Curtain and Dahlberg: Ch. 5, p.132-147

Curtain and Dahlberg: Ch 5, p. 132-147

It was previously thought that students being exposed to print in their second language would hinder language acquisition. However, that has been proved false. Students should being reading and writing in their L2 as soon as possible. If this is their second language then they already have some of the skills necessary to read in their L2: "sounding out the world, directionality of text, predicting outcomes" (134). 

One way to incorporate reading and writing into second language instruction is by having students keep a personal word bank of words that interest them. This can also be done as a whole class. Another strategy is to have environmental print in the classroom. For example, the class rules could be posted in Spanish. The Language Experience Approach to reading has children construct a story together then read it aloud. This makes reading easier because it matches "oral language patterns and draws on personal experience" (138). 

I like the idea of the Language Experience Approach because it gives writing and reading a more meaningful, personal dimension. Rather than focusing on an author's text in the L2, the children becomes the authors.