| Children who come at a young age (under age 8) rarely seem to need help with pronunciation. However, their knowledge of the sound system of the language may take a little long as the sound systems of two (or more) languages get sorted out. Young children often learn the new language and drop their first language under social pressure, so encourage them about how nice it is to be bilingual.
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| The younger children are also typically learning English at the same time they are learning to read. Take extra care to ALWAYS associate meaning with reading. (The danger otherwise since they may know so few words is that reading becomes an exercise NOT associated with meaning).
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| Children learning English who are 10-11 years old or thereabouts often become equally fluent in English and in their first language.
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| Those learning English at puberty and beyond often (but not always) have a persistant 'accent' from the first language. Reading is the primary focus, but a few tips on pronunciation that ease comprehension could help you to understand the child and also make it more likely they will associate more with those speaking English (which will greatly help their English skills in areas beyond pronunciation).
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| As with children who are behind in reading for reasons not related to learning English, finding age-appropriate material at the right reading level is sometimes a challenge! Look for the hi-lo series in the center (high level of interest, low reading level) -- or see the Program Coordinator for advice.
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