Why are home languages so important?
Many of our families at ISA speak a language other than English at home. There is a massive benefit for students in continuing to develop their skills in these languages, and we want to support families with this. It is important because:
Language is closely tied to culture, and is part of your child's identity. Children who continue to study their Home Language are less likely to feel alienated from their home country, or worry about loss of identity.
Students learn English more quickly and effectively when they maintain and develop their Home Language (Cummins).
Your child is more likely to build the crucial habit of reading for pleasure if they also read in their Home Language. Regular reading for pleasure has a positive impact on every single school subject – even maths! (Sullivan).
Children may return to their home country at some point, so it is important for them to continue to learn their Home Language, to make this transition easier.
Skills that your child learns in one language can be transferred to another language. For example, reading prediction skills, or phonics.
Spending time using your Home Language with your children will reinforce their confidence that they can communicate successfully at a high level, and encourage them to aspire to do the same in English.
Continuing to learn two or more languages helps your child to be more Internationally-minded.
Being bilingual is an incredibly valuable skill that can lead to career and business opportunities as an adult.
Why do you call these languages "Home languages"?
Different organisations use different terms for these languages - we find Home languages to be the simplest term to use, and is easily understandable. They are the languages that children usually speak at home!
"Mother tongue" - it may be a child's father, not their mother, that speaks the language. Also, the word "tongue" feels less respectful than the word "language", and can be confusing to families who are not fluent in English.
"Second language" or "Additional language" - often these languages are a family's first language, so these terms are not always accurate.
After school home language classes
We provide after-school home language classes in some languages, to enable students to continue to develop their skills; these classes are aimed at students who are already speaking the language at home to some level. These small group classes are provided by an external tutor once a week, and a fee is required, which is paid direct to the tutor. Most of these tutors are provided through Careli Language Services, a local Aberdeen company. The languages that we currently provide after school classes for are:
Arabic - Hanene Hmani (Mondays)
Brazilian Portuguese - Eliana Pfennig (Tuesdays)
Spanish - Raffaela Bovero (Wednesdays)
Russian - Marina Aguiar (Thursdays)
If you are interested in your child joining one of these classes, please contact Eliana Pfennig on info@careli.co.uk . If you would be interested in your child attending an after-school class for a different language, please contact us. We would be pleased to add in additional classes if we have a small group of interested families, and can find a suitable teacher. We are hoping to shortly start a Hindi home language class - if you would be interested in joining this, please email library@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk .
Dutch at ISA. We have a separate Dutch home language class which takes place on Tuesdays, 4.15-5.15pm. This is run by Nederlandse Taal and is open to both ISA students and non-ISA students, and there is a fee for classes, paid direct to the teacher. This class is taught by Marleen Biesheuvel - for more information please contact her at nt.aberdeen@gmail.com.
Chinese (Mandarin) at ISA. We have an external Chinese Language and Culture School which runs at ISA on Sundays. It is open to all students in the Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire community, and there is a fee for the classes, but ISA students are able to join at no cost. This Chinese school caters to students with a range of language levels. If you would be interested in your child taking part, please contact Yang Ye at clclcentre@gmail.com .
Section 4: Borrowing library books in different languages
We have books in our school library in over 25 different languages, and students, staff and parents are all welcome to borrow these. Reading aloud together with your child is a great way to encourage their language skills, and celebrate your shared language. Here is a list of all the languages we have books for in the library.
Parents can email the library to join, and can then borrow up to 6 books at a time - more library information is available here.
Helping your child develop their home language
Use your home language when talking to the adults around you - children copy your actions much more than they follow your instructions!
Sing songs in your home language.
Buy a cuddly toy who only "understands" your home language, and come up with a funny voice for when they talk.
Read a book aloud in your home language.
Watch a film in your home language (you can always put on English subtitles if needed).
Pick a time of day when your whole family speaks only in your home language, for example , breakfast-time at weekends.
Video call relatives and talk in your home language.
Go on a play date with another family who share the same home language.
Organise regular lessons with a native-speaking teacher.
Talk about their schoolwork at home in your Home Language, so they can learn new academic vocabulary in both languages.
Search youtube for fun-but-appropriate music videos and other clips in your Home Language.
Find a good quality radio/TV station online in your Home Language, and listen/watch regularly together.
Works Cited and Further Reading
Cummins, Jim. “Bilingual Children's Mother Tongue: Why Is Is Important for Education?” Sprogforum, vol. 19, 2001, pp. 15–20., http://www.lavplu.eu/central/bibliografie/cummins_eng.pdf .
Sullivan, Alice, and Matt Brown. “Reading for Pleasure and Progress in Vocabulary and Mathematics.” British Educational Research Journal, vol. 41, no. 6, 2015