Characteristics of Novice Level Readings

(This blog post is a continuation of a series on literacy in the language classroom)

As I began to research literacy, its effects on language learners, and how we as language teachers can support the continued development of L1 literacy levels in our students, I found it necessary to look at the characteristics of readings designed for novice level readers. I think that one of the biggest pitfalls for us language teachers is that we assume that since our students can "read" at X level in their L1, then that literacy level should automatically transfer to reading in their L2 (e.g., since my students can read at the 8th grade level in L1, they should easily be able to read at the 8th grade level in L2). However, it is much more complicated than that - we must remember that for our novice L2 students, they are babies/toddlers when it comes to their L2 knowledge. This is not wrong at all - it is reality!  

When we dive into L2 readings with our students which are way above their L2 literacy levels, then we are setting them up for failure. Reading becomes a "survival of the fittest" activity, and as Margarita Perez Garcia noted in her video on my previous blog post, reading can then create a huge divide in our classrooms of those "who can" and those "who cannot." The culpability then lies on us, because we have not chosen readings which are level-appropriate based on our students' L2 literacy (I am talking to you, textbook publishers!).

So what are characteristics of readings for novice-level L2 readers (traditionally levels 1 and 2 as defined by ACTFL proficiency standards)? Although much of the information which I found relates to novice-level L1 reading proficiency, the same can apply to our L2 students:

• Short, simple sentences, which increase in length and structures with a growth in L2 literacy
• Predictable sentence and grammatical patterns 
• Repetitive patterns of word chunks or grammatical structures
• Repetition of limited, focused vocabulary, with amount of vocabulary increasing as L2 literacy develops
• Cannot rely solely on student decoding and translating words/sentences for understanding 
• Familiar concepts
• Compelling subject matter
• Limited text per page, which increases with a development in literacy
• Large font
• Illustrations which can serve as additional input for text

In her video, Margarita Perez Garcia also references a reading grading scale produced by the Extensive Reading Foundation speciciallty for novellas and graded readers. This grading scale rates them based on individual unique/headword counts and categorizes those novellas/graded readers according to proficiency level. I had never heard of the Extensive Reading Foundation prior to Margarita's presentation, but wow, what a great resource!

I have specifically drawn attention to the Beginner/Elementary/Intermediate levels - look at the unique/headword count for Intermediate novellas/graded readers - 801-1500 words! This grading scale is EYE-OPENING to me! I have never before seen something like this which outlines and aligns unique/headword count with reading proficiency levels - this makes so much sense to me! So if you are currently incorporating novellas into your curriculum, consider using this grading scale to see where they line up and if they are considered level-appropriate.

Next post: Experiencing L3 Literacy Myself - My Reading Experiment 

Reading/Literacy - Voces Digital Spring Conference

Last week was the Voces Digital online Spring Conference, and there were many great presentations delivered. One session in particular which I attended touched on many points about which I had written in my last blog post regarding literacy in the world language classroom -  the presentation was "Teach Reading? Try This!" by Margarita Perez Garcia, who has written multiple novellas in Spanish (see video below).

Although much of what Margarita presents surrounds low-prep pre-reading and post-reading activities which teachers can implement in their classrooms, she begins by addressing the need for level-appropriate readers, especially elementary/basic readings. In the video, around the 3:21 mark, Margarita discusses that reading unfamiliar and unseen texts can be very hard for students, especially those with lower reading skills. Most importantly, reading can serve as a great divide in a classroom between those with stronger reading/faster processing skills and those who are slower processors/struggle with reading (I had never ever considered this before as an equity issue!). Margarita's focus in the presentation then addresses how we teachers can help students improve their L2 reading skills.

Take some time to watch the entire video (she has a lot of good ideas!), and consider getting some of her Spanish novellas!

Literacy & the Language Classroom

(This will be the first in a series)

I think that I can honestly say on behalf of all language teachers that the pandemic and the year of hybrid teaching definitely affected the literacy levels of our current students. I would not go so far to say that as a result we are in the midst of a literacy crisis per se (that remains to be seen in future years), but I can say with conviction that current student reading and writing abilities are not where they were pre-Covid. For so many students, losing a year of in-person schooling delayed their literacy development. NOTE - I am also not going to oversimplify in saying that Covid is the sole cause for this. 

Although there is huge debate regarding the definition of "literacy" in general, research has shown that there is a definite correlation between students' reading/writing levels in L2 and their pre-existing levels in their L1 - the higher these L1 levels which students bring into their L2 classes, the higher their levels will eventually be in L2, with the converse being true as well. As I began to research student literacy in general (and I will admit that I knew very little), I learned a few things:

1. Traditionally in American schools, grades pre-k to 3rd/4th are when the actual teaching of reading skills and fundamentals are targeted.
2. Following this, student classroom literacy skills are continually developed through the reading of level-appropriate content material in various academic subject areas.

Based on this model then: our post-4th grade L2 classrooms should be another avenue for students to develop, to reinforce, and to further their literacy skills through the reading of level-appropriate L2 content material. So a few questions then:

1. Why is reading so important in literacy and language development? I think Krashen says it best: 
• "Reading, especially free voluntary reading, is crucial for developing high levels of literacy and academic success, with research supporting its benefits, including improved comprehension and vocabulary, and it is easier for both students and teachers compared to traditional skill-building methods." - Krashen
• “Our reading ability, our ability to write in an acceptable writing style, our spelling ability, vocabulary knowledge, and our ability to handle complex syntax is the result of reading.”
• "You want to get better at a language? Listen and read, listen and read."
2. What effect does reading in L2 have on one's reading ability in L1? The answer is A LOT! A 2016 study was done involving Turkish students who were involved in an L2 reading course and were given an L1 reading test afterwards. These students' L1 reading skills were positively affected by their reading in L2, as they scored higher than those students who took the same test but were not involved in that L2 reading course. So, reading in L2 does have a positive effect on students reading ability in L1!
3. Why the need then for level-appropriate L2 content material? While reading in L2 plays a major role in both students' L2 language acqusition and in their continued reading ability development in L1, we as teachers must be very deliberate in ensuring that what our students read in L2 is level appropriate for their literacy levels in L2 (and not in L1!). We need to understand that while our students may be entering our L2 classrooms with an 8th grade or higher reading level in their L1, they are still novices when it comes to understanding what they are reading in L2.

I am not going to be so idealistic to think that reading in L2 will magically restore student L1 literacy levels to to where they were pre-Covid, but I will say that reading level-appropriate L2 material will definitely benefit and have a positive effect in students' L2 language acquisition and continued L1 literacy development.

Next blog post: Characteristics of Novice-level Readings