I think you are blessed to have such an ear for language and that this is a brilliant question!! I am not experienced or trained as an ESL teacher, so this is nothing more than gut. I would think it would be more important to read for meaning and that accuracy would improve naturally for children as they acquire more skill in that second language. I look forward to hearing from folks with more first hand experience.
Lori On 7/27/07 10:09 PM, "Marlene P Azzo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello. I am a student in Nancy Creech's reading class. I want to thank you > all for giving us an opportunity to participate in these wonderful > discussions. Everything that everyone has contributed has been really helpful > for a future educator like myself. > > > Before I ask my question, I feel I should explain a few things. I was seven > years old when I came to the United States. I was born and raised in Iraq. > When I was 6 years old, my family made the decision to move to the U.S. We > left Iraq, and found ourselves living in Italy for eight months before we > landed in the U.S. > > Well, when I came to the States, I found myself speaking 3 languages: Arabic, > Chaldean (which is a different dialect from Arabic), and Italian. > > Learning the English language was not difficult because I was at an age where > I was able to pick up different languages without great difficulty, (hence why > I was fluent in Italian after just 3 months in Italy!). > > Now that you understand my background, I will pose my question: > > Is it more effective for ESL students to learn to read first and focus less on > comprehension, or should ESL students focus more on comprehension and less on > accuracy? > > I would love to hear your opinions on this issue. Personally, for me, I > focused more on accuracy. Once I gained accuracy, I began making meaning of > what I read. Now, I am an English major who reads a novel a week for pleasure. > > My sister read in similar fashion. My brother, however, was a different story. > He was taught to focus more on comprehension and less on accuracy. He dislikes > reading with a passion because he struggles with accuracy. > > What do you think? > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > -- Lori Jackson District Literacy Coach & Mentor Todd County School District Box 87 Mission SD 57555 http:www.tcsdk12.org ph. 605.856.2211 Literacies for All Summer Institute July 17-20. 2008 Tucson, Arizona _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
