English as a Second Language (ESL) Program Specialist Certification

This course equips reading specialists with strategies for presenting literature to children and adolescents through a multicultural lens. Students will explore a wide range of children’s literature, recognizing diverse authors and illustrators while developing critical analysis skills. The curriculum emphasizes evaluating and discussing literature that reflects varied cultural experiences and integrating trade books across subjects to foster inclusivity. Participants will learn how children’s literature enhances literacy and cultivates a love for reading among diverse audiences, including those with limited reading abilities.

The major objectives of this course are to develop and understanding of the process of second language acquisition in school, and to develop an appreciation of diverse cultural backgrounds in multicultural classrooms, especially among Latinos and Anglos, and to develop awareness of the complexity of cross-cultural communication in schools and the community. The following areas are considered as they relate to the dynamics of cross-cultural communication: the communication process; group properties and communication; linguistic approaches; the nonverbal element of communication systems, especially related to Anglos and Latinos; language and culture; language as social behavior; and channels of communication.

The major goal of this course is to help future and practicing teachers understand how reading and writing ability develop, why some students have difficulty learning to read/or write, how to diagnose and address reading and writing problems, why a variety of assessment and teaching techniques must be used to identify students’ strengths and needs, and how to use the results to design appropriate instruction. The premise for this goal is that both understanding why and knowing how are necessary for a teacher to make informed decisions that impact reading and writing instruction.