Teaching ELLs to Navigate Textbooks!

Teaching ELLs to Navigate Textbooks Effectively

By: Colorín Colorado (2010)

Knowing how to navigate a textbook effectively is an important part of a student's ability to access new content. Conversely, being unable to read and use a textbook is a major obstacle for students when presented with new material and concepts across the curriculum, especially if a class calls for extended independent reading and review of the textbook.

For English language learners (ELLs), learning how to use a textbook can be a powerful tool in increasing their comprehension of material in all of their academic work and particularly in the content areas. While it may seem to be a basic skill, ELLs may be students with:

• no formal educational experience
• extensive schooling in a different country
• long-term experience in the U.S. system for many years but with limited exposure to a mainstream curriculum.

In each of these cases, it is quite possible that the students don't have experience with the kinds of textbooks they will be using in a U.S. classroom, or that they haven't learned how use textbooks as a toold to support their learning.

The good news is that many textbooks — especially those designed for ELLs or struggling readers — contain elements that can be used to help preview new material before starting a lesson. Once students learn what these elements are and how they can be used, students can begin to preview content and build background knowledge independently in their classes on a regular basis.

In order to help you get started building this skill, this article offers some strategies for teaching the parts of a textbook, the organization of a chapter within a textbook, as well as a strategy for previewing content with a "chapter walk."

Part I: Teach students textbook and chapter elements

Textbooks

At the beginning of the school year, introduce students to the elements of their textbooks and how they can be used, such as:

• Cover
• Author
• Table of contents
• Glossary
• Index
• Appendices

Show students examples of these elements in their own books, and ask them questions that check their comprehension of the differences between these tools, such as:

• "I want to know which chapter is about whales. Where should I look for that information?"
• "I want to learn about killer whales. How can I find the right page number for that information?"
• "I want to know what 'spout' means. Where can I find that definition?"

In addition, be sure to point out the specific features of textbooks that your students are using (a bilingual glossary, for example), as well as content-related tools (the Periodic Table of Elements in a chemistry textbook). Provide students with examples of the ways those tools can be used.

Each time students begin using a new textbook, review the elements they have already learned and point out any different features or elements of the new book. You may wish to use an activity to review the different parts they have learned such as the worksheets in the Hotlinks.

Chapters

Once students have mastered the main parts of a textbook, they are ready to move on to the parts of the chapter that will aid their informational reading, such as:

• Titles
• Chapter objectives
• Headings and subheadings
• Vocabulary lists
• Bold print (key vocabulary in context)
• Captions
• Side bars
• Maps
• Graphs (Circle, pie, bar, picto-gram, etc.)
• Pictures
• Bullets
• Review questions
• Quizzes

Show students examples of these elements and talk about their function. What is the difference between a graph and a picture? What is the difference between a bullet point and a bold heading? Help students understand how these elements are used to organize text and to highlight important information. One way to do so is by providing a blank outline that students can fill in with key headings and topics.

Review these elements before each chapter, and be sure to point out these elements in other expository texts, assessments, or articles that students encounter.

Part II: Use a "chapter walk"

Now that students know the basics, they can begin to preview content more and more independently as the school year progresses by using a "chapter walk."

Step 1: Have students look for:

• the objectives of the chapter
• key vocabulary
• visual elements (pictures, maps, diagrams, and graphs)
• headings and subheadings
• captions.

Step 2: Based on what they find, ask students to predict what the chapter will be about.

Step 3: Guide students to some key concepts and vocabulary words by asking questions about their predictions (see example below).

Step 4: Ask students to share what they know about the chapter topics.

Step 5: As students get more practice with this technique, ask them to use the review questions at the end of the chapter to help them predict what they will learn before they begin to read.

An activity like this may take some time at first because it's time-consuming to teach. If you use it with regularity, however, it will become easier and quicker, and students will be able to do this on their own at the beginning of a new chapter.

From the Classroom: Teacher Example

In this example, Amber Prentice describes how she uses the chapter walk:

"When we get to a new chapter in the text, the first thing I do is to ask students to open their book to the first page of that chapter. I ask questions about what they will learn based on what they see on that page, such as 'What do you think this chapter is about? What do we know about that topic?' or 'What do you see in this picture?' Students offer their ideas, and I then ask them to take those ideas a step further so that we can begin to build background knowledge.

"In a unit about Native Americans in North America, my students looked at a picture that showed a couple Native American men in canoes, one with a net and fish at the bottom of the canoe. The students said, 'I see a boat, I see a man, I see a net, I see water, etc.' And I asked them what that taught them about Native Americans.

"After a few guesses, I asked them if they could guess what kind of food they ate. Right away they made the connection that the people in the picture ate fish. They also noticed the 'long boats,' and so I was able to introduce the word 'canoes.'"

