Translanguaging Reading Strategies in ELA

Over the last few weeks, we have discussed many different reading strategies, as well as, different ways to incorporate differentiation and translanguaging in the classroom. When reading through Cris Tovani's I Read It, But I Don't Get It I found the reading strategies provided extremely valuable and useful for the classroom. The book provides many different reading strategies for struggling readers who didn't care to read or gave up when they struggled. However, one of the main issues I found in this book is that she left out the struggling readers that merely have trouble in their reading classes because their first language isn't English. In order, to fix this, differentiation and translanguaging are necessary to incorporate and encourage in classroom instruction, activities and assessment.

One way that I have thought of and read about in the translanguaging guide is to start off by providing a translated version of the text for the student. By providing texts that the students can read easier, they may be able to understand the material better. Providing a text that the student may be able to make personal connections with may also be beneficial.

While the students read the text in their home language, they may benefit from using Tovani's strategy of marking up the text. They may highlight or come up with a coding system for what they understand, what they connect with and what they still have questions about. Students may then partner up and discuss with someone who has the same home language as them or reflect in writing if there are no other students that share the same language.

After the students discuss using their home language, you may have them look at the English version and highlight any unfamiliar words or phrases. While this is important for students to build vocabulary, it is crucial to not make your students feel like this is the correct or only version of the text. Students should be encouraged to ask questions and go over the text so they can expand their knowledge.

Finally, Tovani also mentions retelling what you read. I think this may be an important time for students to retell what they learned in the text by interchanging their home language and new language. The teacher can then assess the students understanding of the material rather than the language they are using. This final step helps the teacher asses the students understanding and also provides a review reading strategy for the student to really embed what they learned.


Some may ask, well how can I know what my students understands if I do not know the language they are speaking? Google translate is a valuable resource not only for students learning the english language, but also the teacher to use so the students feel comfortable and valued.

Finally, I personally believe showcasing student work around the classroom helps motivate students and feel proud of their work. Having an array of work in different languages and displaying projects that represent different cultures and backgrounds is a great self esteem booster. As we have discussed in class, this display could lower the affective filter on students and encourage learning in your classroom.