Ch. 6 - Reading Instruction

I have always enjoyed having CLDE learners in my classroom.  I love the fact that I learn so much from these children.  I was not surprised to read that reading is the primary learning disability (p. 137) of these children.  I think it's important to immerse them in the English language and to have them participate as much as possible in the lessons.  I have only had one student that came to me not speaking any English.  My students loved her, and she knew that she was "accepted".  I remembered a story (Pepita Talks Twice) that had some Spanish words in it.  I thought this would be a great way to have Veronica feel included.  When I came to a Spanish word, I had her pronounce it for the class.  We all eagerly awaited the next word so we could hear it spoken correctly!  The smile on her face let me know that she felt included.  Veronica was a fast learner, and in a matter of a few months, we invited her mother to come in and "speak" to the class, with Veronica translating.  Her mother shared some foods and told us about their life in Mexico.  I just felt it was important for us to share in her culture.  Another thing I did was to collaborate with our Spanish teacher.  He provided me with lots of cards with Spanish words on them to post around the room (bathroom, lights, computer, map, pencil, paper, etc.).  Veronica did learn English that year.  I keep up with her and still tell her that she's a Southern girl now!  Her mother also became fluent in English and began teaching it to her other family members.

I'm sure there's so much I did wrong that year with Veronica in trying to teach her English.  I have never had any kind of training in this field, so I just did the best thing I could at the time.  I made her lots of flash cards with words and pictures.  I do remember her not understanding idioms at all when I taught them.  It was interesting to read about the problems these students have with figurative language.  I wish I had known this when I had this student.

I think that this course has already opened my eyes to the fact that I definitely need to ask for help when/if I get another CLDE student.  I will use every resource available at school and our district office.  It's important to have high expectations for these students and for them to know that you are interested in their culture.  Since we do guided reading in our district, I think I would have a guided reading group just for my CLDE student(s).  This small group/one-on-one reading group would certainly help these students and provide me with the direction I need in helping them read.