Reading and writing in the first language, as described above, are not abilities that one can well forego in the migration, like any other skill. That students be able to obtain and work with written information in their first language is a rather indispensable prerequisite for their holistic bilingual-bicultural development. In addition, a good mastery of the first language also supports the acquisition of literal abilities in the school language of the host country. As a highly effective selection competence, it is also the basis for school success in regular education classes.
The present publication attempts to support the teachers in their demanding task of promoting the students‘ ability to read in their first language and to discover the joy of reading. Moreover, it will provide instructors with examples and ways to purposefully further different areas of reading competencies, such as improving reading fluency, textual comprehension, as well as discovering the joy of reading creatively designed texts with their students.
The introduction to this workbook offers some insights into important issues and aspects of current reading didactics with a focus on certain points that are of specific importance for HLT. The second, practical part includes 30 specific practice suggestions for the areas of reading promotion, reading training and literary-cultural education. These sugggestions are intended specifically for the teachers. They can be implemented easily without time-consuming burdens on classroom instruction and with reading materials which are being discussed anyway. Most of the suggestions can be implemented – with some age-specific adjustments – for students of all age levels. This approach responds to the circumstances in HLT where most classes are age-heterogeneous and taught jointly at different levels.