Research-Based Academic Skills and Strategies for Newcomers

Adolescent immigrant students with limited prior educational experiences must develop reading, writing, and other literacies as quickly as possible so that they can use these skills as learning tools to acquire the concepts and skills they have missed by not having had access to formal schooling in their native countries (Chamot, 1998). Information about the characteristics of these students and effective instructional practices for developing their literacy is sparse, yet school districts with large populations of English language learners report a significant number of recent immigrants in middle and high school with limited native language literacy skills (Chamot, Keatley, & Schiavone, 1997). These students arrive from countries that include Spanish-speaking areas as well as many other areas of the world. Students ’ limited prior schooling can be due to a variety of situations, including limited access to schools, disruptions caused by war and civil unrest, cultural customs, or a combination of these factors. These students are not only beginning English learners but beginning readers and writers as well. Secondary teachers are rarely prepared to teac