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Learn how to support EAL children in phonics and reading through inclusive strategies, book activities, and intervention ideas. Discover the importance of language-rich environments and the stages of proficiency in English.
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Aims of the Session • Reading curriculum • EAL Children and starting points • How to support EAL children • Book activities • Inclusive phonics/ supporting those with difficulty • Intervention idea • Supporting the test.
Lewis, M., and Ellis, S (Eds) (2006) Phonics: practice, research and policy “Decoding words is not an end in itself. In an analysis of lift-the-flap books, Vivienne Smith (2003) shows how the books children read teach them not only about reading but also about learning. When children read meaningful, engaging and playful texts, and when they read widely and discuss what the texts mean for them and their lives, children become adventurous, thoughtful and active readers." (p.43)
How long does it take to learn English? • BICS (social communication) – 2 years • CALP (academic language of the classroom) – 5 to 7 years • Without understanding of concepts in home language – up to 10 years
Up to 2016 there has been no national recording method for fluency or proficiency in English. This will change with the introduction of the Proficiency in English Stages. It is proficiency or fluency in the English language that is the major factor associated with variation in the attainment of students recorded as EAL
Sameena Choudry, founder of Equitable Education, which offers consultancy on reducing achievement gaps between ethnic groups, says: “EAL pupils are not homogenous. You could be comparing a fully bilingual child, daughter of a German banker, with somebody who has just come from the Czech Republic with a Roma background, or a second or third generation child where another language is spoken in the house.”
Gravelle, M. (Ed.) (2000) Planning for Bilingual Learners: an inclusive curriculum Second Language Acquisition: some practical implications ● It is based on and impelled by a desire to communicate ● They must be treated as communicators from the start. ● Emphasis should be on meaning rather than form. ● Language learning takes place with and through other learning. ● It requires models of natural speech in a range of normal settings. ● It is extended and developed through exposure to a range of environments and language models. ● Learning a language is a creative process that involves making errors and formulating rules. ● It is a risk-taking process so a supportive environment is important. ● It is not a linear process ● Experience of listening is part of language learning. ● Bilingual learners already have at least one other language to build on
What the research tells • What the Research Tells Us (from Assessing the Needs of Bilingual Pupils – Living in Two Languages by Deryn Hall, David Fulton Publishers • Children take up to two years to develop ‘basic interpersonal communication skills’ (playground/street survival language) BUT it takes from five to seven years to acquire the full range of literacy skills (cognitive academic language proficiency’) needed to cope with the literacy demands of GCSE. • A silent (receptive) period is natural in the learning of a second language and not a sign of learning difficulties in the first/early stage. • There are developmental factors common to both native and second language acquisition. Pupils learn roughly the same regardless of their first language background. • There should be an awareness by all that a focus on mother tongue is a valuable channel to support learning and NOT a hindrance. Teachers should not advocate the use of English only, either at school or at home. • Parents should be encouraged to share language and literacy in speaking and listening as well as in reading and writing. This can be as valuable in first/home language as in English. • Bilingualism can be educationally enriching and has a positive effect on intellectual performance.
How to support EAL children • All children are active participants in a lesson. • When introducing new vocabulary use this as a clear teaching opportunity. • Immersive curriculum – phonics is taught in a discrete session, but should be applied to other areas of the curriculum throughout the day. • Allow children to feel comfortable and feel able to take a risk e.g. making up their own pseudo words. • When teaching nonsense words focus on decoding skill, rather than whether it's real or pseudo.
Language rich environment • Phonics should be present throughout the environment • What do they learn in Phonics that they will need to use during the day? • Do you use phonics during any other part of the day? • “ for the inclusion of a vigorous, programme of phonic work to be securely embedded within a broad and language-rich curriculum… In practice, this means teaching relatively short, discrete daily sessions, designed to progress from simple elements to the more complex aspects of phonic knowledge, skills and understanding” (Rose, 2006, p.16).
Books to support phonological understanding and phonics knowledge • Discussion point: What makes a text effective in supporting phonological understanding and phonics knowledge?
Engaging, patterned texts • Using texts that: • Have a flow in the language - ‘tune on the page’ • Are patterned and rhythmic, with repeating phrases • Encourage joining in • Use rhyme to aid prediction • Read aloud well and encourage expressive reading • Support learning within phonics phases
Supporting Children who Experience Difficulty with Phonics. • Repetition to aid memory • Find different ways of teaching the same concept • Practical, hands on activities to embed learning • Activities involving visual aspects • Visual clues and aids to support • Be aware that the support needs to be personalised to the needs of the child. • Small group allows for further talking opportunities.
Example Intervention Direct Phonics • It is ideal for children that are struggling with phonics and provides an even more deliberate and repetitive teaching programme for those children that continue to struggle with phonics. • The teaching method follows a routine of 'model-lead-check' • Children listen, speak, read and write in each lesson. • Each lesson has a predictable pattern, although I would recommend adding in a few games using the sounds being taught. • Teaches sight words very early on. • Each letter set e.g a, m, s, t has 6 lessons in. • Was recommended by the Educational Psychologist for pupils struggling.
An example lesson • Introduce the sound i • Revise sounds already taught e.g. t a m s • Match sounds a m s • Make words using sounds taught already e.g. it, is, at • Sight words: e.g. Sam, I • Read sentences e.g. I like Sam • Write t, s, a, m, sat, mat
Difference between decoding and reading Results publishshow that 58 per cent of pupils reached the required standard in the 2012 phonics screening check, with no difference in the pass rate between bilingual learners and first language English speakers. https://www.naldic.org.uk/eal-teaching-and-learning/faqs/EAL-synthetic-phonics/ There are few research studies on the impact of synthetic phonics on the reading of bilingual pupils. A 2008 research review on synthetic phonics and EAL learners warned teachers to be alert to the comprehension needs of pupils who are learning to read in an additional language. In Synthetic Phonics and the Literacy Development of Second Language Learners: Ideologies, Policies,and Research Methodologies SumanpreetPurewal noted that 'a sample of research studies relating to second language young learners indicated that although word recognition and word identification was enhanced in all of the included studies, the effects on comprehension were not statistically significant'.
Administering the test You can: • Print off in different fonts and sizes • Print off on different coloured paper • Have fewer words on each page
Administering the test You can: • Print off and train children to add sound buttons • Tell the children when it is a page of real words or a page of alien words. • You can remove the 'imaginary creatures' if these might prove distracting.
Administering the test Further guidance "If a pupil is likely to be confused by this wording, you may develop your own. The instructions may refer to the practice words but must not refer to words within the actual check." "If you believe a pupil will find it difficult to concentrate, or may experience fatigue during the check, you may use rest breaks to make it more manageable." • Be consistent in your approach. This might be adapting your school policy.
Any questions? Any questions from what we've covered this morning?
