Friday, August 6, 2010
The First Day of School
Kids nervous about the first day of school? Enjoy getting ready for the big event with Danny, Jack and Marta, as they take turns telling the story of their experience with The First Day of School. Danny is starting second grade and is excited. Jack is finally going into Kindergarten and is a little bit nervous. Marta is going to Pre-school for the first time and is downright scared. Have fun reading these stroies with your children as they experience these emotions, and help them begin another wonderful school year. Written in English and Spanish, these stories are also perfect for bilingual readers. For those of you who enjoyed A Summer Vacation, this story is a perfect follow-up to help everyone through the transition from one season to the next. Found on most self-publishing websites, enjoy many Back-to-School discounts.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Unas vacaciones de verano
Las vacaciones de Dani
. . . Va llegando el verano, y Dani va a ir de vacaciones con su familia. Van a ir a la playa para pasar dos semanas. Dani tiene muchas ganas de ver al océano . . .
. . . Más tarde en el cuarto de juguetes Dani encuentra a Marta. —Me voy de viaje. —ella le dice, y mete unos disfraces en una bolsa de plástico. Jack, el hermano pequeño de Dani, llena una mochila con sus juguetes preferidos. Dani piensa en traer un cuaderno y unos lapiceros también. Los tres se van al cuarto de Mamá con sus cosas.
—Ya estamos listos. —dice Jack, y lanza la mochila a su cama. Algunos de los juguetes pequeños se caen del bolsillo pequeño.
—Ay, no. —dice ella, y le devuelve la mochila Jack. —Ya no queda sitio en el coche. —Dani está preocupado. Su profesora les dijo que deberían estudiar un poco durante las vacaciones, y se lo dice a Mamá . . .
. . . Después de mucho tiempo llegan. Papá se para el coche delante de una casita de madera con un porche. Dani decide que le gusta la casa. Parece igual que una casita que sale en un cuento que tenía cuando era pequeño. Papá abre el maletero y Dani coge una maleta pequeña para ayudar. Jack ya está en el porche mirando por las ventanas. Mamá lleva a Marta, que está dormida. Papá saca una llave de su bolsillo y abre la puerta, como si fuera su propia casa . . .
. . . —Quiero la cama de arriba. —dice Jack. En casa Jack duerme arriba también, y Dani le dice que sí. Jack le da las gracias, pero a Dani le gusta dormir abajo. Es como dormir en un barco, o en un tren, o escondido dentro de una cueva pequeña . . .
. . . Cada tarde se quedan en la playa hasta la puesta de sol. Es la mejor parte del día. —Date prisa, Dani. Ven a sentarte conmigo. —dice Marta. Ellos siempre se sientan encima de una manta grande para ver el atardecer. El cielo es diferente ahora, llena de rojos y rosas y naranjas. Los ojos de Dani parecen crecer cuando mira al cielo. Cada noche la puesta del sol es diferente. Esta vez el sol se baja y se derrite en el océano como un helado. Las nubes arriba en el cielo parecen pájaros rosas.
—Hmmmm. Este atardecer ha sido mi preferido. —dice Dani . . .
. . . Por la noche cenan en la terraza detrás de casa. A Dani le gusta mucho la terraza. Desde aquí se puede ver el océano un poquito, ahora azul oscuro en la oscuridad de noche. El océano por la noche le hace pensar en ballenas. Así es como debe ser una ballena, grande, azul y frío. Después de cenar Papá les cuenta cuentos. A Dani le gusta sentar y escuchar al sonido de las olas en la distancia. Le trae sueño. El aire se refresca y empieza a oler como la neblina de la mañana, y la cara de Dani siempre parece caliente comparado al aire fresco . . .
. . . Llega el día cuando Dani y su familia tienen que hacer las maletas y volver a casa. Dani ayuda a Mamá organizar la ropa.
—Mamá, ¿Qué va a pasar con esta casa ahora? —le pregunta.
—Supongo que otra familia vendrá a pasar sus vacaciones aquí. —le contesta, y lleva la maleta al pasillo. Dani mira a las literas y la hamaca pequeña. Es mucho más pequeño que el cuarto que tienen en casa. No hay juguetes, y el suelo hace ruido cuando pasas por encima, pero a Dani le gusta mucho este cuarto. A mi me gusta este cuarto más que a cualquier otro chico que venga piensa Dani, y le sigue a Mamá al pasillo . . .
. . . El coche está preparado y Papá llama para que todos monten. Dani y Jack están en la terraza despidiéndose del océano. Jack lanza piedras hacía el agua. No llegan muy lejos, y Dani no le dice que pare. Jack coge la última piedra y se lo mete en el bolsillo como un souvenir. Dani mira al océano azul y piensa en ballenas y pájaros rosas y neblina que deja a todo mojado. Papá dice que quizás vuelvan el próximo verano. Un año entero es mucho tiempo para estar lejos del océano, piensa Dani, y se da la vuelta para irse al coche . . .
Las vacaciones de Jack
. . . Va llegando el verano, y Jack se va de vacaciones con su familia. Ellos se van a la playa para dos semanas. Jack se va al cuarto de juguetes para buscar su cuento sobre el mar . . .
. . . —Me voy de viaje. —dice Marta a Dani. Ella coge su bolsa de disfraces y lo cuelga de su hombro. Jack llena su mochila con sus juguetes preferidos. Menos mal que él se acuerda de llevar juguetes porque todos los demás parecen haberlos olvidado. Probablemente Mamá le dará las gracias por ser tan responsable. Jack no quiere esperar más para demostrarla que él también puede ayudar en las preparaciones para el viaje, y se va a buscarla . . .
. . . Después de un tiempo muy largo paran delante de una casita. Se bajan del coche, y Jack se acerca a la ventana para ver quien vive allí. Quizás tengan hijos que les dejarán jugar con sus juguetes. Papá saca una llave de su bolsillo y abre la puerta. Jack contempla si no se va a enfadar la familia que vive aquí por haber entrado sin ni siquiera tocar el timbre . . .
. . . —Quiero la cama de arriba. —dice Jack. En casa Dani siempre le deja dormir arriba. Quizás aquí Dani no será tan simpático, pero Dani dice que sí, y Jack está aliviado. Seguro que Dani sabe que la cama de abajo le asusta a Jack. Parece demasiado oscuro allí abajo, como estar en una cueva . . .
. . . Cada tarde se quedan en la playa hasta el atardecer. Es la mejor parte del día. Ellos se sientan acurrucados en una manta grande y miran al cielo. El cielo de la playa es diferente que el cielo de casa. En casa el sol se mete detrás de una montaña cada tarde. Jack nunca sabía donde se va el sol cada noche, pero ahora lo sabe. Viene aquí donde se derrite en el mar. Jack contempla como podrá salir otra vez por la mañana. Tendrá que pedir a Papá si puedan despertarse pronto una mañana para ver el sol salirse del océano de nuevo . . .
. . . Por la noche cenan en la terraza que hay detrás de la casa. A Jack le gusta mucha la terraza, pero se sienta cerca de la luz que cuelga en la puerta. Puede ver el mar a lo lejos, que se cambia de azul oscuro a negro. Jack le pide a Papá un cuento. Papá siempre empieza de la misma manera. —Había una vez tres niños, Dani, Jack y Marta. Y un día . . . — A partir de esas palabras Papá siempre inventa algo distinto. Algunas veces hay piratas, otras veces dragones. El cuento preferido de Jack tiene un unicornio y muchos gnomos graciosos. Mientras Papá cuente el cuento, Jack mira al océano y realiza los dibujos en la cabeza . . .
. . Jack se va a la terraza para despedirse del océano. Él encuentra algunas piedras al bordillo del porche, y se pregunta si podrá lanzarlas hasta el agua. Un día la familia entera paseaba por un muelle y Dani y Jack lanzaban piedras tan lejos que ni siquiera podían ver dónde llegaron a para. Aquí Jack no tiene la misma suerte; las piedras ni llegan mucho más lejos que la terraza. Dani sale a la terraza también. Jack va a echar de menos tener juguetes como piedras para tirar desde un muelle, una orilla que siempre se mueve, y mucha arena para hacer castillos. Decide guardar una piedra para llevárselo a casa, para traerle suerte, y se lo mete bien metidito en su bolsillo . . .
Las vacaciones de Marta
. . . Va llegando el verano, y Marta se va de vacaciones con su familia. Ellos se van a la playa para dos semanas. Marta piensa que será divertido. Unas vacaciones y una playa deben ser cosas muy guays si toda la familia está tan animada . . .
. . . Marta mira a Mamá y Dani en el cuarto de los chicos. Mamá mete ropa en una maleta grande. Marta se va al cuarto de juguetes y encuentra a una bolsa de plástico. Ella mete sus disfraces de princesa dentro de la bolsa. ¿Así se prepara una maleta? Saca los disfraces otra vez y los dobla con cuidado. Entonces, vuelve a meterlos en la bolsa, muy rápido y con una cara seria, como lo hizo Mamá.
—Me voy de viaje. —Marta dice a Dani cuando entra al cuarto. Ella sale del cuarto y pasea por los pasillos con su bolsa colgado del hombro. A veces ir de viaje es una cosa muy seria . . .
. . . Marta se despierta cuando Mamá la saque del coche. Pero ella no abre los ojos. Si sigue dormida no tendrá que andar. Con sus ojos cerrados, Marta contempla donde estarán. Huele raro. No huele a coche nuevo, ni a la cocina cuando Mamá prepara galletas, ni al bosque cuando se van de picnic. No huele a nada que Marta reconozca. Mamá la lleva a una casita y la deja encima de una camita. Aquí dentro huele al ático de casa donde guardan las decoraciones navideñas.
