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Best Books for Young Adult EAL Students with Low Literacy.
July 2, 2022 by Lauren Piovesan
Hello? Calling all reading material for older EAL Students? Can you hear me? Hello…
If this sounds like you calling desperately into your laptop as you sit down to plan yet another term of work, you’ve come to the right place.
You may be furiously scouring websites for worksheets so you can avoid the painstaking task of writing your own. You may be finally digging up all the notes in your diary margins or emails flicked to you throughout the term with resource suggestions. I know I wasted away countless hours in the search for reading material for my adolescent and young adult EAL learners with low literacy. There was just so little available that was age and level appropriate!
If this sounds familiar, I hope this blog can make a small difference to you and most importantly, buy you back some time! So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my top picks for reading books for EAL adolescent and young adult learners with low literacy levels (Pre-Beginner to Intermediate).
1. Bow Valley Readers
What is it?
Fictional short stories with photographic images
Who is it for?
EAL young adults and adult
What levels are the books?
Pre-beginners to Intermediate
What format is it available in?
Downloadable PDFs and E-books with audio (Canadian)
My take:
These books are my ultimate pick for short narrative reading books for adult and young adult learners. I prefer to use this with beginner learners (Levels A, B, C, D) as they have clear, realistic images that accompany each page of text. Best of all, the books can be read online with audio (although watch out, it’s a Canadian accent!) and can be sent to students mobile or other devices via a single link. Very user friendly for our most challenged digital literacy students! Click here to see the books.
2. Our Stories Series
What is it?
Illustrated fictional short stories and teacher resource workbook
Who is it for?
EAL adults and young adults
What levels are the books?
Beginners/post-beginners
What format is it available in?
Hard copy
My take:
I have used these books several times with my young adult learners. They cover relevant everyday topics that are clearly targeting some of the challenges faced by the adult refugee/migrant cohort. They come with an incredible teacher workbook containing 10+ worksheets tied directly to the book covering vocabulary, grammar, phonics and writing. If I could meet the creators of this series, I’d give them a huge hug for the time they’ve saved me! Click here to see the books.
3. ESL Extras
What is it?
7 illustrated fictional short chapter books and teacher resource workbook
Who is it for?
EAL adults and young adults
What levels are the books?
Pre-beginners to Pre-intermediate
What format is it available in?
Hard copy, downloadable PDFs and audio files
My take:
I used these books to extend my more engaged post-beginner learners and to introduce them to longer texts containing chapters. Each book also comes with an extremely comprehensive workbook containing comprehension activities to match each chapter! Using these resources together worked brilliantly for independent and small group reading. Click here to see the books.
4. Carringbooks
What is it?
5 fictional short stories with photographic images
Who is it for?
Targeting EAL adults but could be used for young adults
What levels are the books?
Pre-beginners/beginners
What format is it available in?
Downloadable PDFs and an app with e-books (Australian audio)
My take:
Carringbooks are free downloadable PDFs that you can also access via the Carringbooks App. The app makes it so easy for students to access and listen to at home. There are 5 books available on key everyday topics. They provide a great springboard for role plays and conversation. Click here to see the books.
5. May Street Stories
What is it?
6 fictional short stories with illustrations throughout
Who is it for?
EAL adults and young adults
What levels are the books?
Strong beginners/post-beginners
What format is it available in?
Hard copy, downloadable PDFs and audio files
My take:
These are wonderfully illustrated short narratives that provide small picture prompts for each section of text. I have only used these beauties a few times, but with absolute success! The students could relate and found them interesting. The books also come with an audio file so students can listen while reading. Click here to see the books.
6. ESL Reads
What is it?
7 illustrated fictional short stories that each come in 4 levels
Who is it for?
EAL young adults and adolescents
What levels are the books?
Beginners to Intermediate
What format is it available in?
Downloadable PDFs
My take:
These are my books written for adolescent and young adult students with varying beginner to intermediate level literacy. The topics range from everyday, health and social/emotional contexts that I have seen my students be challenged by. There are 4 levels for each book to allow for differentiation. They are available as downloadable PDFs with e-book containing audio on their way! Click here to learn more.
7. PageTurners
What is it?
A large range of fictional short stories with cartoon illustrations
Who is it for?
Adults with low literacy but could be used for EAL adults, young adults and some books are appropriate for
adolescents
What levels are the books?
Beginners to Intermediate (context dependent)
What format is it available in?
Hard copy and audio files
My take:
These readers are great for delving into topics beyond the everyday. But beware of unfamiliar contexts with these books as they have also been written for adult learners with low literacy. Some pre-teaching may be necessary for beginners. I used PageTurners with my year 6, 7 and 8 students and selected the texts carefully. They provoked interesting conversations! I can still remember one student chuckling as he read, Learning to Swim, where the main character created “bubbles” in the pool, and not from his mouth I might add! Click here to see the books.
8. Unite For Literacy
What is it?
Many fictional and non fictional short books
Who is it for?
EAL young adults and adolescents
What levels are the books?
Post-beginners/Intermediate
What format is it available in?
Online e-books with audio in English and/or various other languages.
My take:
These books are written for younger students but contain oral narration of the books into a variety of languages (that’s right, they even have Karen, Karenni, Somali, Farsi). I would sift carefully through these books and only choose non-fiction texts as this is the most age-appropriate choice. Watch out for the American context here too! Click here to see the books.
I hope some of these books will be helpful for you like they were for me. Please feel free to leave a comment on what has worked well for you or any other recommendations you may have!
Please note: This is all based on my own research, recommendations from colleagues or my experiences in the classroom and is not endorsed by the authors, illustrators or companies that feature here.
Cover image courtesy of: https://blog.gale.com/how-many-reading-styles-live-at-your-library/
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