This year in the ELL department we are putting an intense focus on our student's reading abilities! We know that through regular English reading they can acquire new vocabulary, a deeper understanding of grammar patterns, and hopefully a love of reading books! In today's blog post we're going to show you a few ways that you can support your child's reading habit.
To begin with, the most important thing to know is that your child should be reading a level appropriate and enjoyable English book every day. If our children are going to become great readers, they will have to make a daily habit out of reading. You support your child by setting aside time each evening to read together or to remind your child sit down and read. The book your child reads should be enjoyable. We want our students to develop positive feelings about reading and they shouldn't feel stressed out about their nightly reading. You can further support your child by discussing their reading with them each night or a few times a week. This discussion can be in the language that you speak with your child, it does not have to be in English! We want you child to discuss the ideas in their books and practice the thinking skills necessary. It is very useful for them no matter what language they speak those ideas in. You can begin by having your child summarize the reading they did. A good fiction summary will include:
A good nonfiction summary will include:
After your child has summarized their reading for the evening, you can engage him or her in a short conversation about their book. The purpose of the conversation is to have your child explain some of the thinking he or she is doing about their book. Below, you will see a general list of question prompts that you could use in your conversation. For any given conversation, you shouldn't choose more than 3 questions. This isn't a question and answer session or quiz. It is meant to be a conversation in which the two of you share ideas. With a little practice, your book talks could become an enjoyable family tradition that will bring you and your child closer together and improve their reading comprehension!
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Children learn language by listening to speech in the world around them. Every time you speak to your child, you are modeling language and the rule system that makes up your language. As children are learning English, it is just as important to continue to develop their home language. Spending time with your child, playing and talking with them will help encourage and facilitate their language development.
Interaction with others is the most important way that children learn language. Talk to your child about what you are seeing, what you are doing, and how things feel. Reading aloud to a child, in any language, helps build language skills. While reading, children listen and match words with objects and ideas, which can enhance play or interaction. Children learn best from live speakers rather than recorded voices. Television and computers have their place, when combined with parental interaction. However, it is the interaction that is the key to language acquisition. Word drills and flash cards do not hold children's attention; the best way to teach your child about language is by interacting with them. Talk about things they are interested in. Make language and words a natural part of her life. |
AuthorThe Elementary ELL team! Archives
March 2019
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