Entry #4 Reading Text in a Foreign Language

I chose a text written in French because I took two years of French in H.S. However, I discovered I have forgotten a LOT of French and not much looked familiar. First, I looked on the internet and found a French-English translator in order to figure out the title of the book. I attempted to read the text but without pictures or any clues and few familiar words I was unable to read much. A few words looked familiar but there was not enough that was familiar for me to even begin to comprehend the text.

I scaled back to a lower level text and although I was able to find more words that were familiar I was still unable to read much and comprehended very little. This text contained some illustrations and I was able to make sense of the captions with my limited French because the pictures helped me with the unfamiliar language.

Finally, I scaled back to a children's book. I chose this book because the picture on the front cover looked like a very familiar story. I went to the internet and checked the title: The Nasty Small Duck - which I assumed was The Ugly Duckling. With the pictures and familiarity with the story, I was able to make sense of the story. Without the pictures I would have been hard-pressed to make much sense of any of it.

As I teacher, I realize that my students need to make connections to text in many different ways in order for it to make sense to them. Even though I do not work with many ELL students, I realize that my English speaking students may need the extra scaffolding and strategies in order to make sense of text. I am often surprised at the questions my students ask about what words mean, when in my mind the context of the story tells the meaning. Sometimes these questions are honest questions and sometimes students simply get into the habit of asking questions without thinking of what they are asking. It is my job to figure out if the question is legitimate by asking what they think; often when I ask a student what they think the are able to take a step back and figure out for themselves. However, with students who are struggling, I need to provide the tools for them to be able to make sense of print, no matter what language it is in.

My strategies were: internet search, looking for familiar words, and using pictures to make sense of the story.