This page is dedicated to developing literacy in students at school and at home. It includes a parent literacy newsletter, information on identifying learning differences, and some helpful language tools and websites.
Literacy
How literate a student become in a language is directly related to many different individual, contextual, and instructional factors. Individually, students may lack the motivation to become literate in L2. Contextually, a student may lack the background knowledge of English to distinguish the differences in sounds between that and their L1. Instructionally, the quality, intensity, methods, and preparation put into instruction all factor in to how literate a student will become.
Language Differences Teachers need to take precautions when trying ot determine if a student has a learning difficulty rather than a language learning problem. Teacher should check the motivation of their students first. If a student is highly motivated and putting forth a lot of effort but are still having great difficulties learning the language, then they may have a learning difficulty. Also, if all the typical methods for SLA are continuing to be ineffective, than a student may possess a learning difficulty.
Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott relates the tale of father Anansi and his six spider sons. When Anansi sets out on a dangerous journey and gets into all sorts of trouble, each son does one thing to help, and all their efforts together save their father. He finds a mysterious, beautiful globe of light in the forest, and decides to make it a gift of thanks. But which son should receive the prize? Even with the help of Nyame, the God of All Things, he can't decide, so Nyame takes the great globe up into the sky, and that's where it has stayed ever since--the moon, for all to see. This profound story reaches children of many ages; younger ones see it as an exciting rescue story, but older children are intrigued by the larger themes of cooperation and "the whole being more than its parts."
References Kern, R., & Schultz, J. (2005). Beyond Orality: Investigating Literacy and the Literary in Second and Foreign Language Instruction. Modern Language Journal, 89(3), 381-392. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2005.00312.x.
Leow, R. (1998). The Effects of Amount and Type of Exposure on Adult Learners' L2 Development in SLA. Modern Language Journal, 82(1), 49-68. doi:10.2307/328683.
Anna Costa
Graduate Assistant
Middle Tennessee State University
Certified Pre-K teacher, working on ESL endorsement aec2y@mtmail.mtsu.edu
This page is dedicated to developing literacy in students at school and at home. It includes a parent literacy newsletter, information on identifying learning differences, and some helpful language tools and websites.
Literacy
How literate a student become in a language is directly related to many different individual, contextual, and instructional factors. Individually, students may lack the motivation to become literate in L2. Contextually, a student may lack the background knowledge of English to distinguish the differences in sounds between that and their L1. Instructionally, the quality, intensity, methods, and preparation put into instruction all factor in to how literate a student will become.
Parent Newsletter regarding home literacy:
Language Differences
Teachers need to take precautions when trying ot determine if a student has a learning difficulty rather than a language learning problem. Teacher should check the motivation of their students first. If a student is highly motivated and putting forth a lot of effort but are still having great difficulties learning the language, then they may have a learning difficulty. Also, if all the typical methods for SLA are continuing to be ineffective, than a student may possess a learning difficulty.
Informational Websites
Literacy Development: http://www.bankstreet.edu/literacyguide/ell.html
Oral Language Development in SLA: http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/content/oral
Teaching Tool
This site contains handouts that are useful for young ESL students: http://www.eslkidslab.com/
Interesting Article
Using Newspapers in the ESL Literacy Classroom by Carolyn Ebel Chandler http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9216/esl.htm
Suggested Reading
Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott relates the tale of father Anansi and his six spider sons. When Anansi sets out on a dangerous journey and gets into all sorts of trouble, each son does one thing to help, and all their efforts together save their father. He finds a mysterious, beautiful globe of light in the forest, and decides to make it a gift of thanks. But which son should receive the prize? Even with the help of Nyame, the God of All Things, he can't decide, so Nyame takes the great globe up into the sky, and that's where it has stayed ever since--the moon, for all to see. This profound story reaches children of many ages; younger ones see it as an exciting rescue story, but older children are intrigued by the larger themes of cooperation and "the whole being more than its parts."
References
Kern, R., & Schultz, J. (2005). Beyond Orality: Investigating Literacy and the Literary in Second and Foreign Language Instruction. Modern Language Journal, 89(3), 381-392. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2005.00312.x.
Leow, R. (1998). The Effects of Amount and Type of Exposure on Adult Learners' L2 Development in SLA. Modern Language Journal, 82(1), 49-68. doi:10.2307/328683.
Anna Costa
Graduate Assistant
Middle Tennessee State University
Certified Pre-K teacher, working on ESL endorsement
aec2y@mtmail.mtsu.edu