Marta abre los ojos. Ella está en un cuarto pequeño encima de una hamaca pequeña. Al otro lado del cuarto hay literas. Dani guarda la ropa en un mueble con cajones. A Marta le gusta esta camita. Es pequeña como ella. Cuando llega la noche y tienen que dormir, ella va a hablar con Dani y Jack después de que Mamá y Papá apaguen la luz. En casa Marta siempre escucha desde su cama mientras Dani y Jack hablen en la oscuridad. Ella es la única chica y tiene que dormir sola en su habitación. Marta piensa que está bien que en esta casa tiene que ser un chico. Por lo menos no tiene que dormir solita . . .
. . . Cada tarde se quedan en la playa hasta el atardecer. Es la mejor parte del día. Se sientan acurrucados en una manta y miran al cielo.
—Date prisa, Dani. Ven a sentarte conmigo. —Marta le dice a Dani. Es bonito ver la puesta del sol. El cielo se convierte en rojo y naranja y rosa, y eso es como magia, porque se supone que el cielo debe ser azul. A Marta le gusta estar en el medio entre los dos chicos porque cuando el sol se derrite al agua, viene la noche. Este cielo es diferente que el cielo de casa, y es mágico. Quizás pueda hacer más trucos y hacer que otra cosa cae del suelo y se derrite a sus pies. Marta agarra bien a sus hermanos y mira al sol ponerse . . .
. . . Una noche después de cenar se sientan en la terraza de casa. Marta intenta quedarse despierta como Dani y Jack. Papá empieza un cuento. —Había una vez tres niños, Dani, Jack y Marta. Un día . . . — Marta se abraza un poco más a Mamá. A veces los cuentos de Papá tienen brujas. Marta se cierra los ojos y Papá cuenta una historia sobre un unicornio. Marta sabe lo que es eso. Es como un caballo con un cuerno en la frente. Ella se cierra los ojos y se ve montando a un unicornio blanco. Tiene tanto sueño. Se acurruca en brazos de Mamá y piensa que así debía sentirse cuando era un bebé pequeña, dormida en brazos de Mamá. Marta no se recuerda de cuando era bebé, pero está segura de que le gustaba mucho . . .
. . . Una mañana Mamá le despierta pronto de su camita pequeña. Marta no quiere levantarse todavía, pero todos parecen estar tan ocupados, y no quiere perder nada. Come los cereales con Dani y Jack en la mesa pequeña de la cocina. Quizás se van a un sitio divertido hoy. Mamá y Papá parecen estar preparando muchas cosas.
—Mamá, ¿a que hora nos vamos a casa? —pregunta Dani.
—Tontito. —le dice Marta. —Ya estamos en casa. —A veces ella es muy lista por ser la más pequeña . . .
. . . Va llegando el verano, y Dani va a ir de vacaciones con su familia. Van a ir a la playa para pasar dos semanas. Dani tiene muchas ganas de ver al océano . . .
. . . Más tarde en el cuarto de juguetes Dani encuentra a Marta. —Me voy de viaje. —ella le dice, y mete unos disfraces en una bolsa de plástico. Jack, el hermano pequeño de Dani, llena una mochila con sus juguetes preferidos. Dani piensa en traer un cuaderno y unos lapiceros también. Los tres se van al cuarto de Mamá con sus cosas.
—Ya estamos listos. —dice Jack, y lanza la mochila a su cama. Algunos de los juguetes pequeños se caen del bolsillo pequeño.
—Ay, no. —dice ella, y le devuelve la mochila Jack. —Ya no queda sitio en el coche. —Dani está preocupado. Su profesora les dijo que deberían estudiar un poco durante las vacaciones, y se lo dice a Mamá . . .
. . . Después de mucho tiempo llegan. Papá se para el coche delante de una casita de madera con un porche. Dani decide que le gusta la casa. Parece igual que una casita que sale en un cuento que tenía cuando era pequeño. Papá abre el maletero y Dani coge una maleta pequeña para ayudar. Jack ya está en el porche mirando por las ventanas. Mamá lleva a Marta, que está dormida. Papá saca una llave de su bolsillo y abre la puerta, como si fuera su propia casa . . .
. . . —Quiero la cama de arriba. —dice Jack. En casa Jack duerme arriba también, y Dani le dice que sí. Jack le da las gracias, pero a Dani le gusta dormir abajo. Es como dormir en un barco, o en un tren, o escondido dentro de una cueva pequeña . . .
. . . Cada tarde se quedan en la playa hasta la puesta de sol. Es la mejor parte del día. —Date prisa, Dani. Ven a sentarte conmigo. —dice Marta. Ellos siempre se sientan encima de una manta grande para ver el atardecer. El cielo es diferente ahora, llena de rojos y rosas y naranjas. Los ojos de Dani parecen crecer cuando mira al cielo. Cada noche la puesta del sol es diferente. Esta vez el sol se baja y se derrite en el océano como un helado. Las nubes arriba en el cielo parecen pájaros rosas.
—Hmmmm. Este atardecer ha sido mi preferido. —dice Dani . . .
. . . Por la noche cenan en la terraza detrás de casa. A Dani le gusta mucho la terraza. Desde aquí se puede ver el océano un poquito, ahora azul oscuro en la oscuridad de noche. El océano por la noche le hace pensar en ballenas. Así es como debe ser una ballena, grande, azul y frío. Después de cenar Papá les cuenta cuentos. A Dani le gusta sentar y escuchar al sonido de las olas en la distancia. Le trae sueño. El aire se refresca y empieza a oler como la neblina de la mañana, y la cara de Dani siempre parece caliente comparado al aire fresco . . .
. . . Llega el día cuando Dani y su familia tienen que hacer las maletas y volver a casa. Dani ayuda a Mamá organizar la ropa.
—Mamá, ¿Qué va a pasar con esta casa ahora? —le pregunta.
—Supongo que otra familia vendrá a pasar sus vacaciones aquí. —le contesta, y lleva la maleta al pasillo. Dani mira a las literas y la hamaca pequeña. Es mucho más pequeño que el cuarto que tienen en casa. No hay juguetes, y el suelo hace ruido cuando pasas por encima, pero a Dani le gusta mucho este cuarto. A mi me gusta este cuarto más que a cualquier otro chico que venga piensa Dani, y le sigue a Mamá al pasillo . . .
. . . El coche está preparado y Papá llama para que todos monten. Dani y Jack están en la terraza despidiéndose del océano. Jack lanza piedras hacía el agua. No llegan muy lejos, y Dani no le dice que pare. Jack coge la última piedra y se lo mete en el bolsillo como un souvenir. Dani mira al océano azul y piensa en ballenas y pájaros rosas y neblina que deja a todo mojado. Papá dice que quizás vuelvan el próximo verano. Un año entero es mucho tiempo para estar lejos del océano, piensa Dani, y se da la vuelta para irse al coche . . .
Las vacaciones de Jack
. . . Va llegando el verano, y Jack se va de vacaciones con su familia. Ellos se van a la playa para dos semanas. Jack se va al cuarto de juguetes para buscar su cuento sobre el mar . . .
. . . —Me voy de viaje. —dice Marta a Dani. Ella coge su bolsa de disfraces y lo cuelga de su hombro. Jack llena su mochila con sus juguetes preferidos. Menos mal que él se acuerda de llevar juguetes porque todos los demás parecen haberlos olvidado. Probablemente Mamá le dará las gracias por ser tan responsable. Jack no quiere esperar más para demostrarla que él también puede ayudar en las preparaciones para el viaje, y se va a buscarla . . .
. . . Después de un tiempo muy largo paran delante de una casita. Se bajan del coche, y Jack se acerca a la ventana para ver quien vive allí. Quizás tengan hijos que les dejarán jugar con sus juguetes. Papá saca una llave de su bolsillo y abre la puerta. Jack contempla si no se va a enfadar la familia que vive aquí por haber entrado sin ni siquiera tocar el timbre . . .
. . . —Quiero la cama de arriba. —dice Jack. En casa Dani siempre le deja dormir arriba. Quizás aquí Dani no será tan simpático, pero Dani dice que sí, y Jack está aliviado. Seguro que Dani sabe que la cama de abajo le asusta a Jack. Parece demasiado oscuro allí abajo, como estar en una cueva . . .
. . . Cada tarde se quedan en la playa hasta el atardecer. Es la mejor parte del día. Ellos se sientan acurrucados en una manta grande y miran al cielo. El cielo de la playa es diferente que el cielo de casa. En casa el sol se mete detrás de una montaña cada tarde. Jack nunca sabía donde se va el sol cada noche, pero ahora lo sabe. Viene aquí donde se derrite en el mar. Jack contempla como podrá salir otra vez por la mañana. Tendrá que pedir a Papá si puedan despertarse pronto una mañana para ver el sol salirse del océano de nuevo . . .
. . . Por la noche cenan en la terraza que hay detrás de la casa. A Jack le gusta mucha la terraza, pero se sienta cerca de la luz que cuelga en la puerta. Puede ver el mar a lo lejos, que se cambia de azul oscuro a negro. Jack le pide a Papá un cuento. Papá siempre empieza de la misma manera. —Había una vez tres niños, Dani, Jack y Marta. Y un día . . . — A partir de esas palabras Papá siempre inventa algo distinto. Algunas veces hay piratas, otras veces dragones. El cuento preferido de Jack tiene un unicornio y muchos gnomos graciosos. Mientras Papá cuente el cuento, Jack mira al océano y realiza los dibujos en la cabeza . . .
