Is your student good in math and science but does only average work in ELA?

Question

Does your student have a second language background? Knowing two languages is and plus but sometimes, students with a ESL background miss vocabulary and nuances and humor in their second language - English. Do you find that your student is not engaged in text? What kinds of books is you student reading? Because of all the freedom America has to offer, teachers allow students to pick the books they want to read but often students who have not been exposed to the classics shy away from them and then lose out on enriching their thinking and analyzing skills as well as enriching their vocabulary. If you are one of these students, call me.

Answer 1

Hello,

Many of my best students in my composition class at Purdue were ESL students. And you are right!! At the beginning of each semester we worked on developing analyzing skills-probably the most important skill in both reading, writing, and understanding text.

And although I understand the nuances to which you refer, because they were already young adults from a foreign country, my students did not have the time spent in an American classroom or reading the classics to develop the more subtle meanings that the classics and language offer.

What they understood was the syntax and semantics of the English language, format, genres, and vocabulary which translated into excellent papers.

So, to reiterate, teachers can still enrich thinking and analyzing skills by giving assignments that enable students to become critical thinkers, and according to the latest Ivy League educational outcomes is the most important skill one can take with them after graduation.

Lastly, you might want to separate the two issues at hand, learning to think critically and exposure to the classics are different subjects.