Exposing people to reading and writing

People who live in communities without a history of literacy need to be exposed to the concepts of reading and writing. They need to understand that reading and writing are forms of communication.

It may be difficult to find enough reading materials to use if none have been developed yet in the language. Be creative.

Here are some ideas for materials you can use to expose people to reading and writing:

• Books, magazines, and other materials in other languages to look at and handle
• Letters
• Pictures, drawings, and photographs
• Simple hand-written language learning texts
• Stories people tell you
• Test copies of newly produced materials

Here are some guidelines to follow when you expose people to reading and writing:

• Begin informal activities as soon as you arrive in a community, when interest is high.
• Do the activities in a relaxed atmosphere, wherever and whenever you can.
• Encourage local people to do informal literacy activities together with their friends and families, especially if they know something about reading and writing.

• Encourage people to look at and handle books, magazines, and pictures.
• Create a print-rich environment.
• Use informal activities for developing language awareness.
• Use informal activities for modeling reading and writing.

• Preparing people to read and write

• Clay 1979
• Durkin 1989
• Ollilia 1988
• Weaver 1990

• Task module: Exposing people to reading and writing, by Delle P. Matthews, Anne Klaassens (contributor), Leah B. Walter (contributor), Ken Boothe (contributor), and Trudy K. Stewart (general editor)
• In task module: Preparing for a literacy program
• In modular book: Prepare for a literacy program, by Stephen L. Walter, Mary Morgan, and Leah B. Walter
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 22 December 1999

© 1999 SIL International