Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers' Top Ten Questions

by Stephen Cary

If you teach English language learners, you probably have too many unanswered questions to count.
How do I assess a student's English?
How do I get my reluctant speakers to speak English?
How do I teach grade-level content to English beginners?

Fortunately, second language acquisition expert and teacher coach Stephen Cary has answers to your most pressing concerns. In Working with English Language Learners he responds to teachers' ten most frequent and most problematic questions with essential information, ready-to-use ideas, and helpful new professional development supports.

Cary takes on the big questions in Working with English Language Learners, Second Edition. He answers them thoroughly with:

Classroom Stories: examples drawn from actual classes that demonstrate outstanding ELL practices.
Reflections: coaching commentary that highlights key teaching strategies and ties together theory and practice.
Discussion & Application: professional reflection questions and action items, new to the second edition, that encourage strong, responsive ELL practices.

With all this plus updated and expanded lists of teacher resources, ELL references and acronyms, new samples of student work, helpful tools, templates, and self-assessment rubrics for teachers, Working with English Language Learners, Second Edition, is perfect for any professional development setting or for self-study. Read it and, finally, get your most important ELL questions answered.

Genres: Education, College, Teaching, Nonfiction, Grad School, School

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2000

Reviews

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when Kelsey Couch recommended it... now required reading for my ELL methods class. Beneficial for any teacher, very practical, skips over a lot of babble straight to what will help you in your classroom.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In each chapter Cary uses an actual classroom vignette to illustrate the each question, and how that teacher dealt with it. He then provides a more general and theoretical answer based on that example. A very practical and useful book.

[Sarah Bodin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most practical guides I've found for my gen-ed classroom.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a 5th year teacher of ELLs seeking to add tricks to her repertoire and produce relevant professional development for content-area teachers, this book is a handy resource. Stephen Cary's style is candid, warm, real, and punctuated with relevant, humorous asides - I often found myself chuckling while highlighting a classroom pedagogical strategy to try in the next week. Dr. Cary is very "real" which is refreshing in a edu-world filled with canned premises and unauthentic discourse.

One weak spot is age range. The majority of Dr. Cary's research and expertise centers around ELD instruction in the elementary-aged classroom. That's more than fine - but as a teacher of high schoolers, I wish the blurbs and/or title alluded to this fact. However, many of the strategies are workable for secondary classrooms, too.

This book contains many easily bookmarked references and reproducibles to drive conversation about teaching and learning ELLs. While the elementary-heavy focus is a personal minus, this is an invaluable resource of support for teachers of ELLs, both new and seasoned alike.


Definite recommend!

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: B
Writing: A
Vocabulary: B
Level: Easy
Rating: G
Worldview: All people are valuable, as is their native language. The ESL teacher's role is to help students improve fluency in a second language without denigrating the first.

Mr. Cary provides ten classroom vignettes of common ESL concerns and how they might be addressed in practical (and interesting!) ways. The settings and advice are geared for K-6, but could be applicable to older students as well with some creative thinking. This is a great resource for beginning ESL instructors.

[Safa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book was very helpful, but the second half felt very redundant. Good food for thought, but I must admit that some of the stories shared in this book did seem a little impractical.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was very insightful, but almost entirely geared toward elementary school. I would have appreciated more advice that would apply to high school classrooms.

[Katrina McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst textbook I've had. I liked all of the example lessons.

[Stacy Natal · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite reads for classroom teachers of English language learners.