A HANDBOOK ON SHARED READING STRATEGIES FOR SPANISH SPEAKING
PARENTS
Arminda Madrigal
B.A., California State University Sacramento, 2006
PROJECT
Submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
in
EDUCATION
(Multicultural Education)
at
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
FALL
2009
A HANDBOOK ON SHARED READING STRATEGIES FOR SPANISH SPEAKING
PARENTS
A Project
by
Arminda Madrigal
Approved by:
__________________________________, Committee Chair
Maria Mejorado, Ph.D.
____________________________
Date
ii
Student: Arminda Madrigal
I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University
format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to
be awarded for the Project.
__________________________
Albert Lozano, Ph.D., Graduate Coordinator
Department of Bilingual Multicultural Education
iii
________________
Date
Abstract
of
A HANDBOOK ON SHARED READING STRATEGIES FOR SPANISH SPEAKING
PARENTS
by
Arminda Madrigal
Statement of Purpose
English language learners (ELL) make up a large percentage of the student
population in California, yet they do not always perform as well as their monolingual
English counterparts. They enter school without speaking the language of instruction, yet
they are still expected to learn all academic subjects in a language they do not understand.
The form in which ELLs are instructed and assessed to meet national and state standards
is not conducive to their learning of the language. They must be able to comprehend
what they are taught specifically in the area of reading. Reading comprehension is an
area in which many English language learners struggle. It is important that they are given
the opportunity to learn reading comprehension strategies in their native language. While
this may not be realistic in classrooms at the current time, it is imperative that parents of
ELLs are equipped with the resources to help their children with reading comprehension
strategies in their native language. This project is a parent handbook on reading
iv
comprehension strategies for parents who speak Spanish. Parents will be able to read a
book with their child in their first language and practice reading comprehension together.
Sources of Data
Data for the creation of the project were obtained from several resources such as
journal articles, books in the field of reading comprehension, and research studies. The
literature review includes research studies regarding the transfer of literacy from a first
language to a second language, shared reading with English language learners, and Latino
parent involvement. The parent handbook was created and influenced by resources such
as books and curriculum in the area of reading comprehension and my own experience as
a teacher of young children.
Conclusions Reached
Reading comprehension is an area in with which many English language learners
struggle. They need to be provided with instruction that is effective and conducive to
their reading needs. Parents can play a major role in the practice of reading
comprehension strategies at home. This handbook is a tool written in Spanish for parents
to guide their children through reading comprehension activities. It is also provided in
English for those teachers who wish to provide this handbook to Spanish speaking
parents in their classroom.
_______________________, Committee Chair
Maria Mejorado, Ph.D.
_______________________
Date
v
DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this Master’s project to my husband Raymond S. “Guy”
Castellon. Guy thank you for all your love and support for my educational goals. Thank
you for your constant belief in me as an educator. I would also like to dedicate this
Master’s project to my unborn baby son Ramon Lucio Castellon. You are, the one reason
and motivation that I am determined to finish this project in time. I can’t wait to meet
you in December. Guy and Ramon I love you both with all my heart.
vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge Dr. Maria Mejorado and Dr. Lisa William-White for their
help and support on this project. Without your help this project would not have been
completed.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Dedication………………………………………………………………………………vi
Acknowledgments………….…………………………………………………………..vii
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION ……………… …………………………………………………...1
Background ……………...………………………………………………………..1
Purpose of the Project……………………………………………………………..8
Terms and Definitions….…………………………………………………….........9
Limitations…………………………………………………………………........10
Summary………………………………………………………………………...11
2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE..……..………………………………………….12
Research on Transfer of Literacy from First Language to a Second Language….12
Research on Shared Reading among English learners……………………………18
Research on Latino Parent Involvement…..…………………………..……….…26
3.
METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………………35
Theoretical Framework……….…………………………………………………..35
Setting and Participants…………….……………………………………………..37
Steps Taken to Design the Project….……………………………………………..39
Description of Project……………………………………………………………..41
Conclusion….……………………………………………………………………..42
4. DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CONCLUSION………………..44
viii
Discussion………………………………………………………………….……...44
Recommendations…..……………………………………………………………..47
Conclusion..……….……………………………………………………………....49
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………50
A Handbook on Shared Reading Strategies for Spanish Speaking Parents……………..51
Una guía de estrategias para una lectura compartida para padres que hablan español…..74
References..........................................................................................................................95
ix
1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Background
As a primary school teacher, I am often asked by parents about ways to help their
children at home with reading comprehension. The questions most often asked relate to
how they can help improve their children’s reading skills and scores. As parents of
English language learners, they often do not speak, read or write in English themselves.
They are the parents of English learners. Over the years, these questions have indicated
to me that parents sincerely want to support their children’s education.
In 2008-2009 the California Department of Education reported that 43% of
students enrolled in California public schools were English language learners
(www.dq.cde.ca.gov). In my school district there are 38% English learners
(www.dq.cde.ca.gov). This large number of English language learners in the district
makes it imperative that their educational needs are met. In total the California
Department of Education reports that there are approximately 1,553,091 English
language learners in California schools from grades kindergarten to twelfth grade
(www.dq.cde.ca.gov). English language learners make up almost half of all students in
the state and about 40% in my district, a large portion of students at the district and state
level. When English language learners begin to read, their first language is most often
not used for instruction. As a result, it becomes essential for parents to be active
participants in their child’s early academic development.
2
Students in California are assessed annually for proficiency in academic areas
with the use of the California State Standards test (CST). The CST determines whether
students have achieved grade level proficiency in subjects such as math and English
language arts. The English language arts portion of the test is composed mostly of
reading comprehension. Moreover, according to the CST test for the year 2008-2009,
61% of English dominant students scored advanced or proficient on the English language
arts assessment (www.dq.cde.ca.gov). In contrast, only 39% of English language
learners scored at the advanced or proficient level (www.dq.cde.ca.gov). This data show
an achievement gap in English Language Arts between students who do not speak
English as a first language and those who only speak English. While the CST is only one
measure of academic success, it is the measure that the state of California uses in
determining whether or not students have mastered state standards. As English language
learners fall behind in CST reading scores, this reflects what is happening at both the
district and school level.
While the current form of assessing the progress of students appears to show an
achievement gap, it is also important to determine whether the measures that are being
used can truly demonstrate the progress of English language learners. In Pappamihiel &
Walser (2009), it is argued that in second language acquisition and the way in which No
Child Left Behind administers testing for English language learners does not sufficiently
capture “the second language acquisition, academic achievement, and assessment”
needed to provide educators with information to help English language learners. No
3
Child Left Behind is legislation that requires students who recently arrived in the U.S.
from another country and do not speak English be exempt from testing in English
language arts, however, after a year of attending school, they must take the test
(Pappamihiel & Walser, 2009). Testing students who do not speak or read the English
language fluently is not taking into account that the test may not measure what students
know, nor what they have learned in the second language. It has been long established
that it takes students 7-10 years to become proficient in academic English (Thomas &
Collier, 1997). Language can be considered a complex system in that it encompasses
grammar, comprehension, individual differences, and environment can affect the learning
of the language (Lightbrown & Spada, 2006). Given the complex nature of second
language acquisition, it is fair to say that one assessment will not capture the true
progress of an English learner. It is also important to note that English learners be given
the opportunities to learn the native language while still developing the knowledge and
skills of the English language (Pappamihiel & Walser, 2009).
There have been studies to show that English learners benefit from instruction in
their native language for it builds a strong foundation for learning a second language. In
a seminal study conducted by Thomas & Collier (1997) found that students learning a
second language in the elementary grades will have made many gains, but it will change
when they are required “to move into cognitively demanding work of increasing
complexity, especially in the middle and high school years; their rate of progress
becomes less than that of native speakers” (p.45). Oftentimes, English learners will fall
behind not due to lack of intelligence, but because they have not acquired full knowledge
4
of the English language. The demands of middle school and high school require students
to have a strong foundation in vocabulary and comprehension of the English language.
Therefore this project will attempt to guide parents and young students toward acquiring
different strategies that can be used for the benefit of reading comprehension, the
foundation for all learning.
There must be a strong foundation in the native language of English learners but
given the passing of Proposition 227 legislation that either eliminated or severely reduced
the number of bilingual programs in California, English learners now receive the majority
of their instruction in English. Even with the passing of Proposition 227 legislation, there
remains evidence that a strong foundation in the native language English learners will
acquire English more quickly and more thoroughly. Thomas & Collier (1997) found that
the “deeper a student’s level in L1 cognitive and academic development (which includes
L1 proficiency development), the faster students will progress to L2” (p. 47). Their study
also shows that given the opportunity to develop proficiency in the native language,
English learners can achieve academic success and may even surpass monolingual
students (1997). Given the importance that English learners be provided with academic
activities that are in their native language, this project will create a handbook to assist
Spanish speaking parents to engage their child in a shared reading with comprehension
strategies. Parents will be able to guide their children through reading a book and using
comprehension strategies that maximize understanding of the text.
Although it is important to provide English learners with academic opportunities
to engage in their native language, there seems to be a disconnect between the home
5
language and the school language that may have implications on the students’ reading
achievement. If parents do not speak English, it can be assumed that they are not literate
in English, and, therefore, it can be difficult to help their child with homework or other
academic work that may be assigned Parents who cannot help their child with
schoolwork in English may think that encouraging literacy in their native language at
home is not helpful to their child’s academic development. Teachers may also may the
same erroneous assumption. The Spanish Parent Handbook is designed to serve as a
bridge between home and school.
Schools do not always acknowledge the home literacy practices and teaching style
of Latino families. A study conducted by Perry, Kay, and Brown (2008) found that
among Latino families of preschool children, parents did engage in home literacy
practices in the home, but they do not mirror the manner in which they are taught in
school. Schools and parents should be able to come together and share information that
will help students succeed in school. In Perry et al. (2008), the home literacy practices of
families “emphasized pleasure and interactivity in literacy activities, merged supportive
and direct instruction scaffolding strategies in home literacy activities, and imparted
moral messages while engaging in literacy activities” (Perry et al., 2008, p.104).
Teachers and parents could learn from each other. Parents need to be exposed to how
students are taught in school, and teachers need to be open to learning ways parents can
work with their children in the home. While both are important, schools may emphasize
direct instruction teaching of reading and Latino families may use other teaching
strategies, such as incorporating moral messages.
6
Schools need to take into account the different home literacy practices that parents
use with their children. The home literacy practices of parents with their children should
be acknowledged and valued, which in turn can help establish an understanding between
schools and parents. However, parents should be provided with ways of assisting their
children in the home with literacy if they wish. Parents who feel the need to modify the
way in which text is read to the child should still be of value. In a study by Lynch,
Anderson, Anderson, & Shapiro (2008), parents and their children were observed and
videotaped reading a story together in order to focus on the interaction of preschool aged
children and their parents. Lynch found that when parents read to their child, they were
not focused on the print, but on the discussion of the story. The discussion of the story is
important to reading comprehension. This project will be created to encourage parents
and children to have a discussion while reading the text. Moreover, “parents made
statements about the text that they felt children could understand or were in the child’s
zone of proximal development” (Lynch et al., 2008, p. 237). Parents and their children
were making connections between themselves and the text, which help a reader with
background knowledge to help in the understanding of the text. In addition, parents were
able to focus on comprehension of the text while challenging the child to extend their
thinking. Parents appear to naturally make connections with the child’s background
knowledge and maintain a discussion that is within the child’s reach. A handbook would
serve to facilitate and foster more of these types of exchanges. “Flood (1977) further
supports the role of questions asked by children in storybook reading in literacy
7
achievement” whether it be in the classroom or home literacy practices (Lynch et al.,
2008, p. 238). The dialogue and questioning that a parent has with their child may have a
positive impact on their child’s reading achievement. Both dialogue and questions will
be suggested in this handbook.
