Entry # 4 Decoding Skills

This week I was challenged to read a text I was unfamiliar with and do whatever I could to determine meaning. The book I chose was called "Que Puedes Esperar Cuando Estas Esperando" I thought I would attempt to multitask by completing an assignment while reading some fun facts related to my life at the moment. The book in english is called "What to Expect When Your Expecting." I had read this book in english about 16 years ago and wanted to pick it up again for this pregnancy but have been too busy to give it a second thought. 

I honestly thought this reading would be a little easier than it actually was. I found that even if I could figure out a couple words here and there it was hard to use the vocabulary in context to the actual information written in the book. If I had to rely on my spanish reading skills and comprehension of what I read on my own I would not have very reliable information on pregnancy. In fact I would have gained a lot more anxiety knowing there was a whole book of helpful information that I wanted but could not access through my own literacy skills. When I think about my students I wonder if they sometimes have that same sense of anxiety when I hand them something they can not read without any scaffolding. I have to honest with myself, that no matter how conscientious I intend to be, there must have been moments that my lack of understanding of what my ESL students need in order to be successful has at some point caused anxiety or frustration in some way. I am so thankful for the opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to best meet all of my students needs. 

The strategies that I ended up using to decipher the information are as follows:

* I first knew enough about pregnancy that I could use my background knowledge as a resource.

* I used the limited pictures that were in the book.

* I referenced a spanish/english dictionary and an online translator tool.

* I finally asked my daughter and a co-worker for help translating the reading.