This article provides advice and ideas on how and when to introduce reading and writing in a second language. It is a summary of facts based on research and books on the subject. The following topics are covered:
- General facts about reading writing
- Success Factors for reading/writing in a 2nd language
- When to start
- What to expect - milestones
- How to do it/ Step by Step
- How to keep it up
- Sources for more information
GENERAL FACTS
Most bilingual children only EVER learn how to read/write in language of the school they are attending!
However, second language reading has great advantages for language development. First of all, it can be a great way to widen a child’s vocabulary and improve grammatical structuring far beyond the words/grammar we use in everyday conversation. Through reading, your child also enhances speaking skills in the minority language, so that you will no longer be the only source of language input. So the effort and time required by you decreases. Finally, second language reading also enhances writing skills in that language.
Contrary to common perception, multilingual children are not generally slower in learning to read. It all depends on the child’s interest and readiness as well as the parental attitude/atmosphere.
If you want to give your child the best start, teach them the names and sounds of the alphabet. Knowledge of letter names and sounds has been shown to be the only research-proven factor to determine reading success.
Don't forget: Good readers simply read a lot, whatever the language. So help your child become a good reader in the first and the second language !
SUCCESS FACTORS
- Promote reading/writing in the first language. Reading and writing success in the 2nd language will depend on proficiency in the first language because reading skills & attitudes are transferable skills (to a lesser extent for writing). Specific transferable reading skills are:
i) the fact that letters mean sound, ii) the skill of decoding words as parts and whole, iii) the skill of making sensible guesses given the story line, iv) the skill of decoding meaning of sentences from a string of words, v) the knowledge of moving left to right/or vice versa. To help your child in his/her first language you should:
- speak lots and listen (this is reading preparation)
- introduce the concept of a book in 1st year (gently move your child’s finger along the lines as you read)
- develop a love and pleasure for books by making the reading time a pleasurable (cuddle) time with mum/dad
- read to your child for at least 20 minutes every day in an interactive way (second best: play recorded tapes of you reading): i) elaborate and explain the text to the child, ii) relate the story to the child’s own experiences, iii) ask questions to check understanding and interpretation and extend their imagination.
- be a great role model and let your child see you read and write a lot
- Promote oral/speaking skills in the 2nd language. The wider the vocabulary in the 2nd language the easier it is to learn to read and write in it.
- Make reading a pleasure not pressure: Try to create a REAL need for your child to read. Reading in a second language is extra work. The more enjoyable it is the more likely your child will want to read for his/her own pleasure. This can be achieved by:
- Reading about real & natural events, not artificial stories (e.g.family stories, write-ups of past holiday experiences)
- Reading relevant stories to your child's life and experiences as well as age appropriate stories. Choose something meaningful that is interesting to them. If you are unsure, why not let them choose?
- Creating a real need to understand the meaning of writing, e.g. letters from friends or relatives, shopping lists, real messages from friends/Dad etc.
- Using humour (joke books are a great motivator to read)
- Make writing a pleasure not pressure: Try to create a real need for writing.
- Use real communication such as letters to relatives or friends rather than made-up texts
- If your child has written something, don’t comment on neatness or spelling before you have praised the idea/story. It is very easy to demotivate your child. One idea to avoid demotivation is to wait one day before you point out the mistakes, and why not make it a game?
- Make them read: the more they read the better they spell.
- When you do correct your child's spelling, focus on a few errors only. Choose the one's where your child was almost right.
WHEN TO START
- Sequential learning of reading/writing in two languages.
This means starting the child's reading and writing in one language (ideally the child's stronger or first language) and following with the second/third one later. Advantages of this approach are:
- most common & more successful
- let's the children build reading confidence easier/faster
- let's the children reach the important stage where they have pleasure reading faster
- it is easier for kids to start reading in stronger language
- once they start to read by themselves, you can start introducing the second language reading/writing. This will happen about 2 years after the first language. If the alphabet is the same, you might even find that your child can already read in the second language.
- Simultaneous learning of reading/writing in two languages is possible.
Bi-lingual school settings will follow this approach. This approach is less common. It also leads to multiliteracy but general reading confidence (in the any language) is often reached later.
WHAT TO EXPECT – MILESTONES
- first interest in words/writing is expected around age 4, this is a natural curiosity about language
- expect reading skills to be as good (in the 2nd language) as in the 1st language 1 year after introducing reading in the 2nd language
- expect a gradual development from fluency but temporary mixing of pronounciation to more complex books and finally independent reading in the 2nd language
HOW TO DO IT: Step by step
Overall it is better to get a tutor than trying oneself. Depending on whether the alphabet of the second language is the same or different than in the first language, choose among 1.1 or 1.2. If you decide to introduce reading/writing a language before the school does it follow advice in 1.3.
- Your child reads/writes in a 1st language & the 2nd language shares the same alphabet
- Plough through the alphabet and learn letter names, sounds. You need to put special emphasis on highlighting exceptions in pronounciation versus the first language.
- Develop pre-reading skills (see 1.2.a below)
- Teach with fun & games
- play with nursery rhymes
- sing with your child
- ask your child to retell a story from a book and listen
- reading games: i) in the car, how many words do we spot beginning with “x”, ii) “I spy” in a book, iii) let her spot a word in a text , iv) read something wrong and they have to spot it, v) label things in your child’s room, then take off and let her put them back
- spelling games: i) hangman (let your child use a dictionary), ii) invent a story for your child and ask your child to write it down, next day you play “find the mistake” and let your child find spelling mistakes (with a dictionary - if needed) and correct them
- writing games: i) invent a story for your child and ask your child to write it down, ii) treasure hunts: let your child hide items then give you written instructions to find them, iii) write to relatives and friends, iv) create cartoon strips to fill in the bubbles, v) make a book with your child, vi) decipher script in town/supermarkets
- use all senses: touch letters/words made of foam/wood/playdo/plastic
- Maintain the newly gained skills with regular repetition
- Example: Geneva Reading Group for English speaking children in a French environment: They build a community and hired a teacher.
- You child reads/writes in 1st language & both languages have different scripts
- develop pre-reading skills: understand the function of print, how a page is laid out, how writing is used to keep lists or write labels etc
- Sound to symbol recognition: learn the sounds that go with each symbol (start with the child’s name and symbols the child is interested in)
- Point out differences between languages (in sound, letters, the way words are written or used)
- Your child will learn reading/writing in school later and you start the 1st language before
- develop pre-reading skills (understand function of print, how a page is laid out, how writing is used to keep lists, write labels etc)
- learn the phonemic alphabet (sounds) and point out exceptions and multiple sounds for a letter
- combine sounding out and whole word learning
HOW TO KEEP IT UP
Reading
- Make your child read by him/herself
- Have lots of reading material available: join a library or organize book swops
- Keep reading to your child in all the languages you are capable of
- Visit the country and let your child read signs, labels etc.
- Start a reading group and read to a group of kids, then ask each of them to read a favourite book to the rest
- Buy reading software or a leappad-like device
Writing
- Establish pen friend’s (with peers or relatives)
- Have your children write books (for other children, younger relatives, toys)
- Provide writing software to make it more fun
SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION
|
Thank you
Written by giniuae on 2006-06-14 01:40:07
Thank you very much for putting this topic on the website as I was not able to come to the meeting. Although I still have a bit of time before my son starts reading, It was very interesting to read it. |
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
