Nearly 12 million children across the United States speak a language other than English at home – and in Massachusetts, over 100 thousand children - or ~12 percent - are classified as English Language Learners. With significant numbers of children living in multilingual households across Massachusetts, the growth and success of these students is vital to the future success of the communities in which they will one day live and work. Multilingual learners bring a wealth of linguistic and cultural knowledge to the classroom, and effective literacy instruction builds upon these funds of knowledge and is tailored to the specific needs of the student.
In 2000, the National Reading Panel identified five components of reading: phonetic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. Six years later, the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth released a second report, Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners, confirming that these five components of reading had benefits for multilingual learners, and that there was a need for explicit instruction in oral English language development to gain necessary reading skills. Since the release of that report, research has confirmed specific practices that teachers can use to help multilingual learners acquire early literacy skills.
Join us for this important conversation about the strategies and best practices for ensuring that this substantial student population has access to the necessary resources to thrive in the classroom and beyond.
Learn more at: [ Ссылка ]
Check out the rest of the Equity in Early Literacy series and learn more about the Early Literacy in Educator Preparation initiative here: [ Ссылка ]
