Community Building through Mother Tongue Read Aloud
"“Mother Tongue language” isn’t about a day in a year, it’s about a lifetime of language. " - Eowyn Crisfield
As a part of our United Nations Week, I began a read-aloud program inviting parents to read aloud in their mother tongue to our student. This is my third year running the program which I do twice a year, once during UN Week and again during our Book Week. Being an educator and having a love of teaching reading, I know the value of maintaining a students mother tongue. It is the foundation for a child's literacy learning journey.
The structure is fairly casual and simple, students are invited to listen to a story read by a parent during their recess. Teachers are sent a schedule of which languages will be featured during morning and afternoon recess, and they share it with their students. I used a google form to invite parents to read about 2 weeks before the event and then a week before I set up a schedule, send confirmation emails and ensure there's a balance of languages. Parents are supported through an invitation to come to the library early if they would like some support in choosing a book. However, I found the majority bring their own books and was delighted to see a number of parents share a folk tale so they also shared their culture as well as their tale. In order to support parent success, I close the library for all other activities so the students' attention will not waiver from the reader. I do not enforce any rules such as the student needs to speak the language that is being shared, and this is where the community component comes into play.
There were some beautiful moments. I learned I loved listening to Russain, this parent was very engaging and changed voices for her folktale and there was a power to her voice. Another Hindi parent established a wonderful rapport with the students discussing the vocabulary of dreams and spirituality in her culture and invited students to share if they had a similar connection in their own cultures. Overall, our students were engaged and we had a number of students who appeared at multiple sessions and tried listening to different languages. When I asked the students what they enjoyed about the different languages most of them responded with by saying it was best when the parents talked to them about what they were reading and they enjoyed that interaction, community piece. Words that made my heart sing!
Knowing the research of supporting a students mother tongue and reading aloud has me wondering if I could expand the project but also have it be sustainable? Students who discuss stories build their vocabulary, deepened their understanding and make invaluable connections between languages (Cerón). A child's mother tongue language is not only critical in developing who they are as an individual but is the keystone in their ability to understand how language works. If a child does not understand how their mother tongue language functions in terms of grammar, syntax, vocabulary and expression then their ability to acquire and understand a second language is understandably hindered (Crisfield).
This has left me a lot to ponder ...
I wonder what model of mother tongue read aloud would sustain student interest but also be manageable to organize?
Would it be possible to work with our Parent Teacher Association to help with logistics and the promotion?
Would a model of having older students read aloud to younger ones, which would be empowering but how could it be made manageable?
Work Cited
Cerón, C.N. The Effect of Story Read-alouds on Children’s Foreign Language Development. Gist Education and Learning Research Journal. No. 8, (January - June) 2014. pp. 83-98.
Crisfield, Eowyn. INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? . On Raising Bilingual Children. 21 Feb 2017. https://onraisingbilingualchildren.com. Accessed 25 Nov 2018.
As a part of our United Nations Week, I began a read-aloud program inviting parents to read aloud in their mother tongue to our student. This is my third year running the program which I do twice a year, once during UN Week and again during our Book Week. Being an educator and having a love of teaching reading, I know the value of maintaining a students mother tongue. It is the foundation for a child's literacy learning journey.
The structure is fairly casual and simple, students are invited to listen to a story read by a parent during their recess. Teachers are sent a schedule of which languages will be featured during morning and afternoon recess, and they share it with their students. I used a google form to invite parents to read about 2 weeks before the event and then a week before I set up a schedule, send confirmation emails and ensure there's a balance of languages. Parents are supported through an invitation to come to the library early if they would like some support in choosing a book. However, I found the majority bring their own books and was delighted to see a number of parents share a folk tale so they also shared their culture as well as their tale. In order to support parent success, I close the library for all other activities so the students' attention will not waiver from the reader. I do not enforce any rules such as the student needs to speak the language that is being shared, and this is where the community component comes into play.
There were some beautiful moments. I learned I loved listening to Russain, this parent was very engaging and changed voices for her folktale and there was a power to her voice. Another Hindi parent established a wonderful rapport with the students discussing the vocabulary of dreams and spirituality in her culture and invited students to share if they had a similar connection in their own cultures. Overall, our students were engaged and we had a number of students who appeared at multiple sessions and tried listening to different languages. When I asked the students what they enjoyed about the different languages most of them responded with by saying it was best when the parents talked to them about what they were reading and they enjoyed that interaction, community piece. Words that made my heart sing!
Knowing the research of supporting a students mother tongue and reading aloud has me wondering if I could expand the project but also have it be sustainable? Students who discuss stories build their vocabulary, deepened their understanding and make invaluable connections between languages (Cerón). A child's mother tongue language is not only critical in developing who they are as an individual but is the keystone in their ability to understand how language works. If a child does not understand how their mother tongue language functions in terms of grammar, syntax, vocabulary and expression then their ability to acquire and understand a second language is understandably hindered (Crisfield).
This has left me a lot to ponder ...
I wonder what model of mother tongue read aloud would sustain student interest but also be manageable to organize?
Would it be possible to work with our Parent Teacher Association to help with logistics and the promotion?
Would a model of having older students read aloud to younger ones, which would be empowering but how could it be made manageable?
Work Cited
Cerón, C.N. The Effect of Story Read-alouds on Children’s Foreign Language Development. Gist Education and Learning Research Journal. No. 8, (January - June) 2014. pp. 83-98.
Crisfield, Eowyn. INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? . On Raising Bilingual Children. 21 Feb 2017. https://onraisingbilingualchildren.com. Accessed 25 Nov 2018.
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