English Language Learners Book Review
WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS for the English Language Learner
WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS and our uniquely engaging program are excellent developmental tools for English Language Learners. The number of English Language Learners in classrooms across the United States continues to grow, and we at WRiTE BRAiN are committed to giving each ELL student opportunities, not simply to acclimate and adapt, but to thrive. When WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS launched in 2014, we piloted our creative writing program in a California school district where ELLs were the majority of the student population, many from homes where no English was not spoken. WRiTE BRAiN was a great success—kids became published authors and were amazed at what they accomplished. Their parents and community were …show more content…
proud, and their relationship to reading and writing in English was transformed.
Authoring our richly illustrated, textless children’s books helped the kids for whom English is a second language feel empowered and eager to write an original story. The WRiTE BRAiN experience not only increases ELLs’ proficiency in English, it dramatically decreases their fear of using it, giving them a greater range of literary motion, courage when speaking or reading aloud, and confidence to express themselves creatively as they work collaboratively with their peers or on their own.
As our curricula is implemented in more schools and after school programs nationwide, we are receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers who watched their struggling ELL students’ vocabulary, writing skills, engagement, and confidence grow by leaps and bounds. Children who had been hesitant and insecure about writing in English became fearless and excited. We are not surprised. Every element of our curricula is research-based, carefully crafted, and inspired by the expressed needs of teachers and the diverse students they teach.
With WRiTE BRAiN, the emphasis is less on knowing the “right words” and more on using the imagination to create a story and discover the best language to bring that story to life.
This can be hard enough for any student, but ELLs, who may be struggling with identifying words in a new and unfamiliar language face additional challenges. With our wordless picture books, the sequential illustrations are the only information, and therefore, close viewing is required. By beginning with close viewing, ELLs may have greater success with developing critical thinking skills and habits before moving on to close reading. By studying the vivid artwork, students learn to express themselves and their unique ideas to peers and readers in a way that is compelling, thoughtful, and always improving. Throughout the writing process, students are encouraged to consider their audience of young readers rather than their teacher and test scores—to feel empowered by language as a way to contribute, convey, and create …show more content…
meaning.
While English Language Learner students are spread throughout the United States, the share of total public school enrollment they represent varies greatly by state.
The U.S. population has changed dramatically with nearly 30 million immigrants, both authorized and undocumented, settling in America over the past three decades. A less studied, but perhaps vastly more important area of interest, is the effect of immigration on U.S. classrooms.
• In 2004-2005, approximately 5.1 million or 10.5 percent of the U.S. student population are English-language learners
• Approximately 79 percent of ELLs nationally are from Spanish-language backgrounds
• While English learners reside throughout the United States, they are heavily concentrated in the six states of Arizona, California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois
• These six states contain 61 percent of the nation’s ELL
population.
• In addition, the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico accounts for another 1 percent of the U.S. ELL population.
• Despite the high concentration in six states, other states have experienced a 300 percent or higher growth of ELLs in the ten-year period from 1995 to 2005. These states include Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee
• California educates one-third of all the nation’s ELL students – 1.6 million students
• 85 percent of all ELLs in California are Spanish Speaking
• More ELLs in both Elementary and Secondary schools are U.S. born
WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS and our uniquely engaging program are excellent developmental tools for English Language Learners. The number of English Language Learners in classrooms across the United States continues to grow, and we at WRiTE BRAiN are committed to giving each ELL student opportunities, not simply to acclimate and adapt, but to thrive. When WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS launched in 2014, we piloted our creative writing program in a California school district where ELLs were the majority of the student population, many from homes where no English was not spoken. WRiTE BRAiN was a great success—kids became published authors and were amazed at what they accomplished. Their parents and community were …show more content…
proud, and their relationship to reading and writing in English was transformed.
Authoring our richly illustrated, textless children’s books helped the kids for whom English is a second language feel empowered and eager to write an original story. The WRiTE BRAiN experience not only increases ELLs’ proficiency in English, it dramatically decreases their fear of using it, giving them a greater range of literary motion, courage when speaking or reading aloud, and confidence to express themselves creatively as they work collaboratively with their peers or on their own.
As our curricula is implemented in more schools and after school programs nationwide, we are receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers who watched their struggling ELL students’ vocabulary, writing skills, engagement, and confidence grow by leaps and bounds. Children who had been hesitant and insecure about writing in English became fearless and excited. We are not surprised. Every element of our curricula is research-based, carefully crafted, and inspired by the expressed needs of teachers and the diverse students they teach.
With WRiTE BRAiN, the emphasis is less on knowing the “right words” and more on using the imagination to create a story and discover the best language to bring that story to life.
This can be hard enough for any student, but ELLs, who may be struggling with identifying words in a new and unfamiliar language face additional challenges. With our wordless picture books, the sequential illustrations are the only information, and therefore, close viewing is required. By beginning with close viewing, ELLs may have greater success with developing critical thinking skills and habits before moving on to close reading. By studying the vivid artwork, students learn to express themselves and their unique ideas to peers and readers in a way that is compelling, thoughtful, and always improving. Throughout the writing process, students are encouraged to consider their audience of young readers rather than their teacher and test scores—to feel empowered by language as a way to contribute, convey, and create …show more content…
meaning.
While English Language Learner students are spread throughout the United States, the share of total public school enrollment they represent varies greatly by state.
The U.S. population has changed dramatically with nearly 30 million immigrants, both authorized and undocumented, settling in America over the past three decades. A less studied, but perhaps vastly more important area of interest, is the effect of immigration on U.S. classrooms.
• In 2004-2005, approximately 5.1 million or 10.5 percent of the U.S. student population are English-language learners
• Approximately 79 percent of ELLs nationally are from Spanish-language backgrounds
• While English learners reside throughout the United States, they are heavily concentrated in the six states of Arizona, California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois
• These six states contain 61 percent of the nation’s ELL
population.
• In addition, the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico accounts for another 1 percent of the U.S. ELL population.
• Despite the high concentration in six states, other states have experienced a 300 percent or higher growth of ELLs in the ten-year period from 1995 to 2005. These states include Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee
• California educates one-third of all the nation’s ELL students – 1.6 million students
• 85 percent of all ELLs in California are Spanish Speaking
• More ELLs in both Elementary and Secondary schools are U.S. born