Welcome to my first teaching guide of 2019! I have just published my ESL guide to the non-fiction book Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World!
I picked up this book on a whim at my local public library and ended up loving it! It's written in English for children (I'd say about grades 4-6), but I learned so much from this book. It's a collection of 50 women who made incredible and lasting impacts to the field of science. It includes a few well-known scientists like Jane Goodall or Katherine Johnson (who was not previously well-known, but is after the movie Hidden Figures came out), and many other female scientists that I had never heard of. The book has beautiful illustrations to accompany each biography and includes fun drawings in the margins offering small tidbits of information about the scientist's life. There's also a wonderful glossary to explain some of the more difficult scientific terms, and a section offering follow-up readings. The first thing I thought of when I read this book was "This is perfect for my ESL classes!" In my department, we don't typically have elementary level students read novels. We tend to introduce novels at the next level up, low-intermediate. But I believe that these elementary level students should be reading SOMETHING that isn't ESL-ified! So I thought this book was a perfect solution - it's easy to break down into parts for weekly reading (each scientist has two pages dedicated towards her). The vocabulary is easy and accessible without adult ESL students feeling like they're being talked down to (which is a problem with many children's books - the language AND the ideas are simplified for children...not so with this book). There is a little something for all students to enjoy in this book - whether it's learning something new, reading about a scientist in their field, or enjoying the beautiful drawings. I also like the idea of using a non-fiction book such as this with elementary level students because the biographies do not build on each other (like in a fictionalized story), so if a student has difficult with the reading one week, that will not affect their understanding of the next week's reading. I've broken down this ESL reading guide into a few different sections, including a pre-reading section, vocabulary and comprehension questions for each scientist, and a post-reading section with some follow-up activities. If you'd like to know more, or download a copy, click the button below!
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AuthorWritings from an ESL instructor at a Big Ten university in the Midwest. Archives
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