Diverse Learners Top Hat Organizer

Article One: Along the Academic language and literacy
continuum.
● Bilingual students are constantly overlooked.
● These students tend to struggle in more subjects
than reading-related.
● Language content is rigorous and seen
throughout all major disciplines.
● BICS and CALP methods are used to access
student language learning.
● There are procedures for teachers to differentiate
for ELL/EB students.
Article Two: Dyslexia: What Reading Teachers need to
know
● There are degrees of severity for students with
Dyslexia which affect their ability to focus on
numbers or letters when reading.
● Dyslexia is neurological and genetic.
● There are general differentiation strategies, and
sometimes go further into 504 plans or IEPs.
● The term dyslexia is sometimes confused with
other reading difficulties.
● 5-17% of American children have dyslexia

Menken, K. (2013). Emergent bilingual students in Johnston, V. (2019). Dyslexia: What Reading
secondary school: Along the academic language and Teachers Need to Know. The Reading Teacher,
literacy continuum. Language Teaching, 46(4), 438- 73(3), 339-346. doi:10.1002/trtr.1830
476. doi:10.1017/s0261444813000281

Similarities

● Both student groups will benefit from multi-sensory and differentiated instruction.
● Both groups are being placed into the thoughts of law-makers for their inclusion in education.
● Both groups struggle with Phonology, orthography, and syntax of the English language.
● The solutions for helping students in these areas of struggle will benefit all students.
● Both take lots of practice to dilute the symptoms of the literacy issues.

My Thoughts
I originally did not think these two articles would be related. In fact, students who are learning a new language and
those with dyslexia both require an attention to reading strategies and skills of the English language. Both areas can
affect the students’ ability to perform well in many disciplines other than English language or comprehension. I was
especially interested in reading about dyslexia because I truthfully had never heard of the condition until I was in 8th
grade. With no experience of that on my own, I worry that when it comes to teaching that I will not have the adequate
knowledge of how to best help those students. However, this comparison has made the thought much less scary,
because when discussing students who are ELL/EB, I feel a bit more comfortable.