. . Jack se va a la terraza para despedirse del océano. Él encuentra algunas piedras al bordillo del porche, y se pregunta si podrá lanzarlas hasta el agua. Un día la familia entera paseaba por un muelle y Dani y Jack lanzaban piedras tan lejos que ni siquiera podían ver dónde llegaron a para. Aquí Jack no tiene la misma suerte; las piedras ni llegan mucho más lejos que la terraza. Dani sale a la terraza también. Jack va a echar de menos tener juguetes como piedras para tirar desde un muelle, una orilla que siempre se mueve, y mucha arena para hacer castillos. Decide guardar una piedra para llevárselo a casa, para traerle suerte, y se lo mete bien metidito en su bolsillo . . .
Las vacaciones de Marta
. . . Va llegando el verano, y Marta se va de vacaciones con su familia. Ellos se van a la playa para dos semanas. Marta piensa que será divertido. Unas vacaciones y una playa deben ser cosas muy guays si toda la familia está tan animada . . .
. . . Marta mira a Mamá y Dani en el cuarto de los chicos. Mamá mete ropa en una maleta grande. Marta se va al cuarto de juguetes y encuentra a una bolsa de plástico. Ella mete sus disfraces de princesa dentro de la bolsa. ¿Así se prepara una maleta? Saca los disfraces otra vez y los dobla con cuidado. Entonces, vuelve a meterlos en la bolsa, muy rápido y con una cara seria, como lo hizo Mamá.
—Me voy de viaje. —Marta dice a Dani cuando entra al cuarto. Ella sale del cuarto y pasea por los pasillos con su bolsa colgado del hombro. A veces ir de viaje es una cosa muy seria . . .
. . . Marta se despierta cuando Mamá la saque del coche. Pero ella no abre los ojos. Si sigue dormida no tendrá que andar. Con sus ojos cerrados, Marta contempla donde estarán. Huele raro. No huele a coche nuevo, ni a la cocina cuando Mamá prepara galletas, ni al bosque cuando se van de picnic. No huele a nada que Marta reconozca. Mamá la lleva a una casita y la deja encima de una camita. Aquí dentro huele al ático de casa donde guardan las decoraciones navideñas.
Marta abre los ojos. Ella está en un cuarto pequeño encima de una hamaca pequeña. Al otro lado del cuarto hay literas. Dani guarda la ropa en un mueble con cajones. A Marta le gusta esta camita. Es pequeña como ella. Cuando llega la noche y tienen que dormir, ella va a hablar con Dani y Jack después de que Mamá y Papá apaguen la luz. En casa Marta siempre escucha desde su cama mientras Dani y Jack hablen en la oscuridad. Ella es la única chica y tiene que dormir sola en su habitación. Marta piensa que está bien que en esta casa tiene que ser un chico. Por lo menos no tiene que dormir solita . . .
. . . Cada tarde se quedan en la playa hasta el atardecer. Es la mejor parte del día. Se sientan acurrucados en una manta y miran al cielo.
—Date prisa, Dani. Ven a sentarte conmigo. —Marta le dice a Dani. Es bonito ver la puesta del sol. El cielo se convierte en rojo y naranja y rosa, y eso es como magia, porque se supone que el cielo debe ser azul. A Marta le gusta estar en el medio entre los dos chicos porque cuando el sol se derrite al agua, viene la noche. Este cielo es diferente que el cielo de casa, y es mágico. Quizás pueda hacer más trucos y hacer que otra cosa cae del suelo y se derrite a sus pies. Marta agarra bien a sus hermanos y mira al sol ponerse . . .
. . . Una noche después de cenar se sientan en la terraza de casa. Marta intenta quedarse despierta como Dani y Jack. Papá empieza un cuento. —Había una vez tres niños, Dani, Jack y Marta. Un día . . . — Marta se abraza un poco más a Mamá. A veces los cuentos de Papá tienen brujas. Marta se cierra los ojos y Papá cuenta una historia sobre un unicornio. Marta sabe lo que es eso. Es como un caballo con un cuerno en la frente. Ella se cierra los ojos y se ve montando a un unicornio blanco. Tiene tanto sueño. Se acurruca en brazos de Mamá y piensa que así debía sentirse cuando era un bebé pequeña, dormida en brazos de Mamá. Marta no se recuerda de cuando era bebé, pero está segura de que le gustaba mucho . . .
. . . Una mañana Mamá le despierta pronto de su camita pequeña. Marta no quiere levantarse todavía, pero todos parecen estar tan ocupados, y no quiere perder nada. Come los cereales con Dani y Jack en la mesa pequeña de la cocina. Quizás se van a un sitio divertido hoy. Mamá y Papá parecen estar preparando muchas cosas.
—Mamá, ¿a que hora nos vamos a casa? —pregunta Dani.
—Tontito. —le dice Marta. —Ya estamos en casa. —A veces ella es muy lista por ser la más pequeña . . .
A Summer Vacation -- Excerpts
Danny’s Summer Vacation
. . . Summer is coming, and Danny is going on vacation with his family. They are going to the beach for two weeks. Danny can’t wait to see the ocean . . .
. . . Later in the playroom Danny finds Marta, his little sister. ¨I’m going on a trip.¨ she tells him, and puts her costumes in a big plastic bag. Jack, Danny’s little brother, fills a backpack with his favorite toys. Danny thinks he will bring a notebook and some pencils as well. The three go to Mom’s room with their things.
¨We’re all set.¨ says Jack, and dumps the backpack on her bed. Some of the smaller toys fall out of the side pocket.
¨Oh no.¨ she says, and gives the backpack to Jack again. ¨There’s no more room in the car.¨ Danny is worried. His teacher told him he should study a bit during summer vacation, and he tells Mom . . .
. . . After a long time they arrive. Dad stops the car in front of a little wooden house with a porch. Danny decides that he likes this house. It looks just like the picture of a house from a storybook that Danny had when he was little. Dad opens the trunk and Danny takes a smaller suitcase to help out. Jack is already on the porch looking into the windows. Mom carries Marta, who is asleep. Dad takes a key from his pocket and opens the front door, as if it were their very own house . . .
. . . ¨I want the top bed.¨ says Jack. At home Jack sleeps on the top bed, too, so Danny says okay. Jack tells him thanks, but Danny really likes to sleep in the bottom bed. It’s like sleeping on a boat, or in a train, or hidden away in a little cave . . .
. . . Every evening they stay at the beach until the sun goes down. It’s the best part of the day. ¨Hurry, Danny. Come sit by me.¨ says Marta. They always sit on a big blanket all together and watch the sun go down. The sky is different now, filled with reds and pinks and oranges. Danny’s eyes feel bigger when he looks at this sky. Every night the sunset looks different. Tonight the sun dips down and melts into the ocean like ice cream. The clouds high up in the sky look like pink birds.
¨Mmmmm. That was my favorite sunset so far.¨ says Danny . . .
. . . At night they eat dinner out on the back porch. Danny really likes the back porch. From here you can see the ocean a little bit, now dark blue in the night. The ocean at night reminds Danny of whales. That’s what a whale must look like, big and blue and cold. After dinner Dad tells them stories. Danny likes to sit and listen to the waves in the distance. It makes him feel sleepy. The air is cool and starts to smell like the fog of the morning, and Danny’s face always feels hot next to the fresh air . . .
. . . The day comes when Danny and his family have to pack their suitcases and go back home. Danny helps Mom organize their clothes.
¨Mom, what’s going to happen to this house now?¨ Danny asks.
¨I suppose another family will come to spend their vacation here.¨ says Mom, and takes the suitcase out into the hallway. Danny looks at the bunk beds and the little cot. It’s a lot smaller than their room back home. There aren’t any toys, and the floor creaks when you walk by, but Danny really likes this room. I like this room more than any other boy who comes on vacation thinks Danny, and follows Mom out into the hallway . . .
. . . The car is packed, and Dad calls for everyone to get in. Danny and Jack are on the back porch saying goodbye to the ocean. Jack throws rocks towards the ocean. They don’t get very far, so Danny doesn’t tell him to stop. Jack takes the last rock and puts it in his pocket for a souvenir. Danny looks at the blue ocean and thinks about whales and pink birds in the sky and fog that makes everything wet. Dad says that maybe they’ll come back again next summer. A whole year is a long time to be away from the ocean, thinks Danny, and turns to go to the car . . .
Jack’s Summer Vacation
. . . Summer is coming, and Jack is going on vacation with his family. They are going to the beach for two weeks. Jack goes to the playroom to look for his storybook about the ocean . . .
. . . ¨I’m going on a trip.¨ says Marta to Danny. She takes her bag of costumes and puts it over her shoulder. Jack fills his backpack with his favorite toys. It’s a good thing he remembers to bring toys because everyone else seems to have forgotten. Mom will probably thank him for being so responsible. Jack can’t wait to show her that he can help get ready for their trip, too, and goes to look for her in her room . . .
. . . After a very long time they stop in front of a small house. They all get out of the car, and Jack goes to the window to see who lives here. Maybe they have kids who will let him play with their toys. Dad takes a key out of his pocket and opens the door. Jack wonders if the family is going to be mad at them for letting themselves in without even ringing the doorbell . . .
. . . ¨I want the top bed.¨ says Jack. At home Danny always lets Jack sleep on the top bed. Maybe here Danny won’t be so nice, but Danny says okay and Jack is relieved. Danny must know that the bottom bed scares Jack. It seems too dark down there, like being in a cave . . .
. . . Every evening they stay at the beach until the sun goes down. It’s the best part of the day. They all snuggle together in a big blanket and watch the sky. The sky at the beach is different than the sky at home. At home the sun tucks itself behind a mountain every evening. Jack always wondered where the sun goes at night, but now he knows. It comes here where it melts right into the ocean. Jack wonders how it gets back out in the morning. He’ll have to ask Dad if they can wake up early one morning to see the sun come back out of the ocean . . .
