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Rationale Paper Supports the Use of
Spanish Read Alongs for ELL Students
A new rationale paper by a University of Texas researcher supports the approach of using Spanish read alongs for some native Spanish speakers who use Read Naturally.
The paper, entitled “Comprehension Support for English Language Learners Using the Read Naturally Strategy,” is authored by Alejandra Mielke, Ph.D., an educational researcher at the University of Texas at Austin. Her main research focus is the reading and academic achievement of culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Download Mielke’s complete rationale paper
In the paper, Mielke discusses the dual challenge faced by students who are English language learners (ELL)—developing reading skills at the same time they are learning a new language.
Mielke explains that there is a bidirectional relationship between fluency and language comprehension, where fluent readers tend to have better comprehension of what they read, but better comprehension can also help students become more fluent readers.
Schools may want to support some native Spanish speakers by having them first read along with the Spanish translation of a Read Naturally story, in order to learn vocabulary and gain subject-matter knowledge, before having them read along and practice the same story in English to build fluency.
Mielke points out that it is important to verify students’ understanding of the Spanish text to help them develop their fluency and comprehension.
This approach is one of the new features built into the new web-based Read Live program. It is also possible to use the same approach in Read Naturally ME and Read Naturally SE programs by using both Spanish and English audio support. More information about how to use this approach in Read Naturally SE is available on the web page, How to use the Spanish Series in SE.