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

  • Leveled Books provide the opportunity for all students to read at their developmentally appropriate reading level and to read independently at their developmentally appropriate level and to read the same content as their native English-speaking peers. Try our Content Area Reading collections of leveled books to match students with science, social studies, math, art & music, or social stories.
  • Close Reading Packs that contain short passages, lesson plans, and student collaboration resources; along with Lesson Supplements that accompany our most popular leveled books help ELL students 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 Leveled Books with Wordless Format for levels aa-J provide opportunities for students to write using the sentence structures or patterns found in the leveled books they accompany.
  • 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 leveled book your ELLs previously read ensure students feel confident when reading aloud and collaborating with a group for a performance. Multilevel scripts make including students at varying ability levels easy.
  • 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

Leveled Books can support grammar instruction in three ways.
  • Grammar & Mechanics Skills mini-lessons are part of every leveled book's lesson plan. Practice and application of grammar skills often includes an accompanying worksheet or using the printable book as a consumable resource.
  • Leveled Books that can be projected or printed provide opportunities for 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 leveled books as models.

Assessments

Assessments inform you about your students' foundational skill proficiency and reading comprehension. They help you place students in appropriate small groups, monitor their progress, and align your instruction to their needs.