Hi Andres,
I just have such a big problem with the whole Cummins
hegemony...because you see, it can only apply to
selected groups.  If the learners in question are
Spanish-speaking, then most everywhere in the U.S.
there are people who can instruct them in Spanish, L1.
 For most others, maybe not. It's not just the Hmong
and Mien who landed in places like Portland OR and
Seattle WA and other cities around 1980 that would
lack the possibility of L1 grammar and writing
instruction.  Even now, we have adult education
centers with students from all over the world, many of
whom attended little or no school in their own
country, and therefore would not know a verb if it
dropped on their head.  Nor is there anyone around to
explain it to them in their own language.  (BTW,
besides teaching low-level literacy ESL in adult
education, I have taught freshman English courses to
American students in community college: many of them
would not recognize a verb if it dropped on their
heads, either.)

 But in addition to the problem of lack of teachers
who know the L1, you have the fact that adult students
may resist being taught the grammar of their own
language, seeing it as a waste of precious time which
they want to use to learn necessary English. I can
scarcely imagine if I had gone into the classes I
taught at an adult education center a few years ago
(mostly Mexican) and announced that we would spend
hours learning Spanish grammar before getting around
to English.

 Certainly, if there are bus schedules and such
available in the students' language, they should have
them.  But then, of course, they won't see the need to
learn to read a bus schedule in English.

 Really, most people who have grown to be working
adults without academic language skills in their own
language are not going to acquire them in the target
language...except for the few who are naturally
gifted.  Most just want to get by.  However, that
doesn't mean they can't understand and use charts. 
Charts that are  related to things they know about or
things they might need to know on the job are a fun
way to practice vocabulary; students will be
practicing an academic skill without realizing it. 

Jillian

--- "Muro, Andres" <amuro5 at epcc.edu> wrote:


> We do a lot of print literacy with low literacy L1

> students. However, we

> do native language literacy before we do L2

> instruction. The person who

> has researched this subject the most is Jim Cummins.

> According to

> Cummins there are BICS (basic interpersonal

> communication skills) and

> CALPS (cognitive academic language proficiency

> skills). The process to

> go from BICS to CALPS is from BICS to CALPS in L1.

> It is very difficult

> to go from BICS in L1 to CALPS in L2. However, it is

> easier to go from

> CALPS in L1 to CALPS in L2. 

> 

> For example, say that you have an L1 student. It is

> nearly impossible

> that the student will be able to recognize verbs in

> L2 if someone has

> not taught the student that a verb is an action

> word. Same goes with

> nouns, adjectives, etc. However, once students have

> mastered the concept

> of verbs, adjectives and nouns, etc. they will be

> able to understand

> recognize them in a second language. 

> 

> You can see this ability in math pretty well. Math

> is a cognitive skill.

> Once mastered in one language it will be easily

> applied in other

> languages. However, if you don't know math in L1, it

> will be twice as

> tough to acquire math in L2. 

> 

> In language learning the same applies. A person with

> L1 CALPS knows what

> verbs, nouns and adjectives are. They also know how

> a paragraph looks.

> They know that sentences include subjects, verbs and

> objects, what

> complete sentences are and the differences between a

> paragraph and an

> essay. 

> 

> For reading charts and maps the same applies. Once a

> person knows how to

> read a chart or map in L1, they will use the same

> skills with L2. 

> 

> Assuming that you can get bus schedules in your

> community, they may be

> printed in two or more languages. You can get health

> brochures and other

> stuff in various languages. You could help the

> students acquire

> information in L1, and then ask them to perform the

> same skill in L2. 

> 

> Andres 

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov

> [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf

> Of

> elizabeth.andress at spps.org

> Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 6:17 AM

> To: englishlanguage at nifl.gov

> Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2058] How to help

> low-literacy students

> developchart-reading ability

> 

> Hello.  I teach a high-beginning ELL class, and am

> planning a

> practitioner-research project this year that focuses

> on strengthening

> the

> literacy skills of the low-literate Ss in the class,

> those with

> little/no

> literacy experience in L1, who continue to

> demonstrate many obstacles to

> navigating print documents, even though they have

> been able to test into

> high-beginning.  I'm focusing particularly on the

> reading skills needed

> to

> read information in charts (needed in real life,

> necessary for success

> on

> the CASAS 81/82RX test).  I would appreciate input

> on two questions:

> 

> - Where can I learn more about the cognitive

> constructs these Ss bring

> to

> this kind of literacy task?  I.e., what do we know

> about Ss who haven't

> oriented to print in their growing up years, or had

> any academic

> experience, and how they relate to information on a

> printed page?

> 

> - What strategies have you used that have helped

> such Ss strengthen

> their

> chart-reading abilities?

> 

> Thank you.

> 

> Liz Andress

> St. Paul, MN

> elizabeth.andress at spps.org

> 651-296-4826

> 

> 

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