Helping English Language Learners Develop a Love of Reading

My students come from all over the world. Many are from Latin American countries, where oral storytelling is deeply rooted in their culture. In those regions, storytelling traditions are passed down through generations in a way that emphasizes speaking and listening, often with an focus on personal connection and community. 

However, my students often share that reading for enjoyment isn’t as prevalent in their cultures as it might be in other parts of the world. I’ve seen this dynamic firsthand with my own family. My husband, who is Peruvian, loves telling our children wonderful, imaginative stories, but he doesn’t find himself naturally gravitating toward books like I do. I grew up in a Polish American household where we devoured books just like pirogies. My husband prefers to share his stories in the same way he learned growing up—in an oral tradition. This dynamic isn’t uncommon for many of my students’ families, which has made the task of fostering a love for reading books a bit more challenging in my classroom. 

This year, I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with a brilliant new colleague who has many creative solutions to help my students build connections with books in a way that resonates with their cultural background. 

Make reading time a group activity

One of the most impactful strategies that have transformed my students’ attitudes toward reading is making it a communal, shared activity. Instead of assigning individual reading tasks, I’ve started framing reading time as something we do together, as a class. During our designated reading time, I arrange the desks or chairs in a circle, and we gather to share a story. As a group, we explore the text together, and I take the lead by reading aloud. Since I primarily teach newcomers with very limited English, we often turn to books that are simple yet engaging, like those written by Mo Willems. These books use humor, clear illustrations, and repetition to make them accessible to my students, while still providing opportunities for meaningful discussion.

After I read a story to the students, I switch things up by giving them the opportunity to take the lead. I’ll have students read to each other or to the whole class. What surprised me the most was how eagerly they embraced this role. They’re not only willing to read but excited to do so, and they take it a step further by adopting expressive voices, using dramatic gestures, and even reinterpreting the characters in ways that reflect their own cultural experiences. This shared experience has made reading less intimidating and more enjoyable for my students, transforming it from a solitary task into a social, collaborative activity.

Bridge the gap with bilingual books

Another strategy I’ve adopted, thanks to conversations with my colleague, is incorporating bilingual books into our curriculum. I’ve found that using bilingual texts—or pairing English texts with audio recordings in their native language—helps my students better understand and connect with the material. When students hear the story in Spanish, a language they’re comfortable with, they can more easily follow along in English. This dual-language approach not only supports their language development but also helps them see reading as something that connects their two worlds, rather than something that exists in isolation from their cultural identity.

Reading becomes a bridge between their home lives and school lives, where they can value both the stories they’ve grown up with and the new ones they’re discovering in English. This approach also has the added benefit of fostering confidence. Many students who initially feel hesitant about their reading abilities gain a sense of pride when they can connect the English text with the familiar structure of their native language. For many of my students, this becomes a turning point where they start to see reading as more accessible and even enjoyable.

Engaging Students in Oral Storytelling

In addition to reading books together, I’ve also introduced a storytelling circle into our classroom routine. This has been an incredibly effective tool for engaging my students because it honors the oral storytelling traditions central to many of their cultures. During storytelling circles, students are encouraged to share personal stories from their life or their family’s history. These stories can be funny, serious, or anything in between, and the format is very relaxed.

What’s powerful about these circles is that they validate my students’ cultural backgrounds while also drawing a direct connection between oral storytelling and the written texts we read in class. One of my superpowers as a teacher is storytelling, so this is one of my favorite class-time activities. Stories have a way of cutting across cultures and bringing out the humanity and connectedness that we all share.

The storytelling circle not only engages students who might not have seen themselves as readers but also helps them take ownership of the stories we read and share. They begin to understand that stories, whether oral or written, belong to them and can reflect their own lives and experiences. This has been especially important for building a sense of community in the classroom. Students start to realize that reading isn’t just about decoding words on a page, but also about sharing ideas, experiences, and emotions. It’s been amazing to see the students connect their own stories to the characters and situations in the books we read—and, in turn, build a deeper connection to reading itself.

It’s not just about books

Since introducing these changes into my classroom, I’ve noticed a significant shift in my students’ attitudes toward reading. Students who once resisted picking up a book now view it as an opportunity to connect—with their peers, with their families, and with their own experiences. What was once seen as a daunting task has become something they look forward to. We laugh together, take pride in reading aloud, and engage in meaningful discussions about the stories we read. This shift is something I hadn’t anticipated, but it has been welcomed and powerful. 

As an educator, I find that it’s easy to think the key to success is always about finding the “right” book or strategy, but what I’ve learned this year is that it’s not just about the books themselves—it’s about creating a sense of community and cultural relevance around reading.

Meeting my students where they are, both culturally and linguistically, and making reading a shared experience opens the door to a lifelong love of reading that feels authentic and meaningful. It’s also a great reminder that when students feel seen, heard, and valued, they are more likely to engage, not just with books, but with learning as a whole. Anytime we can make classwork purposeful and meaningful, we are winning. Making reading feel personal, important, and empowering is giving our students a gift that they can carry with them throughout their lives.