Focus on English-Language Learners:
Recommended Reading

Professional development collection

IRA Literacy Study Groups English Learners Module (includes books, articles, discussion guides, position statements, and other resources for personal or school-based professional development)

Books

Click on a title to find a detailed description, and to browse contents and sample chapters.

Balancing Reading & Language Learning: A Resource for Teaching English Language Learners, K–5, by Mary Cappellini

English Learners, edited by Gilbert G. García

Kids Come in All Languages, edited by Karen Spangenberg-Urbschat and Robert Pritchard

Literacy Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students, edited by Michael F. Opitz

Supporting the Literacy Development of English Language Learners, edited by Terrell A. Young and Nancy L. Hadaway

Windows to Language, Literacy, and Culture: Insights From an English-Language Learner, by Cynthia H. Brock and Taffy E. Raphael

Articles

Highlights from recent issues of the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy:

“Bridging two worlds: Reading comprehension, figurative language instruction, and the English-language learner,” by Barbara C. Palmer et al. (Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007; vol. 50, no. 4)

“Bilingual education students reflect on their language education,” by Kathryn F. Whitmore and Caryl G. Crowell (Dec. 2005/Jan. 2006; vol. 49, no. 4)

“Access and affiliation: The literacy and composition practices of English-language learners in an online fanfiction community,” by Rebecca W. Black (Oct. 2005; vol. 49, no. 2)

From Reading Research Quarterly:

“ESL preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition from storybook reading,” by Molly Fuller Collins (October/November/December 2005; vol. 40, no. 4)  FREE!

From The Reading Teacher, IRA’s journal for those working with learners aged 3 to 12:

“Learning from Abdallah: A case study of an Arabic-speaking child in a U.S. school,” by Barbara C. Palmer, Fathi El-Ashry, Judith T. Leclere, and Sara Chang (September 2007; vol. 61, no. 1)

“Extending English-language learners’ classroom interactions using the response protocol,” by Kathleen A.J. Mohr and Eric S. Mohr (Feb. 2007; vol. 60, no. 5)

“Creating sentence walls to help English-language learners develop content literacy,” by Karen A. Carrier and Alfred W. Tatum (November 2006; vol. 60, no. 3)

“Assessing English-language learners in mainstream classrooms,” by Susan Davis Lenski et al. (September 2006; vol. 60, no. 1)

“Matching books and readers: Selecting literature for English learners,” by Sylvia M. Vardell et al. (May 2006; vol. 59, no. 8)

From Reading Today, IRA’s membership newspaper:

“Brainstorming a research agenda on ELL issues,” (June/July 2007)  FREE!

“Moving language-minority populations off sidelines requires more research, funding,” (February/March 2007)  FREE!

“Learning to teach English,” (February/March 2006)  FREE!