There is research that associates literacy activities in the home with early literacy
skills (Ortiz, Stowe, & Arnold, 2001; Burgess, Hecht, & Lonigan, 2002). In Ortiz et al.
(2001), there were two groups of parents who were provided two separate trainings. The
“children who were in the intervention group were more interested in shared reading”
(Ortiz et al., 2001, p. 263). The interest in reading at an early age may help with certain
early literacy skills such as directionality, concepts about print, or phonemic awareness.
If children are exposed to several literacy activities in the home, there may be a link to
how those children will perform in school later. In Burgess, Hecht, & Lonigan (2002),
there was evidence that parents’ beliefs about literacy had a positive impact on their
child’s emergent literacy. If this is the case, then parents should be encouraged and
provided the tools for developing home literacy activities that will enable their children to
achieve in early literacy skills. Furthermore, there have been studies (Proctor, Carlo,
August & Snow, 2006; Sparks, Patton, Ganschow, Humbach, 2009) which show that in
English learners, there is transfer of literacy skills from their native language to the
second language. These studies are significant in that they show the importance learning
reading comprehension skills in their first language. Studies such as Proctor et al. (2006)
and Sparks et al. (2009) substantiate the need for Spanish parents to be provided with the
tools to help develop their child’s reading comprehension in their first language.
8
The focus of the Spanish parent handbook will be reading comprehension. In
Proctor et al. (2006), it was found that Spanish speaking English learners were able to
transfer comprehension skills from Spanish to English. It was found that “Spanish
instructed students significantly outperformed their English instructed counterparts on all
Spanish oral language and reading comprehension measures” (Proctor et al., 2006). If
there is transfer of comprehension skills from one language to another, then shared
reading would be an important step for Spanish speaking parents to guide their children
in reading comprehension. It also shows that the language in which the child is engaged
with a text does matter. It would not be wise to read an English learner a text in English
and expect them to understand everything in the book. They would first need to be
provided with the tools to become familiar with the text.
Purpose of the Project
The purpose of this project is to present Spanish speaking parents of English
learners with a handbook of reading activities that include concepts about print, reading
comprehension strategies and writing activities that can be utilized in the home. The
handbook will present parents with a method of assisting their children through the
process of becoming skilled and engaged readers. It will address how parents who speak
Spanish as their primary language can support their children’s reading comprehension in
the home. Specifically, it will show Spanish-speaking parents the process of a shared
storybook reading while also engaging their children in comprehension strategies that
help readers understand the text. The project will focus on students who are in
kindergarten, first, and second grade. It is to be provided as an option to parents who
9
wish to incorporate shared reading activities in their home that reflect what takes place in
the classroom.
Terms and Definitions
To ensure a clear understanding of this project, terms used in the project will be defined.
Conventional parent involvement: Parents attend school events such as parent teacher
conferences, back to school night, open house, and other meetings held at the school.
Parents take the initiative to inquire about their child’s progress. “School activities that
have been institutionalized to involve parents in limited ways tend to relegate much of the
power to the institution” (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991, p.43).
Nonconventional parent involvement: “An attempt at power sharing on the part of the
school district: to have parents participate in the schools and to learn how to help their
children succeed” (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991, p.40). An example of this would be to provide
parents with workshops or materials that help their children succeed academically.
Autonomous parent involvement: “A group of parents who set their own agendas and
design a context in which they invite school personnel to share decision making”
(Delgado-Gaitan, 1991, p. 40).
English language learners (ELL): “A k-12 student who is in the process of acquiring
English as a second language” (Cecil, 2003, p. 337).
Concepts about print: “Concepts about the way print works, including directionality,
spacing, identification of words and letters, connection between written and spoken
language, and understanding the function of punctuation” (Cecil, 2003, p. 336).
10
A Bookwalk: It is also known as a picture walk. It is “an instructional strategy in which
the teacher guides the children through the text by looking at and discussing the pictures
before reading the story” (Cecil, 2003, p. 340).
Reading Comprehension: “The interpretation of print on a page into a meaningful
message that is dependent upon the reader’s decoding abilities, prior knowledge, cultural
and social backgrounds, and monitoring strategies” (Cecil, 2003, p. 336).
Shared reading: It is also known as dialogic reading. “A mediated technique whereby
the teacher reads aloud while students follow along using individual copies of the book, a
class chart, or a big book” (Cecil, 2003, p. 342). Students have access to the text being
read. It includes reading comprehension activities throughout the text when appropriate.
These reading comprehension strategies include making connections, predicting, asking
questions, understanding new vocabulary, and making inferences.
Limitations
This project has two limitations. The project will focus on the needs of parents who
speak Spanish and wish to engage in literacy activities in the home designed to help with
their children’s reading comprehension skills. While there have been many studies that
include shared reading experiences of parents and their young children as this parent
handbook provides (Lynch et al., 2008, Iddings, Risko; Rampulla, 2009; Jimenez,
Filippini & Gerber, 2006), it is intended for parents with children who are in preschool to
second grade. The demographics of the participants are also a limitation in that they
apply to a specific subgroup of the population.
11
Summary
I believe that parents of English language learners want to help their children
improve their reading skills. In this study, parents will be presented with a shared
reading activity that includes strategies that promote reading comprehension. These
strategies such as making connections, predicting, and asking questions will enable
parents to interact with their child during a shared reading activity. The reading
strategies during a shared reading I believe will contribute to improvement of the
student’s reading test skills.
In Chapter one of the project, the background, purpose of the study, theoretical
framework, and terms for the project have been discussed. In Chapter two, I present
literature on the transfer of literacy from first language to the second language and shared
reading with English language learners. Chapter three describes how the project was
created and will include the demographics of the project participants. Chapter four
presents a summary and recommendations of the project. Also outlined will be
implications for future research and recommendations for educators interested in assisting
Latino parents with their children’s reading development. The appendix will include the
handbook of a shared reading in English and in Spanish.
12
Chapter 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Overview
In this chapter, the literature reviewed pertains to the reading development of
English learners. It will demonstrate how reading comprehension in the first language
helps with comprehension in a second language. The first section of research reviewed
studies regarding the transfer of reading comprehension from a first language to a second
language. The second section of studies will include the literature review regarding
specific studies on shared reading strategies used among English language learners whose
first language is Spanish. The last section of the literature review will include Latino
parental involvement and will focus on Latino families who speak Spanish in the home.
Transfer of literacy from first language to second language
The development of literacy can be difficult to assess with just one measure. In
order to get a complete understanding regarding how children are developing in their first
language and in reading, it is important to assess multiple reading skills. Sparks et al.
(2009) conducted a longitudinal study of literacy skills in the Midwest of the United
States with fifty-four middle class second language learners in high school after two
years of instruction in a second language. The study began ten years earlier in which the
first language literacy skills such as “reading, spelling, vocabulary, listening
comprehension, and phonological awareness” were assessed in the first and second
language (Sparks et al., 2009, p 211). Different areas in reading were assessed to get a
13
full understanding of the reading development in both languages. After they produced
varied reading scores in their first language, they were assessed for reading achievement
in English. The results indicated that students who were skilled in reading in their first
language are students also skilled in reading in the second language. First language
reading skills were a determining factor in the second language reading skills. This study
establishes the importance of building reading skills upon the foundation of a student’s
primary language.
Sparks et al. (2009) has significant implications for ELLs. When the literacy skills
in a first language can be helpful in acquiring literacy in the second language, then
students who engage in literacy activities in their first language will be able to utilize
those same skills in learning the second language. Reading comprehension includes the
ability to make personal connections with the text, monitor for understanding, and asking
questions throughout the text. In order to practice these skills in reading comprehension,
students should be able to understand the language they are reading. Literacy in a first
language can help the child understand the words that are part of the text as opposed to
reading words in a foreign language. Sparks et al. (2009) shows that it is reasonable to
believe that if children practice reading comprehension skills in the first language, those
same skills can transfer and be used for the second language. While it is understood that
students will be learning to read in English at school, a strong foundation in the first
language in reading comprehension could help their reading comprehension skills as they
work toward becoming fluent readers in the English language.
14
When literacy is first learned in a person’s primary language, it becomes important
to know how that literacy development will have an impact on a second language. For
instance, in another study conducted by Proctor, Carlo, August, & Snow (2006), the
research question was about the effects of “language of initial literacy instruction on the
L1 and L2 decoding, oral language proficiency, and reading comprehension” (p. 159). It
is important to acknowledge the initial language of literacy development because children
may not comprehend instruction in the second language when they are learning to read.
The second question posed was whether the second language decoding skills and oral
language predict reading comprehension skills in the second language (Proctor et al.,
2006). The study included 135 fourth grade students whose first language was Spanish
and second language was English. The study conducted by Proctor et al. (2006) included
“135 participants of which sixty-nine percent were first taught to read in Spanish, while
35% were first taught to read English” (p. 161). The first and second languages were
assessed for decoding, oral language proficiency, and reading comprehension. The study
provides significant findings regarding the transfer of literacy skills from first language to
the second language. Students who were first taught to read in their first language,
Spanish, performed better on the second language oral language and reading
comprehension tests than students who were first instructed in English. Thus, it can be
inferred through the work of Proctor et al. (2009) that practicing reading comprehension
in the first language can greatly benefit children to learn to read in English. Although in
15
this study, students only received reading instruction in English, it is reasonable to
conclude that practicing comprehension strategies in a child’s first language can aid them
in reading comprehension. And equally important, parents can play a key role in their
child’s reading comprehension development.
In a two year study conducted by Gottardo & Mueller (2009), it was found that
among first grade English language learners oral language proficiency predicted reading
comprehension in the second language. In this study, all the ELLs received instruction in
English. Students were tested in word decoding, oral language measures, reading
comprehension, and phonological awareness. In first grade these areas were tested in
Spanish and in second grade ELLs were tested in English reading comprehension. The
results indicated that first and second language measures of reading were long term
predictors of word decoding and reading comprehension. This means that ELLs benefit
from a focus on reading comprehension in either the first language or second language.
Since one cannot predict nor control the quality of language of instruction for ELLs in
school, it is important that they be given the opportunity to learn and master reading skills
such as reading comprehension in their native language. This would allow students to
learn the reading comprehension strategies in their primary language that in turn help
foster reading comprehension. Gottardo & Mueller (2009) show that both first language
and a second language reading skills are predictors of reading success in young ELLs.
The English language learners in Gottardo & Mueller (2009) showed that oral
language proficiency predicted English reading comprehension. There are two
implications for teaching ELLs reading comprehension that must be taken into
16
consideration. First, ELLs’ oral language ability in English and Spanish must be
developed. Developing oral language skills can help young ELLs articulate what they are
reading. This can also further improve their vocabulary in their first or second language.
Vocabulary is important for the comprehension of text for any reader, but critical for
ELLs. One way of allowing ELLs to use their oral language abilities for reading
comprehension is to provide them with those opportunities. In order for ELLs to use
their oral language abilities they could engage another individual in a discussion about a
book. Reading the book and discussing the important themes or events in the text can
allow the ELLs to practice their reading comprehension skills and oral language abilities.
