Growing Language and Literacy: Strategies for English Learners

When serving English learners in any classroom, it can be difficult to know how to best support these students in developing their academic English skills, when to offer support, and when to take it away. Andrea Honigsfeld's most recent book is here to help! She skillfully identifies various levels of English proficiency and describes each level in terms of what English learners are capable of doing at particular stages of their language development, highlights what they CAN be expected to do in terms of speaking, listening, reading, writing, and how to guide students as they move from one level to another. This framework makes the content accessible, easy to understand, and each chapter is supported by research, classroom examples, and lots of pictures of student work. Though the book is written for K-8 teachers, it is recommended for all teachers who serve English learners, as well as those who support pre-service teachers.

I agree with all of the previous reviews; what I noticed first was that the chapters really came alive and were so vibrant due to the color and the many special visuals. It is written in such a way that it can be useful for so many different groups and purposes. I would buy it in volume and distribute it to content teachers of ELs first. Next, it could be used in a college course focusing on teaching ELs. Recently I saw it featured on a Twitter Book Club Chat, and the folks were raving about it. I think this book is more appealing than most because of the way it's organized and formatted, It is both interesting, informative, and most importantly it's fun to read!

The book is reader friendly. I provides a great overview of who are English language learners? What can they do in English at each level? Strategies to scaffold at each proficiency English level.

This is a great, hands-on book for ELL educators. It explains and gives examples of activities for each proficiency level in language development. I highly recommend it! If you have time, check the hashtag #growinglanguageandliteracy on Twitter for book snaps, quotes, etc. A must read for ELL educators!

I like the different examples of support for each of the level of language stages

This book has tons of strategies for helping support learners at all levels. The book is very well organized and has ideas for support and lessons divided into language levels. I have collected a lot of teaching books for ELLs and this is by far my favorite.

This is a must read for anyone in EL education—the most clear, concise, compelling presentation I have read of practical applications while integrating evidence for researched supports! Recommending for immediate purchase.

If you want a book with a lot of scaffolding for your students, this is a most have in your resources library.