By Ms. Neviackas, ELL Teacher
As the ELL teacher at the Peabody School, I work with students who are learning to listen, speak, read and write in English as a second language. As a parent you can help your child at home by speaking, reading and writing with your child in your native language. Developing your child’s literacy skills in his/her native language will enable your child to have stronger literacy skills in English.
Many strategies used to help ELL students develop strong language skills can also be beneficial for native English speakers to help children further develop strong language and literacy skills. Here are some activities to help your child further develop English literacy skills at home:
Songs and chants: Give your child an opportunity to listen to and sing along with familiar songs/chants. This will help your child develop oral fluency and heighten his/her awareness of intonation and word stress.
Visit the local library and check out some wordless books: Together, use the pictures to tell stories, make predictions and begin to understand how stories progress.
Engage in meaningful conversation: It is important to ask your child questions that require more that a “yes” or “no” or very short answers. Instead of “How was your day?” ask your child questions such as “Tell me about the best part of your day”.
Use everyday experiences to develop literacy skills: While at the grocery store you can ask your child to be in charge of reading the items from the list, crossing items off or adding new items. Challenge your child to find items with specific labels such as “low fat” or “whole grain”.
If you would like more information on how to help your child develop English literacy skills be sure to visit
www.colorincolorado.org.