Teaching ELLs to Navigate Textbooks Effectively

For English language linguistic communication learners (ELLs), learning how to utilise a textbook can be a powerful tool in increasing their comprehension of cloth in all of their bookish work and particularly in the content areas. In order to help you get started building this skill, this commodity offers some strategies for educational activity 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."

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 obstruction for students when presented with new material and concepts across the curriculum, specially 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 peculiarly in the content areas. While it may seem to be a basic skill, ELLs may be students with:

• no formal educational feel
• extensive schooling in a different country
• long-term experience in the U.S. arrangement 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.South. classroom, or that they haven't learned how use textbooks as a toold to back up their learning.

The practiced news is that many textbooks — especially those designed for ELLs or struggling readers — contain elements that tin can exist used to assistance preview new material before starting a lesson. In one case students learn what these elements are and how they can be used, students tin can brainstorm 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 system of a chapter inside a textbook, besides equally a strategy for previewing content with a "affiliate walk."

Part I: Teach students textbook and chapter elements

Textbooks

At the first of the school yr, introduce students to the elements of their textbooks and how they can exist used, such as:

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

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

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

In add-on, exist sure to bespeak out the specific features of textbooks that your students are using (a bilingual glossary, for case), as well every bit content-related tools (the Periodic Table of Elements in a chemistry textbook). Provide students with examples of the ways those tools tin can be used.

Each time students brainstorm using a new textbook, review the elements they take already learned and point out whatever unlike features or elements of the new volume. You lot may wish to apply an activeness to review the different parts they accept learned such as the worksheets in the Hotlinks.

Chapters

Once students have mastered the primary parts of a textbook, they are ready to move on to the parts of the chapter that will help 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 divergence between a graph and a picture? What is the departure between a bullet signal and a bold heading? Assistance students understand how these elements are used to organize text and to highlight important information. Ane style to do and then is by providing a blank outline that students can fill up in with cardinal headings and topics.

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

Part II: Use a "chapter walk"

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

Step one: Take 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, enquire students to predict what the chapter will be almost.

Step 3: Guide students to some key concepts and vocabulary words past asking questions about their predictions (see instance beneath).

Stride four: Ask students to share what they know about the chapter topics.

Stride 5: Every bit students get more practice with this technique, ask them to use the review questions at the terminate of the chapter to help them predict what they volition learn before they begin to read.

An activity like this may have some time at offset because it's fourth dimension-consuming to teach. If you use it with regularity, however, information technology will get easier and quicker, and students will be able to do this on their own at the outset of a new chapter.

As you move through these activities on a regular footing, students will become more than confident with their ability to notice information independently. Assistance student understand that this is a skill that they tin can use in all of their classes and that information technology will exist very helpful to them throughout their academic career, peculiarly as they get to more difficult courses and more than difficult textbooks. They volition capeesh 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 Alphabetize.

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 nautical chart from ReadWriteThink.org gives students a reference for comparison non-fiction textbook or printed material to website content features.

Expository Text Structures and Signal Words

This certificate originally posted by U-46 Schoolhouse District in Elgin, Illinois provides an overview of v expository text structures, associated signal words, and related graphic organizers.

Text-Mapping Project

Step-by-pace lesson program on how to map text with students.

Video: Affiliate Walk with Me!

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