Selecting Engaging Books for English Language Learners: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Choosing the right books for English Language Learners (ELLs) requires a thoughtful approach, enriching their literacy development and fostering engagement. Knowing your students is key to making informed recommendations. This article offers a comprehensive guide to help educators select appropriate and engaging books for their ELL students, considering factors like cultural relevance, reading levels, and the use of bilingual resources.

Finding Mirror and Window Books

Mirror books reflect students' own identities and experiences, while window books introduce them to other perspectives. Using both is crucial for culturally responsive instruction.

Step 1: Discovering Student Interests

Start by understanding your students' interests using a reading interest survey. These surveys can be found online or created based on sample templates. The goal is to learn about their personal, family, and social identities. When administering the survey:

Ask students to complete it.
Send it home in their native languages for families to complete together.
Use it for student interviews or one-on-one conversations.

It’s important to avoid overly personal questions and clearly state that the survey aims to support book selection. Providing the survey in students' languages maximizes participation.

Step 2: Compiling Collected Information

Organize survey information into a table that includes students' backgrounds, languages, families, and interests. Consider their experiences learning a new language or moving to a new country.

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Also, seek insights from school community members like:

ELL colleagues
School librarians
Reading specialists
Parent specialists
Cultural liaisons

These insights provide a holistic view of students, informing your book choices. Be mindful that many immigrant and refugee students may have experienced trauma and educators are encouraged to seek guidance in trauma-informed practices and should use care and sensitivity in discussing topics that may be traumatic.

Step 3: Evaluating Your Classroom Library

Use the compiled table to assess your classroom or school library. Determine:

What resources already meet students' needs and interests.
Areas where more materials are needed.

Tools like Lee and Low’s Classroom Library Questionnaire can help evaluate your library’s diversity and relevance.

Step 4: Discovering New Titles

Critically examine and consider selected books to recognize different aspects of students' identities in the classroom. Consider adding window books, which introduce students to other perspectives and experiences across the curriculum. ELLs may need additional background knowledge when reading about new topics, and it's important that such background knowledge not be a barrier for students in accessing diverse books. Finding books that are mirrors and windows for ELLs can have a significant impact. Enlist support from colleagues or online networks to share the workload and gain encouragement.

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Step 5: Integrating Diverse Books Across the Curriculum

Integrate diverse books across the curriculum through:

Biographies and memoirs of diverse figures in history, science, math, literature, and art.
Graphic novels about historic events.
Books highlighting cultural traditions and art forms.

Finding Books at the Right Reading Levels

Selecting books at appropriate language and literacy levels is crucial. Books with overwhelming background knowledge can hinder comprehension.

Step 1: Understanding Available Resources

Familiarize yourself with tools and resources that can help you. Connect with ELL specialists to understand students' reading and language levels and evaluate text complexity.

Understand your state's English language proficiency level definitions (e.g., WIDA Performance Definitions) to guide your choices. Remember that a book's level can vary between languages.

Apps like Scholastic Book Wizard and Level It Books can provide level information by scanning a book.

Step 2: Gathering Student Data

Collect data on students':

Languages spoken at home.
English language proficiency levels in reading and listening.
Reading levels in their native language and English (e.g., Lexile, Guided Reading Level).

Literacy levels may vary across languages.

Step 3: Using Data to Guide Book Selection

Consider these tips for students at different proficiency levels:

Entering/Emerging Students

Keep vocabulary demands low, focusing on familiar and high-frequency language.
Look for patterned and predictable text with authentic language.
Choose books with strong visual support and minimal text per page.
Select books that match background knowledge and life experiences.
Seek dual-language versions.
Use dramatic presentations of books (e.g., Reading Rainbow).
Consider shorter texts to avoid fatigue.
Choose culturally responsive texts that motivate speaking and writing.
Read multiple texts on the same theme to build skills.
Consider wordless picture books.

Developing and Above Students

Look for books with audio and video support (e.g., YouTube Read Alouds).
Consider sentence length and complexity in relation to proficiency levels.
Evaluate vocabulary demands and the frequency of specialized terms.
Address language demands like figurative language and idioms.
Read longer books in sections to ensure comprehension.
Consider student interests, personal connections, and cultural relevance.
Evaluate required background knowledge.

Using Bilingual Books

Bilingual books support students who have learned to read in their native languages.