As found by Gottardo & Mueller (2009) the oral language abilities of an ELL have
shown to be important to their reading comprehension and it should be used to best fit
their literacy needs.
In Cardenas-Hagan, Carlson, & Pollard-Durodola (2007), the relationship
between the language of instruction of literacy skills in the first and second language was
examined. The study tested 1, 016 ELLs in kindergarten in letter name and sound
identification, phonological awareness, and oral language skills. They were all instructed
in English. The ELLs were again tested in second grade. Early Spanish skills at the end
of kindergarten predicted literacy skills in English. Since Spanish skills predicted
English literacy skills, educators must take into consideration the language that can be
utilized when children are provided literacy materials for home use. This is significant
because schools should encourage parents of ELLs to work on early literacy skills in their
native language and provide parents the resources and instruction that maximizes their
17
children’s comprehension in order to build strong literacy skills regardless of the
language of instruction in school. The language of instruction is important when
examining the literacy skills of an ELL, however it should not be the determining factor
in keeping parents from having access to literacy resources in the native language.
In Nakamoto, Lindsey, & Manis (2007), a six year study with 218 ELLs was
conducted to see the relationship between word decoding and reading comprehension.
The study began when the ELLs were in first grade. In first and sixth grade, they were
tested in Spanish and English on passage comprehension, letter word recognition, picture
vocabulary and sound matching. Results from the study indicated that there was an
improvement in word decoding from first to sixth grade, but reading comprehension
scores showed that there was a decrease in growth. According to Nakamoto et al. (2007),
the lack of growth in reading comprehension in sixth grade can be attributed to the
increase in and complexity of vocabulary that is required in that grade. The lack of
growth in reading comprehension means that teachers should take into consideration the
manner in which they teach ELLs. The methods that are used in the classroom may have
to be modified in order to accommodate the literacy needs of ELLs. Since reading
comprehension is an integral part of reading and academic success teachers must take the
time to teach ELLs reading comprehension strategies including vocabulary that can
facilitate understanding of a book. Although word decoding increased from first to sixth
grade, it was not a determining factor in the reading comprehension of ELLs. Reading
comprehension must be viewed as a separate area of literacy. This will allow for other
18
methodologies to be incorporated in the teaching of the reading comprehension skill, so
ELLs can acquire the skills to understand the text they are reading.
In Butler & Hakuta (2006), it was found that monolingual English students and
English language learners who were strong readers showed similar characteristics for
reading. The study included sixty-one fourth grade students who were all instructed in
English since they were in kindergarten. All students were given two assessments, a
vocabulary inference test and an oral test to investigate their English academic language.
Since ELLs and monolingual English students showed similar skills in reading, which
indicates that they both have mastered skills that are important for reading success.
However, there was a difference between their receptive vocabulary and other vocabulary
skills. ELLs had a lower receptive vocabulary. This suggests that ELLs should be
provided instruction in learning vocabulary skills that are vital to reading comprehension.
This study confirms that ELLs need to be exposed to different books, which would
provide them with the opportunity to expand their vocabulary. On the other hand, it takes
more than reading books to improve vocabulary skills. Vocabulary skills that can help
reading comprehension must be taught, so students are able to understand the text.
Teaching reading comprehension strategies is one way of providing ELLs with the
necessary skills to improve their vocabulary skills, since it would require them to use
different strategies to comprehend the text.
Shared Reading among English learners
Iddings, Risko, & Rampulla (2009) reported that English language learners were
able to understand the text when guided through the book and provided with a variety of
19
ways to comprehend the text. They also showed how Seth, a teacher, was able to create
an environment in which “ELLs (English language learners) can make meaningful
connections to texts when they may not speak” English proficiently (p.52). As English
learners learn a second language, it can be difficult to know exactly how to interpret a
text. While it may not be easy to comprehend everything in a text, English learners can
be provided with guidance and instruction that can benefit their reading comprehension.
Furthermore, Iddings et al. (2009) was able to show that a teacher in middle school can
guide and teach English learners to decipher the key elements in a book. The participants
in the study were three ELLs who had recently emigrated from Mexico, who were not
performing well in reading comprehension. For the study, Seth, the teacher, taught a unit
on Curious George. Before Seth read the text, he did a picture walk with the three
students. The students were able to discuss the plot, setting, and the characters. A
picture walk or a book walk is an important way of previewing a book and discussing
central elements of a book like setting and characters. Next, Seth began to read the story
to the students. While he read the text, he would stop to ask the students questions to
make sure the students understood the text. It seems as if Seth was doing a shared
reading with students and he was incorporating different ways to enhance the
understanding of the text. English learners can benefit from reading and discussing a
text. If English learners were able to practice reading comprehension in their first
language, they would be better equipped to understand the text. This would help them
when they later begin to read books independently in English with no support with
20
comprehension. English learners would be capable of using different strategies for
comprehension on their own.
When Seth finished reading the text, he gave the students a chart, which included
the setting, character, problem, events, solution to the problem, and the feelings of the
characters. The chart was given as a tool for the students to engage in conversations
about the text. While Seth’s intention for the chart was for engaging students in
conversations about the text, there is another important element. The chart was key to
understanding of the different parts of a story. As students finished completing the chart
together as a group, they were given the task of writing a story about Curious George on
their own. The task of writing a story about the character Curious George is important in
allowing students to express themselves and the connections they made while reading the
book. A writing component allows for personal thoughts about the story, which shows a
deep understanding of the story. After observation of the shared reading between Seth
and the three students, it was observed that students had experienced “an expansion of
linguistic skills, of their knowledge about the text, and of their understandings of the
central concepts in the story” (Iddings et al, 2009, p. 60). If students were able to acquire
enhanced linguistic skills and to understand important elements of a story, then they
would surely be able to do so in their native language. Students were able to discuss
parts of the text to reach a mutual understanding of the text while the teacher was the
mediator. The process that the teacher Seth followed with the three ELLs was a process
that their parents at home could have done with them. Parents should be able to read a
text with their child and follow the steps of the shared reading. Since the shared reading
21
would be in the first language of the parent and the child, it would be a form of
transmitting cultural information and also sharing in the understanding of the text.
Parents can be trained to conduct a shared reading at home with their children, if
they are given instruction and materials to do so. Jimenez, Filipini, & Gerber (2006)
conducted a study that trained parents, mostly mothers of English learners with shared
reading strategies. All but two mothers spoke Spanish. It was found that the parents did
incorporate the strategies into their reading. As parents learned the strategies, they were
more open to using a variety of strategies. The second, third, and fourth session included
one hour of training with shared reading strategies. The strategies included making
connections, asking questions, and predictions. After the four sessions, parents were
given books to read and materials to help implement the strategies learned. When
demonstration of a shared reading with comprehension strategies are not possible
materials provided for parents must be user friendly and provided in the parents’ native
language.
Jimenez et al. (2006) found that parents used more and different shared
reading strategies in the post-intervention. Parents should feel free to use a variety of
strategies as they see fit. If parents choose to do a shared reading with their children, it
should be designed to maximize their children’s comprehension of the text. This would
increase reading comprehension skills that are vital to reading development.
In the article “Leyendo Juntos (reading together): New Directions for Latino
Parents’ Early Literacy Involvement” Ortiz & Ordonez-Jasis (2005), reviews previous
literature that addresses the issue that Latino students are often viewed as deficient in
language and culture. Using the sociocultural theory lens to understanding literacy
22
development, they propose that parents’ home activities that involve literacy should be
taken into account. Those literacy practices are important to families. They propose
several recommendations in promoting literacy among Latino families who speak
Spanish and young children in school. The first recommendation is that educators must
reevaluate their definition of parent involvement. Teachers, administrators, and school
districts must reflect on their own perceptions about parents involved in their child’s
education. The second recommendation that Ortiz & Ordonez propose is that teachers
should conduct surveys or focus groups of parents in order to investigate ideas,
perceptions, or practices that parents engage in with their child in literacy. This kind of
investigation will give teachers a range of information that can help with creating literacy
opportunities between a child and a parent. This approach will also dispel any
misunderstandings or perceptions that parents have about home literacy practices.
With the hypothesis that a shared reading will help reading comprehension and
vocabulary among English learners, Hickman, Pollard-Durodola, & Vaugh (2004) have
outlined the process of a shared reading with English language learners. The process that
is proposed is intended for first grade teachers. The article discusses the importance of
teaching three new vocabulary words before the story is read. They stress that the
introduction of the text should include a preview of the text that shows the front cover
and the back cover of the book to activate any knowledge that a student can relate to the
text. At this time students can make a prediction about what they anticipate the text will
be about. The second step of a shared reading is to read a passage followed by asking
students questions to engage them in discussion. The next step is to have a discussion of
23
the text by asking students questions. At this time questions can either be literal or
inferential questions. Answers to literal questions asked are questions can be found in
the text. Inferential questions contain answers, which are not explicitly given by the
author. Inferential questions can lead to answers that are detailed and open-ended. Next,
the reader of the text will reread a passage to draw attention to the new vocabulary words
and end by summarizing the text. The reader may challenge students with the new
vocabulary words. Overall, Hickman et al (2004) presented a format for a shared reading
for use by teachers but that can also be applied by parents. Although this article was
presented as a process on how to read a book to English language learners, it was not a
study that showed any results as to how effective it would be on improving reading
comprehension.
The studies reviewed in this section focused on early literacy among English
learners. Hickman et al (2004) showed different literacy strategies that can be
implemented by teachers. Steps were outlined in the shared reading that were clearly
explained. Specifically, the authors described a process of shared reading that includes
strategies that can incorporate reading comprehension and vocabulary. If parents were
presented with such a format, such as outlined in the article, they would be better
equipped to promote literacy with their children in the home. Just as the authors and
participants in the Hickman et al. study (2004) parents can preview a book in order to
activate prior knowledge and help their children make predictions about what will happen
in the text.
24
Wynn and Laframboise (1996) conducted a qualitative study of four shared literacy
strategies among English learners in elementary grades. The participants of the study
were divided into two groups. Group 1 was comprised of one Spanish speaker, one
Vietnamese speaker, and five English speakers. Group 2 had eleven-second grade
students, two Spanish speakers, two bilingual (Spanish and English), six English
speakers, and one Arabic speaker. The four literacy strategies were shared reading with
books, singing predictable songs, using concrete materials for lessons, and shared writing
activities. After implementing the lessons that included the four literacy strategies, an
analysis of the videotapes showed that students often spoke out of turn for they were
eager to share their experiences. Moreover, the activities encouraged students to speak
more. The researchers were able to observe the development of English proficiency of
students and accommodate their learning needs. They also found that the four literacy
strategies were effective in developing the students’ language and literacy skills.
Wynn and Laframboise (1996) worked with primary age students, some who were
English language learners in order to examine four instructional strategies. The shared
reading was the part of the study that was of particular importance to the question of
training parents of English learners to promote literacy at home. They presented the
shared reading as a way for students to listen to fluent reading. They also pointed out that
the students participated in choral reading. While this study included shared reading as
part of teaching English language learners, it did not include any specific strategies that
were conducted while the text was read. Furthermore, the researchers read the text for
purposes other than to promote comprehension of the text. No questions were asked
25
during the shared reading. It is important to point out that while the shared reading did
not explicitly incorporate any strategies, the child can see how stories should be read with
expression and intonation. The study included a writing activity that is an important
literacy skill. However, what is missing in these two studies is that they did not mention
the role of parents supplementing the shared strategies. Modeling the strategies and
providing materials would help parents of English learners be active participants in their
children’s reading comprehension development. Parents who wish to incorporate a
writing activity with their children in the home should be provided with the tools to do
so.
