ESL and Literacy Instruction

ESL Annotated Bibliography

Contents:
  1. Bibliography
  2. Newsletters
  3. Materials

The bibliography contains books and websites that the Literacy NOW staff have found most useful and interesting for ESL tutors and instructors . Each book is designated as appropriate for students in skill levels 1, 2, 3 or 4, as described in the Washington State Competencies.

Newsletter

This collection of newsletter articles provides step-by-step directions for using specific teaching techniques with ESL students. All fully illustrated articles can be downloaded.

ESL and Literacy Materials

The following materials were produced by Literacy NOW. Each title links to a brief description, sample pages, and an on-line order form.

Best Practices: A Resource Book for Volunteer Tutor Program Coordinators
Best Practices: Samples
M. Bentson, C. Cassidy, K. Howell-Clark. 1994. Resource Book, 88 p Samples, 340 p.

Best Practices is a compilation of ideas gathered from the experience of 28 volunteer tutoring programs in Washington contained in two companion volumes. Organized in three main areas – management, students and volunteers – this resource offers lists of effective ideas in topics such as community relations and facilities, student outreach and participation and volunteer orientation and evaluations. Best Practices: Samples contains copies of actual program materials referenced in the resource book.
View cover, table of contents and sample pages
Borrow

 

Citizenship: A Guide to Good Teaching
Elisabeth Mitchell, 1998, 67 p.

This informative and well-illustrated guide prepares learners to take the U.S. citizenship exam. Primarily intended for tutors working with learners studying for the exam, but also of use to classroom teachers. Includes many activities to facilitate learning the material included in the test, as well as activities intended to give learners practice using the English needed during the interview and dictation segments of the process. Highly recommended.
View cover, table of contents and sample pages
Borrow

 

Equipped For the Future Content Standards Visuals
Jamie Treat, Illustrator, 2000, 21 p.

Visual illustrations of all 16 EFF content standards. Each titled illustration is 8.5" x 11". The set can be downloaded.


View and download book

 

Literacy in Life: A Handbook for Volunteer Tutors
Melody Schneider, 2003, 157 p, $10

Designed to support the Literacy NOW's Volunteer Literacy Pre-service Tutor Training workshop and to serve as an ongoing source of information for literacy tutors. Topics include background on adult literacy and the adult learner. Basic theories and useful strategies and activities for teaching reading and writing are interwoven with four distinct learner profiles.
View cover, table of contents and sample pages
Order

 

Making it Real: Teaching Pre-literate Adult Refugee Students
Alysan Croydon. 2005, 108 p. FREE!

Recently, refugee families have been arriving from Somalia, Liberia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Thailand to begin their new lives in communities across Washington State. Many of the adults have never had an opportunity to attend school, so they are not literate in their first language. Some have never lived in homes with electricity and plumbing or towns with buses and shopping malls. As a result, they face many challenges during their resettlement process. As they enter beginning level ESL classes, their teachers, too, are finding the task of teaching them challenging.

With funding from the Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Section, the Tacoma Community House Training Project has developed this book containing a wealth of successful strategies and techniques for teaching both beginning literacy and speaking skills. The richly illustrated text includes:

A list of survival competencies for speaking, listening, reading, and writing

A plethora of activities for introducing, practicing, and applying these new skills to the students’ lives

Strategies for teaching pre-literate refugees in a multi-level ESL class


View and download book

 

Tales from the Homeland: Developing the Language Experience Approach
Anita Bell, Som Dy. 1985, 169 p. $10.

This book serves as a guide for using the Language Experience Approach (LEA) to literacy, using stories by Cambodian students as examples. The goals of language learning are comprehension and self-expression. The student’s own experience and language are the best source of lessons designed to meet those goals. This book describes the philosophy and approach of LEA and includes many student stories accompanied by suggested instructional activities.
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Order

 

Talk Time Handbook
Marilyn Bentson, Elisabeth Mitchell. 1995, 125 p. $10

This guide presents all the steps for developing and managing a successful Talk Time program, including recruitment of volunteer facilitators and limited English speakers, conversation session planning and evaluation and assessment of both the students and the program. This book provides very practical advice on initiating this supportive, non-critical model for practicing English conversation. It includes a description of volunteers’ role and activities that work.
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Order

 

Tutoring ESL: A Handbook for Volunteers
Training Project Staff, 1991, 182 p, $10.

This handbook that accompanies the Preservice ESL workshop covers topics including the first meeting with the student, pronunciation, Total Physical Response, Language Experience Approach to reading, lesson planning, and evaluating student progress. There is a brief chapter on vocational ESL, and the book concludes with 70 pages of suggested tutoring activities.
View cover, table of contents and sample pages
Order

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