Finding Bilingual Books

Many publishers create books in multiple languages in print or digital formats. Spanish titles are most common, but other languages are available. You can also:

Ask other educators for recommendations.
Research publishers in students' home countries.
Explore international digital book collections like the International Children's Digital Library.

Create your own bilingual books with students and families, featuring their stories, recipes, and favorite folk tales.

Translanguaging

Translanguaging recognizes the multiple languages that ELLs bring to the classroom. Choose books that include characters speaking multiple languages, mirroring students' authentic language practices.

Using Bilingual Books Without Speaking the Language

Even if you don't speak your students' languages, bilingual books are valuable.

Include them in your classroom library.
Invite students to read individually or share at home.
Ask students to share summaries.
Invite speakers of the language to read or record the story.
Look for digital or audio recordings.
Ask native speakers to read parts of the story (with prior consent and practice).
Practice reading in the other language to show you are also a learner, researching pronunciation and asking for student support.

Translations of Classics

Translated classics and popular texts can be easier to find in other languages.

Additional Book Recommendations and Resources

Many resources offer book recommendations for ELLs:

How to Find Diverse Books
Diverse Book Recommendations Across Different Topics and Genres
Bilingual Books for Young Children: Spanish
Bilingual Magazines for All Ages
Bilingual Picture Books in English and Spanish: Hispanic Heritage
Bilingual Picture Books: Stories Featuring Spanish Vocabulary Words
Bilingual Books: American Indian Heritage
Bilingual Books: Asian Pacific American Heritage
My Family / Mi Families Series Publishers of bilingual children's books (WorldKidLit)

Summer Reading List for Teachers

Teachers can use summer breaks to explore culturally responsive teaching and collaboration through books like:

Books on culturally responsive teaching
Books on collaboration models and best practices
Books on newcomer English learners
The Art of Coaching

For personal development, consider:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The Power of Now
Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Wayne Dyer

For leisure, explore novels like:

Novels set in Israel and Palestine
Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris
Silk by Alessandro Baricco

Book Recommendations from Educators

Educators recommend books covering sheltered instruction, family engagement, and student memoirs:

The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in America by Helen Thorpe
Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education by Carol Salva and Anna Matis
Beyond The Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships by Anne T. Henderson, Karen L. Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson, Don Davies
The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life by Lauren Markham
High-Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching by Jim Knight
Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison
Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr Al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung
Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners: The SIOP Model by Jana Echevarria, MaryEllen Vogt, and Deborah J. Short
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Out by Brené Brown
Academic Conversations by Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford

Guideline for Choosing Books at an Intermediate Level

To simplify the book selection process, consider these key factors:

#1. Genre, Reviews, and Recommendations

Choose books based on:

Books already read (to aid comprehension).
Recommendations from other language learners.
Books rated 4.0+ stars on GoodReads at the 4th-6th grade reading level (ages 10-12).

When not looking for young adult fiction, focus on:

Non-fiction written in the first person.
Novels by authors with a simple writing style (e.g., Paulo Coelho).
Crime novels.

#2. Extensive Reading

Look up a maximum of 4-5 words per page or fewer. Reading should be immersive and enjoyable.

#3. Book Length

Limit the length of the book to 250 pages to maintain motivation and ensure completion.

Top Book Recommendations for Intermediate Learners

Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist, The Pilgrimage, 11 Minutes
Abby Jimenez: Just for the Summer, Part of Your World, Yours Truly
Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat Pray Love, Big Magic, Committed
Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach
C.S. Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia
Lois Lowry: The Giver, Number the Stars
Sue Monk Kidd: The Secret Life of Bees
Malcolm Gladwell: Outliers, Blink, The Tipping Point
Jules Verne: Around the World in Eighty Days
Ruth White: Bell Prater’s Boy

Recommendations from Friends (for younger learners)

Adventure: The Phantom Tollbooth, Harry Potter
Modern: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Freak the Mighty, Dork Diaries, The Hunger Games, Twilight, DC Super Hero Girls, The Amulet Series
Mystery: Nancy Drew Mysteries, Goosebumps, The Hardy Boys
Classics: Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Diary of a Young Woman, Anne Frank, Anne of Green Gables, Swiss Family Robinson, The Secret Garden, Where the Red Fern Grows, Lord of the Flies, Hatchet, Call It Courage
Others: Holes, Brian’s Winter, Harris and Me, Redwall Series, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, The Golden Compass Series, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, The Ramona Series, James Patterson’s Middle School Series

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