The works cited in this section of the literature review (Iddings et al., 2009;
Jimenez et al. 2006; Ortiz & Ordonez-Jasis 2005; Hichkman et al. 2004, & Wynn &
Lambroise 1996) support the notion that Latino families of English learners can be an
active part of their child’s literacy development. Jimenez et al. (2006) showed that
training parents in shared reading strategies empower parents to reading to their child at
home. The results of the study showed that the children’s language was more varied and
there was more parent child dialogue while reading the book. Ortiz & Ordonez (2005)
outlined recommendations that can help promote and empower parents of English
learners to support their child’s literacy development. Furthermore, Jimenez et al. (2006)
and Hickman et al. (2004) provided shared reading strategies that could be used to train
parents of English learners. Wynn and Laframboise (1996) showed that writing can be
incorporated into a shared reading to help with writing which is an important literacy skill
26
for all students. The research suggests that a shared reading should include reading
comprehension strategies that can help facilitate the reading development of ELLs.
Latino Parent Involvement
Latino parent involvement with schools is varied and complex. While parents may
feel that they are involved in their child’s education, there may be incongruencies
between parents’ and schools’ opinions about this. In a qualitative study by Ramirez
(2003) Spanish speaking Latino parents in Southern California were interviewed about
concerns they had regarding their children’s schooling. They found that communication,
accountability, and respect were top concerns for Latino families. Parents expressed
concern that the school did not provide translators for them. They felt that if the school
wanted them to attend school events, the school would have made the effort to provide
translators. Furthermore, parents stated that the school did not communicate important
events that were held at the school. There were also differences in the views held by the
school in contrast to what the parents deemed as appropriate for parent involvement. For
instance, in their native country, parents were not expected to have regular contact with
the teacher. This information exposed a disconnect between the parent and school
definition of parental involvement. Moreover, the school failed to explicitly tell parents
how to become involved and they felt that teachers were not accountable for their
children. Given this study, teachers can play a significant role in facilitating
communication with parents. They should explicitly communicate ways parents can
support their children’s education. Ramirez (2003) recommended that schools should be
conscious of certain behaviors in order to make parents comfortable with being involved
27
in their children’s education. One recommendation made is that teachers need to show
respect and be caring toward their children.
In Reese and Gallimore (2000), a study was conducted with Spanish speaking
parents to investigate the cultural model of literacy development, its origins, and the
changes the cultural model undergoes when the families communicate with U.S. schools.
The study showed that there were home-school discontinuities within the group. Parents
believed it was important to practice learning how to read thus showing that they do
understand the importance of practicing skills learned in reading. Multiple sessions of
practice with comprehension strategies will enable the children and parents to become
aware of the complex nature of reading for understanding. While one of the first steps in
learning to read would be the letter sound correspondence, it is important to emphasize
comprehension that will enable young children to use multiple cueing systems for
reading.
Parents view literacy as a process that is learned only in a formal educational
setting rather than at home. However, this cultural model of literacy changed when they
encounter the American educational system. For instance, according to the case study
data, when children entered kindergarten 26% of parents read to their children, but by the
end of first grade 90% of parents read to their children. The home literacy practices and
beliefs of the families changed when the children entered school. Parents noted that they
had to change because the school was sending literacy materials holding them
accountable by requiring their signatures to document that reading took place at home.
28
Goldenberg (2006) highlights three major points in the article “Involving Parents of
English Learners in Their Children’s Schooling,” in which there was an
acknowledgement of a discontinuity between the home language and school culture.
Parents may not know how to navigate in a school setting if the school does not provide
translators. According to Goldenberg (2006) parents should feel welcomed at school.
Teacher plays a critical role in welcoming parents to the school setting. It is important
that parents support their child to enhance positive relationships between the home and
the school. It seems that informing parents of the functions of the school and their child’s
progress in school can improve parent school communication. It seems logical that when
parents have continuous and open contact with the teacher they are more likely to
approach the teacher about questions regarding their child’s behavior, homework, and
their child’s academic progress.
While parents may think that they are involved in their child’s education, the school
and teachers may feel differently about what constitutes parent involvement. In Quiocho
and Daoud (2006), the researchers studied the perceptions of teachers regarding parent
involvement of Latino EL students in two Southern California schools. It was concluded
that there was a disconnect between the perceptions of parent involvement among
teachers, parents, and students. They investigated teacher perceptions about Latino
parent involvement and how Latino parents see themselves in connection with the school.
Both schools had a large English learner population. The teacher and parent interviews
revealed inconsistencies in their perceptions. Teachers thought that parents were mainly
concerned about what was being taught in the classroom while parents revealed that they
29
had concerns about the academic content that their children were receiving. This points
to the notion that parents do pay attention to how their children are being taught in
school. It would be reasonable to assume that they wanted their children to have the
access to the same curriculum as all students. Teachers also expressed that Latino
parents did not care about their child’s education. Although the parent interviews
revealed otherwise, this is an important issue that should be addressed to facilitate better
teacher parent communication. While parents had many opinions about the school and its
teachers, they also acknowledged that they did not always help their children at home as
much as they could. This illustrates the importance of teacher parent communication for
teachers are in the best position to provide parents that can help with their children’s
reading development.
Delgado-Gaitan (1991) focused on “the home-school linkages constructed by the
school and the parents in an effort to relate to one another in support of the students” (p.
23). The school district had 2,000 students and of those students 35% are Latino and
40% are ELLs. While the district had traditional events like parent conferences and the
annual open house, not all parents attended these events for a variety of reasons including
limited English speaking skills and the lack of communication on the part of the school.
Delgado-Gaitan (1991) considered parent conferences and open house as conventional
parent involvement, while the pre-school program and the migrant program offered
nonconventional types of parent involvement. Delgado-Gaitan articulated as
nonconventional forms of parent involvement included sending Spanish notes home in
Spanish, making phone calls, home visits, and inviting parents to the classroom to see the
30
teacher to see how the children are taught. When the Comite de Padres Latinos (COPLA)
was formed an analysis of the conventional and nonconventional types of parent
involvement provided a more thorough understanding. First, the conventional types of
parent involvement requires the parents conform to the school and the district, which hold
the power (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991). The nonconventional types of parent involvement
show “an attempt to share the power on the
side of the school personnel” (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991, p. 40). This type of parent
involvement assumes that parents are not knowledgeable to help their children succeed in
school. The “third model of parent participation involves an autonomous group of
parents who set their own agendas and design a context in which they invite the school
personnel to share decision making information about programs, policies, and practices
related to the education of their children” (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991, p. 40). The third model
of parent involvement shows how parents and schools can work together toward a mutual
understanding of expectations and concerns for the educational success of all children.
In Delgado-Gaitan (1991) the analysis of the parent involvement activities showed
that Latino parents were able to organize in a way that empowered them to advocate for
their childrens’ education. It was evident that the conventional parent involvement
activities is not the most effective way to reach parents. If schools want to involve more
parents, they need to reach out to parents. The third model of parent involvement seems
to be more equitable in that it allows for everyone to work together and make decisions
for the benefit of a child’s education. Moreover, Delgado-Gaitan reported that parents
expected more instruction and frequent communication from the school while the
31
teachers expected the parents to take more initiative to inquire about their child’s
progress. This represents a clear miscommunication between the school district and the
parents. The school district expected parents to frequently ask how their children were
doing in school, but it seems that they did not convey that message clearly to parents.
Delgado-Gaitan (1991) also showed that with communication and outreach parents can
have a positive result in parents playing an active role in their child’s education.
Gandara (1995) in a reflective study of 50 Latino with advanced degrees shows
the importance that Latino parents place on education and literacy activities in the home.
Parents enabled their children to become academically successful even though their
parents had little education and did not speak English. Gandara found that all parents had
“supported their children’s educational goals, set high performance standards, modeled
and encouraged literacy, and helped with schoolwork any way they could” (Gandara,
1995, p. 111). Although the Latino parents did not speak English, they were willing to do
whatever they could to ensure that their children would do well in school. If these
parents were willing and capable of helping their children achieve, then it can be assumed
that when provided with materials in their native language more parents would be able to
use them to help their children succeed in school. The participants disclosed that they
had at least two sets of literary materials at home like a dictionary, encyclopedia,
newspaper, at least 25 books, or a magazine subscription. Unlike what teachers and
schools thought, parents were already providing their children with literature in the home.
Whether the parents did so intentionally or not, they were setting their children up for
success in encouraging reading. A strong argument that Gandara (1995) makes is that
32
“parents of these subjects did not interact very frequently with the schools, but they used
their cultural capital to reinforce the mission of the schools, a mission that they shared,
from within the home” (p. 48). While parents were not involved in the traditional sense,
their children grew up to be professionals who earned advanced degrees. This is a strong
example that shows the impact that parents can have on their children. The parents of the
participants instilled the values of education, which includes desire, opportunity, and
motivation to pursue a higher education. This study shows that parents can have an
impact on their children’s education from the home with the cultural knowledge they
know.
This section of the literature review (Ramirez, 2003; Reese & Gallimore 2000;
Goldenberg 2006; Quiocho & Daoud 2006; Delgado-Gaitan 1991; & Gandara 1995)
shows that there are disconnects which exist between what parents and school personnel
recognize as parent involvement. Ramirez (2003) emphasized the need to have
translators at meetings for Spanish speaking parents. Goldenberg (2006) included
guidelines that can help promote parents of English learners to engage more in school
functions. In order to do this, teachers and schools should be aware of the differences in
culture and language of their students’ parents. Language is central in opening up and
continuing communication between schools and parents. In Delgado-Gaitan (1991),
parents expressed concerns over the way in which the school district communicated with
parents. The school district did not provide enough translators and were not sending
notes home about upcoming events at school. Goldenberg (2006), Quiocho and Daoud
(2006), and Delgado-Gaitan (1991) detailed the disconnect between teacher perceptions
33
of Latino parent involvement and what Latino parents deemed important in supporting
their child through their educational career. Gandara (1995) shows that Latino Spanish
speaking parents provided their children with various literacy opportunities that fostered
educational success. With the right communication between the school and parents, the
suggestions given by Ramirez (2003), Goldenberg (2006), and Delgado-Gaitan (1991),
can help ELLs succeed academically.
Implications for Spanish speaking parents and their children are that the language of
the home should be utilized. Parents should be encouraged and empowered to use their
native language with their child. It is equally important to acknowledge that some
parents might have a different definition of parent involvement as opposed to the limited
definition schools place on parent roles.
Summary
In this chapter, there were three areas that were discussed and examined. The three
areas were the transfer of literacy from a first language to a second language, shared
reading strategies for Latino families, and Latino parent involvement in schools. The
major findings from this literature review show that there are often inconsistencies as to
what schools and parents deem to be parent involvement. Parents and schools have two
different definitions. Schools must also acknowledge that parents may not always know
how to navigate through the school system. Parents must be made to feel like they have a
vital role in the development of their child’s literacy. Other major findings are that
parents of English learners do care about their child’s education. This is important
because Quiocho and Daoud (2006) found that the teachers they interviewed thought
34
Latino parents did not care. However the parents interviewed expressed that their
children’s education mattered to them very much. It is also important to note that parents
using shared reading strategies can help expand their child’s vocabulary and reading
comprehension skills in an environment where parents and children can learn from each
other.
