During the 2018-2019 school year, 154,276 Dual Language Learners (DLLs) were enrolled in New York City public schools, representing approximately 15% of all students enrolled (NYC DOE, 2019). A large number of DLLs are enrolled in dual language programs, where they learn in their home language and in English. Within dual-language programs, 50% of children enrolled are native speakers of English, and the other half of children are native speakers of the same home language that is being targeted in the classroom (e.g., Spanish, Chinese, Arabic; NYC DOE, 2019). Oral storytelling can be a key tool for educators working in bilingual education for supporting the varied language experiences of children in their class. There are special considerations to keep in mind when implementing oral storytelling in bilingual classrooms (Rollins, 2021). Here are some tips that would be beneficial to apply in bilingual classrooms during storytelling:
Choose culturally relevant stories that children can relate to, as a way of supporting their interest and engagement with the story.
Introduce target vocabulary words in both languages prior to the storytelling with some visuals. For example, include a picture of an umbrella with“umbrella/paraguas” written above to support children’s vocabulary development in both languages.
Introduce the story in children's home language. This will help support children’s comprehension as it orients the child to the storyline, characters, and events. By following this strategy, teachers will help children to make a smooth transition from their home language to the language of the story.
Share the same story in both languages. Teachers can choose to share the story consecutively in both languages, or to tell the story one day in one language, and the next day in the other.
Leonor Guzmán Nogueira is a junior in the Applied Psychology program at New York University.
References
New York City Department of Education [NYCDOE] (2019). 2018-2019 English Language learner demographic report. English Language Learner Demographic Report. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://infohub.nyced.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ell-demographic-report.pdf
Rollins. (2021, March 24). 5 meaningful ways to support dual language learners at storytime. Cox Campus. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.coxcampus.org/5-meaningful-ways-to-support-dual-language-learners-at-storytime/