Literacy/Teaching of language in non-linguistic areas in a bilingual school: The experience of Spanish Ministry of Education/ British Council bilingual project

Abstract

In this article, I suggest that literacy is much more than the initial teaching of the mechanics of reading and writing to young children. Using the Spanish Ministry of Education/ British Council bilingual project as a model, I draw on two examples of literacy through subject teaching in the primary school years. This involves the consideration of reading skills as being an active process which enables a reader to use thinking, speaking and writing to construct meaning and communicate effectively. The article also highlights the transferability and interdependency of the literacy skill between a child’s first and second languages. The article concludes with the suggestion that equipping young people with the skill of critical literacy is helping put them in control of their lives and providing more access to cultures and society in the 21st century. The final section offers practical guidance for parents on how to provide support for  their children in  order to develop critically literate readers.