Transition From “Learning to Read” to “Reading to Learn”

Many students encounter difficulty as they transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” in fourth grade, and this difficulty can be even more difficult for English language learners. Why do so many students experience what is often referred to as the “fourth-grade slump”?

What can teachers do to make the transition into the upper elementary grades less difficult, especially for ELLs? What do we mean when we say that good comprehension instruction takes place before, during, and after reading? What are some examples of the academic language that students need to know in the discipline or grade level you plan to teach? Describe some specific effective strategies that you can use to help ELL students learn vocabulary. Create a graphic organizer that could be used in a class to teach a concept in your discipline and explain why it would be effective with ELL students.