teacher guide for 0-level students

[kresearch]

Hello everyone...I am new to this forum!

I am testing a theory, and, realizing you are all at least as busy as I am, am hoping you can still lend me five minutes in a response to help me in a bit of current research...my theory is this:

There is not a guidebook for teachers of 0-level students.

I do not mean a text/workbook for students, as these are impractical at this level, and I do not mean a general "how to be a teacher" text for instructors, as there are plenty of good books in this area. I mean a specific text that walks teachers through the first year of working with students who at 0-level...meaning they have absolutely no English. These are the students who are often preliterate, who walk into the classroom without a single word of English language. These students may or may not have been privy to education in another country previously, and often they are refugees or migrant workers.

The kind of text I am looking for, and that I don't believe exists, is one which offers a general sense of direction, without necessarily offering daily lesson plans. It should give a general order of topics to be presented, give suggestions of how to present this information, include all skill areas, and be appropriate for upper middle school to adult level courses. This text should include literacy and academic instruction cooperatively.

If you need me to clarify any further, please let me know. I appreciate any and all feedback you can offer...thanks so very much!

Have a great day!

[sarahc37]

This has been a quest of mine as well. I remember my first day walking into a beginner-level classroom and not feeling prepared at all, having never found an adequate text to prepare me - graduate school didn't even touch upon the true-beginner classroom. Is it that teaching at this level is so difficult that people avoid teaching it??

The only materials I found useful are the ones for Literacy Volunteers of America. If you find anything else, please let me (us) know.