READING AND CHILDREN

Wed May 26 17:26:40 UTC 2010

It's an interesting point you raised about parents and grandparents not necessarily helping.  An issue currently receiving a lot of interest in second language acquisition studies is identity and attitude.  It seems that learner attitudes towards the language, and culture can play a huge role in whether or not acquisition takes place.  Add to the mix self imposed identity and you have a very interesting situation.  Your student from Brighton Beach may have imposed an 'American' identity on him/herself and may also wish to distance him/herself from the heritage community thus creating barriers to language acquisition.  As for submersion in the 'other' language country not having an effect on reading, I am currently carrying out research on the impact of learning context (study abroad) on second language acquisition and preliminary findings suggest that those who spend longer in the target language country are twice as likely to read in the target language.  But, I must stress that the research was carried out on adults who wanted to learn and not on children who may be fighting against the language.

AM   
> Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 11:15:28 -0400
> From: maptekman at GMAIL.COM
> Subject: [SEELANGS] READING AND CHILDREN
> To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> 
> Just a few words towards the discussion on bilingualism.
> 
> It very much depends on the age. Also if both parents are Russian it is
> easier than in just one person in the family speaks English. Strangely, I do
> not think that Russian friends and grandparents help -the Russian-born
> children in my heritage speakers class with worst Russian surprisingly came
> from Brighton Beach. Hard work is the only way, I believe.
> 
> In my opinion two things are the best at the beginning if you child is
> between 2 and 5. :
> 
> Gradually working every day for 15-20 minutes on reading skills. Start with
> a famous "bukvar" of Natalia Pavlova. Also use her "Azbuka s krupnymi
> bukvami" i "Pishem vmeste s azbukoj" by the Introduce writing letters at
> the same time as reading them. Do not use alphabet but phonics that means
> use sounds rather than letters when you introduce them to the child. It will
> help him/her understand the syllables concept much easier. (I mean, when you
> show him "B", say "B" and not " BE". Move from sounds to syllabus than to
> simple words. It also helps to write syllables in big print of printing
> paper. Also, when he writes take a piece of paper, make lines like in the
> "tetradka" but make them big so that there will be only 3-4 lines on the
> paper and let the child firstly trace the letters then write them. Use
> physical words like - "look it "B" - it has a straight back, a line for a
> head and a really big belly. Keep repeating these words while the child
> writes the letter. "Zhukova" and Pavlova are the best authors for early
> "azbukas" and "Bukvars", then use the series called "Lomonosovskaia shkola"
> - the go up gradually, starting with "chitaiu slova and predlozhenia" i
> "pishu bukvy" till "Chitaiu legko i pravilno" and "pishu krasivo"> They are
> fantastic. You can buy them on ruskniga.com from NY or on labirint.ru or
> ozon.ru directly from Russian. Then use short books from the series "chitaem
> po slogam" - these are child’s first real books - short fairy tales with a
> limited number of lines per page (about 8-10). Read one page a day.
> 
> Zaitsev's blocks are good in the beginning but maybe are not worth the
> price. If you buy them, buy the ones that are already pre-built. They are a
> little more expensive but to make them from the so called kit is a horror!
> 
> I completely disagree about English books in Russian. Russian Vinni Push and
> "Alisa in Wonderland" are part of Russian culture now as much as of the
> English. Start with Marshak and Chukovsky, then move up Mumi-trolls and
> "Mafin and ego veselye druzja", Suteev's and Dragunsky's stories, "Siniia
> ptitsa", Andersen's and Perro's fairy tales - just browse
> ruskniga.comkid's book section -you will be amazed. Use books with
> really good pictures.
> And - as to the contemporary literature - we are in LOVE with Andrei Usachev
> - especially "zhili byli ezhiki" and " umnaia sobachka Sonia". The very last
> advice - buy a lot of CDs with tales, poems and stories in Russian. Let him
> listen to them in the car while driving and at night when he/she goes to
> sleep. It broadens the vocabulary very well. Also make him learn one short
> poem a week - helps too.
> 
> 
> 
> And yes, of course, spending time in Russian does help with speaking skills,
> not reading ones though.
> Udachi!
> 
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