Reading and writing transition

People only need to learn how to read one time. Once they have learned to read in a language that they speak, they can easily transfer their reading skills into another language that they speak.

Some people may think they know how to read because they have learned to sound out syllables and words. They may have learned this skill either in their mother tongue or in a second language. Here are some situation in which this might have occurred:

• They began learning to read in a second language, possibly one they do not speak well.
• They were taught to read from a primer that focused heavily on sounds and not on meaningful text.

However, they did not learn to read for meaning.

Before they are ready for transition into reading another language, these people need to learn that what they read has meaning and is not just an exercise in decoding symbols.

• Instructional programs

See the following online book for more information:

• Reading Transfer

See the following online articles for more information:

• A back transition primer
• A model for a transitional primer
• A Whole Language approach to transition literacy
• Making readers literate
• Teaching materials and teachers guides for transition from L2 to L1
• Transition idea
• Transition primers
• The preparation of transitional reading materials
• A transition reading book Tok Pisin to Tok Ples

• Fact module: Reading and writing transition, by Georgia G. Hunter, Nancy J. Loveland (contributor), and Leah B. Walter (compiler)
• In overview module: Instructional programs, by Kenneth A. Boothe (contributor), Leah B. Walter (contributor), and Glenys Waters (contributor)
• In modular book: Implement a literacy program, by Carole P. Spaeth (compiler) and Leah B. Walter (compiler)
• 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: 16 September 1999

© 1999 SIL International