35
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
This project is designed for Spanish speaking parents who wish to engage their
children in literacy activities that mirror what their children are learning at school. The
target grades for this project are English learners in kindergarten, first grade, and second
grade, whose first language is Spanish. The literacy activity that will be presented in this
project is shared reading. For the purpose of this project, the shared reading will involve
an adult and a child reading together. The adult will be the person who guides and reads
the text to the child.
The purpose of the shared reading is to promote emergent literacy in the home
that includes concepts about print, reading comprehension, and writing. In order to
illustrate clear examples of a shared reading approach, a bilingual book in Spanish and
English will be incorporated as an example. The handbook will show the process of a
shared reading as well as concrete examples about how the shared reading ought to occur.
The example is meant as a guide, rather than a script.
Theoretical Framework
Reading is often divided into several skills needed to be mastered in order to
achieve comprehension. On the other hand, one must also consider that the construction
of meaning from reading a text can be different for students. This may be the case for
students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. The theoretical frameworks that
will guide this project are sociocultural theory and the zone of proximal development by
36
Vygotsky (1978). The theoretical framework of this project is Vygotsky’s (1978)
sociocultural theory, which views literacy as an interactive process in which meaning is
constructed based on a social context. According to Hammerberg (2004), sociocultural
theory views literacy as “a social practice always embedded within structures of power”
(p. 649). Literacy as a social practice means that people will create the meaning and
significance of a text based upon their experiences and realities. Therefore the meaning
of a text will vary based on the reader. For students who are culturally and linguistically
diverse, it is these interpretations of a text that can help build knowledge of the world
around them. Hammerberg (2004) contends that “when meaning is interactively
constructed, then comprehension involves negotiating many possible meanings, not just
in your head but also with the heads of others” (p. 650). If reading is an interactive
process in understanding a text, then the experiences of a person will influence how they
interpret the text. An analysis of the messages and knowledge that a text contains is
important for students to be able to decipher. While a person can use multiple ways of
interpreting a story, the conclusions that the person draws about the text will also vary.
Every person is unique and has had different experiences that will influence their
understanding of a story. Moreover, Hammerberg (2004) also states that within
sociocultural theory “one’s identity as ‘literate’ or ‘not literate,’ ‘abled’ or ‘disabled,’
‘poor student’ or ‘good student’ can shift and change according to context and task”
(p.649). In this study, sociocultural theory will be used when the parent and the child as
they read a text together. The connections with the text that the parent and/or the child
make may involve personal experiences. While the parent may understand the text in one
37
way and the child in another way, they would both be exchanging knowledge about the
text and transmitting cultural knowledge that the other may not be aware of yet.
As a parent and a child read a book together, they are both sharing knowledge. The
parent may be the person who can interpret the text, but the sharing of such knowledge
can benefit the child’s comprehension of a story. Vygotsky believed that the zone of
proximal development is “a metaphorical place in which a learner is capable of a higher
level of performance because there is support from interaction with an interlocutor”
(Lightbrown & Spada, 2006, p. 206). The zone of proximal development reflects the
purpose of the project because it involves parents guiding their child through reading
comprehension questions. If the child is making an inference about a certain section of
the text, it will involve both the parent and the child to communicate the knowledge
known to what the author of the text is inferring. While the child may not fully
comprehend the text, the parent will be the interlocutor in the discussion of the text.
Setting and Participants
This project was created for parents who speak Spanish and want to help their
children with reading comprehension. The children are English learners. While their
first language is Spanish, in school they receive all instruction in English. The need for
this project was first observed when English learners in my classes were failing reading
comprehension tests. Although the reading comprehension scores were low, their
fluency rate and accuracy was at grade level. This meant that the students were able to
decode, but they could not understand what they were reading.
38
These observations were made in an elementary school in San Joaquin county of
Central California. The school included grades kindergarten to eighth grade students,
who receive instruction in English only. English learners in this school do not receive the
thirty minutes of English language development as required by the State of California.
The school district has adopted Santillana, which is an English language development
program, yet students in grades kindergarten to fifth grade receive instruction in English
Language Arts via the Open Court curriculum. My experience with using Open Court
has been in first and second grade. Using the Open Court curriculum has allowed me to
see that there are gaps in the reading comprehension component based on assessments
and observations. In second grade, students are given a grade for a reading
comprehension passage that they must read and answer questions. There are ten
questions and in order to pass students must have received eight correct answers to be
considered at reading level. This is the only assessment that their grade is based on.
When I met with the parents of my English learners, they have often asked what they can
do to help their children at home with comprehension. They also expressed concern
about helping their children since they did not speak, read, or write in the English
language. Furthermore, in first grade I have noticed that the Open Court curriculum has
an extensive emphasis on phonics instruction, while the reading comprehension
instruction is minimal. The comprehension section of Open Court will consist of short
poems, chants, and further in the year it will include narratives. In my opinion, English
learners in grades kindergarten, first and second grade should be able to develop reading
39
comprehension in their first language. This project will allow Spanish-speaking parents
to help their children become readers who use different comprehension strategies in order
to understand the text. Students would be able to listen to texts in their first language, as
presented by their parents.
Steps Taken to Design the Project
This project was designed based on resources that have been available to me from
the time I was a student teacher through my third year of teaching. As a student teacher, I
learned about shared reading from my professor and the text on emergent literacy. When
I became a teacher, I was required to use the Open Court curriculum, which included
components of a shared reading. I also have participated in staff development on reading
comprehension. This project is based on the resources that have been available to me the
last four years of experience as an educator. The resources that have been available to
me have been in English intended for educators who planned on teaching English
speaking students. The project will be created to be parent friendly, and in the Spanish
language.
After reviewing the research on Latino parent involvement and shared reading, it
became evident that the handbook would be created specifically for Spanish speaking
parents. With the recommendations from Hickman et al. (2004) and Iddings et al. (2009),
the project will include a book walk in order to acquaint parents and children with the
story. It is during this time that parents and children are encouraged to have a discussion
about the text. In addition, Jimenez et al. (2006) demonstrated that if parents are trained
in shared reading strategies they will use them. This is significant in the design of the
40
project because some of the shared reading strategies used by Jimenez et al. (2006) were
used in this handbook. Parents will be given the definition as well as an example to
provide a clear understanding of the story. The handbook will incorporate concepts about
print, so parents can teach their children basic reading skills that must be mastered early
in a child’s reading development. Concepts about print will show the children how to
hold a book, demonstrate that words have meaning, and differentiate between a title of a
book and its author. The handbook incorporates strategies such as a think aloud in order
for a parent to model how one can problem solve when reading a difficult passage in a
book. The reading comprehension strategies that were incorporated in the handbook are
predicting, making connections, asking questions, and inferences. Predicting was chosen
because a reader must be able to use what they have already read in a book and
background knowledge about a topic in order to guess what will happen next in a text. A
person must show that their prediction is valid and consistent with the plot of the story.
Making connections is an important reading strategy that allows a reader to use
information that they already know in order to understand a story. Questions will allow
parents as well as the child to question what is happening in a story. The questions are
encouraged throughout the text and they may also lead to a discussion of the story. In
addition, the strategy inferences was included because it can be difficult for children to
understand that the author is trying to convey in a message without being explicit. For
the strategy inferences, it would be beneficial for parents to do a think aloud, so students
will know how to come to a conclusion about the message the author intended.
41
It is important that parents and children read together, and the handbook will
encourage parents to do so. According to Wynn and Laframboise (1996), it is also
equally important that parents and their children include writing with their reading. The
writing component of the handbook will be optional for parents but strongly
recommended. According to Iddings et al. (2009), writing about the story will allow
students to decipher key elements in a story such as setting, characters, as well as the
beginning, middle, and end of a story. These are important concepts that every story will
include. Knowing these different concepts and writing about them encourages students
to read for understanding. In order to encourage writing after the shared reading parents
and children will have the option of a summary or a free write. A summary will include
the setting, characters, and the plot. A free write is when a child is given a choice in
writing about anything they choose. For the purpose of the parent handbook, a free write
will be about the story that they read. The free write will give children the option to write
about whatever they choose. Parents will be able to see how their children are
developing in their writing skills.
Description of Project
A Handbook for Spanish Speaking Parents on Shared Reading Strategies is
composed of seven sections. It is located in the appendix. The first section is a letter to
parents explaining the handbook and the importance of reading to their child. The second
section includes recommendations for teachers and parents when using the handbook.
Recommendations for teachers were included because if teachers are going to distribute
the handbook to parents, teachers need to understand the purpose of the handbook.
42
Teachers should be aware that the handbook promotes literacy in the home utilizing
Spanish or English. The handbook is not to be used for the purpose of improving test
scores. This section also emphasizes the use of the handbook. It clarifies the purpose of
the handbook. The third section describes concepts about print. Concepts about print
was included so parents can show their children simple yet important skills for early
reading development. A book walk is the fourth section for it shows parents a way of
introducing the book before reading it. The fifth section is the shared reading. In this
section, a shared reading is defined and guidelines for a shared reading are explained so
the user has a clear idea on how to read a book for a shared reading. This section will
also explain to parents the importance of the comprehension strategies, and will show the
step-by-step process of each strategy as well as provide a concrete example of each
strategy for a clear understanding. The sixth section will incorporate writing activities.
The writing activities are optional for parents and children. This section will explain
each activity and will show examples of student work.
Conclusion
This project is intended for parents who speak Spanish as their primary language
and wish to help their children with reading comprehension. Based upon my experience
as a teacher the different strategies as well as the book walk, concepts about print, and the
writing activities are included in the handbook because I believe they are the most
important concepts children must learn if they are to achieve academically. I have
incorporated these strategies in my class, and they can be easily adapted for parents to use
with their children at home. The handbook is intended for parents and their children, but
43
it can used by any adult who reads to a child. The focus of the handbook ought to be
about using the comprehension strategies when reading a book, rather than used for test
preparation.
44
Chapter 4
DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATIONS, & CONCLUSIONS
Discussion
Upon entering school, English language learners (ELL) meet challenges when they
are expected to learn. ELLs must learn the language of instruction and be able to master
the concepts being taught. Learning the concepts taught in school can be difficult enough
for any student much less to try and also learn these concepts in another language.
According to Thomas & Collier (1997), it will take these students 7 to 10 years to
become fluent in English and perform proficiently in school. With this in mind, I think it
is important that students be given the opportunity to learn the new language while still
being exposed to the concepts being taught. Unfortunately, this is not the way that
children are taught in the district where I work. With the exception of one school that
offers a bilingual dual immersion program, all the other schools offer instruction for
young ELLs in English only. As teachers work to provide each ELL with the best
education possible, the curriculum that is used to meet their educational needs for reading
development is not the most effective method.
The curriculum that is required for reading is Open Court, which is written in
English. Open Court is the district-adopted curriculum that is used by all teachers in
grades kindergarten to fifth grade. As a teacher with experience using Open Court in
grades first and second, I have found that there are many drawbacks to using Open Court
exclusively for reading comprehension. While Open Court does include a variety of
45
literature to use for teaching reading comprehension, most of the first grade lessons are
short poems. The reading selections are short and therefore difficult to use to model
some of the reading comprehension strategies. Another concern for first and second
grade is that the reading selections may not be what children would have chosen to read.
