They could look at it, take time with it, and manipulate it, so they were not so overwhelmed by it. The ways reading and writing are used in adult ESL programs must be influenced by learners' various language proficiencies, backgrounds, and needs. Bilingual programs for adults offer initial literacy in the native language as well as oral English and English literacy. Some ESL literacy programs provide oral English instruction in a way that is accessible to learners with limited reading ability, as well as initial literacy instruction in English. Writing allows learners opportunities to experiment with the language and try different constructions to make themselves understood.
Students dictate stories to the teacher or share orally a common experience.
When written down by or in collaboration with the teacher, these experiences and stories become texts for initial reading instruction. The stories are accessible because they reflect the language and experience of the learners. This approach is excellent for creating reading texts for beginning-level ESL students whose command of vocabulary and structures in English is limited, as well as for those who are learning to read for the first time. After the story is completed, it is translated into English by the tutors, and related reading and writing activities are carried out in English and the native language. Learners gradually move from these stories to more extended, expressive writing.