Can Science of Reading help multilingual learners?

Absolutely!

As teacher of English language learners, and a parent of a multilingual learner, I’ve seen first-hand the benefits of Science of Reading (SoR) principles — as well as the perils of missing out.

It’s why I started StoryWorld!

My son, who grew up in Shanghai China, did not learn phonics in school and was falling behind in English.  When we returned to the U.S. mid-way through his 3rd grade, his teacher told me: “Well, his Chinese is great, but he can’t read.”  

So, he was moved back to 2nd grade, but he had clearly missed the basics.  He could not even get through a 1st-grade level book.  It took every creative approach and resource I could find to help him. He had to catch up, and we had to do it quickly.

What was the secret? Stories!  What was the glue? Phonics!

After much trial and error, it worked.  Stories became the hook with phonics carefully woven in. Eventually, I decided to put everything that worked into StoryWorld.  Through the program, I share all the activities and resources that I’ve found to make a difference: engage through compelling stories, focus on core literacy skills, include all modalities, grow crucial vocabulary, and secure a strong foundation in decoding with as much practice as possible. 

I’m happy to say he caught up, and can now speak, read, and write fluently in two languages.

I can personally attest to how effective these core Science of Reading principles are, especially when applied in concert. I’ve seen the immense benefits for multilingual learners including my son. And, if it helped him, I believe they will help others as well.

So, how does a teacher incorporate Science of Reading principles for MLLs?

First, Science of Reading is not phonics, nor is it a “program.” SoR is an evidence-based framework that recognizes that reading is a multilayered process that encompasses five key literacy principles: phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

The task of teaching all these processes is not easy, especially to multilingual students who have many diverse linguistic challenges. But to succeed, we must apply our best.  MLLs need to navigate the complexities of converting new sounds into new words, decode those words from symbols (sometimes having to learn an entirely new alphabetic system), and at the same time comprehend what is being communicated. 

To break down the process, here is how each of the five key Science of Reading principles can be applied to MLLs and help them read English more quickly:

Step 1: Phonological Awareness

By first deconstructing the sounds of words into recognizable phonemes educators provide MLLs (along with all students) with a solid foundation for learning how to decode words, a crucial step toward reading proficiency. For these students, being able to listen to the sounds of individual letters is extremely helpful. This process is also crucial for students who are not familiar with the alphabetic system. 

Step 2: Phonics Instruction

Explicit and systematic phonics instruction is also critical for MLLs, and especially for those who struggle with the phonetic intricacies of the English language. By teaching the basic word-sound relationship, educators provide MLLs with a coherent approach to decoding written words.  For these students, being able to listen to individual words in a sentence — and in context — is very useful.  But an over-emphasis on phonics at the expense of basic English language practice, can quickly reach a point of diminishing returns.  Which leads to the importance of vocabulary…. 

Step 3: Vocabulary Development 

Vocabulary development is critical for all learners — and especially MLLs! The Science of Reading recognizes the importance of vocabulary development including practice in word meaning, usage, and especially high-frequency words. By incorporating relevant, content-specific vocabulary activities into lessons, educators can support MLLs in expanding their linguistic skills and comprehension, thereby creating a stronger foundation for reading as well as verbal and written expression.

Step 4: Fluency Building

Fluency means being able to read aloud a text accurately and with meaning. I’ve worked with many English learners (both native-English speakers and MLLs) who can read aloud fluently but have limited knowledge of what they actually read!  MLLs can especially benefit if they understand generally what they are reading in advance of having to read the text in order to reduce the cognitive load required to decode.  

MLLs should be expected to practice more than their native English peers through repeated oral reading of texts to demonstrate both oral fluency and meaning.  (Native English speakers also benefit by this practice!) Using read-aloud texts narrated by native-English speakers to model oral fluency, can further help fluency especially at the early stages of literacy development.

Step 5: Comprehension Strategies:

Ultimately reading is about comprehension. For MLLs, comprehension is the last important hurdle, especially as vocabulary becomes more complex. Because MLLs are often shy about expressing themselves verbally, their lack of oral fluency can slow down English proficiency. However, targeted practice like retelling a story, answering open-ended answers that require use of a broader lexicon (e.g., depth of knowledge or inference questions), not only reinforces language recall, it significantly improves the ability of MLLs to develop more confidence in language usage as their English proficiency grows.

Multilingual learners face distinct challenges, particularly in mastering the intricacies of language acquisition.  However, with practice in all modalities (listening, speaking, writing, as well as reading) combined with tenacity and our encouragement, they will succeed!

Cynthia Harrison Barbera

Cynthia Harrison Barbera is President and CEO, StoryWorld International.  She served as VP Educational Technology for Scholastic and is the recipient of two US Presidential awards. An Emmy-award winner for a television series on education, she has taught English to native-speakers and ELL students in the US and overseas.

Cynthia and son in front of a statue that was based on the same tale as the StoryWorld book Four Friends.

References:

Linklater, et al., 2009, Yeung & Ganotice, 2014; Shanahan & Beck, 2008; Chiappe, Siegel, & Wade-Woolley, 2002; Shanahan, 2019; Hakuta et al., 2015; Townsend et al., 2012; Geva, et al., 1997; Geva & Yaghoub-Zadeh, 2006, Wolf & Katzir-Cohen, 2001; Farnia & Geva, 2011; IES/NCEE, 2022.