"Building Literacy - For Second Language Learners"

The Challenge: Ms. Yates' first grade classroom was comprised of 19 Spanish-speaking children; English was their second language. In previous years, this grade level at San Marcos Academy had test scores in the 30th percentile. Understanding the value of English literacy in the lives of these students, Ms. Yates, an English immersion teacher, instituted a phonics program with outstanding results.

The Solution: By objective, phonics readers provide students with phonics skills that enable them to better understand how to decode difficult English vocabulary and at a quicker pace. Existing literature series usually assume that students can use the phonics of the existing language, and so they focus on vocabulary. The new books that were acquired established English phonics skills by focusing on short vowels, long vowels, blends, digraphs, and the application of short and long vowels and consonants. Using a special selection of the phonics readers, Ms. Yates' learning environment consisted of small reading groups comprised of English learning students and a teacher who uses a special selection of phonics readers. This learning environment gave each child personal attention when needed, a successful solution supported by their test scores.

Accomplishments: Student reading comprehension increased because the children could decode difficult English words at a fast pace. This in turn, accelerated their learning process overall. Ms. Yates' class achieved a SAT9 score for "Word Study" in the 70th percentile and a 65th percentile in reading comprehension-an improvement over previous scores by 100 percent. This project was implemented in first and second grades with teachers sharing the books.