My current ESL student and I spend ~half our time reading different types of passages together. We have read scientific articles, poems, and passages form several novels. She has trouble understanding the nuances of the readings and I have found that these troubles largely stem from #7 (lack of the "cultural literacy" assumed by the text's author) and #8 (inadequate vocabulary) of Engaging Ideas . The cultural literacy issues are, at least on the surface, easier to deal with ( e.g. , not understanding the Christ story) as I can summarize the high points. I find that vocabulary is a more pressing concern because sometimes it is not simply a matter of looking up a difficult word in the dictionary but knowing when to look up a word. For example, my student was confused about the word 'tempered' used in a poem. The way 'tempered; was used in the poem was meant to convey strengthening, however she only knew the definition of the emotion ( e.g. , a bad-tempered baby...
Comments
Post a Comment