. . . At night they eat dinner on the back porch. Jack really likes the back porch, but sits close to the light that hangs over the doorway. Far away he can see the ocean, which turns from blue to black. Jack asks Dad for a story. Dad always starts out the same way. ¨Once upon a time, there were three children - - Danny, Jack, and Marta. And one day . . .¨ From here on Dad always makes up something different. Sometimes there are pirates, other times dragons. Jack’s favorite story has a unicorn and lots of funny little gnomes. As Dad tells the story Jack looks at the ocean and makes up the pictures in his head . . .
. . . Jack goes out onto the back porch to say goodbye to the ocean. He finds some rocks at the edge of the porch, and wonders if he can make it to the ocean. One day the whole family walked to the end of a pier and Danny and Jack threw rocks so far that they couldn’t even see where they landed. Here Jack doesn’t have the same luck; the rocks hardly make it past the porch. Danny comes out onto the porch with him. Jack’s going to miss having toys like rocks to throw off of piers, and a shoreline that’s always moving, and lots of sand to make sand castles. He decides to take the last rock home with him, for good luck, and pushes it deep into his pocket . . .
Marta’s Summer Vacation
. . . Summer is coming, and Marta is going on vacation with her family. They are going to the beach for two weeks. Marta thinks it will be fun. A vacation and a beach must be really great things if the whole family is so excited . . .
. . . Marta watches Mom and Danny in the boys’ room. Mom puts clothes in a big suitcase. Marta goes to the playroom and finds a plastic bag. She puts her princess costumes inside the bag. Is this how to pack a suitcase? She takes the costumes out of the bag and folds them neatly. Then she puts them back into the bag, very quickly and with a serious face, like how Mom does it.
¨I’m going on a trip.¨ Marta says to Danny when he walks into the playroom. She leaves the playroom and walks around the halls with her bag over her shoulder. Going on a trip is sometimes a very serious thing . . .
. . . Marta wakes up when Mom takes her from the car. Marta doesn’t open her eyes, though. If she stays asleep she won’t have to walk. With her eyes closed, Marta wonders where they are. It smells funny. It doesn’t smell like a new car, or when Mom bakes cookies, or when they go on a picnic in the mountains. It doesn’t smell like anything Marta already knows about. Mom carries her into a house and sets her down on a bed. Here inside it smells like the attic at home where they keep the Christmas decorations. Marta opens her eyes. She is in a little room on a little bed. On the other side of the room are bunk beds. Danny puts their clothes away in a chest of drawers. Marta likes this little bed. It is small just like she is. When nighttime comes and they have to go to sleep she is going to talk with Danny and Jack after Mom and Dad turn off the light. At home Marta always listens from her bed as Danny and Jack talk into the night. She is the only girl and has to sleep alone in her bedroom. Marta thinks it’s okay that in this house she has to be a boy. At least she doesn’t have to sleep all by herself . . .
. . . Every evening they stay at the beach until the sun goes down. It’s the best part of the day. They all snuggle on a blanket together and watch the sky.
¨Hurry, Danny. Come sit by me.¨ Marta says to Danny. It’s really pretty to watch the sun go down. The sky turns red and orange and pink and that’s like magic, because the sky is supposed to be blue. Marta likes to be in the middle between the two boys because when the sun melts into the water then it is night. This sky is different than the one at home, and is magic. Maybe it can do more tricks and make something else melt out of the sky right at their feet. Marta holds on tight to her big brothers and watches the sunset . . .
. . . At night after dinner they sit on the back porch. Marta tries to stay awake like Danny and Jack. Dad begins a story. ¨Once upon a time there were three children – Danny, Jack, and Marta. One day . . .¨ Marta snuggles up in Mom’s lap. Sometimes Dad’s stories have witches. Marta closes her eyes and Dad tells a story about a unicorn. Marta knows what that is. It’s like a horse with a horn on its head. She closes her eyes and sees herself riding a white unicorn. She is so sleepy. She cuddles in Mom’s arms and thinks that this is what it must have been like to be a little baby, sleeping in her Mommy’s arms. Marta doesn’t remember when she was a little baby, but she’s sure she probably liked it a lot . . .
. . . One morning Mom wakes her up early from her little bed. Marta doesn’t want to wake up yet, but everybody seems to be busy, and she doesn’t want to miss out. She eats her cereal with Danny and Jack at the little table in the kitchen. Maybe they are going to go somewhere fun today. Mom and Dad seem to be getting a lot of things ready.
¨Mom, what time are we going home?¨ asks Danny.
¨You silly.¨ says Marta. ¨We already are home.¨ Sometimes she is very smart for being the littlest of them all . . .
. . . Summer is coming, and Danny is going on vacation with his family. They are going to the beach for two weeks. Danny can’t wait to see the ocean . . .
. . . Later in the playroom Danny finds Marta, his little sister. ¨I’m going on a trip.¨ she tells him, and puts her costumes in a big plastic bag. Jack, Danny’s little brother, fills a backpack with his favorite toys. Danny thinks he will bring a notebook and some pencils as well. The three go to Mom’s room with their things.
¨We’re all set.¨ says Jack, and dumps the backpack on her bed. Some of the smaller toys fall out of the side pocket.
¨Oh no.¨ she says, and gives the backpack to Jack again. ¨There’s no more room in the car.¨ Danny is worried. His teacher told him he should study a bit during summer vacation, and he tells Mom . . .
. . . After a long time they arrive. Dad stops the car in front of a little wooden house with a porch. Danny decides that he likes this house. It looks just like the picture of a house from a storybook that Danny had when he was little. Dad opens the trunk and Danny takes a smaller suitcase to help out. Jack is already on the porch looking into the windows. Mom carries Marta, who is asleep. Dad takes a key from his pocket and opens the front door, as if it were their very own house . . .
. . . ¨I want the top bed.¨ says Jack. At home Jack sleeps on the top bed, too, so Danny says okay. Jack tells him thanks, but Danny really likes to sleep in the bottom bed. It’s like sleeping on a boat, or in a train, or hidden away in a little cave . . .
. . . Every evening they stay at the beach until the sun goes down. It’s the best part of the day. ¨Hurry, Danny. Come sit by me.¨ says Marta. They always sit on a big blanket all together and watch the sun go down. The sky is different now, filled with reds and pinks and oranges. Danny’s eyes feel bigger when he looks at this sky. Every night the sunset looks different. Tonight the sun dips down and melts into the ocean like ice cream. The clouds high up in the sky look like pink birds.
¨Mmmmm. That was my favorite sunset so far.¨ says Danny . . .
. . . At night they eat dinner out on the back porch. Danny really likes the back porch. From here you can see the ocean a little bit, now dark blue in the night. The ocean at night reminds Danny of whales. That’s what a whale must look like, big and blue and cold. After dinner Dad tells them stories. Danny likes to sit and listen to the waves in the distance. It makes him feel sleepy. The air is cool and starts to smell like the fog of the morning, and Danny’s face always feels hot next to the fresh air . . .
. . . The day comes when Danny and his family have to pack their suitcases and go back home. Danny helps Mom organize their clothes.
¨Mom, what’s going to happen to this house now?¨ Danny asks.
¨I suppose another family will come to spend their vacation here.¨ says Mom, and takes the suitcase out into the hallway. Danny looks at the bunk beds and the little cot. It’s a lot smaller than their room back home. There aren’t any toys, and the floor creaks when you walk by, but Danny really likes this room. I like this room more than any other boy who comes on vacation thinks Danny, and follows Mom out into the hallway . . .
. . . The car is packed, and Dad calls for everyone to get in. Danny and Jack are on the back porch saying goodbye to the ocean. Jack throws rocks towards the ocean. They don’t get very far, so Danny doesn’t tell him to stop. Jack takes the last rock and puts it in his pocket for a souvenir. Danny looks at the blue ocean and thinks about whales and pink birds in the sky and fog that makes everything wet. Dad says that maybe they’ll come back again next summer. A whole year is a long time to be away from the ocean, thinks Danny, and turns to go to the car . . .
Jack’s Summer Vacation
. . . Summer is coming, and Jack is going on vacation with his family. They are going to the beach for two weeks. Jack goes to the playroom to look for his storybook about the ocean . . .
. . . ¨I’m going on a trip.¨ says Marta to Danny. She takes her bag of costumes and puts it over her shoulder. Jack fills his backpack with his favorite toys. It’s a good thing he remembers to bring toys because everyone else seems to have forgotten. Mom will probably thank him for being so responsible. Jack can’t wait to show her that he can help get ready for their trip, too, and goes to look for her in her room . . .
. . . After a very long time they stop in front of a small house. They all get out of the car, and Jack goes to the window to see who lives here. Maybe they have kids who will let him play with their toys. Dad takes a key out of his pocket and opens the door. Jack wonders if the family is going to be mad at them for letting themselves in without even ringing the doorbell . . .
. . . ¨I want the top bed.¨ says Jack. At home Danny always lets Jack sleep on the top bed. Maybe here Danny won’t be so nice, but Danny says okay and Jack is relieved. Danny must know that the bottom bed scares Jack. It seems too dark down there, like being in a cave . . .
. . . Every evening they stay at the beach until the sun goes down. It’s the best part of the day. They all snuggle together in a big blanket and watch the sky. The sky at the beach is different than the sky at home. At home the sun tucks itself behind a mountain every evening. Jack always wondered where the sun goes at night, but now he knows. It comes here where it melts right into the ocean. Jack wonders how it gets back out in the morning. He’ll have to ask Dad if they can wake up early one morning to see the sun come back out of the ocean . . .
. . . At night they eat dinner on the back porch. Jack really likes the back porch, but sits close to the light that hangs over the doorway. Far away he can see the ocean, which turns from blue to black. Jack asks Dad for a story. Dad always starts out the same way. ¨Once upon a time, there were three children - - Danny, Jack, and Marta. And one day . . .¨ From here on Dad always makes up something different. Sometimes there are pirates, other times dragons. Jack’s favorite story has a unicorn and lots of funny little gnomes. As Dad tells the story Jack looks at the ocean and makes up the pictures in his head . . .
