives: It's important for students to be shown books that are not just from their culture but other cultures as well. For example, diverse books, such as "The Journey" by Francesca Sanna, vividly portray the experiences of refugees. In this book, the descriptive language paints a powerful picture of their journey, invoking empathy and understanding among students. This is important because it encourages critical thinking, expands students' worldviews even if they cannot relate firsthand, and helps them relate to the experiences of others, fostering a more inclusive and compassionate classroom environment.

mahmad23s — 2023-11-07 04:01:56 UTC

Promoting Multilingualism: I really liked the book, "Grandfather Counts" by Andrea Cheng which is a great example of a book that promotes multilingualism. It incorporates both English and Chinese which connects together to celebrate cultural and linguistic diversity. It can also encourage ELLs to embrace and use their home languages. This not only aids in language development but also fosters a sense of pride in one's cultural identity, contributing to a more inclusive classroom.

mahmad23s — 2023-11-07 04:02:27 UTC

Author Background: When evaluating cultural authenticity, it can be helpful to consider the author's background. For example, the book, "The Water Princess" is co-authored by Susan Verde and Georgie Badiel, both of whom have connections to their country in Africa. This co-authorship adds authenticity to the story and ensures that the cultural aspects are accurately represented. This is important because it instills a sense of respect and recognition for diverse cultures, encouraging students to appreciate

global perspectives.

mahmad23s — 2023-11-07 04:12:18 UTC

Surveying Student Interests: Surveying students' interests is a critical initial step in selecting mirror and window books for ELLs. This can be done by having a student reading interest survey, which can be prepared in collaboration with families, to uncover students' reading preferences and discover the diversity of their identities. By doing this, you create a foundation for book selections that align with students' backgrounds and experiences.

Understanding Family Dynamics: You can also incorporate families into the book selection process. This can be done by extending the survey to include families, allowing them to share their stories and reading interests. By involving families in this process, you promote inclusivity and ensure that book choices resonate with the cultural and familial aspects of your students' lives.

Safe and Respectful Environment: Its crucial to maintain a safe and respectful environment throughout this process. This can be done by avoiding overly personal questions, especially when dealing with immigrant students, and clearly convey the purpose of the survey which is to support book selections for the classroom.

mahmad23s — 2023-11-07 04:13:00 UTC

Collaborating with ELL Specialists: Another way to choose the right books are by collaborating closely with ELL specialists who have a deep understanding of students' language and literacy levels. These specialists can provide insights into students' language proficiency and help you evaluate the suitability of various texts based on students' reading abilities.

Guidelines and Resources: It's important to keep in mind that the same book in English may be at a different language level when translated, but resources like Scholastic Book Wizard and Level It Books can be employed to see text difficulty.

Supporting Student Motivation: While selecting texts, it is very important to consider the motivation of students with reading. Even students with lower proficiency levels may be inspired to tackle more challenging texts if they connect with the content. This connection is particularly significant when ELLs are engaging with topics that require background knowledge.

mahmad23s — 2023-11-07 04:13:45 UTC

Affirming Home Languages: Highlight the importance of books in students' home languages, especially for those who have learned to read in these languages.

Embracing Translanguaging: Recognize the practice of translanguaging, where ELLs draw from their linguistic system at all times. Incorporate texts that utilize translanguaging by including multiple languages in the same book.

Engaging Community Members: Another great resource are community members who speak your students' languages. Teachers can collaborate with these community members for readings or recordings which can be impactful for ELLs. Additionally, teachers can empower native speakers within their class to read parts of the text in their language if they feel comfortable.

mahmad23s — 2023-11-07 04:14:02 UTC

Author Studies and Comparisons: One book related activity teachers can do with students are diving into author and illustrator studies. By exploring books by the same author, students can delve deeper into themes and variations of stories. Additionally, comparing books by different authors on similar themes enriches their understanding of various cultural aspects and helps develop critical thinking skills.

Collaborative Reading Strategies: You can also encourage diverse reading methods such as partner reading and small group reading. These collaborative activities ensure that students can access diverse texts with support especially if it is difficult for them to read on their own.