Lauren Foreman LLED 400 Reading Response 6

One of the articles that I did not have time to fully read and comprehend was Susi Long's "Passionless Text and Phonics First: Through a Child's Eyes". It was all about the journey of how Kelli, an eight year old, had to move from Ohio to Iceland. This is a huge culture shock, and will be a different type of schooling that Kelli is used to. Kelli's mother tracked her progress through transcripts, field notes, audio tapes, friends and family. Within the first month, Kelli was using Icelandic during informal interactions with peers. However, she did not attempt to use the Icelandic language in the formal school setting. Kelli refused to use this language because she was determined to withhold it until she felt she was ready and could properly speak the language. Her inability to read placed her in the category that five and six year olds are normally placed in, which was frustrating for Kelli because the content of this basal text was simple and targeted for five year olds and not eight year olds who can handle a greater content. Kelli wanted to be viewed as competent by her teachers and peers, and she really put in the effort to learn Icelandic. However, she was discouraged and embarrassed by the low level reading she was placed in, and claimed she was reading "baby books". This in turn caused Kelli to dislike reading. This did not lead to Kelli actually understanding any of this material. "Kelli had to rely predominantly on one cue system, graphophonemics, which was not enough to support meaning-making." (pg. 424). She was bored, embarrassed, and confused. I am so glad that I reread this article. I found it so interesting that her teachers wanted her to start off with such simple text meant for such young readers, which while it makes sense for her to learn the structure of Icelandic, it did not help her excel. She was so embarrassed by her work, and I felt bad for her and can understand her struggle. Learning a new language is never easy, and I think that if I were her teacher, I would try to find books that she normally enjoys reading in English translated into Icelandic, so she already understands the content and she can use her prior knowledge to connect the Icelandic language together. I would also use peer groups and tutors so that she can get a grasp of using Icelandic in normal slang conversation as well as making peer connections and friends that could help her along this literary journey. I would not want to bore Kelli and I would want to inspire her to keep learning the language, and using simple worksheets will not do the trick.