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Teaching English Language Learners: Across the Content Areas

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It's one thing to teach a child to speak English. It's another to teach them history while they're still learning English. "Teaching English Language Learners: Across the Content Areas" is a guide for teachers who have English as a Second Language students in their class rooms and how to cope with the language barrier of a child who is trying to grasp a language that they won't learn over night. The stages of language mastery, working these children with their peers, and talking to the parents and guardians, "Teaching English Language Learners" is a vital resource for any educator who will be faced with such a child.

I read most of this book while sitting on a beach in Maine one weekend. That doesn't mean it's a typical summer beach read. (It's not as fun or steamy as the ones I grab from the new fiction shelf at the library.) I did, however, find it very well written with a concise, accessible style. I've worked with English learners for 20 years and have tried to keep current on recent research through graduate classes, workshops, and independent study. This book presents the latest research and offers strategies for all grade levels. It encourages teachers to know their students, to differentiate instruction, and to plan for multiple ways that students can show what they have learned. The authors are not preachy. They understand that differentiating instruction for English learners is challenging and requires collaboration with peers and support from administration. I will facilitate an inquiry group at my school this year, and this is the text we will read and discuss. I look forward to the conversations this book will generate!