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August 28th 2024
Certain strategies can help teachers reshape their lessons to the needs of EAL learners. By following these, teachers can help these children reach their educational potential and play a positive part in school life, the community and society as a whole. Children's Book Specialist Zeena shares her practical advice to inspire your classroom strategy.
Zeena | Children's Book Specialist Zeena was a junior school teacher for 34 years before joining Peters. She has also tried a variety of other jobs including nannying, ICT, financial consultancy, and even managing a diet clinic on Harley Street, but teaching was the only thing to give her real job satisfaction. She joined the Peters team in early 2019 and is having lots of fun reading picture books! |
As with any child learning a new language, imagery alongside the target language allows younger pupils to learn vocabulary in their own time, as well as with support for EAL reading. Picture handbooks like Hello Handbook! are designed to slip into bags and pockets, so EAL speakers can easily access the language and associate English words with the world around them.
Pupils learning English tend to progress their language skills more in social situations compared to formal settings, like the classroom. Bilingual reading books which look at a specific topic, such as cuisine in Food Food Fabulous Food or feelings in Emotions, can be incorporated into school topics such as PSHE and Geography, and teach EAL speakers more specific vocabulary relating to curriculum topics.
Beyond words: engaging EAL speakers through wordless picture booksMake engagement with reading as accessible as possible by offering a wide range of formats to your pupils, from dual language texts to wordless picture books. Wordless picture books are a great tool for younger years, removing the language barrier and allowing children with little English-speaking ability to join in with group discussion and activity. Pupils can focus on an emotional response to the story, building emotional literacy as well as encouraging empathy amongst classmates. We discuss the benefits of wordless picture books in our interview with Ukrainian artist, Oleksandr Shatokhin. |
One study revealed that pupils use cultural knowledge of traditional tales to support their general literacy development. Introducing familiar fairy tales or fables in a dual language format not only promotes literacy in both languages, but also allows for profound discussion about how the two languages may represent the same concepts differently through vocabulary and phrasing.
There are plenty of dual language titles that look at everyday life, as well as the unique situations children experience as EAL speakers, migrants, and refugees. Representing their experiences will validate your pupils, as well as build empathy and understanding in their English-speaking peers. Not only that, but dual language stories create a "valuable bridge between school and home", making it possible for parents to read with their children. Willingness from parents as well as teachers is key in encouraging biliteracy.
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📚 FIND MORE DUAL LANGUAGE TITLES |
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Read next:Supercharge your school's reading with comics and graphic novels |
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