As you move through these activities on a regular basis, students will become more confident with their ability to find information independently. Help student understand that this is a skill that they can use in all of their classes and that it will be very helpful to them throughout their academic career, especially as they get to more difficult courses and more difficult textbooks. They will appreciate the tools and skills you are giving them to learn and succeed!

Hot links

• Teach-nology.com: Using Parts of a Book (worksheets)
  These activities focus on the parts of a book such as the Table of Contents and Index.
• Parts of a Book (Riddles)
  These riddles from TeacherVision.com offer a good review for ELLs just learning new vocabulary words related to books.
• Text Features: Non-Fiction Printed Page vs. Website Format
  This chart from ReadWriteThink.org gives students a reference for comparing non-fiction textbook or printed material to website content features.
• Expository Text Structures and Signal Words
  This document posted by U-46 School District in Elgin, Illinois provides an overview of five expository text structures, associated signal words, and related graphic organizers.
• Text-Mapping Project
  Step-by-step lesson plan on how to map text with students.
• Non-fiction Text: Classroom Resources
  This packet includes some activities that can be used with students to help them identify text features and structures.

Activities to build RESPECT FOR ALL in your classrooms!

Activities to increase

in your classrooms

Possible Read Alouds: 

      Alley Oops by Janice Levy, Blubber by Judy Blume, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, Colder than Ice by David Patneaude, Felita by Nicolasa Mohr, Funerals and Fly Fishing by Mary Bartek, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, It’s OK to be Different by Todd Parr, Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig, King of the Playground by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Mr. Lincoln’s Way by Patricia Polacco, Nobody Knew What to Do by Becky Ray McCain, Don’t Laugh at Me by Steve Seskin & Glin Dibley, Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, Pinky & Rex and the Bully by James Howe, Play Lady/La Senora Juguetona by Eric Hoffman, The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill, My Name is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada, Name Calling by Itah Sadu, The Misfits by James Howe.

    

   

AActivities for your classroom!

(great for community meetings on character building)

v Give students targeted online anti-bullying strategies by downloading: http://www.thatgirlinpink.org/publications/ebook/

v Design a mobile! Use paper, string, & a clothes hanger to have students write four different areas or situations where respect should be shown (ex. to peers, gender equality, to the environment, different cultures, etc.)

v Respect Recipes: Have students write out: “What ingredients do you need for Respect?”

v Check out the one-hour documentary “Not in Our Town,” about a town coming together to take action after anti-immigrant violence devastates the community (lessons including on website): http://www.niot.org/lightinthedarkness

v Create a paper “Chain of Love & Respect” (can tie it in with Valentine’s Day) where each student writes synonyms for the word respect & ways they can be respectful towards others-can build on the chain throughout the week. Hang the chain around or outside your classroom!

v Have students keep a Compliment Journal. Every day they must give a sincere, respectful compliment and then write down to who and what was the reaction.

v Math ConnectionàCharting Respect. Have students watch a favorite TV show for 30 minutes and mark down the number of times they see examples of respectful and disrespectful behavior. Create a whole class graph. Lead a class discussion.

v Art ConnectionàHave students draw what they think healthy SELF-RESPECT looks like OR they can draw a picture of how they think they look when they feel proud of something good they have done. 

v Have students create a paper bag puppet of different activists they respect in history.

v 8 tips to protect ELLs from bullying in the classroom: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/55612/

v Have students create a rap, chant, or song about respect.  Record and turn it into a class video or pod cast! (remember to get photo/video releases signed)

v Teaching Tolerance: What is Bullying? http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/bullying-basics

v Sparkle Statements: Have students write on colorful paper in glue “respectful statements” people would say to make someone smile, sprinkle with glitter and voila!

v “Tear Me Apart, Put Me Back Together, Never Be The Same” lesson (see attached for plan)

v Respect Campaign Buttons: Create a visual, persuasive campaign button that would help someone understand what respect means.

"I" and "WHY"

Try this behavior management strategy suggested by David Ginsburg:

                                                     

Tip #1 is to use "I" statements such as "I need you to return to your seat, please" rather than "you" statements like "you need to sit down" or commands like "sit down." 
Tip #2 is to give students a compelling reason to do something.

Now! Put them together!

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2014/01/redirect_student_behavior_with_i_and_why.html?cmp=ENL-TU-NEWS3

Book Buddies!

Our Middle School students under the leadership of Ms. Block have joined up Ms. Steenwyk's K/1/2 class for a book buddies partnership!

Reading buddies has shown an increase in fluency in older struggling readers and also increased vocabulary development in younger readers, which is so important for comprehension and decoding! 

What an amazing program to address the academic and social needs of all ages of students. Plus! Look at those smiles!

Check out this great article, which further addresses this topic and gives suggestions on launching your own book buddies program.