When teaching reading to ESL you are teaching somebody who already knows how to read.

English as a Second Language students usually can speak, read and write in another language so they have more links to link English too. When teaching reading to ESL learners they need more help with reading comprehension and grammar. Most ESL learners already know international phonics

so they can read some English, but they don’t always understand what they are reading. And they read a lot slower which is understandable. But that is not a problem as practice makes perfect and the more reading practice the learners get the better their reading will be.

When teaching reading to ESL learners make sure they have a good dictionary in their native language and a good translator program on the internet.

That way they can read a page in English then run it through the translator program to see if they understood the meaning. In the classroom setting I will write the new words on the blackboard and ask the students to write the meaning or another word. If they are grouped into native language groups I get each group to write the word in their native language so they know what the meaning is.

It is quite simple if they don’t know the meaning they don’t understand the word.

They must connect the English word with the meaning in their native language, then they will understand it. Teaching reading to ESL students takes time and the more reading they do they more they learn. A good way to learn is reading aloud so you can hear if you pronounce the words correctly.

For more information about reading courses I recommend including a Montessori course see our Teach Reading page.