I agree with you, Lori. I teach in a bilingual classroom, 1/2 the day in Spanish and 1/2 the day in English, to children whose native language is English. And, I have also taught in bilingual programs where there was more of a mix in terms of L1 and L2 students. In both cases, it was more important to focus on reading for meaning and communication (that's a biggie) than for accuracy. I tell my kids that what's important is that they're communicating a message, saying something they want to say, than that they get every word correctly or that they can even read and understand every word in the L2. Having a "knack" for language is certainly a gift. My 3 year old son is learning Spanish (our L1), English (our L2) and Farsi (his L3).
BTW, Marlene, I recently read, The Sirens of Baghdad by Yasmina Khadra. If you're not familiar with it I highly recommend it. While it's a disturbing book on many levels it is worth reading for the issues it raises. If you have read it, I'd be curious to know what you thought. Take care, Elisa Waingort Calgary, Canada 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
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