What makes reading difficult for
ELLs?
Text to Graphics and Back Again
October 2015
The integration of language and content learning
• How can we help students learn new content knowledge written in
English?
• Raise the students’ proficiency level at which they can read expository text in
content textbooks.
• Bring the language in the content textbooks to the level of the students.
• Modifying text: Some problems
• Effective solution that integrates language and content is needed.
• Text to Graphics and Back Again (TGBA)
What makes reading difficult for ELLs?
UNFAMILIAR WORDS
You are requested to desist from masticating gum in this establishment.
Lack of Background Knowledge
To minimize two unknowns we differentiate with respect to each
variable in turn treating the other variable as a constant. The process is
called partial differentiation and the notation used is standard.
(Discussing Statistics).
Complex Syntax
• Explain clearly using at least three different reasons or drawing three
diagrams why McClelland lost the battle.
• Explain clearly why McClelland lost the battle. Give at least three
reasons or draw three diagrams.
Nominalization
In your answer you should consider the effect of heat loss.
Consideration should be given in your answer to the effect of heat loss.
Polysemy: Multiple Meaning Words
Mathematics is full of words that ESL students are likely to have learned
first with their everyday meaning: table, mean, power, even, volume,
root, etc.
Complex noun groups
He invented a rudimentary binary data-transmission system intended to
be operable over distances of more than 10 meters.
Integrating Language and Content
Teacher’s Input
Planning
Graphic
organizers to
show major
concepts and
organization
Student Tasks
Explicit
attention to
language
and
organization
of textbook
Construct
graphic
from text
Construct
text from
graphic
6 Steps in Implementing TGBA
• 1. Preview the text and identify major topics or the major elements of the
story as well as the organizational pattern of the text.
• 2. Illustrate the main topics or the elements of the story on a graphic
organizer (GO).
• 3. Share GO with students and ask them to orally generate language about
the text.
• 4. Help students locate information from GO in the text.
• 5. Give a blank GO to students and ask them to fill in information by
reading a portion of the text.
• 6. Using information from the GO, ask students to write an essay.
STEP 1
Read the text and identify
the main topics or the main
elements of the story.
Social Studies Chapter:
Other Places, Other Times.
Compares 4 types of early
man.
 Homo Habilis
 Homo Erectus
 Neanderthal Man
 Cro-Magnon
Homo Habilis
Homo Erectus
Cro-Magnon
Neanderthal
Homo
Erectus
Homo
Habilis
Neanderthal
Man
Early
Man
Cro-Megnon
STEP 1 : MAIN TOPICS
Discuss defining characteristics.
Include info about where and how they lived.
Include info about the time periods in which they lived.
STEP 2
Illustrate the main topics or Topics of the chapter is
the elements of the story on a temporal sequence of
a graphic organizer (GO).
descriptions.
Create 1 GO that provides an Selected time line.
overview or preview of the
 Appropriate for content
text.
 Linguistic sequencing
elements:
 Lived from…and ended in…
 inhabited the earth
for…years
 Begin in…during that period…
TIME LINE

Homo Habilis
 2 million
Homo Erectus
Neanderthal
1 million
Today
Cro-
Magnon
STEPS 3 & 4
Step 3
Share GO with students and
ask them to orally generate
LG about the text.
Time line GO for preview.
Step 4
 Help students locate
information from the GO
in the text.
 Need to create a
different GO for an
overview.
 Characteristics.
 Info about where and
how they lived.
 Info about the time
periods.
SIMPLE LISTING/WEB
Where
When
From 1.75 Million to
80,000 years ago
Eastern Africa and
Southern Asia
Tools
Used sharp stones
for tools and
weapons—no fire
Food
Art
Homo Habilis
(Handy Man)
No Art
Clothing
No Clothes
Berries, birds’
eggs, wild pigs
Shelter
Built shelters
of branches
STEP 5
 Create a second and perhaps a third GO based on one or two
subtopics or elements.
 4 main topics
 Focus on linguistic elements




Past tense : was/were; lived, ate, hunted…
Adjectives: sharp, pointed…
Transitions, Next, then, later…
Adverbial phrases of comparison: longer than, as large as, similar to…
 Create a blank or partially blank GO that Ss can fill in
themselves.
 Fill in together, have Ss read paragraphs, ask questions, etc…
 Fill in cooperatively by Ss
 For each GO, write down a few questions you can ask Ss in
order to generate LG about the content of the text.