They do not appear to be of high interest to this age group. These three areas are of
concern because I believe that when children are young, it is important to foster a joy for
reading, where children can choose reading that appeals to them. Open Court does not
offer options: all readings are predetermined. In addition, the examples that are used for
modeling comprehension strategies are given to teachers as a guide, however they are
either unnecessary or are poor in quality for some passages do not sound like a natural
reading. Also, in reading comprehension, for first and second grade Open Court does not
include graphic organizers that can be used for the setting, characters, and the plot. A
graphic organizer can help children decipher the essential elements that every narrative
text should include. Using a graphic organizer for reading comprehension can
significantly enhance understanding of the story. While Open Court is the district
adopted curriculum for reading comprehension, it does lack several of the essential
components that I believe are essential for a reading comprehension program to include.
As ELLs enter school and struggle to learn the concepts as well as the language,
their parents are often concerned about their academic progress. As a teacher who has
worked with parents of ELLs, I have heard the concerns that parents have about their
child’s reading comprehension scores. How does a parent who does not speak nor is
46
literate in English help their child with reading comprehension? While this is not an easy
question to answer, the home native language should be considered in order for parents
and children to work together on reading comprehension with their children at home.
Parents should not feel as though they are helpless in supporting reading comprehension
in the home because they are not literate in the language of school instruction. Moreover,
according to Sparks et al (2009) and Proctor et al. (2009), children who learn to read in
their native language will have better reading comprehension scores than students who
are instructed solely in English. The importance of the research findings is essential to
the parent handbook because it supports the efforts of the parents who will be helping
their child by reading and engaging them in their native language.
Reading comprehension is not an easy area of reading to learn or teach. The
vocabulary of the language being read must be understood in order to know what is being
read. If a child does not fully comprehend the language of instruction, reading
comprehension can be difficult for them regardless of how well a person may try to teach
them the concepts in the second language. According to Krashen (1985) second language
acquisition requires comprehensible input. “Comprehensible input is the essential
ingredient for second language acquisition” (Krashen, 1985, p. 4). Comprehensible input
is the ability to understand the messages that are being spoken. Since children must be
able to understand what they are reading to understand a story, it becomes necessary to
intervene to best fit their educational needs. The language used must be comprehensible
to the child. While a child may still be learning the new language, it becomes crucial that
they are able to understand the skills and concepts that are being taught in school. Under
47
the guidance of their parents, children can listen to their parents read in their first
language and acquire the skills for reading comprehension in a language that is
understood.
As parents use the handbook with their children for reading comprehension, it is
important to acknowledge that they as parents may already be engaging their children in
literacy in the home. This handbook does not assume that parents are not engaging their
children in literacy in the home for literacy in the home does not only consist of reading
books. Literacy may include anything from reading recipes, the bible, newspapers, or
pamphlets. Parents should use the handbook if they want to work specifically with
reading comprehension, or if they would just like to learn different reading and writing
activities to do with their child.
Recommendations
After completing the parent handbook several implications for Spanish speaking
parents and their children arose. Schools should take into account the language that the
parents speak. This is vital to building strong communication between parents and the
school, and would increase the parents’ confidence level to go to the school with
questions or concerns. Meeting the parents’ language needs could include having
translators, personnel, and other resources who speak the native language, so parents are
able to interact with the school with questions and concerns. In an effort to provide
parents with resources to help their children with their reading development the parent
handbook was written in Spanish. Language is an important way of developing and
fostering open communication between the school and parents.
48
The parent handbook is recommended to be used for parents who speak Spanish
and would like to work on reading comprehension with their young children. The
handbook is written in two languages, English and Spanish, for a variety of reasons. It is
written in English so teachers can read through the handbook and distribute it to parents
with whom they work. If teachers wish to distribute the English version of the handbook
to parents who speak English, they may also do so. The handbook is written in Spanish
because of the large Spanish speaking population of ELLs. It is the population that needs
resources in reading comprehension. This is also the largest population that I have come
into contact with in my teaching experience.
Furthermore, the parent handbook can be accessed by a variety of educational
organizations so that they may show Spanish speaking parents how to use the parent
handbook to help their children learn to read. While I am only one teacher, I intend to
distribute the parent handbook to parents who speak Spanish in my classroom, and make
the parent handbook available to others. School committees such as English Language
Advisory Committee, other teachers, migrant programs, and other educational
organizations would benefit from reviewing the handbook and providing it to Spanish
speaking parents with whom they also come into contact. These organizations would be
essential in encouraging parents to use the handbook at home.
After completing the parent handbook, it became clear that there is not enough
research regarding the link between Latino Spanish speaking parents and their child’s
academic success. As a Latina and an educator, I have encountered many stereotypes
about Latino parents, which I believe not to be true. I have witnessed Latino parents who
49
speak Spanish raise intelligent children who are successful academically, yet there is not
enough research done on this population to raise awareness about the success that these
families achieve. Gandara’s study provides evidence that these families and their
children do become successful. The study shows how children were able to achieve a
high level of academic success without speaking English in the home or without parents
who were literate in English. More research needs to be done on families such as these,
so schools and educators can understand what it takes to be successful. It would also
dispel the belief held by some educators that Latino Spanish speaking parents do not care
about their child’s education.
Conclusion
Parents are essential in their child’s education. It is the parents that will see their
child develop academically. Since English learners make up such a large population of
students in California and my district, it becomes necessary to address their needs. This
would include reading, since it is a vital area to build upon for their future academic
success. As English learners learn how to read in the primary grades, their gains can be
applauded. The issue becomes more critical when English learners are expected to read
to learn. This is when reading comprehension becomes an essential skill in mastering
academic success. While there is no one way to learn reading comprehension skills, it is
important that these children master how to integrate them into their reading as they feel
necessary when they read. For all these reasons, I have created A Parent Handbook on
Shared Reading Strategies for Spanish Speaking Parents. I am hopeful that even if only
one family utilizes this handbook, this effort was a worthwhile project.
50
APPENDIX
51
A Handbook on Shared Reading
Strategies for Spanish Speaking
Parents
52
Dear Parents,
As a teacher, I try to provide every child with the best
education possible. I also have a strong belief that parents
are the first and most important teachers in a child’s life.
You are the people who will teach your child how to
navigate the world around them. You are also the people
who will be their teacher for the rest of their lives. A big
part of a child’s life is school. There are times when some
parents ask how they can incorporate reading to enhance
their child’s reading. For this reason I have created a
handbook that can give you some guidelines on how to read
a book to your child. The handbook will guide you through
a shared reading. A shared reading is when two people read
a book together and they both have access to the book.
There have been studies that show when parents are
involved in their child’s education, children will perform
better on tests in school. In order to help you work with
your child at home this handbook will teach you shared
reading activities and strategies that can help with this task.
A shared reading is when a person reads a story to a child.
It is a simple activity that can be used to incorporate
different activities that are meant to help children with what
they are learning in school. The handbook will include a
description of the activities such as concepts about print, a
bookwalk, strategies used to understand a book, and two
53
writing activities. It will also provide examples of the
reading comprehension strategies.
I hope you enjoy reading to your child and using this
handbook as a guide. Have fun!
54
Recommendations for Parents
 Remember a shared reading is when two persons
read a book together. You will be guiding your
child through the reading of a book.
 A shared reading can be done in Spanish or in
English.
 Allow your child to choose the book to read.
 Reading a book with your child should be
enjoyable.
 Focus on the ideas of the book and the writing
activities.
 If your child wants to try reading to you, allow
them to read to you. Encourage them in a positive
way.
55
Recommendations for Teachers
 The intended audience is parents who speak Spanish
 The handbook is not intended to be used for improving
reading test scores.
 The shared reading will be in the students’ and parents’
first language in order to maximize comprehension.
 The handbook can be given to parents at back to school
night or during parent teacher conferences.
 Emphasize to parents that the shared reading should be
enjoyable.
56
Concepts About Print
Concepts about print are that writing in a book
contains meaning, text is read from left to right, a
book has a title, author, and an illustrator. Also
included are letters that are the black marks on a page
surrounded by white space.
1. Begin by reading and pointing to the title.
2. Tell your child this is the title. The title is the
name of the book.
3. Point to the author and read the name. Tell your
child this is the author of this book.
4. Point to the illustrator and read the name. Tell
your child this is the name of the person who
draws the pictures in the book.
5. When reading the book, make sure you are
pointing with your finger at the words you are
reading. This will show them that text is from
left to right.
6. Once your child has read the books several times,
for subsequent readings you may ask your child
to point out the title, author, and illustrator.
57
7. When reading the book, it is a good idea for your
child to point to words they recognize or have
learned how to read.
58
Concepts about print example
First, hold the book correctly, so your child
understands the direction in which the book is held.
Parent points to the title and says: The title is Curious
George that is the name of the book.
Parent may ask child: What is the title?
Child responds: Curious George
Parent points to the author and says: The author is H.
A. Rey that is the person that wrote the story.
Parent may ask: Who is the author? What does the
author do?
Reminder: When you read the book to your child,
remember to use your finger to track the words you
read. This will help your child understand that
words have meaning and that words are read left to
right.
59
Bookwalk
A bookwalk is done following concepts about
print. It is one way to preview the book. You do not
begin to read the book yet. You simply look at the
pictures and discuss what is happening in the book.
1. Look at the front cover of the book and ask your
child if they have an idea what the story is about.
2. Turn to the first page and look at the pictures.
3. Ask your child to guess who will be the character
in the story.
4. Turn to the second page and look at the pictures.
5. Ask the child to guess what is happening, and
who the characters.
6. Turn to the third page and look at the pictures.
7. Ask your child to guess what the problem will be
in the story will be.
8. You may continue looking through the pictures
and discussing them as you would like.
60
Remember that a bookwalk is a good way to talk
about the characters, setting, and the problem in the
story. It should be conversational and should build
suspense before reading the book.
61
Bookwalk Example
Cover
Parent: What do you think this story will be about?
Child: A monkey is in trouble.
First page
Parent: Who’s on the page?
Child: The monkey. He’s on the tree eating a banana.
Second page
Parent: What’s happening with the monkey?
Child: He’s playing on the swing. I think the man
wants him.
Page 11
Parent: Uh-oh! Look at what happened to the
monkey!
Child: The man is taking the monkey in a bag. He’s
scared.
62
Shared Reading
A shared reading is when an adult and a child or
children read a book together. All participants in the
shared reading have access to the book. A shared
reading is helpful way of showing children how a
book is read. A shared reading is a good way for
your child to practice different ways of understanding
the text. This can include a discussion of the events in
the book.
63
Shared Reading Guidelines
 Allow your child to choose the book.
 There is no set time limit. It could last 15
minutes or as long as is needed to be fully
engaged with the text.
 The writing activities are not mandatory, but
they are an important part of literacy
development.
 The adult or child may read the book aloud.
 If child is reading the book, do not focus on
how correctly they are reading the book.
The focus should be on the ideas and events
in the text.
 Concepts about print and a bookwalk should
be done every time you read a book with
your child.
 The strategies for comprehension do not
have to be done in the order they are
presented. They can be done, as needed
when reading the book.
64
Think Aloud
A think aloud is a strategy in which a person says
aloud how they solved a problem. For reading
comprehension, a person who is doing the think
aloud is speaking aloud how they are processing the
problem and solving it.
