Students who are learning English already have a wealth of language. We are just helping them add to what they already possess. Similarly, students who speak English dialects such as African American English are already proficient in English. We are just helping them add proficiency in another dialect of English.
In this session, we will lean heavily on the Language Comprehension domain of the Reading Rope model and examine how to use students’ linguistic assets as a bridge for new learning. We will:
- Examine and discuss the elements of language
- Examine the sound systems (phonologies) of languages commonly spoken school districts in Multnomah County
- Discuss dialects and the role of power in the status given to languages and dialects
- Look at some practical ways to use what students already know about language to support them as they add English (or another dialect of English)