Using Dual Language Books

There are many different ways in which the books can be used for different purposes.

• to support the understanding of children new to English: for example using a Turkish/English version of the Three Billy Goats Gruff with a tape or audio CD will help a Turkish speaking child to follow the story when it is used in class, to participate in activities and to start reading in English. The two written texts will be particularly supportive if the child is already literate in Turkish.
• to provide familiar texts for children new to the English class. Finding a story to read or listen to in a familiar language can be a very comforting experience for a child bewildered by an all English environment. Many children gain pride and confidence from being able to demonstrate their understanding and literacy skills.
• to introduce all children to new languages and scripts and encourage curiosity and language learning. Many teachers have found this one of the most valuable uses for dual-language books.
• to encourage bilingual children to read in the language of their community. Opportunities to become literate in the language of the home are very limited in this country and unless children have been educated overseas, they may have very limited literacy skills. Often the only teaching available is for two or three hours in a complementary school (also known as supplementary schools, mother tongue schools, Saturday schools) or in the home. Using a dual-language book can help children who are more confident in English to read in their home language. Sending the books home for parents to read with their children has been popular with many families, as access to children’s literature may be limited. Some parents have reported that they particularly value the books, because they can improve their reading in English while teaching their child to read in the home language. The Ethnic Minority Achievement Team in the London Borough of Redbridge has recently involved parents in a project entitled Developing Reading Skills through Home Languages.

The most common ways of using the books in the classroom include bilingual staff, parents or visitors reading to children and/or making audio tapes; children reading with support from audio tapes, CDs or a friend in the listening area; in conjunction with drama, games, masks and puppets as a basis for cross curricular activities in the classroom.

Teachers making books with pupils and their families to explore personal heritage and experience have used some of the following ideas:

• writing and illustrating a personal version of a favourite family story from the home country;
• writing about a significant event related to family history or moving to another country;
• writing about a visit to the “old country”;
• writing about a photograph (or a sequence of photos);
• constructing a family tree together;
• writing about significant artefacts and their uses.

However, teachers experimenting with the use of dual-language books have come up with many exciting and innovative ways of using them and making new ones. (Extract from Sneddon and Malik, 2005. Now We Are Talking, Lynk Reach)

Writing and illustrating a personal version of a favourite family story from the home country - Claire John

CABDI AND THE HYENA – Somali/English - A Home-School Project in Bristol

Claire John reports:

The making of the book formed part of a home-school project with parents and children at St Barnabas CEVC Primary School in Bristol during 2002. A Somali parents’ group at the school suggested the story of Cabdi and the Hyena – a fable similar to that of ‘the boy who cried wolf’. One of the parents wrote it out in Somali and a teaching assistant at the school translated this into English.  A group of Somali children from several year groups, who had expressed interest in the book, then spent the spring term working on the illustrations. They talked to parents, relatives and friends who had lived in rural Somalia and consulted published literature in order to research the background to their illustrations. The children’s illustrations and text were then collated by a professional designer who worked closely with the school throughout.

The home-school project culminated in a memorable Somali cultural festival which was largely organized and run by the parents themselves. During the two-day festival the entire school, parents and friends participated in a varied programme of cultural activities (including the erection in the school hall of a genuine Somali Akul, or tent, along with associated accoutrements for daily nomadic life).  Cabdi and the Hyena was launched at the festival.  Its production was funded entirely by the school, from which copies are still available.