It was fantastic to chat with so many families at the recent Learning Journey evening! Many EALD parents asked the same question so I thought I would share my response here with some more details and resources for me.
Question: How can I support my child at home with their English skills?
Very simply – read, read, read, talk, talk, talk! Use your home language as a superpower!
Make it your family goal to increase time spent reading and talking together.
Did you know that reading for 14 minutes a day means reading over 1 million words a year?
Did you know that most people need to be exposed to a new word about 30 times to be able to use it correctly?
Luckily, the holidays are approaching, and you and your children will have lots of extra time for reading and talking!
Use your holiday experiences and activities as a stimulus to communicate and use language. Note down any new words your children learn and make sure you practise them regularly together. You may like to write them on coloured paper, stick them to your fridge, use them in a diary entry or say them when you talk about your day. Read books, magazines, newspapers and articles in English but discuss them in your home language. Ask lots of questions to develop your child’s comprehension skills.
So what questions should I ask when we are reading together?
No matter what reading level your child is, it is important to make sure they comprehend what they are reading. Reading is much more than just saying the words. It is essential that you ask questions around the book or text. You may use your home language for this as you are developing their comprehension skills. Encourage them to provide details and link to the text. Younger students may also talk about the pictures. Look at the setting, the characters and make predictions. Ask how a character is feeling and why this is so. Older students should be encouraged to expand their response and uplevel their vocabulary. Here are a few discussion prompts to get you started. It would be beneficial to translate them into your home language.
Happy reading! Happy talking!
Mrs Sasha Key (EALD Mondays and Tuesdays)