Building Systems of Opportunity in Language Acquisition: The Three Necessary Shifts (Part Two)
Written by: Amelia Larson, Chief Academic Officer, Summit K12.
In Shift 1 we challenged the familiar saying, “In K–3, children are learning to read, and in 4–12, they’re reading to learn.” Instead, we proposed a new paradigm: combining “Learning to Read” and “Reading to Learn” as early as possible for lifelong literacy success.
Shift 2 emphasizes the interconnected nature of language, coding, meaning, and knowledge-building in literacy development. It challenges the idea that decoding and word recognition should be taught in isolation. Instead, it advocates for a reciprocal approach, where early reading instruction simultaneously develops strong word-reading skills, sustained language comprehension, and content-area learning.
Children, birth to eight, from homes in which a language other than – or in addition to – English is used are referred as dual language learners (DLLs). According to the Migration Policy Institute (2021), approximately 7.4 million emerging bilingual children represent about 33% of all children under age six in the United States. Over 80% of dual language learners (DLLs) are children of color, and nearly 60% live in homes where Spanish is spoken (Herrera et al., 2022). Given the growing attention to code-based literacy, the rapid growth of this population, and the critical role early childhood education (ECE) plays in their academic success, it is essential to examine broader research findings, clarify confusions and misconceptions surrounding code-based skills for DLLs in order to address the unique linguistic and educational needs of DLLs effectively.
Early Language and Reading Success
The science of early literacy starts with language and builds on language-based skills as well as code-based skills. It is also closely linked to children’s earliest experiences. The oral language ability — vocabulary skills and phonological sensitivity — that children acquire in the years before school supports the direct role that code-based skills play in the early stages of reading (Brown, 2014; Storch & Whitehurst, 2002).
Cervetti and colleagues (2020) found a robust link between a child’s language abilities and subsequent reading comprehension. In fact, young children with more developed oral language skills often become better readers, as a broader vocabulary helps them decode text more easily, thereby conserving cognitive resources for comprehension (Byrnes, 2021).
If students don’t understand a spoken word, they’ll struggle to understand it in print, even if they can decode it accurately. The payoff depends on whether they know the word meanings of what they managed to pronounce. Children who grow up immersed in English can automatically associate meaning to speech sounds through countless interactions. This familiarity with sounds and language structures forms a foundation for learning to read. For these children, early decoding usually leads directly to comprehension because they are familiar with most of the words they encounter.
DLLs bring similar foundational language knowledge from their home languages. As such, when entering schools in the US, they must also learn the structure of the English language. This learning is best supported through engaging, interactive experiences to hear and engage with language that reflect natural language acquisition. For DLLs “who don’t know the meanings of English words, decoding provides pronunciation, but not comprehension.” In other words, phonics is a necessary but insufficient condition for reading comprehension (Shanahan, 2018).
Dual Language Development and Code-Based Instruction
DLLs, especially those in the early stages of English acquisition, need targeted support in both language and code-based skills. They can develop language simultaneously by absorbing and internalizing the structures, rhythms, sounds, and vocabulary of two (or more) specific language systems. Research shows that programs with the most enduring effectiveness for DLLs are those that incorporate instruction in the home language or, at a minimum, provide home language instruction alongside English Language Development (Arias & Fee, 2018; Genesee, 2018; Lindholm-Leary, 2016; Mohist & Genesee, 2015; Soltero, 2016, 2011). Literacy skills developed in a student’s home language can aid English literacy through cross-linguistic transfer, strengthening both phonological and semantic understanding in English.
Continue Reading: Shift 2: Building Systems of Opportunity in Language Acquisition: The Three Necessary Shifts
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