Towards an “Anatomically Correct” Model of English Language Literacy

Abstract

Literacy scholar Alfred Tatum has argued for a model for literacy with African-American male adolescents that includes the particular needs and contexts of this population. He describes this as an “anatomically complete” model and bases his model on a set of four “vital signs” that, combined, help increase student achievement. In this article, I adapt Tatum’s theory to apply to English Language Learners (ELLs) and describe what an anatomically complete model of ELL literacy might look like, based on research in the fields of literacy and English Language Learning.