Reading texts of different languages

I chose one book that was about how babies are conceived and born. I recognized some Spanish characters like the upside down question mark.  I also recognized the ‘los’ and ‘Ninos’ in the title.

• I was completely overwhelmed and really used the pictures a lot to even know what details the book went into.  I could tell when picking it up that it was about a mom having a baby but didn’t know until really looking through the pictures that it was also about how they are made.  I knew this when I saw the more technical pictures. 
• As I looked further at the text and not just the pictures, I did notice words that looked similar to English: bebes, mamas, and septiembre.
• As I got into the technical parts I did recognize the word huevo and knew that it meant egg, which I only know from restaurants.
• This book, although written for children, seemed quite information heavy and although there were pictures, it was quite frustrating trying to figure out what the information was saying. I knew since it was non-fiction that the captions were talking about the pictures so could guess at what that chunk of words was talking about.
• I would have liked to have a dictionary to translate or another person to bounce ideas off of.  It was something that was hard for me to just put down because I wanted to figure it out, but it was also driving me crazy.

The second book I chose was a Korean book so there aren’t any letters, it is all characters. 

• The pictures helped me see that it was a book labeling different nouns.  I do recognize the same characters from page to page with the same couple of words appearing on each page. 
• I am struggling with the fact that I can’t figure out what the words are and just keep seeing those two and can name the objects but can’t tell what those words are.  In my mind it could be a couple of things.  I think it is a repeating text, just from my knowledge of books and the appearance of the words.

After looking at these texts I realize that as a teacher I must be aware of my ELL students and what background knowledge they may or may not have on the subject we are studying.  I found that I was relying almost totally on the pictures in the text and adding my own meaning using my background knowledge on the types of text and the subject.  I would have loved to have had a peer to talk with and realize just how important it is for ELL students to be able to have someone to help and share ideas with.  I was very glad I didn't have to get up in front of anyone and have to explain my thoughts on the text or have to try and read it aloud.  The more I'm learning about our ELL students, the more I'm in awe of how they get through each and every day without shutting down or giving up.