Page 43 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development, 2007

In the dictogloss strategy, the teacher first chooses a text and reads it aloud to the class at least twice. Teachers can make use of a variety of texts for a dictogloss activity: literature excerpts, content-area paragraphs, news items, narrative descriptions, and even technical procedures. After hearing the passage read aloud, students work in small groups to write down key words and phrases, and then try to reconstruct the text. This is followed by group editing and proofreading, then comparison of the texts generated by various groups. The activity culminates with a whole-class comparison of the reconstructed texts with the original text. The goal of dictogloss is not to produce a text that is identical to the original but to create one that is well worded and has the same information as the original.
Free Voluntary Reading. Many educators believe that one of the most important strategies they can employ with second-language learners is free voluntary reading (sometimes referred to as sustained silent reading). This strategy is grounded in the idea that reading is one of the most significant activities we can engage in at school. Free voluntary read- ing provides students with regular, sustained periods of time in which to read materials of their own choice. The focus of free voluntary reading is on improving students’ read- ing skills while helping them to find pleasure in independent reading.
Free voluntary reading should occur at frequent, regularly scheduled times, with every- one in the class taking part (including the teacher, because the modelling of reading for enjoyment is an important aspect of the activity). Students select their own reading material from books, magazines, manuals, newspapers, or graphic novels brought from home or found at school. Teachers of English language learners should stock their class- room libraries with a selection of reading materials at different levels, including word- less and picture books, catalogues, brochures, flyers, and materials adapted for English language learners. Students can keep brief logs of the items read to allow students, teachers, and parents to track reading preferences. Time for sharing and recommending books can also become part of a free voluntary reading program.
Graphic Organizers. The use of visual supports to increase English language learners’ understanding of texts is an especially powerful teaching strategy. Graphic organizers, often also referred to as key visuals, allow students to understand and represent rela- tionships visually rather than just with language, providing helpful redundancy in mak- ing meaning from the text. Graphic organizers can be used to record, organize, analyse, and synthesize information and ideas. Examples of common graphic organizers include the following: timeline, cycle diagram, T-chart, Venn diagram, story map, flow chart, and problem-solution outline.
The use of a graphic organizer is extremely helpful when carried out initially as a class or group brainstorming activity. The graphic organizer provides a way of collecting and visually presenting information about a topic that will make it more comprehensible for English language learners.
When using different graphic organizers, teachers should point out and model for students how particular graphic organizers are especially suited to various types of text organization. For example, the T-chart provides an ideal framework for visually repre- senting comparison and contrast, while the flow chart is well suited to illustrating cause-and-effect relationships.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN ESL AND ELD
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