using storybooks

It kind of depends. Although the stories may be simple to you, and the words may be simple to you, it is helpful to have mostly all (perhaps 95% or upwards) of totally decodable words. That means the kids can sound them out without guessing. Depending on the level of the reader that can mean different things. But if the reader can only really decode CVC words, then that’s really the kind of book he/she should read independently. Of course naturally you should read other things to the kids.

I would check out the search for decodable text as I am inclined to think these will not be.

—des

Costadina — as I remember, you are teaching second-language students. I also work a lot with second languages, both English and French, and I have found that there is a heck of a lot more to it than you would think at first.
Many children’s books use a *very* extensive vocabulary. In fact, preschool books that are designed to be read *to* the child, as opposed to the child reading independently, often use vocabulary that is not in readers until junior high school or later; this is especially true of fairly tales and poetry/rhymed books.
This being one of the grave problems with certain “whole-language” programs, including our local schools, that try to teach reading out of library books, and use these preschool books that are way too low in age interest and way too high in vocabulary.

Berenstain Bears vocabulary is not that bad, but is Level 3-4 at least in ESL.
[Level 1, 2 - basic - simple sentences, first 500 words, scripted answers, first 100 hours work (or more); Level 3-4 - intermediate - present continuous and past tense, 500 to 2000 word vocabulary, speaking/creating simple sentence answers, appropriate cultural responses, hours 100 to 200 at least; Level 5-6 - complex sentences, nuances of meaning, relations of tenses, speaking/creating longer answers in correct tenses, culture, hours 200 to 300 at least]
Look at the basic ESL texts and the kind of sentence structure and vocabulary used in them, and look again at your fairy tales; unless they are super-simplified, the vocabulary load is generally too much for ESL until quite advanced, level 6 and up.
A former ESL student (daughter’s boyfriend) recommended the Boxcar Children to me; I have found that, especially starting right at the beginning in the first BC book, they are good after Level 3 ESL.
I also use old vocabulary-controlled textbooks which are a big help in not throwing a hopeless load of new vocabulary onto the ESL student; Level 2-3 students can have fun with a First Reader in a good series where there is actually a plot to the stories.

Thank you for the information. I wasn’t aware of that. The books are written for native speakers. It seems that I have a lot to learn. Actually, they are doing quite well, they passed their English exams with 60%! I know its not much but its a start.