Tuesday final ppt

Bilingual Preschool Children

The Process of Acquiring Language and Strategies for Teachers

Room 56Rita GluskerJaleh NowainLisa Hoffman

What is Bilingualism? Refers to a child or an adult who speaks

two languages

What are the benefits of being bilingual?

Benefits of Being Bilingual Learning a second language at an early age

Has a positive effect on intellectual growth and enriches and enhances a child's mental development

Leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening

Improves a child's understanding of their native language Gives a child the ability to communicate with people s/he

would otherwise not have the chance to know Opens the door to other cultures and helps a child

understand and appreciate people from other countries Gives a student a head start in language requirements for

college Increases job opportunities in many careers where knowing

another language is a real asset (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Types of Bilingualism:Simultaneous

It is defined as children who develop two languages equally

Simultaneous bilingualism children will have exposure to the two languages and will have a chance to practice them

Types of Bilingualism:Successive

This term applies to children who are learning their second language after they have mastered their first one

Types of Bilingualism:Receptive

This term is referred to children who understand a great deal of language more than they can speak in words

Practices (Simultaneous) Verbalize what you are doing during

activities Let children talk about their feelings.

Model by sharing your feelings with them Draw children into conversations as much

as possible by exploring the meaning of their ideas

Practices (Successive) Encourage the children and model ways to

elaborate or expand what they speak in the home language and in English. These elaborations can occur throughout the day.

Allow trial and error speech. Children should be able to experiment with the sounds of language

Serve as an English-language model for all children, especially those learning English as a second language. Expand the children’s utterances. Repeat with the correct grammar and vocabulary.

Practices (Receptive) Learn how to say hello in each of the

languages represented in your classroom Share information with families about

interaction techniques, such as listening, following the child’s lead, expanding the child’s utterances and showing interest and attention

Encourage family members to read to each other literature that is valued in their home, including stories from their culture

Stages and Strategies in Second-Language Acquisition

Home Language Some children still use their home language to

communicate with others in the classroom. They do not feel yet comfortable or familiar with an English Speaking environment


The Observational and Listening Period This was originally termed as the silent or

nonverbal period The children at this stage are spending most of

their energy listening and observing what is happening around them

Children in this stage will used non verbal communication tools, such as gestures, facial expressions and sounds


Telegraphic and formulaic speech This term describes a child who uses a few content

words without functional words. Some examples may include “Mommy milk” or “Daddy shoe”

Formulaic speech refers to phrases of language that children use without understanding their function. These phrases are often used to mimic other children. Some examples include “Gimme juice” or “I like milk.”


Fluid language use Refers to children who are able to use their

Home Language and English comfortably and sound like native speakers. Social English is commonly used. Academic English is more formal and it takes more years to form.

Strategies with Literacy Practices

For a child in the various language stages, there is not a “one size fits all approach”:

For example, it is appropriate to start to expand what the child knows slowly with a child who is in the Home language and Observational Stage. This can be done even if a child has only said a few words in the classroom.

As the child becomes more comfortable, it becomes easier to expand and extend the child’s sentences for children in the Telegraphic and Fluid Stage

(Continued)

Children can enhance their knowledge and literacy skills at home by the following:

Going through the following with the child: mail, newspapers, magazines, poetry, board games, cookbooks and food labels. These everyday items can enhance a child’s exposure to literacy

Using rhymes, tell stories about the family, word games, proverbs, repeating limericks and singing to music

Many parents do not realize that the early exposure to literacy may have the child decode print and apply their knowledge of words earlier than their peers that do not have early exposure.

Early Literacy Practices (Continued) Several researchers have stressed the

importance of using authentic and multicultural books that portray children and adults engaging in their community activities and communicating in their language (CDE, p.77)

Photo albums with captions in English or the child’s home language are a great way to introduce children to literature. These albums can also be shared in the classroom

(Continued)

Find ways to encourage children to use their home language to react and predict parts of a story. This is especially helpful for children who are not yet comfortable using primarily English

Use “text talk”, whereas the teacher identifies two or four words in a story. Each word can be read again, repeated by the children. These words may the vocabulary words of the week or related to the theme.

Why Early Literacy Practices? By making patterns with small objects, children

gain an understanding of sequence and order By playing a matching game, a child learns that

some things are exactly the same By moving to music with directions, children gain

spatial awareness such as up/down, left/right. Understanding these concepts leads to knowledge of how words are read and written on a page

Conclusion

It is important to be aware of a child’s level of understanding as an English Language Learner. This awareness can help a teacher to use skills in Early Literacy Practices so a child can become more fluent in English as well as developing their own language

References:California Department of Education. (2009). Preschool English

Learners: Principles and Practices to Promote Language, Literacy and Learning, 2nd ed. CDE Press: Sacramento

Author unknown. (n.d.) Benefits of Being Bilingual. Data retrieved on February 11, 2011 from

http://www.cal.org/earlylang/benefits/benefits_of_being_bilingual.html