How does LETRS Support Teachers of Emergent Bilinguals?
Overview
This article explains the ways that Lexia® LETRS® supports teachers of Emergent Bilinguals, as well as the concepts covered in LETRS that will help with this.
Applies to: Educators who are enrolled in Lexia® LETRS®.
Support for teachers of Emergent Bilinguals
LETRS is a professional learning course of study that provides knowledge, research, and tools that teachers can use to meet the needs of all students learning to read English. LETRS outlines some of the challenges that make learning to read difficult as well as how to teach the skills required for proficient reading and writing, specifically noting areas where Emergent Bilinguals (English Learners) may need particular emphasis.
By applying the Simple View of Reading model that is thoroughly explained in LETRS, teachers of Emergent Bilinguals will understand and adjust their instruction in order to address oral language comprehension and word recognition.
Unit 2 of LETRS specifically addresses phonemic variations for Emergent Bilinguals and provides learning objectives regarding the speech sounds of English. LETRS introduces the phonemes of English, their place and manner of articulation, how they differ due to coarticulation, and delves into why students make certain phoneme substitutions.
LETRS also includes a Contrastive Analysis chart that identifies predictable areas of difficulty for native speakers of a particular language who are learning English. Specifically, these charts highlight major differences in phonology and grammar between students’ first languages and English and can help inform teachers as they plan explicit instruction in phonology, grammar, reading, writing, and vocabulary.
Armed with this information, teachers can be far more effective at establishing foundational skills and giving feedback. LETRS makes the case for direct and explicit instruction for Emergent Bilinguals, and the LETRS suite of products outline the importance of systematic and explicit teaching, the importance of oral language development, and vocabulary development.