Literacy

Component 4: Literacy Development for Multilingual Learners

Standard 4.a: Multilingual children become increasingly engaged in literacy experiences in English and in their home language(s).

In early-stage sequential multilingual development, multilingual, children:

  • Attend to an adult reading a short storybook written in their home language(s) or written in English if the English story has been read in the home language first and especially if the book contains cues (pictures)
  • “Read” familiar books (written in their home language or in English) when encouraged by others and use their home language(s) to talk about the books
  • Begin to identify and relate to a story from their own life experiences in their home language(s)
  • Retell a story in their home language when read or told a story in their home language(s)

In mid-stage sequential multilingual development, multilingual, children:

  • Participate in reading activities, using books written in English when the language is predictable
  • Choose to read familiar books written in their home language(s) or in English with increasing independence and to talk about the books in either their home language(s) or English
  • Describe their own experiences related to the topic of a story, sometimes using telegraphic and/or formulaic speech in English
  • Begin to narrate using English that reflects an increasingly larger vocabulary and more complex grammar
  • Retell a story using their home language(s) and some English when read or told the story in English

In late-stage sequential multilingual development, multilingual, children:

  • Participate in reading activities, using a variety of genres that are written in English or their home language(s)
  • Choose to read familiar books written in English with increasing independence and to talk about the books in English
  • Engage in extended conversations in English about stories
  • Retell in English the majority of a story read or told in English

Note: Unlike most of the other developmental progressions in this document, the indicators for sequential multilingual development do not follow specific age thresholds. Multilingual Learners are exposed to second (or third) languages for the first time at different stages. One child may start the process of sequential multilingual learning at birth and another child may start at age four, making the age thresholds inappropriate. So instead of using age, the RIELDS use research-based stages to outline a child’s sequential multilingual development. There is no set time for how long it will take a given child to progress through these stages. Progress depends upon the child’s exposure to each language (English and home language(s)) in the home and other environments, the child’s motivation to learn English and their home language(s), and other factors. Practitioners (especially those who do not speak multiple languages) are encouraged to learn about multilingual children’s sequential multilingual development progress from parents and other family members.

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