HOMO ERECTUS WEB
Where
When
Tools
From 1.25 million to
250,000 years ago
Art
Food
Homo Erectus
Clothing
No
clothes
Shelter
Probably built
shelters from
branches
NEANDERTHAL MAN
Where
When
Tools
Europe
Middle East
Art
Food
Neanderthal
Man
Clothing
Shelter
CRO-MAGNON MAN
Where
When
Tools
Art
Food
Cro-Magnon
Man
Clothing
Shelter
When
Where
Tools
Food
Shelter
Clothes
Art
Homo Habilis
Africa, Asia,
and Europe
Homo Erectus
Neander-thal
Man
From
130,000 to
30,000
years ago
Cro-Magnon
Man
From
30,000 to
10,000
years ago
Europe,
Asia, Africa,
North and
South
America
Australia
Fire, flint blades,
pointed wooden
spears
Cooked
Meats,
wild
animals,
elephants
No art
Knives, borers,
spear sharpeners
from stone
Cooked
meats, wild
animals,
bears
Lived in
caves
Animal
hides for
clothes
No art
Chisels, knives,
spear points, fish
hooks, harpoons
heads, and lamps
Hunted
animals and
gathered
wild plants
Lived in
caves
Probably
made coats
from animal
skins
Cave wall
paintings,
necklaces
from shells
and animal
teeth, flutes
and whistles
from animal
bone
UNIT REVIEW
 Direct students from managing info in isolation to managing the relations of
information.
 Compare and classify
 GO summarizes the chapter
 Reinforces content knowledge students have learned
 Enables the students to see the relations of the knowledge
STEP 6
Use information from the GO and ask students to write an
essay.
Create a writing topic for students based on one or two of the
GOs.
Provide writing prompts.
Things to consider:
Proficiency Level of students
Academic/Content Language
Higher order thinking questions
WRITING ACTIVIT Y
Write one paragraph with 5 to 7 sentences
Group 1: Describe Homo Habilis
Group 2: Compare Homo Erectus and Homo Habilis
Group 3: Explain the timeline of the early people
Group 4: Compare Homo Erectus and Neanderthal
Group 5: Describe Cro-Magnon
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
1. Compare the food eaten by Homo Erectus and Neanderthal Man using the signal
word both
2. Compare the food eaten by Homo Erectus and Neanderthal Man using the signal
word and….so
3. Compare the shelter of Neanderthal Man and Cro -Magnon using the signal word
both
4. Compare the shelter of Neanderthal Man and Cro -Magnon using the signal word
and…so…
5. Contrast the art of Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, and Cro-Magnon using the signal
word but
6. Contrast the art of Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, Neanderthal Man and Cro-Magnon
using the signal word but
7. Contrast the tools of Homo Habilis and Cro-Magnon using the signal word however
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE FUNCTION: COMPARE AND
CONTRAST
 Compare: similarities
 Signal words: both, also, and…so…, similarly
 Contrast: differences
 Signal words: however, yet, but, although, on the other hand
 Comparison:
 Compare the cloths of Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus using the signal word
both
 Compare the clothes of Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus using the signal words
and…so…
 Contrast
 Contrast the art of Homo Habilis and Cro-Magnon using the signal word but
7 TGBA TIPS
 1 . Modify Language
 eliminate unnecessary words
 simplify vocabulary/terminology
 write simple sentences rather than complex and compound sentences .
 2. Provide directions/instructions to the students on GO.
 3. Be careful not to convey so much information on the GOs that students don’t
need to read the text.
7 TGBA TIPS
 4. When Ss fill in the blanks on GOs, make sure they must use the text and not just
the preceding GOs to do so.
 5. Don’t pack too much information on a GO.
 It’s overwhelming and intimidating for an ELL student.
 If possible, consider increasing the size of your font.
 6. The writing prompt should be a natural extension of your GOs.
 Ss should be able to use information from the GO when responding to your prompt.
7 TGBA TIPS
 7. When applying TGBA to a story, it’s generally better not to reveal the resolution to
the conflict.
 You want to use graphics to make the story more comprehensible, but you don’t want to reveal
so much that Ss lose interest in reading the story.
CAUSE & EFFECT
Cause
Effect
The Roman Empire expanded rapidly.
Romans had to spend a lot of time and
energy defending their empire from
invaders.
Angry Italians wanted the advantages of
Roman citizenship. They threatened to
rebel and attack Rome.
The Romans granted citizenship to the
Italians.
Many internal problems exists:
• Poor people were starving
• Government officials became corrupt
• Consuls were assassinated
• Slaves rebelled against rough
treatment from masters
The republican system was weakened.
STUDENT GENERATED TEXT
 There were 3 major events leading to the end of the Roman
Republic. First, the rapid expansion of the Roman Empire caused
the Romans to spend a lot of time and energy defending their
Empire from invaders. The second reason was that angry Italian
wanted the advantages of Roman citizenship. They threatened to
rebel and attack Rome. The government survive without them so
the Romans granted citizenship to the Italians. Last, the
Republican system was weakened because poor people were
starving, government officials became corrupt, consuls were
assassinated and slaves rebelled against rough treatment from
masters.
SUMMARY
 Language function and forms
 Compare and contrast
 Cooperative learning: number heads
 Oral language development
 Comprehension of the text and the content
 Develop both content and language knowledge
 Preparation for writing activity
References
http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/commun.htm
Tang. G. Teaching content and ESOL in multicultural classrooms.