Teaching Reading to English Learners, Grades 6 - 12

Dr. Margarita Espino Calderón, born and raised in Juárez, is a Professor Emerita/Senior Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins University. Her research and development projects have been funded by the US Department of Education, National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Labor, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, and various State Offices of Education.One of her empirical studies “The Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (BCIRC)” is featured in the What Works Clearinghouse. The Carnegie Corporation of New York funded her five-year study to develop Expediting Comprehension for English Language Learners (ExC-ELL) to train math, science, social studies, language arts, and ESL teachers on integrating language, reading, and content in core content middle and high school classrooms. With a Title III National Professional Development grant, she implemented “A Whole-School Approach to Professional Development with ExC-ELL” in Loudoun County, VA. She replicated this approach in 29 schools in TX and NC. She served on the National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth, the Carnegie Corporation of New York Panel on English Language Adolescent Literacy Panel, among other panels and national committees. She has over 100 publications on language, literacy, and professional development.In 2025, Margarita was inducted into the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame.  Shawn Slakk is the CEO and Founder of ABCDSS Consulting Consortium and works with teachers, administrators, school & state agencies to offer strategies and supports for emergent bilinguals and their classmates both K-12 and adults. He is co-author and developer of new professional development sessions for all levels of educators, focusing on whole-school implementation, administrative support and coaching.  As a former Certified WIDA Trainer and Title III SIOP Coach, Shawn brings a wide understanding of a variety of strategies and how they relate to ELs, language acquisition and lesson delivery. He served as the Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL) Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education where he and his team were responsible for developing, implementing, training trainers and evaluating a Sheltered English Instruction endorsement course for administrators and classroom teachers.  The RETELL endorsement is required in Massachusetts to obtain or retain an educator license with more than 40,000 teachers and administrators earning this endorsement.  Throughout his career, Shawn taught ESL in grades K-University, Spanish across all grade levels and curriculums, and even once taught Japanese to K-2 students.  He has served as an elementary and middle school administrator, served at the Central Office level as a district coach and as a state level coordinator.  He started his teaching career teaching Adult ESL at Spokane Community College in Washington state.Shawn’s curriculum and instruction doctorate from the University of Virginia will focus on supporting the needs and instruction of additional-language learners and teachers in reading and writing. He holds an MA in TESOL from Eastern Washington University, a Master of School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a bachelor’s in English and Spanish education from Whitworth University.

• prefaceAcknowledgementsAbout the AuthorsChapter 1: Introduction: The ExC-ELL Model for Content Knowledge, Literacy, and Academic Language IntegrationChapter 2: Planning Lessons Using a Research-Based DesignChapter 3: Vocabulary Development: Selecting for High-Impact Usage and ComprehensionChapter 4: Bridging Vocabulary and ReadingChapter 5: Content ReadingChapter 6: After Initial ReadingChapter 7: Writing Increases and Consolidates Vocabulary, Reading, and Content LearningChapter 8: Diving Deeper Into WritingChapter 9: Setting the Context for SuccessChapter 10: Implementing ExC-ELL: A Principal’s PerspectiveReferencesAdditional ResourcesIndexChapter 10: Implementing Exc-ell TM: A Principal′s Perspective - Tarcia Gilliam-Parrish

"Teaching Reading to English Learners, Grades 6-12, is useful for any secondary teacher who works with English learners, but what makes it unique is its upbeat tone, high and loving expectations for all English learners, and empathy for the challenges they face. Calderónand Slakk help teachers believe in their students, which is essential to teach them. It is rare that a textbook is such a pleasure to read."