. . . Jack goes out onto the back porch to say goodbye to the ocean. He finds some rocks at the edge of the porch, and wonders if he can make it to the ocean. One day the whole family walked to the end of a pier and Danny and Jack threw rocks so far that they couldn’t even see where they landed. Here Jack doesn’t have the same luck; the rocks hardly make it past the porch. Danny comes out onto the porch with him. Jack’s going to miss having toys like rocks to throw off of piers, and a shoreline that’s always moving, and lots of sand to make sand castles. He decides to take the last rock home with him, for good luck, and pushes it deep into his pocket . . .
Marta’s Summer Vacation
. . . Summer is coming, and Marta is going on vacation with her family. They are going to the beach for two weeks. Marta thinks it will be fun. A vacation and a beach must be really great things if the whole family is so excited . . .
. . . Marta watches Mom and Danny in the boys’ room. Mom puts clothes in a big suitcase. Marta goes to the playroom and finds a plastic bag. She puts her princess costumes inside the bag. Is this how to pack a suitcase? She takes the costumes out of the bag and folds them neatly. Then she puts them back into the bag, very quickly and with a serious face, like how Mom does it.
¨I’m going on a trip.¨ Marta says to Danny when he walks into the playroom. She leaves the playroom and walks around the halls with her bag over her shoulder. Going on a trip is sometimes a very serious thing . . .
. . . Marta wakes up when Mom takes her from the car. Marta doesn’t open her eyes, though. If she stays asleep she won’t have to walk. With her eyes closed, Marta wonders where they are. It smells funny. It doesn’t smell like a new car, or when Mom bakes cookies, or when they go on a picnic in the mountains. It doesn’t smell like anything Marta already knows about. Mom carries her into a house and sets her down on a bed. Here inside it smells like the attic at home where they keep the Christmas decorations. Marta opens her eyes. She is in a little room on a little bed. On the other side of the room are bunk beds. Danny puts their clothes away in a chest of drawers. Marta likes this little bed. It is small just like she is. When nighttime comes and they have to go to sleep she is going to talk with Danny and Jack after Mom and Dad turn off the light. At home Marta always listens from her bed as Danny and Jack talk into the night. She is the only girl and has to sleep alone in her bedroom. Marta thinks it’s okay that in this house she has to be a boy. At least she doesn’t have to sleep all by herself . . .
. . . Every evening they stay at the beach until the sun goes down. It’s the best part of the day. They all snuggle on a blanket together and watch the sky.
¨Hurry, Danny. Come sit by me.¨ Marta says to Danny. It’s really pretty to watch the sun go down. The sky turns red and orange and pink and that’s like magic, because the sky is supposed to be blue. Marta likes to be in the middle between the two boys because when the sun melts into the water then it is night. This sky is different than the one at home, and is magic. Maybe it can do more tricks and make something else melt out of the sky right at their feet. Marta holds on tight to her big brothers and watches the sunset . . .
. . . At night after dinner they sit on the back porch. Marta tries to stay awake like Danny and Jack. Dad begins a story. ¨Once upon a time there were three children – Danny, Jack, and Marta. One day . . .¨ Marta snuggles up in Mom’s lap. Sometimes Dad’s stories have witches. Marta closes her eyes and Dad tells a story about a unicorn. Marta knows what that is. It’s like a horse with a horn on its head. She closes her eyes and sees herself riding a white unicorn. She is so sleepy. She cuddles in Mom’s arms and thinks that this is what it must have been like to be a little baby, sleeping in her Mommy’s arms. Marta doesn’t remember when she was a little baby, but she’s sure she probably liked it a lot . . .
. . . One morning Mom wakes her up early from her little bed. Marta doesn’t want to wake up yet, but everybody seems to be busy, and she doesn’t want to miss out. She eats her cereal with Danny and Jack at the little table in the kitchen. Maybe they are going to go somewhere fun today. Mom and Dad seem to be getting a lot of things ready.
¨Mom, what time are we going home?¨ asks Danny.
¨You silly.¨ says Marta. ¨We already are home.¨ Sometimes she is very smart for being the littlest of them all . . .
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Five REAL Reasons to Raise your Children Bilingually
It seems as if in the past months bilingual education is only discussed in connection to the Arizona immigration laws. However, there are many reasons why one should try to stay focused on the real issues of bilingualism, and not get discouraged by wrapping it up in a flag of panicky paranoia. I like to break into two groups the benefits of being raised bilingual: the cultural and the phisiological. Many people like to discuss and debate the pros and cons of being raised not only bilingually but bi-culturally by either throwing roses on what a beautiful multicultural experience being bilingual is, or by expressing their fears and doubts of losing a certain cultural identity by having to make room for another. Less complicated to debate are the phisiological and neurological effects that bilingualism has on children and their developing brains. This is almost the most exciting aspect of second language aqcuisition, as it is not weighted down with politics or social pressures, and the brain of a child is almost always outdoing itself and our own expectations. For those of you bogged down by the recent heated debates about bilingual education, here are some simple reminders to why being raised bilingual is worthy of our struggle.
1. Codifying phonemes. Many times in our effort to assess second language acquisition we only concentrate on the verbal output of our children or students. In this we are missing out on half the fun! Remember that a baby probably begins to codify the phonemes he hears in human speech from the moment of birth, some even think it begins inside the womb. From as early as four months old, and surely by eight months old, a baby has already codified all of the phonemes in his or her "native language" and can at least recognize it as such. I have done the test, feeding my nephews baby food as they sit and drool and gurgle at me. Knowing that they had not heard any other language than English, I began to coo and baby talk to them in Spanish. You would have thought that I had sprouted elephant ears with the way they stopped eating, letting the mush fall from their chin-dropped mouths, the way they stared at me, and more intensely, at my mouth. These babies obviously were noticing a strong change in their world, and their brains were already hard at work recognizing and classifying these new sounds. How amazing! Bilingual children who have always had two -- or three, or five or seven -- languages spoken to them have been codifying the different phonemes all along, each connected to their distinct language, and have no trouble recognizing the languages as their own.
2. Developing speech muscles. It may seem easy to speak a second language, no matter what age, but only children will develop the correct muscles for pronunciation. There are many exercizes that adults con do to be able to pronounce the Spanish "R" or the French "R", but children don't even have to think. As mentioned above, the brain of a child is so amply equipped for language learning, that it is a shame not to be putting it to use, and having them later struggle through pronunciation exercizes. And it's not just the hard sounding consanants that give people a problem. Distinguishing the slight difference between a short vowel and a long vowel can be excruciating for adult language learners. And many times it is impossible for them to even be able to utter the sound "uh" because of two tiny muscles at the top of their throat that have never been used. A child raised with multiple languages develops more of these muscles at the right age, and no longer has to worry about it.
3. Selective hearing. We complain a lot that children have selective hearing, and only hear us when we ask "Who wants more ice cream?" instead of "Who wants to make their bed?" However, I find that children in general, when they begin to interact with language, depend deeply on selective listening. Baby talk is discouraged because a child is just as capable of understanding, "Daddy's gone to work now" even if his way of expressing it is "Dada go bye-bye." If children had to stop everytime there was a word uttered in a sentence that they did not understand, their progress would be much slower. But children's ears skip over the "speech-bumps" in the road to get a whole global understanding of what is being said. This is another talent that children have that adults do not. That's why it is so hard for adults to learn a second language. When they try to understand a sentence, they stop at the first word that they do not control. Compared to a child, an adult is incredibly impaired int this way. I find that children who have been raised bilingually do not have this same ailment. Their brains have been raised to selectively listen to language and work out the kinks as they go along. Adjectives may appear before or after the nouns, there could be gender details imbedded in nouns and articles. Morphemes may be larger than they appear.
4. Overall brain stimulation. There are a number of studies relating bilingual education to further academic success. I am not promising that bilingual children will be better students. However, at a time when parents are taking their toddlers to special classes for early stimulation of the senses, a second language only proves to be a stimulation well worth the effort. The organizational skills involved in the codifying and classifying of structures and mechanics is applicable to math skills. The manipulation of both sets of codes and grammar helps in overall expression and maturity. Parents should be weary of signing their babies up for any activity with the sole purpose of turning them into a Superbaby. However, with the studies all showing that early stimulation has positive effects on the brain development and its achievements throughout life, bilingualism seems to be a gift we can give our children, seeing that they are already equipped to use it to their advantage. How many times have I had a kindergartener with a real flair for English as a second language, and almost on the verge of declaring the child a genius, there always comes out a detail of a bilingual past. "No, we lived in Ibiza until he was three and they spoke the dialect at his preschool. But he wasn't at a speaking age yet. Since we moved away before he could talk, we didn't think anything really stuck." So a child who was exposed to another language, even at short intervals, now is appearing to be a genius compared to his classmates.
5. Cultural Awareness. There is much debate about culture and ethnicity and the topics are far too long and drawn out to be covered completely. However, I do believe that the best way to know yourself is by comparing yourself to others and noticing similarities and differences. Growing up with two languages gives a child an opportunity of developing a more in-depth study of himself or herself. Whether they be fully aware that different languages are connected to different cultures or not, they will begin to develop different sides to their personalities depending on what language they are speaking. Some people find themselves to be more dramatic and theatrical with a second language, depending greater on non-verbal communication to fill in the gaps when necessary. Others find they count better in one language, tell jokes better in another, speak one more often when they are angry, etc. Monolinguals do not have the chance to get into the same depth.
