Kristin Lems

This text offers a comprehensive overview of the challenges that English Language Learners encounter as they work to achieve fluency in English; more importantly, the authors explain—in clear and accessible language—a variety of strategies that teachers can use to guide and support ELLs.

Do not be daunted by the mention of linguistics is the book’s subtitle. While the authors strongly advocate a linguistics-based approach to ELL instruction, their rationale is formidable, and they do not overwhelm their reading audience with linguistic theories or terminology. They do, however, provide research-based foundations for their beliefs, and they explain clearly the linguistic theories and terms they use (such as morpheme, phonological awareness, BICS, and CALP). In addition, the authors include important caveats regrading ELL instruction and discuss the prodigious impact of digital technology and tools on literacy instruction.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of this text—for classroom teachers, at least—is the wealth of strategies for and examples of effective ELL instruction. Every chapter concludes with a section entitled “How does this look in the classroom?” along with reflective “Questions for further study.”

Overall, this is a foundational text for pre-service and in-service teachers as well as teacher educators. I intend to include it as required reading in the literacy courses I teach for undergraduate English education majors, who will be able to put these strategies to immediate use in their field experience placements. Highly recommended.… (meer)