Comprehension of texts and understanding of questions is a cornerstone of successful human communication. Whilst reading comprehension has been thoroughly investigated in the last decade, there is surprisingly little research on children’s comprehension of picture stories, particularly for bilinguals. This can be partially explained by the lack of cross-culturally robust, cross-linguistic instruments targeting early narration. This book presents an inference-based model of narrative comprehension and a tool that grew out of a large-scale European project on multilingualism. Covering a range of language settings, the book uses the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives to answer the question which narrative comprehension skills (bilingual) children can be expected to master at a certain age, and explores how such comprehension is affected (or not affected) by linguistic and extra-linguistic factors. Linking theory to method, the book will appeal to researchers in linguistics and psychology and graduate students interested in narrative, multilingualism, and language acquisition.

Until today, research on monolingual text processing has offered a broad spectrum of results and theoretical explanations of how texts are processed. This book extends the current trend to cover only reading comprehension by considering extensively listening comprehension. Comprehensive presentations of research on children’s listening comprehension allow for a broader developmental perspective reaching preschool years. Although text comprehension is the essence of learning in educational settings, and children are confronted continuously with the challenge of getting information from texts, comprehensive publications on children’s text comprehension are scarce. The author posits that a comprehensive review of children’s comprehension processes has to analyze the development of fundamental cognitive processes involved in comprehension. Therefore, this book covers the impact of working and long-term memory, metamemory, inference making, and gist building on comprehension performance. The role of first and multilingual language proficiency and tasks on specific component processes of text comprehension are discussed. Research results concerning the function of multilingual proficiency and tasks in text comprehension are complemented by the author’s own published and unpublished research. Theoretical considerations lead to models attempting to cover aspects of multilingual text comprehension. The aim of the book is to present a state-of-the-art overview of the field to inform researchers and students of various disciplines and practitioners to improve their understanding of how to foster multilingual text comprehension.

How can linguistics help teachers of English language learners (ELLs) improve their instruction? What specific competencies do ELLs need to build in order to speak, listen, read, and write in a new language? Now revised and expanded with a broader view of literacy, this book has guided thousands of inservice and preservice teachers to understand the processes involved in second-language acquisition and help ELLs succeed. The authors explain relevant linguistic concepts with a focus on what works in today's diverse PreK-12 classrooms. Effective teaching strategies are illustrated with engaging classroom vignettes; the volume also features instructive discussion questions and a glossary. (First edition title: Teaching Reading to English Language Learners.) New to This Edition *Broader view of literacy; increased attention to oral language and writing as well as reading. *Chapter on digital learning, plus new content on digital technology throughout the book. *Even more user friendly--additional classroom suggestions from real teachers, vignettes, and examples and graphics illustrating linguistic concepts. *End-of-chapter "challenge questions" that inspire deeper reflection. *Coverage of timely topics, such as numeracy and the language innovations of text messages.

Build better readers in bilingual classrooms! Bilingual Reading Comprehension is a valuable resource for bilingual, two-way immersion in fifth-grade classrooms. This book provides bilingual reading practice for students through identical activities featured in English and Spanish, allowing the teacher to tailor lessons to a dual-language classroom. Fiction and nonfiction activities reinforce essential reading skills, such as finding the main idea, identifying supporting details, recognizing story elements, and learning new vocabulary. This 160-page book aligns with Common Core State Standards, as well as state and national standards.

KAT LOMB (1909-2003) was one of the great polyglots of the 20th century. A translator and one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world, Lomb worked in 16 languages for state and business concerns in her native Hungary. She achieved further fame by writing books on languages, interpreting, and polyglots. Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, first published in 1970, is a collection of anecdotes and reflections on language learning. Because Dr. Lomb learned her languages as an adult, after getting a PhD in chemistry, the methods she used will be of particular interest to adult learners who want to master a foreign language.

Make the right instructional and eligibility decisions to help your English Learners! Do your students' reading difficulties reflect language acquisition issues or a learning disability? Now in an updated second edition, this essential guide helps educators make informed choices about strategies and services to support English Learners, and includes: Nine common misconceptions that can lead to wrongful placement of students in Special Education A new chapter on evidence-based practices for success in teaching reading to students learning English Appropriate techniques to use when assessing students for special education Expanded coverage of Response to Intervention to include a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS)

This practitioner resource and course text has given thousands of K-12 teachers evidence-based tools for helping students--particularly those at risk for reading difficulties--understand and acquire new knowledge from text. The authors present a range of scientifically validated instructional techniques and activities, complete with helpful classroom examples and sample lessons. The book describes ways to assess comprehension, build the skills that good readers rely on, and teach students to use multiple comprehension strategies flexibly and effectively. Each chapter features thought-provoking discussion questions. Reproducible lesson plans and graphic organizers can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. New to This Edition *Chapters on content-area literacy, English language learners, and intensive interventions. *Incorporates current research on each component of reading comprehension. *Discusses ways to align instruction with the Common Core State Standards. *Additional instructional activities throughout.