Storytelling helps young English learners grow

For most children, language skill development begins at home. Young children from families newly arrived in the United States often do not speak English at home, making it harder for them to learn.

At Gabriela Mistral Center for Early Childhood in Houston, Texas, pre-K students learning English as their second language go through the school’s Oral and Written Language Laboratory, or OWL Lab. The program focuses on storytelling and oral communication skills in order to begin building students’ vocabulary at a young age.

The school developed the curriculum five years ago with Rice University based on research that storytelling and dramatic play help children expand their literacy and communication skills. Teachers find creative ways for students to explore language or tell their own stories, like acting them out. Students even “write” their own stories by dictating them to adults.

“We know that oral language is the foundation for everything that will happen later on,” said Debbie Paz, associate director of early literacy and bilingual programs at Rice. “It’s what they will need for reading and writing later on.”

Giving children the independence to create their own stories and explore language in a way that interests them also helps build their self-esteem and motivation to learn, according to teacher Lori Espinoza.

The school encourages parents to visit and learn some of the techniques teachers use to get kids talking. Helping parents recognize the important role they play in their children’s language development also encourages them to take part in storytelling by sharing their own journeys.

Teachers from across Houston Independent School District visit the school to receive training they can bring back to their classrooms.

Vocab

• Early childhood education – a branch of education theory which relates to the teaching of young children up until the age of about eight; public policy discussions in recent years have focused on the outcome of such programs as lawmakers debate funding for Pre-K programs
• English Language Learner – abbreviated “ELL,” students who are learning the English language in addition to their native language
• curriculum – the subjects comprising a course of study