Home Pages: Literacy Links for Bilingual Children

Abstract

By the time children come to school they have participated in literacy events in English and perhaps other languages at home. The texts used in these events such as alphabet charts, calendars, newspapers and videos are significant, helping children to understand how written language works. This book aims to show how teachers can build on children's home experience when they write in the classroom. Based on a year-long research project in a south London nursery class, the book offers practical guidance on creating a multilingual literacy environment in the early years. Ideas include finding out about children's literacy worlds, encouraging families to bring materials in home languages into school and inviting parents to act as readers and writers in the classroom. Case studies show how children can all benefit from multilingual literacy activities as part of the curriculum , finding a role for themselves as writers, comparing script systems, and preparing texts for specific purposes. The author grounds her discussion in a theoretical framework which unites research on emergent literacy with that on bilingual learning and illustrates this lively account with examples of children's writing.

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