The National Teachers College

Quiapo, Manila
School of Advanced Studies
ENG 306 The Teaching of English
Professor: Dr. Michael C. de Guzman
Discussant: Ms. Grace O.Dial

Topic: Components of Reading For English Language Learners

1. Phonemic Awareness and English Language Learners

Phonemic awareness is one of the best predictors of how well children will
learn to read during the first two years of school instruction. Sometimes it is
nearly impossible, however, for speakers of a second language to "hear" and
say sounds in the language they are learning.

Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the
individual sounds in spoken words. An example of how beginning readers
show us they have phonemic awareness is combining or blending the
separate sounds of a word to say the word ("/c/ /a/ /t/ - cat.").

Phonemic awareness and phonics are not the same thing. Phonemic
awareness is the understanding that the sounds of spoken language work
together to make words. Phonics is the understanding that there is a
relationship between letters and sounds through written language. Children
who cannot hear and work with the phonemes of spoken words will have a
difficult time learning how to relate these phonemes to letters when they see
them in written words.

Why it matters: Phonemic awareness is the

What: The ability to hear and
foundation for spelling and word recognition
manipulate the different sounds in
skills.
our language.
2. Phonics and English Language Learners

Phonics instruction aims to help new readers understand that there are
systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken
sounds.

Phonics instruction helps children learn the relationships between the letters
of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Children are taught,
for example, that the letter n represents the sound /n/, and that it is the
first letter in words such as nose, nice and new.

Students will benefit from learning and practicing sounds and symbols,
including blended combinations. This is fairly common in the primary grades
and ELLs may pick up the code very quickly and appear to be fairly proficient
readers. However, it's important to remember that knowledge of phonics and
decoding does not ensure good comprehension.

Children's reading development is dependent on their understanding of the

alphabetic principle the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the
sounds of spoken language. Learning that there are predictable relationships
between sounds and letters allows children to apply these relationships to
both familiar and unfamiliar words, and to begin to read with fluency.

3. Vocabulary and English Language Learners

Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read. Beginning readers

must use the words they hear orally to make sense of the words they see in
print. Kids who hear more words spoken at home learn more words and
enter school with better vocabularies. This larger vocabulary pays off
exponentially as a child progresses through school.

As students learn to read more advanced texts, they must learn the meaning
of new words that are not part of their oral vocabulary. For ELLs, vocabulary
development is especially important as students' develop academic
language.
Vocabulary also is very important to reading comprehension. Readers cannot
understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words
mean. As children learn to read more advanced texts, they must learn the
meaning of new words that are not part of their oral vocabulary.

Why it matters: Reading development is

What: The relationship
dependent on the understanding that letters and
between a sound and its
letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken
corresponding written letter.
language.
4. Fluency and English Language Learners

Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression.
Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition
and comprehension. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words
automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from
what they read. Fluent readers read aloud effortlessly and with expression.
Their reading sounds natural, as if they are speaking. Readers who have not
yet developed fluency read slowly, word by word. Their oral reading is
choppy.

Fluency is a tricky area when it comes to ELL reading instruction. For native
English speakers, fluency and reading comprehension often share a strong
correlation because fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the
same time.

This is not always the case for ELLs, however. Many ELLs can be deceptively
fast and accurate in their reading because they are good readers in their
primary language and have strong decoding skills. Yet they may
demonstrate little understanding of the text, and hearing the text out loud
may not necessarily provide a step towards comprehension as it is likely to
do for native speakers.
Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words,
they can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make
connections among the ideas in the text and their background knowledge. In
other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same
time. Less fluent readers, however, must focus their attention on figuring out
the words, leaving them little attention for understanding the meaning of
text.

Why it matters: Fluency is important because it

What: The ability to read a
provides a bridge between word recognition and
text accurately and quickly.
comprehension.
5. Comprehension

Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read. To

be able to accurately understand written material, children need to be able
to 1) decode what they read; 2) make connections between what they read
and what they already know; and 3) think deeply about what they have
read.

Comprehension can be the most difficult skill to master, however. ELLs at all
levels of English proficiency, and literacy development, will benefit from
explicit instruction in comprehension skills along with other skills because
improved comprehension will not only help them in language arts and ESL
classes it will help them in content-area classes and in daily activities. It
will also improve the chances of their interest in reading for pleasure.

Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but
do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not really
reading. Good readers are both purposeful and active, and have the skills to
absorb what they read, analyze it, make sense of it, and make it their own.

Strong readers think actively as they read. They use their experiences and
knowledge of the world, vocabulary, language structure, and reading
strategies to make sense of the text and know how to get the most out of it.
They know when they have problems with understanding and what thinking
strategies to use to resolve these problems when they pop up.
 Why it matters: Comprehension is the reason for
What: Understanding the
reading. Readers who have strong comprehension are
meaning of the text.
able to draw conclusions about what they read.