Teaching Beginner ELLs Using Picture Books

Book excerpt: Picture your beginning ELLs reading their way to success! For beginning English language learners, a picture really is worth a thousand words! Picture books can unlock puzzling cultural and social meanings for students at all ages and grade levels. ELL educator Ana Lado illustrates how picture books are an especially useful tool for building important language and social foundations—foundations that students may miss through traditional instruction. Lado provides all the tools you need to engage your English learners with picture books, including how to: Design lesson plans around themed units Select appropriate picture books using specific criteria Incorporate fun and engaging strategies like singing and reenacting Integrate picture-book learning to facilitate development of English Language Proficiency In addition, you will gain access to a searchable online database to find just the right book for your lessons, based on author, title, genre, and English Language Proficiency level. With practical, classroom-friendly techniques, Teaching Beginner ELLs Using Picture Books helps teachers, ESL/ELD specialists, and bilingual teachers transform lessons into richly-illustrated learning opportunities. "This book is a great tool to use when teaching level one students and contains the different strategies necessary for complete English instruction." —Giuliana Jahnsen, ELL Teacher Sterling Middle School, Sterling, VA "This book makes the TESOL standards accessible by summarizing the three main goals of learning a language and how picture books support these concepts." —Blanca L. Campillo, Professional Development Specialist Chicago Public Schools Area 9, Chicago, IL