Document Type

Graduate Project

Date of Degree Completion

Summer 2003

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

Department

Education

Committee Chair

Carol L. Butterfield

Second Committee Member

Keith B. Salyer

Third Committee Member

Nancy E. Jurenka

Abstract

In many schools, students from ethnic minority groups are immersed in secondlanguage reading curricula with minimal attention to their native language literacy (Droop & Verhoeven, 2003). These children face the challenge ofleaming to read in languages that they have not mastered orally. As a result, these second-language students can then experience considerable gaps in their understanding ofreading because reading instruction in any language strongly builds on oral language proficiency. For these reasons, second-language literacy learning is an enormous issue in our schools today (Goodman, Goodman, & Flores, 1984). This is why the author chose to research effective reading instruction for bilingual and bicultural students. After reviewing the research, the focus of this project was to explore comprehension and vocabulary strategies combined with content area themes and related trade books for bilingual and bicultural middle school students.

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