Reading and Writing for Young Learners
Reading and Writing for Young Learners
Reading and writing are dynamic and interactive process. They requires strategies and skills to make meaning and create printed text. For many, reading and writing also known as literacy. Different from speaking, writing and reading are not naturally have by children. Children usually learn to read and write when they on kindergarten through third grade.
Why we need to develop writing skills with
young learners?
Many young learners will not have fully developed their own L1 writing skills, and these strategies may not necessarily transfer to writing in English. Writing allows young learners to practice new vocabulary and structures. It allows for a high degree of personalization and creativity. Beside that, It provides young learners to take risks and try out new language, with more “thinking time.”
Reading is a fundamental skill for learners, not just for
learning but for life (Traves 1994) with reading being defined as “…the ability
to draw meaning from the printed page and interpret this information
appropriately” (Grabe & Stoller, 2002, p. 9).
Why we need to develop reading skills?
Reading itself builds on oral language levels and key
factors that influence (L2) reading skill development include the ability to
comprehend and use both listening and speaking skills because we need to:
Hear a word before you can say it
Say a word before you can read it
How to developing reading for young learners ?
Cameron (2001) gives a very useful list of ideas for
creating a literate environment in the classroom. Literate environment should
motivate students and emphasize the importance of speaking, reading, and
writing as this may be the only place young learners see print in the
foreign language. This list includes:
1. Labels
– labelling children’s trays, desks, coat hooks, as well as furniture and
objects around the classroom and school.
2. Posters
– colorful posters are especially eye-catching which could include a rhyme that
is being learnt, advertising something, e.g. reading, cleaning teeth
3. Messages
– Keep remind them to do their homework or ‘Don’t forget to bring …’
4. Reading
aloud – by teacher or older child
Refferences:
Arnold, W., & Malcolm,
F. (2016). Reading and young learners.
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