Tip #154 from Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKinley, Trombly) - the language experience approach

 


Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.

 

#154

The Language Experience Approach

 

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

~ Maya Angelou

 

Teachers of young students often use the Language Experience Approach (LEA) to teach kids early reading and writing skills. This approach to teaching reading and writing uses words and stories from the student's own language and her own experience. The theory behind this approach is that when kids write about what is familiar to them, it is easier and more natural for them to read it back. The beauty of this method is that it can be done easily at home as well. All you need is a pencil, paper, and a little bit of fun!

 

1.     Provide your child an exciting or interesting experience. (It can be a grand experience like a trip to a museum, a vacation, or party, or it can be simple such as baking cookies, going on a hike, or building a model.)

2.     As soon as you finish, sit down with your child and write about the experience you had. If your child is young, you should take dictation, writing everything she says. If she is older, allow her to write it on her own. You may even choose to alternate writing one sentence (that she dictates) and then asking her to write one.

3.     Remember, it’s not just making it a little easier on her (and therefore a little less of a “chore”) when you write, too. It is also a terrific way for you to model good spelling and grammar. Talk out loud as you capitalize certain things and say why. Mention aloud where you place a period or comma.

4.     Model reading the sentences back to her as you go. Encourage her to read them as well. If she is writing and reading on her own, this will help her to hear if her sentences are making sense along the way.

5.     When she is finished telling or writing about her experience, there are many things you can do with the piece, depending on the age of your child.

 

For younger children:

●      Read and reread it often to practice reading skills. Point to individual words as you say them.

●      Type it or rewrite the words neatly (edited) to send to relatives. (You can read about editing in Idea #160.)

●      You can write the individual sentences on strips. Mix them up, and have her rearrange them back into the correct order. (Of course, these can also be printed from the computer in a large font and still cut into strips.)

●      Cover a word, and have her try to figure out the word using a variety of strategies. (See Idea #83 for various strategies.)

●      Have her recopy the sentences in her neatest writing, even in cursive if she’s learned it yet.

 

For older children:

●      She can edit her own writing.

●      Have her type it or rewrite it neatly to send to relatives.

●      Make a brochure of the information. (Idea #163 for ideas.)

●      Have her read it to siblings or other family members.

 

Don’t forget to display her writing somewhere (at the message center?) for all to see. Writing about what your child knows (and has just experienced) should make the writing fun and meaningful. It will also help her to read it more easily because they are her own words.

 

 

                                             


     Cindy McKinley Alder                                            Patti Trombly

 

For more posts about the authors and their books (this is not the only one), click HERE.

For excerpts from more books, click HERE. 

For more excerpts from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents, click HERE.

          For more posts about books about parenting, click HERE. 



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