Reading A-Z Support for ELLs

English Language Learners face a dual challenge: acquire English and academic content knowledge. Reduce the anxiety many ELLs experience by providing high-interest books and resources to meet that dual challenge. Reading A-Z resources that support reading, listening, speaking, and writing ensure ELLs get explicit instruction and practice with level appropriate skills and strategies.

Reading & Listening Support

  • Reading A-Z Books provide the opportunity for all students to read engaging content from a broad range of text complexities and to access the same content as their native English-speaking peers. Try our Content-Area Reading collections of books to select book for students with science, social studies, math, art & music, or social stories topics.
  • Close Reading Packs contain short passages, lesson plans, and student collaboration resources. Lesson Supplements accompany our most popular books and help ELLs reach learning standards.
  • Vocabulary Books focus on the development of everyday vocabulary around a topic, provide picture support, and easy-to-read sentence structures.
  • Shared Reading Books provide models of fluency and teacher instruction on comprehension and close reading skills promoted by learning standards. An optional projectable version of each book features characters with prompts that ask the reader to complete tasks and interact with the book.
  • Foundational Skill resources also support ELLs' developing reading skills. Some of these resources include Alphabet Books, High-Frequency Word Books, Fluency Practice Passages, and Decodable Books & Phonics Lessons. Phonological Awareness Lessons help students become familiar with the sounds of English and provide essential skills practice.

Writing & Speaking Support

  • Illustrated books with wordless format provide opportunities for students in Grade K and 1 to write using the sentence structures or patterns found in the books they accompany. To identify books with wordless format, use the Type filter.
  • Reading Graphic Organizers that can be used with any book provide a visual way for readers to organize their thinking and practice their writing skills, while Vocabulary Graphic Organizers provide a framework for learning new words.
  • Engage reluctant readers with Reader's Theater Scripts for fluency practice. Scripts adapted from a book your ELLs previously read ensure students feel confident when reading aloud and collaborating with a group for a performance. Multilevel scripts make it easy to involve students of varying reading proficiencies.
  • Literature Circles provide a structured framework for discussing and collaborating on a single text in small groups and help ELLs to practice important communication skills.
  • Shared Reading Books help build your ELLs' reading confidence with modeled and choral reading, along with group discussion to promote listening and speaking.

Grammar Support

A deep library of books can support grammar instruction in three ways.
  • Grammar & Mechanics Skills mini-lessons are part of every book's lesson plan. Practice and application of grammar skills often includes an accompanying worksheet or using the printable book as a consumable resource.
  • Books that can be projected or printed provide annotation opportunities that include labeling, circling, or highlighting nouns, verbs, or other basic grammar elements. The projectable books come with a collection of tools for the student or teacher to use.
  • Wordless book formats can support students' understanding and practice of basic sentence building using the accompanying books as models.

Assessments

Assessments inform you about your students' foundational skills proficiency and reading comprehension. They help you differentiate instruction, monitor progress, and align your instruction to students' needs.