Investigation
Following on from the investigation in What is bilingualism? , find out from your students the contexts and activities outside school in which they read and write in a Pasifika (or other) language, and those in which they read and write in English. You could divide these contexts into the categories shown below (and related examples), with students identifying which activities they conduct in a Pasifika (or other) language, and which they conduct in English:
|
Where? |
What activity? |
Who with / who to? |
About what? |
Which language? |
|
Home |
Reading stories |
Younger sister |
Story books |
English and Sāmoan |
|
Home |
Reading a letter |
Relative |
Events |
Sāmoan |
|
Home |
Reading a magazine |
Friends |
Music |
English |
|
Church |
Sunday school |
Pastor/class |
Bible |
Sāmoan |
Once this has been completed, ask the students to form small groups to discuss their reading and writing activities in these contexts. They might also explore these questions:
- How often or how regularly do these activities occur?
- Who decides what language to use in each of the activities?
- Could they imagine doing one of the activities in a different language?
- How can they encourage other family members to read and write in their Pasifika (or other) language and in English?
Have the students report back to the class. In reporting back, ensure that the class considers any issues that discourage the use of Pasifika (or other) languages. Encourage the students to talk with their families about the importance of events that make use of literacy in Pasifika (or other) languages, as well as in English.
Set the students work involving the texts that they have identified engaging with in non-school contexts (for example, a letter from a relative, a favourite family book, a religious text, or lyrics from a popular song). Have the students discuss and write about these particular texts. If the texts are in a Pasifika (or other) language, the students could explain what the texts are in English as part of their school work. This kind of activity affirms literacy for bilingual students in both languages (where possible) and also enhances their metalinguistic awareness . (See the inquiry Is bilingualism an advantage? )
