Selecting ESL Materials to Promote Literacy

Determining the Level of English Proficiency
There are several factors to consider when selecting materials for ESL learners. You should take into account the English level of the student, as well as the quality of the materials. For me, pinpointing a student's level can sometimes be difficult. There is the SOLOM Instrument and the Oral Language Development (OLD) Instrument that can help in determining a student's level. The SOLOM Instrument has been used for many years to assess oral language development. The OLD Instrument was developed by a teacher in Utah and is used as a means for informally assessing oral language developement for ELL's. I found that I prefered the OLD Instrument better. It listed the levels as: Early and Pre-Production, Speech Emergence, Intermediate, High Intermediate and Fluent. It also uses very descriptive but easy to understand details. It is important to use a tool such as one of these instruments to accurately place an ELL before giving them materials.

Evaluating Materials
Even with the number of ESL students in Tennessee, there may not always be a lot of literature or materials available. It is important for a teacher to be able to critique the readily available materials to be adjusted and utilized for ESL learners. Criteria to look for and take into consideration is: level of literature, vocabulary within text, literature encourages metacognitive tools, promotes discussion, and utilizes illustrations. Not all literature will have each of these items, but it is important to ensure the quality of the material.

Promoting Literacy
It is vital to promote literacy among ESL students. I've seen from personal experience how much reading can develop a person's skills. When I moved to Japan, I had a friend from America with the same level of Japanese (that would be none). Even though he was a linguist and studied non-stop, within two years he was fluent in Japanese. He contributed most of his success to reading. Soon after moving to his town in Japan, he visited his local library and checked out books weekly. He started out with basic children books and was working on newspapers when we left. I firmly believe that if students can become interested in some kind of literature it will help their literacy skills develop. There are many activities that teachers can use to make literacy more fun or interesting.
Teachers can use:

• Dialogs
• Interviews
• Choral Readings
• Reader's Theater

For more idea's or information, click on the picture/link below.

(Teaching Children to Read)



(How to Teach Reading Strategies)