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Hi,
How do I explain the influence of a language that is spoken in a family setting everyday, and how that language
impacts a child's learning ability in a regular ed. setting, even if the child
doesn't speak it fluently? Many faculty
members don't understand the ESL program. Thanks.

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Re: Language acquistion

by Tracy on Nov 13 2009 3:00 PM

If the child never hears the word in English at home, he or she knows the CONCEPT, but can't pull up the word. For instance, they may see mom make a turkey for Thanksgiving, but mom is saying the word in Spanish. So you know what that big bird is, you know what it is for, you just have never heard the English name for it. ELL's are constantly working at making sense of what the hear and read. They get the gist of it, but while they are putting the two languages together, they don't have the deeper comprehension.

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