Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
By Elizabeth Scanland
I teach English as a second language (ESL) to adults in levels two and three. These students have a great deal of learning ahead of them to communicate proficiently and are starting this learning without the advantage of time that younger learners have. Reading is, of course, an effective way to expand vocabulary, and I am newly convinced the books that should be added to their list are those intended for elementary school students on history, science, and social studies. Here’s why.
Ian Roe and Natalie Wexler
Roe (2021) shows us reading proficiency data of eighth graders in Rhode Island. According to the data, it’s not only Black and Hispanic students who have low reading scores on standardized tests: reading scores are also poor for Whites. Roe (2021) writes that this information “…shatters the accepted truth that there is any sole or even primary cause of low proficiency rates among Black and Hispanic Americans,” and argues we need to change our approach to reading instruction.
He goes on to quote Wexler (2019) from her book, where she makes the case that the texts being used to teach students how to read do not impart knowledge. She suggests we could be teaching reading through content from an early age, so students gain the knowledge and vocabulary necessary to improve reading comprehension.
Stephen Krashen
Krashen (2022) is a huge advocate of reading fiction as the main avenue for acquiring English. He cites several studies that reach the same conclusion: reading for pleasure allows students to gradually take in the language, acquiring it in the best possible way, through context. Krashen advises that we read to students—a lot—and that they read on their own. The key is that the material be enjoyable. According to Krashen, we don’t need to test students on the material, and we should not push them to speak before they are ready.
Roe, Wexler, and Krashen
First, it is clear there should be much more reading in ESL classrooms. The flood of (level appropriate) comprehensible input through reading will gradually lead to students’ language development and vocabulary acquisition.
Second, I believe we need to give our adult learners a range of reading material to choose from that includes comic books and fiction—and content. If learning to read using books on content can help English-speaking children improve their reading comprehension and vocabulary, could not the same be tried with adult English learners? Content could also be mixed into read-aloud sessions and be the source of collaborative projects. Now Krashen would likely remind me here that the reading must be pleasurable, but who am I to predict what students will find enjoyable to read? An adult English learner may well choose that book on volcanoes, the Civil War, or Indonesia because they find such topics interesting. And we all know that finding something interesting makes for happy learning.
References
Krashen, S. (2022). Stephen Krashen: Secrets of Second Language Acquisition. [Video].
Roe, I. (2021). A better way to improve literacy in Black and Hispanic students. Fordham
Institute.
Wexler, N. (2019). The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education
System—And How to Fix It. Avery.
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