Differentiated Early Literacy for English Language Learners: Practical Strategies

This brief and highly practical text offers pre-service and in-service teachers strategies and activities for differentiating early literacy instruction for English language learners.

The author draws on a wealth of classroom experience working with teachers and students to create a book that gives readers the critical information they need to teach English language learners in an accessible format. This book is packed with strategies and activities that are directly applicable to the classroom and that focus on meeting the early literacy demands of No Child Left Behind. Early literacy strategies for English language learners are differentiated according five levels of language proficiency.  The book includes a wealth of tips for parent involvement,  offering ways parents, who may not be literate in English, can help their child develop literacy skills.  Assessment tools for differentiating levels of English proficiency are included throughout to help pre-service and in-service teachers assess levels of English proficiency in order to differentiate instruction.

Paul Boyd-Batstone, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Language and Literacy at California State University, Long Beach in the Department of Teacher Education. He taught for over 15 years as a Spanish/English bilingual teacher in elementary settings and initiated one of the first Cambodian, Khmer-speaking bilingual programs in the country. He has published numerous articles and texts, including Engaging English Learners: Exploring Literature, Developing Literacy and Differentiating Instruction with Carole Cox.