Bilingualism is not the answer to every child's future success. However, it is also not worthy of being in the eye of the hurricane, as it seems to be in light of our current economic crisis and anti-immigration laws. If for nothing more than the pure joy of seeing the human brain functioning on its highest level, in the minds of children as they acquire language, bilingualism should be promoted and supported.
1. Codifying phonemes. Many times in our effort to assess second language acquisition we only concentrate on the verbal output of our children or students. In this we are missing out on half the fun! Remember that a baby probably begins to codify the phonemes he hears in human speech from the moment of birth, some even think it begins inside the womb. From as early as four months old, and surely by eight months old, a baby has already codified all of the phonemes in his or her "native language" and can at least recognize it as such. I have done the test, feeding my nephews baby food as they sit and drool and gurgle at me. Knowing that they had not heard any other language than English, I began to coo and baby talk to them in Spanish. You would have thought that I had sprouted elephant ears with the way they stopped eating, letting the mush fall from their chin-dropped mouths, the way they stared at me, and more intensely, at my mouth. These babies obviously were noticing a strong change in their world, and their brains were already hard at work recognizing and classifying these new sounds. How amazing! Bilingual children who have always had two -- or three, or five or seven -- languages spoken to them have been codifying the different phonemes all along, each connected to their distinct language, and have no trouble recognizing the languages as their own.
2. Developing speech muscles. It may seem easy to speak a second language, no matter what age, but only children will develop the correct muscles for pronunciation. There are many exercizes that adults con do to be able to pronounce the Spanish "R" or the French "R", but children don't even have to think. As mentioned above, the brain of a child is so amply equipped for language learning, that it is a shame not to be putting it to use, and having them later struggle through pronunciation exercizes. And it's not just the hard sounding consanants that give people a problem. Distinguishing the slight difference between a short vowel and a long vowel can be excruciating for adult language learners. And many times it is impossible for them to even be able to utter the sound "uh" because of two tiny muscles at the top of their throat that have never been used. A child raised with multiple languages develops more of these muscles at the right age, and no longer has to worry about it.
3. Selective hearing. We complain a lot that children have selective hearing, and only hear us when we ask "Who wants more ice cream?" instead of "Who wants to make their bed?" However, I find that children in general, when they begin to interact with language, depend deeply on selective listening. Baby talk is discouraged because a child is just as capable of understanding, "Daddy's gone to work now" even if his way of expressing it is "Dada go bye-bye." If children had to stop everytime there was a word uttered in a sentence that they did not understand, their progress would be much slower. But children's ears skip over the "speech-bumps" in the road to get a whole global understanding of what is being said. This is another talent that children have that adults do not. That's why it is so hard for adults to learn a second language. When they try to understand a sentence, they stop at the first word that they do not control. Compared to a child, an adult is incredibly impaired int this way. I find that children who have been raised bilingually do not have this same ailment. Their brains have been raised to selectively listen to language and work out the kinks as they go along. Adjectives may appear before or after the nouns, there could be gender details imbedded in nouns and articles. Morphemes may be larger than they appear.
4. Overall brain stimulation. There are a number of studies relating bilingual education to further academic success. I am not promising that bilingual children will be better students. However, at a time when parents are taking their toddlers to special classes for early stimulation of the senses, a second language only proves to be a stimulation well worth the effort. The organizational skills involved in the codifying and classifying of structures and mechanics is applicable to math skills. The manipulation of both sets of codes and grammar helps in overall expression and maturity. Parents should be weary of signing their babies up for any activity with the sole purpose of turning them into a Superbaby. However, with the studies all showing that early stimulation has positive effects on the brain development and its achievements throughout life, bilingualism seems to be a gift we can give our children, seeing that they are already equipped to use it to their advantage. How many times have I had a kindergartener with a real flair for English as a second language, and almost on the verge of declaring the child a genius, there always comes out a detail of a bilingual past. "No, we lived in Ibiza until he was three and they spoke the dialect at his preschool. But he wasn't at a speaking age yet. Since we moved away before he could talk, we didn't think anything really stuck." So a child who was exposed to another language, even at short intervals, now is appearing to be a genius compared to his classmates.
5. Cultural Awareness. There is much debate about culture and ethnicity and the topics are far too long and drawn out to be covered completely. However, I do believe that the best way to know yourself is by comparing yourself to others and noticing similarities and differences. Growing up with two languages gives a child an opportunity of developing a more in-depth study of himself or herself. Whether they be fully aware that different languages are connected to different cultures or not, they will begin to develop different sides to their personalities depending on what language they are speaking. Some people find themselves to be more dramatic and theatrical with a second language, depending greater on non-verbal communication to fill in the gaps when necessary. Others find they count better in one language, tell jokes better in another, speak one more often when they are angry, etc. Monolinguals do not have the chance to get into the same depth.
Bilingualism is not the answer to every child's future success. However, it is also not worthy of being in the eye of the hurricane, as it seems to be in light of our current economic crisis and anti-immigration laws. If for nothing more than the pure joy of seeing the human brain functioning on its highest level, in the minds of children as they acquire language, bilingualism should be promoted and supported.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Resisting the Temptation of Correcting
Parents and teachers alike seem to be under the same pressure of "doing it right" when it comes to raising or teaching bilingual children. Many times I only feel the temptation of correcting my students or my children because so many of my colleagues seem to make a point of correcting their students -- sometimes mid-sentence -- to assure proper grammar and usage. It really makes the rest of us, who don't correct on the spot, feel like we're not doing our job. But I have found that in my urgency to resist "the correction" I have narrowed it down to three very good reasons why correcting second language speakers is not effective.
1. It just gets in the way. If a speaker is actually bold enough to be speaking in another language, their brain is already so focused on what they are saying that they aren't always able to absorb the correction. We aren't aware of all of the thought processes going on inside the head of the speaker when he or she is selecting language, and a correction might just be blocking other important linguistic functions.
2. It's just not natural. Can you imagine following a two-year-old around and correcting them mid-sentence all day long? It would be exhausting for both parties involved, and normally one of two things happens. The child either completely ignores the corrections in their insistence on care-free happiness; or the child speaks less and less, and avoids being corrected. Both of these reactions are natural for a two-year-old, as well as for any language learner, of any age.
3. It hinders future language use. Even the best of students, who don't mind being corrected, will be hindered on their future language use with someone who is always correcting them. The affective filter involved with language acquisition is a very real thing. When we don't want a child to touch a hot stove we may wrap them on the wrist as they reach their hand towards the stove, so that they won't ever want to touch the stove again. Well, I find correcting a speaker to be like a wrap on the wrist. Now matter how much we think that it is for their own good, when applied to language use, it can only hinder them on their next experience. Remember, we WANT them to touch the stove!
It would be very bold to simply announce that one should never correct language speakers without offering solutions, but there are ways to remedy poor language use.
1. As a teacher or parent, try to "shelf" the mistakes that are made, and save the corrections for a later time, maybe even just five minutes after the conversation has ended. This usually happens if a certain type of mistake is being repeated (using "fun" for "funny", or "boring" for "bored" just to name a few obvious ones.) As a teacher you can even create worksheets full of real-life mistakes handed in to you in writing assignments or oral conversations. The students don't have to know that they are being corrected, as they now have the time to think properly, and correct themselves.
2. "Trick" them into being corrected. Sometimes a mistake can be so blatant and hindering to the understanding of a sentence, that I just can't leave it alone. Instead of saying, "What? Excuse me?" over and over again, I will try to repeat a correct sentence of what I think the student is asking. So if I hear something like, "I no no sit." I might say, "You don't know where to sit?" It may even take a while to hit it on the head, but this reinforcement of correct language is what they are going to remember, not the correction that I may painstakingly point out, or even require the repetition of the correct sentence.
3. Let them know that mistakes are OK. On some level, most speakers know that they are saying things wrong, and that you are just forgiving them their mistakes for the sake of a decent conversation. It helps to put everybody on the same level. I never correct my students and I never correct my children, and I find that the language just comes pouring out of their mouths, mistakes included. I find that I gain more than I lose. Somehow, even though they know that their language is not perfect, their confidence level sky rockets. It is important to prohibit students, and siblings, from correcting their peers or younger brothers and sisters for this very reason. Every September I get a new group of students, and it always surprises me to hear certain students blurt out on the first day of school, "You don't say it like that." or something equally as pleasing. I have such a strong reaction to students thinking they can correct their peers, that it normally doesn't last the first week through, and I don't have a problem for the rest of the year. Many students have come back for a visit and told me that they liked my class because they weren't allowed to correct each other, and that can be very freeing.
Overall, let's face it, the mistakes we make as language learners can be a very fun part of the whole experience. I highly encourage teachers and parents to share with their students or children their own stories of second language learning blunders. I always kick off every school year telling my students funny stories of the mistakes I have made learning Spanish. Like the time I said that my father, an attorney (abogado), was a meatball (albóndiga). Or instead of ordering coffee with milk (café con leche) I ordered coffee with lettuce (café con lechuga, the waiter actually brought out a coffee placed on a lettuce leaf. It was fun, or was it funny?!) Laughter is always the best medicine, and it's nice for them to know that their own blunders will just be a part of their learning experience that they will be able to look back on and laugh. It can even be a complex and creative exercise to anticipate possible blunders by finding words that sound similar but have very different meanings.
And above all, it is important for all of us to remember that NO LANGUAGE IS EVER COMPLETELY LEARNED. We can always learn new vocabulary, even in our native language. I like to tell my students that learning a language is like jumping into the ocean. You swim around and get wet, and can even get very far. But nobody ever thinks they are going to actually get to the other side. Language learning - ¡EMPÁPATE!
1. It just gets in the way. If a speaker is actually bold enough to be speaking in another language, their brain is already so focused on what they are saying that they aren't always able to absorb the correction. We aren't aware of all of the thought processes going on inside the head of the speaker when he or she is selecting language, and a correction might just be blocking other important linguistic functions.
