When students learn a 2nd language, listening is the main source, and reading the second one. Reading is an easy skill to keep up, because everything is written. There are different ways to approach the introduction of reading in a foreign language:
- Phonics
- Look and say (flashcards, say the word and point it)
- Whole sentence reading
- Language experience approach: the teacher writes a sentence for the child to read which is based on what the child has said.
If reading is done individually, we should let them read silently.
Reading a class story is another way to introduce reading skills to the class. Instead of reading from a book, we might want to use a class story.
Also, if we want them to read books, we should let them decide whether if they liked or not by crossing a smiley face or a sad face.
In conclusion, reading builds up confidence in the student and it is a good way to discuss what is going on in the story.
Regarding Writing, one of the most important things is to take into consideration on content rather that on grammar.
It is impossible for the students to think in English but to make them understand that from Spanish we can tranlate it into English, helps.
Many children take a long time to master the skill of writing. Errors can be gently corrected and re-written.
Writings have to be guided at the beggining in order to finish with a "free writing".
DOs and DONTs in teaching writing
DOs:
- Concentrate on content
- Spend a lot of time on pre-writing
- Make sure that it springs naturally from other language work.
- Try to make sense of whatever the pupils have written and say something about it.
DONTs:
- Announce the subject out of a context and expect pupils to be able to write about it.
- Set an exercise as homework without any preparation.
- Correct all the mistakes you can find.
- Set work which is beyond the pupils language capability.
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