ESL Picture Book

“Children’s Informational Books” by Nancy Hadaway and Jane Mundy analyzes how a high school ELL (English Learner) class successfully initiated a literature program by using children’s picture books. It inspires me greatly to think about the role a visualized and level appropriate reading book plays in literacy and language learning.

During another literacy teaching method class that I took before, we were required to read 20 children’s literacy books including fictions and non-fictions for elementary school students whose age ranging from grade one to three, and write lesson plans for these grade levels’ students. I had surprisingly found that I enjoyed reading these books tremendously. I loved the stories of the fictions as well as the informative books, both of which were written in interesting, simple and clear English. I also learned new English vocabulary, phrases and expressions enjoyably and easily, and I felt a sense of accomplishment because I had finished reading 20 books quickly, much quicker than I read news on the New York Times. It was a new experience to me.

I thought about my English learning experience and my Chinese language teaching experience, I realized how beneficial it is to provide level appropriate reading books with visual aid for English or any other target language learners. Adult English learners as me are unable to find such kind of both level and age appropriate reading books. Children’s reading books are a good option, especially good Children’s books; because they are written for both children and the parents.
For ELL students, children’s picture books are good because of the following reasons:

It is reader friendly and inviting. Less new vocabulary means less intimidating. Simple sentences and short lines make the reader feel a sense of accomplishment. It is very encouraging for a struggled learner or a beginning learner have such feeling.

It is visual. One thing I have learned about teaching literacy is that it is most important to make your teaching instruction visual in both concrete picture images and text images. When the students see things with their eyes, they project the visual images into their mind, and turn them into symbolic language codes. There is certainly a direct connection between the outside images and the thoughts in the brain.

In addition, it is a great brainstorming and metacognitive process. It is like a center idea in literacy study from which it scatters out and radiates related new ideas, for example, if “exercise” is the center idea or theme for teaching, from that we can extend to “run”, “swim”, “dance”, “weight lifting” and all other exercises activities. We can also see it as a start point that can lead to related but deeper and higher level material. Since this approach is gradual and natural, students will likely be embracing rather than resisting it. It is an ideal warm-up activity and stage for ELL learners; it also can be an excellent way of bringing content topics into classroom.