2. It's just not natural. Can you imagine following a two-year-old around and correcting them mid-sentence all day long? It would be exhausting for both parties involved, and normally one of two things happens. The child either completely ignores the corrections in their insistence on care-free happiness; or the child speaks less and less, and avoids being corrected. Both of these reactions are natural for a two-year-old, as well as for any language learner, of any age.
3. It hinders future language use. Even the best of students, who don't mind being corrected, will be hindered on their future language use with someone who is always correcting them. The affective filter involved with language acquisition is a very real thing. When we don't want a child to touch a hot stove we may wrap them on the wrist as they reach their hand towards the stove, so that they won't ever want to touch the stove again. Well, I find correcting a speaker to be like a wrap on the wrist. Now matter how much we think that it is for their own good, when applied to language use, it can only hinder them on their next experience. Remember, we WANT them to touch the stove!
It would be very bold to simply announce that one should never correct language speakers without offering solutions, but there are ways to remedy poor language use.
1. As a teacher or parent, try to "shelf" the mistakes that are made, and save the corrections for a later time, maybe even just five minutes after the conversation has ended. This usually happens if a certain type of mistake is being repeated (using "fun" for "funny", or "boring" for "bored" just to name a few obvious ones.) As a teacher you can even create worksheets full of real-life mistakes handed in to you in writing assignments or oral conversations. The students don't have to know that they are being corrected, as they now have the time to think properly, and correct themselves.
2. "Trick" them into being corrected. Sometimes a mistake can be so blatant and hindering to the understanding of a sentence, that I just can't leave it alone. Instead of saying, "What? Excuse me?" over and over again, I will try to repeat a correct sentence of what I think the student is asking. So if I hear something like, "I no no sit." I might say, "You don't know where to sit?" It may even take a while to hit it on the head, but this reinforcement of correct language is what they are going to remember, not the correction that I may painstakingly point out, or even require the repetition of the correct sentence.
3. Let them know that mistakes are OK. On some level, most speakers know that they are saying things wrong, and that you are just forgiving them their mistakes for the sake of a decent conversation. It helps to put everybody on the same level. I never correct my students and I never correct my children, and I find that the language just comes pouring out of their mouths, mistakes included. I find that I gain more than I lose. Somehow, even though they know that their language is not perfect, their confidence level sky rockets. It is important to prohibit students, and siblings, from correcting their peers or younger brothers and sisters for this very reason. Every September I get a new group of students, and it always surprises me to hear certain students blurt out on the first day of school, "You don't say it like that." or something equally as pleasing. I have such a strong reaction to students thinking they can correct their peers, that it normally doesn't last the first week through, and I don't have a problem for the rest of the year. Many students have come back for a visit and told me that they liked my class because they weren't allowed to correct each other, and that can be very freeing.
Overall, let's face it, the mistakes we make as language learners can be a very fun part of the whole experience. I highly encourage teachers and parents to share with their students or children their own stories of second language learning blunders. I always kick off every school year telling my students funny stories of the mistakes I have made learning Spanish. Like the time I said that my father, an attorney (abogado), was a meatball (albóndiga). Or instead of ordering coffee with milk (café con leche) I ordered coffee with lettuce (café con lechuga, the waiter actually brought out a coffee placed on a lettuce leaf. It was fun, or was it funny?!) Laughter is always the best medicine, and it's nice for them to know that their own blunders will just be a part of their learning experience that they will be able to look back on and laugh. It can even be a complex and creative exercise to anticipate possible blunders by finding words that sound similar but have very different meanings.
And above all, it is important for all of us to remember that NO LANGUAGE IS EVER COMPLETELY LEARNED. We can always learn new vocabulary, even in our native language. I like to tell my students that learning a language is like jumping into the ocean. You swim around and get wet, and can even get very far. But nobody ever thinks they are going to actually get to the other side. Language learning - ¡EMPÁPATE!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Teaching Comparative Literature in Kindergarten
Yes, it can be done. Having studied a Masters in Comparative Literature, I didn't feel like I was applying anything I had learned on campus to my current job teaching kindergarten, in English, to Spanish children. However, in my quest to get the children interested in learning, and using their English, I found that the comparative perspective to any subject, at any age, was just a way of thinking, a natural thought process that can be encouraged at any age.
For example, every kindergarten classroom in the world probably starts out with carpet time. At the tender age of five it's difficult to have activities that require a long attention span, and that time is cut short if you are teaching in a foreign language. So every morning I started reading them a storybook, and then continued on to other activities. It was either my love of children's literature, or their love of storybooks, but it was the best time of the day. I found that even though I was always fishing for a new book, a new story, constantly checking off books from the list and wanting to introduce them to new themes, new vocabulary, new story lines -- they were always asking for the same ones, their favorites. I found that "story time" was getting longer and longer each morning, as I would repeat many favorites before introducing the one that was actually in my daily program. I began to notice that what children liked most about a storybook is the anticipation of what they know is coming. When I'm about to turn the page and put on a funny voice, I can already see their smiles waiting in anticipation, and that is their juciest moment. I sometimes even tease them and take a long while to turn the page, as they whine and whimper their impatience.
With this idea in my head I began to develop a longer story time. What was a in such a hurry for? Every week I began to introduce a new story, a known folktale that most had already read, or had in their house. After reading the storybook I told the children that if anyone had this storybook in their house that they could bring it to school during the week and everyday we would read a new version. Well, if you can believe it, we sometimes spent up to two weeks reading different versions of popular folktales, and everyday we would have heated discussions about the similarities and differences between the versions of the story. In the beginning it was mostly physical details: "In this story the Gingerbread man has red buttons, and in that story he has blue buttons." I began to notice that as I read each new story everyday, the children were already blurting out minute differences between the stories as I turned the pages. Before long my kindergarteners were saying things like, "The fox in this story is much more "malvado." And we would have to spend five minutes debating whether this fox was more evil, and why, the vices used to trick the Gingerbread man, etc.
This experience led me to develop the stories that I have written. As each story contains three versions, it is the same story each time, but with similarities and differences depending on who is the main character. The first version is told by Danny, who is seven, shy, responsible . . . my students immediately admire him as the oldest of the children, practically an adult in their eyes. Jack is the middle child, fun-loving, playful, dreamy. They have the most fun hearing from Jack, as he is the same age. Marta is perhaps the most intriguing for them, as she gives a perspective which brings them back to their own memories of being three, and not always understanding the world around them. They often express how grown-up they feel compared to Marta. We developed a lot of classroom activities around the three characters, making puppet shows, acting out skits, creating new endings to different stories depending on who is telling it. It was almost as if Danny, Jack and Marta had become members of our class, and were given their own niche amongst the group.
Teaching Comparative Literature in the kindergarten class is not something that can be done instantly. I find that by initiating in the fall, it is a natural way of teaching the children how to enjoy literature, as well as simply a way to notice the world around them with a larger emphasis given to detail. It has helped them to develop a longer attention span by encouraging them to anticipate, and it has even given them the curiosity to speak in a second language. Most will probably not go on to study Comparative Literature, but for now it has made them more intelligent human beings.
For example, every kindergarten classroom in the world probably starts out with carpet time. At the tender age of five it's difficult to have activities that require a long attention span, and that time is cut short if you are teaching in a foreign language. So every morning I started reading them a storybook, and then continued on to other activities. It was either my love of children's literature, or their love of storybooks, but it was the best time of the day. I found that even though I was always fishing for a new book, a new story, constantly checking off books from the list and wanting to introduce them to new themes, new vocabulary, new story lines -- they were always asking for the same ones, their favorites. I found that "story time" was getting longer and longer each morning, as I would repeat many favorites before introducing the one that was actually in my daily program. I began to notice that what children liked most about a storybook is the anticipation of what they know is coming. When I'm about to turn the page and put on a funny voice, I can already see their smiles waiting in anticipation, and that is their juciest moment. I sometimes even tease them and take a long while to turn the page, as they whine and whimper their impatience.
With this idea in my head I began to develop a longer story time. What was a in such a hurry for? Every week I began to introduce a new story, a known folktale that most had already read, or had in their house. After reading the storybook I told the children that if anyone had this storybook in their house that they could bring it to school during the week and everyday we would read a new version. Well, if you can believe it, we sometimes spent up to two weeks reading different versions of popular folktales, and everyday we would have heated discussions about the similarities and differences between the versions of the story. In the beginning it was mostly physical details: "In this story the Gingerbread man has red buttons, and in that story he has blue buttons." I began to notice that as I read each new story everyday, the children were already blurting out minute differences between the stories as I turned the pages. Before long my kindergarteners were saying things like, "The fox in this story is much more "malvado." And we would have to spend five minutes debating whether this fox was more evil, and why, the vices used to trick the Gingerbread man, etc.
This experience led me to develop the stories that I have written. As each story contains three versions, it is the same story each time, but with similarities and differences depending on who is the main character. The first version is told by Danny, who is seven, shy, responsible . . . my students immediately admire him as the oldest of the children, practically an adult in their eyes. Jack is the middle child, fun-loving, playful, dreamy. They have the most fun hearing from Jack, as he is the same age. Marta is perhaps the most intriguing for them, as she gives a perspective which brings them back to their own memories of being three, and not always understanding the world around them. They often express how grown-up they feel compared to Marta. We developed a lot of classroom activities around the three characters, making puppet shows, acting out skits, creating new endings to different stories depending on who is telling it. It was almost as if Danny, Jack and Marta had become members of our class, and were given their own niche amongst the group.