There is no recommended procedure for a think
aloud, but it may consist of you saying aloud how a
strategy works using an example from the story. A
good strategy to use for a think aloud would be an
inference, so your child will know how you came to
that conclusion.
Pg. 30
Parent: I think George is going to get in trouble. He is
dialing all those numbers and doesn’t know he is
calling someone.
65
Predicting
Predicting is guessing what will happen next in a
story. The guess should be based on what has
already happened and any clues that are seen in the
pictures. Predictions are done based on what you
have read or what you know about the topic.
1. After reading the first two or three pages, ask
your child what they think will happen next.
2. You may write down the prediction to refer to
after the next page has been read.
3. When you read the next page, try to find out if
the prediction was correct.
4. Look at the prediction that you wrote, and decide
whether the prediction was correct or not
5. This process can be continued as you see fit in
subsequent pages that are read.
It is important to know that predicting can also
be done by looking at the pictures on a page and
guessing what will happen next.
66
Predicting Example
Page 7
Parent: What do you think will happen next?
Child: George is going to take hat.
Page 8
Child: George is putting on the hat. I think he likes it.
Page 9
Parent: Did George take the hat?
Child: George is taking the hat, but now he’s in
trouble.
67
Making Connections
Making connections is when a person is able to
relate to the text. Relating to the text can be about
something personal. A connection in the book can be
between the book and another book. Good readers
are able to make connections to the books they are
reading.
Page 20
Parent: I remember one day when I was little, my
brother wanted to teach me how to swim, but he
threw me in the water first. I was so scared just like
George.
Child: Did he help you get out of the water?
Parent: Yes he did, but then he got in trouble for
throwing me in the water like that.
68
Asking Questions
Asking questions allows for children to ask
questions throughout the reading of the book.
Children are then able to answer the question based
on what they know or what happens in the story.
Good readers ask themselves questions and will
answer the questions as they read the book. Parents
should encourage their child to ask questions as they
read the book.
Page 16
Child: What does curious mean?
Parent: Curious means that you like to learn about
different things. You always want to know how
things work. George is always curious.
Page 37
Parent: Why do you think George keeps doing things
to get in trouble?
Child: I don’t know. Maybe he just doesn’t know the
rules yet.
69
Inferences
An inference is when the author of a book gives a
person a clue about something, and the person needs
to figure out what the message was. Inferences are
important for children to figure out. They should be
able to read between the lines and not just read the
book literally.
Pg. 39
Parent: Look the firemen are taking George to prison.
The firemen said they want put George where he is
not going to make any trouble. I think that the
firemen are mad at George. What do you think?
Child: The firemen are mad because George called
them when he did not need them.
70
Writing Activities
 The writing activities are important to
incorporate for children who are learning how to
read.
 Allow the child to do the writing. You may be
there as a guide, but you should not do any of the
writing.
 As the child writes, do not focus on spelling or
correct punctuation. The focus should be on the
events or characters of the story.
 If the child cannot write words yet, allow the
child to draw pictures or write in scribbles.
 Encourage your child to write. Later they will be
writing actual words. This gives you a chance to
see their written progress.
71
Summary
A summary is a short story of the book that has
been read. It will usually include the setting, the main
characters, and the sequence of events. The sequence
of events should be beginning, middle, end, and may
include the problem and solution.
Materials needed: paper, pencil, and/or crayons
1. First discuss and write down the setting. It
should include when and where it happened.
2. Discuss and write the main character’s name.
3. Discuss and write down the lesson or problem in
the story.
4. Think, discuss, and write down what happened
in the beginning. If there were multiple
important events, they can be listed.
5. Think, discuss, and write down what happened
in the end of the story. The events can be listed.
6. For the middle of the story, discuss how the main
character got from the beginning of the story to
the end. Write it down.
72
It is important to remember that the summary
can be written with words or pictures can be
drawn.
73
Free Write
A free write is a writing activity in which a child is
free to write about whatever they want concerning
the story.
Materials: paper, pencil, crayons, or any writing
utensil.
1. Give the child the paper and tell them that they
can write about the story.
2. If the child does not know what to write, you
could suggest some ideas.
Suggestions for a free write can be writing about the
child’s favorite character, a favorite part of the story,
or drawing a picture about the story. They can write
about how they are like the character.
74
Una guía de estrategias para una
lectura compartida para padres
que hablan español
75
Estimados Padres,
Como una maestra, trato de proveer a cada niño la
mejor educación posible. También tengo una creencia
fuerte que los padres son los profesores primeros y
más importantes en la vida de un niño. Usted es la
persona que enseñará a su niño como navegar el
mundo alrededor de ellos. Usted también es la
persona que será su profesor para el resto de sus
vidas. Una gran parte de la vida de un niño es la
escuela. Hay tiempos cuando algunos padres
preguntan como ellos pueden incorporar la lectura
para realzar la lectura de su niño. Por esta razón he
creado una guía que puede darle algunas pautas en
como leer un libro a su niño. La guía le dirigirá por
una lectura compartida. Una lectura compartida es
cuando las dos personas leen un libro juntos y ellos
ambos tienen acceso al libro.
Hubo estudios que muestran cuando los padres
están implicados en la educación de su niño; los niños
funcionarán mejor en pruebas en la escuela. A fin de
ayudarle a trabajar con su niño en la casa esta guía le
enseñará actividades de lectura compartidas y
estrategias que pueden ayudar con comprensión de
un libro. Una lectura compartida es cuando una
persona lee una historia a un niño. Esto es una
actividad simple que puede ser usada para incorporar
76
actividades diferentes que se suponen para ayudar a
niños con lo que ellos aprenden en la escuela. La guía
incluirá una descripción de las actividades y ejemplos
para darle un entendimiento claro de una lectura
compartida. Las actividades incluirán conceptos sobre
la letra, un bookwalk, las estrategias para entender un
libro, y 2 actividades de escritura.
Espero que usted disfrute leyendo a su niño y usar
esta guía. ¡Diviértase!
77
Recomendaciones para maestros
 El auditorio intencionado es padres que hablan
español
 La guía no es para mejorar tanteos de prueba de
lectura.
 La lectura compartida estará en la primera idioma
de los estudiantes y padres para maximizar la
comprensión.
 La guía puede ser dado a padres en la noche de
regreso a escuela o durante conferencias de
maestros y padres.
 Énfasis es para la lectura compartida debería ser
agradable.
78
Recomendaciones para Padres
 Recuerden que una lectura compartida es cuando
dos personas leen un libro juntos. Usted dirigirá
a su niño por la lectura de un libro.
 Una lectura compartida puede ser hecho en la
idioma que usted escoge.
 Permiten que su niño elija el libro
 Lectura de un libro con su niño debería ser
agradable.
 Dejado su niño eligen el libro para leer.
 El enfoce debe de ser en las ideas del libro y las
actividades de escritura.
 Si su niño quiere tratar de leerle, permita que
ellos le lean. Anímelos de un modo positivo.
79
Conceptos Sobre Letra
Los conceptos sobre la letra son que la escritura
en un libro contiene el sentido, el texto es de la
izquierda a la derecha, un libro tiene un título, el
autor, y un ilustrador. Es también que las letras son
las señales negras en una página rodeada por el
espacio en blanco.
1. Comienza a leer y señale al título.
2. Dígale al niño que este es el título. El título es el
nombre del libro.
3. Muestra al nino el autor y lee. Diga a niño que este
es el autor.
4. Muestre al ilustrador y lee el nombre. Diga a niño
que este es el nombre de la persona que dibuja los en
el libro.
5. Cuando este leyendo el libro, asegúrese que usted
señala con su dedo en las palabras que usted lee. Este
les mostrará que el texto es de la izquierda a la
derecha.
6. Cuando el niño ha leído varios libros, usted puede
pedir al niño indicar el título, el autor, y el ilustrador.
80
Ejemplo sobre conceptos de letra
Primero, sostenga el libro correctamente, para que el
niño entiende la dirección en la cual el libro es
sostenido.
El padre señala al título y dice: El título es Jorge el
Curioso. Este es el nombre del libro.
El padre puede preguntar al niño: ¿Cuál es el título?
Niño responde: Jorge el curioso
Los padres señalan al autor y dicen: El autor es H. A.
El Rey esta el la persona que escribió la historia.
El padre puede preguntar: ¿Quién es el autor? ¿Qué
hace el autor?
Recordatorio: Cuando usted lee el libro al niño,
acuérdese de usar su dedo para rastrear las palabras
que usted lee. Esto ayudará a su niño a entender que
las palabras tienen el sentido y que las palabras son
leídas dejadas al derecho.
81
Bookwalk
Un bookwalk es hecho después de conceptos
sobre la letra. Esto es un modo de ver el libro de
preestreno. Usted no comienza a leer el libro. Usted
simplemente mira los dibujos y habla lo que pasa en
el libro.
1. Mire a la tapa delantera del libro y pregunta al niño
si ellos tienen una idea sobre qué la historia es.
2. Vaya a la primera página y mire a los dibujos.
3. Pide al niño que adivine quién son los caracteres en
la historia.
4. Vuelta a la segunda página y mire a los dibujos.
5. Pide al niño que adivine lo que pasa, y quién son
los caracteres.
6. Vuelta a la tercera página y mire a los dibujos.
7. Pide al niño que adivine cual es la problema en la
historia.
8. Usted puede seguir mirando a los dibujos y hablar
de ellos cuando le gustaría.
Recuerde que un bookwalk es un modo bueno de
hablar de los caracteres, ajuste, y el problema en la
historia. Debería ser conversacional y debería
construir el incertidumbre antes de leer el libro.
82
Ejemplo de un Bookwalk
Tapa
Padre: ¿Que crees que esta historia será sobre?
Niño: Están llevando a un mono.
Primera página
Padre: ¿Quién esta pasando en esta página?
Niño: El mono. Él está en el árbol y esta comiendo un
plátano.
Segunda página
Padre: ¿Qué pasa con el mono?
Niño: Él esta jugando. Pienso que el hombre lo quiere
llevar.
Página 11
Padre: ¡Oh no! ¡Mira lo que pasó al mono!
Niño: El hombre se esta llevando el mono. Esta
asustado.
83
Lectura Compartida
Una lectura compartida es cuando un adulto lee
un libro con un niño. En una lectura compartida el
adulto y el niño pueden ver a el libro. Leyendo el
libro juntos ayuda a niños orientarse con libros y
también les ayuda enfocarse en comprender el libro
84
Pautas de Lectura Compartidas
 Permite que su niño elija el libro.
 No hay ningún límite de tiempo para una lectura
compartida. Esto podría durar 15 minutos o lo
que es necesario para leer el libro.
 Las actividades de escritura no son el
mandatario, pero ellos son una parte importante
del desarrollo de alfabetismo.
 El adulto o niño puede leer el libro en voz alta.
 Si el niño lee el libro, no concéntrese en como
correctamente ellos leen el libro. El foco debería
estar en las ideas y acontecimientos en el texto.
 Conceptos sobre la letra y un bookwalk debería
ser hecho cada vez usted lee un libro con su niño.
 Las estrategias para la comprensión no tienen
que ser hecho en la orden presentados. Ellos
pueden ser hechos, como necesario cuando
leyendo el libro.
85
Pensando en voz alta
Pensar en voz alta es una estrategia en la cual
una persona dice en voz alta como ellos solucionaron
un problema. Para comprensión de lectura, una
persona que hace pensar en voz alta habla en voz alta
como ellos tratan de resolver el problema y la
solución.
