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Supporting the Literacy Development of Diverse Language Learners in Early Childhood Classrooms

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A young second-language learner in an English-only classroom not only faces having to learn a new language, English, but also a new culture, that of the classroom or schooling. In addition, the child will have to forge new social relationships. From a language perspective, the child might exhibit a silent phase initially, perhaps lasting several months, in which he or she produces little oral English, all the while learning more about the new environment and growing in receptive ability in the new language. If the classroom teacher is informed about the multiple adjustments that the second-language learner has to make, then he or she will allow the child adequate time and support to become familiar with the new environment and the people in it. This Chat includes answers to questions such as, “What are some of the ways that a very young child whose home language is not English might react to being in an English-only classroom?” “What are some of the cultural differences a teacher should be aware of when working with children from diverse backgrounds?” “What are some of the best things for a nonbilingual first-grade teacher to do to help first-graders who are learning English, when it comes to helping them learn to read?”

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