Teaching Comparative Literature in the kindergarten class is not something that can be done instantly. I find that by initiating in the fall, it is a natural way of teaching the children how to enjoy literature, as well as simply a way to notice the world around them with a larger emphasis given to detail. It has helped them to develop a longer attention span by encouraging them to anticipate, and it has even given them the curiosity to speak in a second language. Most will probably not go on to study Comparative Literature, but for now it has made them more intelligent human beings.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Non-Verbal Communication:
The Key to Unlocking Second Language Acquisition
As a language teacher, and a mother raising my children in a foreign country, and in a foreign language, my number one goal for both my students and my children is for them to succeed at communicating in a second language. However, it has been frustrating to see time and time again that many first attempts fail miserably. Was it me? Was I not teaching effectively? Did my students just not have the “knack” for speaking in English? When reviewing why the attempts failed I couldn’t detect the problem because, in most cases, they got all of the words right. Verbs had been conjugated adequately, tenses respected, vocabulary correctly applied. But the listener always answered with a look of complete misunderstanding, that horrible “Excuse me?” we get when we attempt to communicate that perfect sentence, one that we had already formulated in our heads before the moment, revised and corrected three times to make sure it was perfect, only to find that we may as well have been speaking in Martian. After years of analyzing these frustrated attempts, the only flaw I could find was that the language just didn’t seem natural. There were no “ums” or “ahs”, no gesticulating hands dancing around thoughtlessly in the air, no wrinkled foreheads or laughing eyes. The big problem was that on first attempts at speaking a foreign language, we are so wrought with attention given to subject-verb agreement and grammatical perfection that the rest of the body seems to shut down to power all of the energy into words. When I read an article that insisted that as much as 40%, and in some instances up to 90%, of communication is non-verbal, I decided it was something I should give my attention to.
But how to teach non-verbal communication in a second language classroom? Wasn’t our time supposed to be filled with vocabulary lists, irregular verbs, spelling tests. It was all about words. I found that when I stopped giving class in English and let my Spanish students have a heated classroom debate in their own language, my classroom was suddenly noisier, rowdier, children leaning back in their chairs, others lifting to their knees with an urgency to be heard, arms flailing in disgust when disagreeing, spontaneous applause given when supportive. How could I “teach” them to do this in English, if they weren’t even aware of what they were doing?
My first task was to do just that, show them what they were “doing.” Having Spanish children as subjects made my job easier, as they were non-verbal communication experts by right of birth. I started playing around, asking them to tell me the meaning of many different gestures that I had “learned” over the years as a foreigner in Spain, that all Spanish people understood: how to comment on the fact that a room is really crowded, how to express that one is “broke”, and doesn’t have any money, how to describe that somebody is really thin, even how to let my students know that I am getting angry and that they are walking on thin ice. All of these concepts could be understood unanimously amongst my students with a simple movement of the hand. But they were baffled when I told them that if they made these signs in California, nobody would know what they were talking about. It was a first realization of their own cultural code.
The next step was to notice different cultural codes in the world around them. I had always been avid on using DVDs in the classroom, studying dialogues, memorizing dialogues, acting out scenes. But now we started watching DVDs, but with no sound. What do you think is happening? How are the actors using their bodies to communicate? My students started becoming obsessed with corporal language, inventing new signs for new terms, analyzing one another during classroom discussions. Our show-and-tell activities and classroom presentations were much more professional now that the children really understood the importance of incorporating a correct body language to support their message.
From here we opened up the topic to include the importance of symbols within a culture. I quickly organized a PowerPoint presentation of 100 symbols that I knew all of my students would recognize on the spot. And not only could they recognize the symbols, but they were all aware of the deeper meaning rooted to the symbol. The symbol of Mercedes Benz, someone who is rich and powerful, the symbol of Nike, a top athlete. Even symbols like the Red Cross, a Stop sign or a No Smoking sign were instantly recognized as informative. We even took it a step further and began to analyse how symbolism has changed in history, from medieval shields to modern day marketing, changes in fashion as a form of communication, the symbolism behind tribal tattoos or dances, the use of symbols in ceremonies like weddings, funerals, religious celebrations. The possibilities seemed to be endless, and spanned around the globe.
What I liked most about this project on non-verbal communication was what the students ended up bringing to the class themselves. As they began to focus on these aspects of their own culture, they went out into the world around them with a different perspective, one that gave them great insights into a new culture before they even had to utter a word. One student learned the Hakka dance from a neighbour from New Zealand, and told us its meaning. A boy born in Spain to Chinese parents suddenly became interested in the folk tales his grandfather had always told him, and the symbolism involved. It seemed as if every weekend were another opportunity to go out into the world and find the deeper meaning behind the symbols in their paths. Yes, they still complained about the spelling tests and grammar exercises, and I still insisted that they at least try to conjugate their verbs correctly, but I found that with the knowledge of a deeper non-verbal communication that my students were not only developing another language, but were beginning to develop another identity, another sub-culture to add to their own native culture. Not only were they more enthused to learn English, but they were becoming passionate about the different English-speaking cultures themselves, unlocking the secrets to the aspects hidden between the words. In this way I realized that not only should I be responsible for teaching them how to be good speakers, but how to be good communicators.
The Key to Unlocking Second Language Acquisition
As a language teacher, and a mother raising my children in a foreign country, and in a foreign language, my number one goal for both my students and my children is for them to succeed at communicating in a second language. However, it has been frustrating to see time and time again that many first attempts fail miserably. Was it me? Was I not teaching effectively? Did my students just not have the “knack” for speaking in English? When reviewing why the attempts failed I couldn’t detect the problem because, in most cases, they got all of the words right. Verbs had been conjugated adequately, tenses respected, vocabulary correctly applied. But the listener always answered with a look of complete misunderstanding, that horrible “Excuse me?” we get when we attempt to communicate that perfect sentence, one that we had already formulated in our heads before the moment, revised and corrected three times to make sure it was perfect, only to find that we may as well have been speaking in Martian. After years of analyzing these frustrated attempts, the only flaw I could find was that the language just didn’t seem natural. There were no “ums” or “ahs”, no gesticulating hands dancing around thoughtlessly in the air, no wrinkled foreheads or laughing eyes. The big problem was that on first attempts at speaking a foreign language, we are so wrought with attention given to subject-verb agreement and grammatical perfection that the rest of the body seems to shut down to power all of the energy into words. When I read an article that insisted that as much as 40%, and in some instances up to 90%, of communication is non-verbal, I decided it was something I should give my attention to.
But how to teach non-verbal communication in a second language classroom? Wasn’t our time supposed to be filled with vocabulary lists, irregular verbs, spelling tests. It was all about words. I found that when I stopped giving class in English and let my Spanish students have a heated classroom debate in their own language, my classroom was suddenly noisier, rowdier, children leaning back in their chairs, others lifting to their knees with an urgency to be heard, arms flailing in disgust when disagreeing, spontaneous applause given when supportive. How could I “teach” them to do this in English, if they weren’t even aware of what they were doing?
My first task was to do just that, show them what they were “doing.” Having Spanish children as subjects made my job easier, as they were non-verbal communication experts by right of birth. I started playing around, asking them to tell me the meaning of many different gestures that I had “learned” over the years as a foreigner in Spain, that all Spanish people understood: how to comment on the fact that a room is really crowded, how to express that one is “broke”, and doesn’t have any money, how to describe that somebody is really thin, even how to let my students know that I am getting angry and that they are walking on thin ice. All of these concepts could be understood unanimously amongst my students with a simple movement of the hand. But they were baffled when I told them that if they made these signs in California, nobody would know what they were talking about. It was a first realization of their own cultural code.
The next step was to notice different cultural codes in the world around them. I had always been avid on using DVDs in the classroom, studying dialogues, memorizing dialogues, acting out scenes. But now we started watching DVDs, but with no sound. What do you think is happening? How are the actors using their bodies to communicate? My students started becoming obsessed with corporal language, inventing new signs for new terms, analyzing one another during classroom discussions. Our show-and-tell activities and classroom presentations were much more professional now that the children really understood the importance of incorporating a correct body language to support their message.
From here we opened up the topic to include the importance of symbols within a culture. I quickly organized a PowerPoint presentation of 100 symbols that I knew all of my students would recognize on the spot. And not only could they recognize the symbols, but they were all aware of the deeper meaning rooted to the symbol. The symbol of Mercedes Benz, someone who is rich and powerful, the symbol of Nike, a top athlete. Even symbols like the Red Cross, a Stop sign or a No Smoking sign were instantly recognized as informative. We even took it a step further and began to analyse how symbolism has changed in history, from medieval shields to modern day marketing, changes in fashion as a form of communication, the symbolism behind tribal tattoos or dances, the use of symbols in ceremonies like weddings, funerals, religious celebrations. The possibilities seemed to be endless, and spanned around the globe.
What I liked most about this project on non-verbal communication was what the students ended up bringing to the class themselves. As they began to focus on these aspects of their own culture, they went out into the world around them with a different perspective, one that gave them great insights into a new culture before they even had to utter a word. One student learned the Hakka dance from a neighbour from New Zealand, and told us its meaning. A boy born in Spain to Chinese parents suddenly became interested in the folk tales his grandfather had always told him, and the symbolism involved. It seemed as if every weekend were another opportunity to go out into the world and find the deeper meaning behind the symbols in their paths. Yes, they still complained about the spelling tests and grammar exercises, and I still insisted that they at least try to conjugate their verbs correctly, but I found that with the knowledge of a deeper non-verbal communication that my students were not only developing another language, but were beginning to develop another identity, another sub-culture to add to their own native culture. Not only were they more enthused to learn English, but they were becoming passionate about the different English-speaking cultures themselves, unlocking the secrets to the aspects hidden between the words. In this way I realized that not only should I be responsible for teaching them how to be good speakers, but how to be good communicators.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