No hay ningún procedimiento recomendado
para pensar en voz alta, pero esto puede consistir en
usted diciendo en voz alta como una estrategia trabaja
usando un ejemplo de la historia. Una estrategia
buena de usar para pensar en voz alta sería una
inferencia, para que su niño sabrá como usted vino a
que conclusión.
Pagina 30
Padre: Me parece que Jorge se va a meter en
problemas. Él esta marcando todos los números y no
sabe que está llamando a alguien.
86
Predicción
Una predicción es para adivinar lo que pasará
después en una historia. La adivinanza debería estar
basada en lo que ha pasado ya y cualquier pista que
es vista en los dibujos. Las predicciones son hechas
basadas en lo que usted ha leído o lo que usted sabe
sobre el tema.
1. Después de leer los primeros 2 o tres páginas,
pregunten al niño lo que ellos piensan de lo que va a
pasar en la historia.
2. Usted puede anotar la predicción para referirse a
después de que la siguiente página ha sido leída.
3. Cuando usted lee la siguiente página, trata de
averiguar si la predicción era correcta.
4. Miran la predicción que usted escribió, y decidirse
si la predicción era correcta o no
5. Este proceso puede ser seguido cuando usted ve
adecuado en páginas subsecuentes que son leídas.
Es importante saber que la predicción también puede
ser hecha mirando los dibujos en una página y
adivinando lo que pasará después.
87
Ejemplo de una predicción
Página 7
Padre: ¿Qué piensas de lo que pasará después?
Niño: Jorge se va llevar el sombrero.
Página 8
Niño: Jorge se pone el sombrero. Pienso que le gusta.
Página 9
Padre: ¿Tomó Jorge el sombrero?
Niño: Jorge toma el sombrero, pero ahora se lo van a
llevar.
88
Haciendo conexiones
Haciendo conexiones es cuando una persona es
capaz de estar relacionado con el libro. Puede ser
sobre algo el personal. Una conexión en el libro puede
estar entre el libro y otro libro. Los lectores buenos
son capaces de hacer conexiones de los libros que
ellos leen.
Página 20
Padre: Recuerdo que un día cuando yo era pequeña,
mi hermano quiso enseñarme a nadar, pero él me tiró
en el agua primero. Tenía tanto miedo como Jorge.
Niño: ¿Te ayudo tu hermano?
Padre: Sí, pero luego lo regañaron por empujarme en
la agua así.
89
Preguntas
Preguntas en un cuento es para hacer preguntas
en todas partes de la lectura del libro. Los niños son
capaces entonces de contestar la pregunta basada en
lo que ellos saben o lo que pasa en la historia. Los
lectores buenos preguntan cuando están leyendo y
contestarán las preguntas cuando ellos leen todo el
libro. Los padres deberían animar a su niño a hacer
preguntas cuando ellos leen el libro.
Página 16
Niño: ¿Qué es curioso?
Padre: Curioso significa que le gusta aprender sobre
cosas diferentes. Tu siempre quieres saber como
trabajan las cosas. Jorge siempre es curioso.
Página 37
Padre: ¿Por qué es que George sigue haciendo cosas
que lo ponen en problemas?
Niño: No sé. Tal vez no sabe las reglas.
90
Inferencias
Una inferencia es cuando el autor de un libro da
a una persona una pista sobre algo, y la persona tiene
que entender cual es el mensaje. Las inferencias son
importantes para niños para entender. Inferencias hay
veces son difícil para niños de entender cuando están
leyendo un libro. Ellos deberían ser capaces de leer
entre las líneas y no sólo para leer el libro
literalmente.
Pagina 39
Padre: Mira los bomberos están llevando a Jorge a la
cárcel. Los bomberos dijeron que quieren llevar a
Jorge a la carcel porque a causado muchas problemas.
Creo que los bomberos están enojados con Jorge.
¿Qué piensas?
Niños: Los bomberos están enojados porque Jorge
llamó cuando no los necesitan.
91
Actividades de escritura
 Los actividades de escritura son importantes de
incorporar para que niños aprenden a escribir de
lo que leen.
 Permiten que el niño haga la escritura. Usted
puede estar allí como una guía, pero usted no
debería hacer ninguna de la escritura.
 Cuando el niño escribe, no concéntrese en la
ortografía o corrija la puntuación. El foco debería
estar en los acontecimientos o los caracteres de la
historia.
 Si el niño no puede escribir palabras aún, permita
que el niño dibuje cuadros o escriba en garabatos.
 Animen a su niño a escribir. Más tarde ellos
escribirán palabras actuales. Este le da una
posibilidad para ver su progreso escrito.
92
Resumen
Un resumen es un cuento corto del libro que ha
sido leído. Esto incluirá los caracteres principales y la
secuencia de lo que paso en el cuento. La secuencia
debería de incluir lo que paso al principio, en medio,
y al terminarse, y puede incluir el problema y la
solución de la historia.
Materiales necesarios: papel, lápiz, o creyones
1. Primero hable y anote donde paso la historia. Esto
debería incluir cuando y donde pasó.
2. Hable con su nino sobre el carácter principal y
escribe el nombre del carácter principal.
3. Hable con su nino sobre la problema y la lección de
la historia y anote esta información.
4. Piense, hable, y anote lo que pasó al principio. Si
había varios importantes acontecimientos escríbelo en
una lista.
5. Pensé, hable, y anote lo que pasó al final de la
historia. Los acontecimientos pueden ser escribidos en
una lista.
6. Para el medio de la historia, hable como el carácter
principal se puso a partir del principio de la historia
al final. Anótelo.
Es importante recordar que el resumen puede ser
93
escrito con palabras o lo pueden ser dibujados.
94
Escribe libre
Un escribe libre es un actividad de escritura en la
cual un niño es libre de escribir sobre lo que ellos
quieren acerca de la historia.
Materiales: papel, lápiz, creyones, o cualquier
utensilio de escritura.
1. De al niño el papel y dígale que ellos pueden
escribir sobre la historia.
2. Si el niño no sabe que escribir, usted podría sugerir
algunas ideas.
Las sugerencias para un libre escriben puede escribir
sobre el carácter favorito del niño, una parte favorita
de la historia, o dibujar un cuadro sobre la historia.
95
REFERENCES
Burgess, S., R., Hecht, S., A., & Lonigan, C., J. (2002). Relation of home literacy home
environment to the development of reading-related abilities: A one-year longitudinal
study. Reading Research Quarterly, 37(4), 408-426.
Butler, Y., G. & Hakuta, K. (2006). Cognitive Factors in Children’s L1 and L2 Reading.
Academic Exchange Quarterly, 10(1), 23-29.
California Department of Education (n.d) Data Quest. Retrieved October 1, 2009 from
www.dq.cde.ca.gov
Cardenas-Hagan, E., Carlson, C., D. & Pollard-Durodola, S., D. (2007). The Cross-linguistic
Transfer of Early Literacy Skills: The Role of Initial L1 and L2 Skills and Language of
Instruction. Language Speech Hearing Services, 38(3), 249-259.
Cecil, N. L. (2003). Striking A Balance: Best Practices for Early Literacy, Scottsdale,
Arizona: Holcomb Hathaway Publishers.
Delgado-Gaitan, C. (1991). Involving Parents in the Schools: A Process of Empowerment.
Journal of American Education, 100(1), 20-46.
Gandara, P. (1995). Over the Ivory Walls: The Educational Mobility of Low Income Chicanos.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Goldernberg, C. (2006). Involving Parents of English Learners in their Children’s Schooling.
Instructional Leader, 29(3), 1-2, 11-12.
Gottardo, A. & Mueller, J. (2009). Are First and Second-Language Factors Related in Predicting
Second-Language Reading Comprehension? A Study of Spanish-Speaking Children
Acquiring English as a Second Language from First to Second Grade. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 101(2), 330-344.
96
Hammerberg, D. D. (2004). Comprehension instruction for socioculturally diverse classrooms: A
review of what we know. The Reading Teacher, 57(7), 648-658.
Hickman, P., Pollard-Durdola, S., & Vaugh, S. (2004). Storybook reading: Improving
vocabulary and comprehension for English-language learners. The Reading Teacher,
57(8), 720-730.
Iddings, A. C. D., Risko V. A., Rampulla, M. P. (2009). When You Don’t Speak Their
Language: Guiding English-Language Learners through Conversations about Text. The
Reading Teacher, 63(1), p. 52-61.
Jimenez, T.C., Filippini, A.L., & Gerber, M.M. (2006). Shared Reading within Latino Families:
An Analysis of Reading Interactions and Language Use. Bilingual Research Journal,
30(2), 431-452.
Krashen, S. D. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. London: Laredo
Publishing Company, Inc.
Lightbrown, P., M, & Spada, N. (2006). How Languages Are Learned Third Edition, Oxford,
NY: Oxford University Press.
Lynch, J., Anderson, J., Anderson, A., & Shapiro, J. (2008). Parents and Preschool Children
Interacting with Storybooks: Children’s Early Literacy Achievement. Read Horizon,
48(4), 227-242.
Nakamoto, J., Lindsey, K., A., & Manis, F., A. (2007). A longitudinal analysis of English
language learners’ word decoding and reading comprehension. Reading and Writing, 20(7),
691-719.
Ortiz, R.W., & Ordonez-Jasis, R. (2005). Leyendo juntos (reading together): New Directions for
Latino parents’ early literacy involvement. The Reading Teacher, 59(2), 110-121.
Ortiz, C., Stowe, r., M., & Arnold, D. H. (2001). Parental influence on child interest in shared
97
picture book reading. Early Childhoood Education Research Quarterly, 16(2), 263- 281.
Pappamihiel, N., E., & Walser, M., T. (2009). English Language Learners and Complexity
Theory: Why Current Accountability Systems Do Not Measure Up. The Educational
Forum, 73(2), 133-139.
Perry, N., J., Sascha, M., K., & Brown, A. (2008). Continuity and change in home literacy
practices of Hispanic families with preschool children. Early Child Development and
Care, 178(1), p. 99-113.
Proctor, C., P., Carlo, M., S., August, D., & Snow, C. (2006). The Intriguing Role of Spanish
Language Vocabulary Knowledge in Predicting English Reading Comprehension.
Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 159-169.
Quiocho, A.M.L., & Daoud, A.M. (2006). Dispelling Myths about Latino Parents Participation
in Schools. Educational Forum, 70(3), 255-267.
Ramirez, F., A., Y. (2003). Dismay and Disappointment: Parental Involvement among Latino
Immigrant Parents. The Urban Review, 35(2), p. 92-110.
Ray, H. A. (1969). Curious George Jorge el curioso. New York, NY: Houghon Mifflin
Company.
Reese, L. & Gallimore, R. (2000). Immigrant Latinos’ Cultural Model of Literacy Development:
An Evolving Perspective on Home-School Discontinuities. American Journal of
Education, 108(1), 103-134.
Sparks, S., & Patton, J., Ganschow, J., & Humbach, N. (2009). Long-Term Crosslinguistic
Transfer of Skills From L1 to L2, Language Learning, 59(1), 203-243.
Thomas, W., P., & Collier, V. (1997). School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students.
Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
Vygotsky, L.S.(1978). Mind and Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
98
Wynn, M., & Laframboise, K. (1996). Shared experiences to scaffold second language learners’
literacy acquisition. The New England Reading Association Journal, 32(2), 3-9.