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My Experience with Learning English
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My feelings about the English language, including both grammar and literature, have changed several times throughout my life. These changes took place as I was influenced by my family and by the different teachers that I have had throughout my academic career. As a young boy, I knew very little about the English language, but the instruction which I have received throughout my academic career has worked to shape my feelings about the English language.
My parents began reading to me when I was very young. When I was only six months old, my parents bought me a number of plastic books. Using simple picture books, my parents taught me to recognize pictures of objects and how to associate those objects with their specific names. I learned how to talk when I was only a year old, and my parents continued to read to me in order to help me build up my vocabulary. I specifically remember my mother reading Sesame Street books to me. When she read to me, she used a different voice for each of the characters. I heard the same stories read to me so many times that I began to memorize them. I was able to recite my favorite stories before I could read them for myself. While I was unable to read, my skills with the English language were developing as I learned and used the words that I heard my parents read to me. My parents, my first teachers, made learning the English language an enjoyable experience for me at a young age.
I began attending preschool at the age of three, and I have a number of memories from that period in my life. My preschool teachers made learning about the English language fun. They ingrained in me the letters of the English alphabet using a number of techniques. I remember gluing uncooked macaroni noodles onto construction paper in order to form different letters of the alphabet. The letters or words that we learned were usually associated with a fun story or with a specific color. The teachers also read a great deal to me and my fellow classmates. Story-time became something that I looked forward to. Because my preschool teachers made learning fun, I looked forward to learning more about the English language at a very young age. My parents further reinforced what I learned in preschool by continuing to read to me at home.
Reading has help shaped my development as a second language learner by being able to acquire what I have learned as a student. I have teachers who are willing to help further my education as a second language learner. Although I am not a fluent native English speaker like other ethnicities, I learn to strive hard in order to understood and communicate with others. Growing up, I struggle with my literacy because my parents did not have any books that will help me advance in my reading growth. Therefore, I can say that my personal sea of stories were different from other peers. I do not have the brightest literacy experience since I grew up in a traditional Hmong family and we lack the advantages to our literacy because my parents were never
Language has been said to effect culture and a person’s way of thinking; in addition to culture effecting language. Throughout the last 100 years there have been apparent and subtle changes in the English language. The changes an English speaking person may see throughout their life time are different catchphrases, the way language is written, the type of formality used, and how deeply English is affected by cultures; as well as how it effects other cultures around the world.
Throughout my childhood I was never very good at reading. It was something I always struggled with and I grew to not like reading because of this. As a child my mom and dad would read books to me before I went to bed and I always enjoyed looking at the pictures and listening. Then, as I got older my mom would have me begin to read with her out loud. I did not like this because I was not a good reader and I would get so frustrated. During this time I would struggle greatly with reading the pages fluently, I also would mix up some of the letters at times. I also struggled with comprehension, as I got older. My mom would make me read the Junie B. Jones books by myself and then I would have to tell her what happened. Most
My literacy journey began long before I had actually learned how to read or write. While recently going through baby pictures with my mother, we came across a photo of my father and I book shopping on the Logos boat, a boat that would come to my island every year that was filled with books for our purchasing. Upon looking at this picture, my mother was quite nostalgic and explained how they began my journey to literacy through experiences like this. My earliest memory of experiencing literature was as a small child. My parents would read bedtime stories to me each night before I went to bed. I vividly remember us sitting on the bed together with this big book of “365 bedtime stories for 365 days” and we read one story each day until we had
After a while I was now beginning to understand the things that my teacher was teaching and understanding the language that the children in the classroom were speaking. It didn't sound like a whole bunch of "blah blah" anymore. I remember the first story that I wrote in my second grade class. It was about a family of baby cats and it wasn't even that long but to me it took forever to write. I was very...
There were many people throughout my childhood that help me to read, and write. However, my teachers, mom, and dad were all responsible for teaching me “how” to read and write. For example, in pre-kindergarten, I learned my alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers, and to follow instructions. Once I learned the above items, I returned home with homework. My mom and dad would help me with my homework, and structure activities around my learning. My mom and dad would encourage me to read because they believed it was very important. In addition, my mom would often read to me before I go to bed reinforce my learning. The readings before I go to be very instrumental in my learning.
As a child, I have always been fond of reading books. My mother would read to me every single night before I went to bed and sometimes throughout the day. It was the most exciting time of the day when she would open the cabinet, with what seemed to be hundreds of feet tall, of endless books to choose from. When she read to me, I wanted nothing more than to read just like her. Together, we worked on reading every chance we had. Eventually I got better at reading alone and could not put a book down. Instead of playing outside with my brothers during the Summer, I would stay inside in complete silence and just read. I remember going to the library with my mom on Saturdays, and staying the entire day. I looked forward to it each and every week.
My first stage of being literate was when I learned the different names of careers such as policeman, fireman, and soon. Also my parent taught me bible verses, since they were not going to be around all the time. Like they said, “Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he’ll be able to eat anytime.” They began teaching me the alphabet, then taught me how to read the bible verses. Even as a child, my parents gave me a duty to have a morning devotional which included song service, bible readings and prayer. I was then introduced to the short bible book stories with pictures which fascinated me as a child. So, I became more curious about getting the well known stories in the bible which would increase my vocabulary and level of comprehension.
Melton, David, How to Help Your Preschooler Learn. New York, NY: David McKay Company, Inc. 1976
One of my favorite childhood books is by Dr. Seuss; it is called “Are You my Mother?” Even before I learned to read myself, this book was being read to me. Thinking back to the early years of my life, I always remember someone reading to me. Every night in my house I would have one, if not both, of my parents read to me and I always looked forward to that. That is where my passion for reading began.
My literacy skills began to develop much like Deborah Brandt suggests in her article of “Sponsors of literacy” My first memories of learning to write are still quite vivid. I remember holding a big fat crayon in my hand as my mother showed me how to write my name. She would draw a large line on the page and I would copy her movements. We started with capital letters and moved on to lower case letters. My memories of learning to read are similar. I remember my mother reading me picture books with large print that somehow turned in to reading sentences. Most of my early memories of learning to read and write include sitting with my mother, older sister and brothers. I had never really thought about the influence your family has on your reading
As I look back on my English 101 experience, I have come to the conclusion that I have learned many new things that have improved my abilities as a writer. I have learned some new techniques that have improved my ways of approaching an essay. I learned all about the rhetorical appeals and how to apply them in my writing and how to look for them in a essay written by a author. I have also learned how to argue both sides of a argument, and how to look for reliable sources and to properly quote and site the author of the essay. I feel as if I have become a better writer and my improved writing skills are shown within each essay.
The English classes that I have taken over the course of my years in school have always been greatly enjoyable. Fortunately, I've been lucky to have had amazing teachers, more than eager to aid me in improving my writing. I believe that as far as my writing skills, there is always room for improvement. There will always be another vocabulary word to learn, or a writing style to master. Although I am not necessarily striving for perfection (I don't dream of being the next Mark Twain or F. Scott Fitzgerald), improving my personal best is what I am invariably working towards. This year in English 101 has served as a very significant step in my writing journey. It gave me a push into the “bootcamp” of college writing, while still retaining certain aspects of writing that I find truly enjoyable.
All of that verbal influence helped incredibly towards being able to talk and understand relatively fast. Whereas reading on my own, supplied no verbal interaction or stimulus. It was all mono and mundane. Most Kids these days have a lot of influences from reading such as bedtime stories from mom or dad, or other family relatives reading to them on occasion. When I was a kid we had game night. If I could be outside interacting with the neighbors, friends, or our dog, this was my preference. Once again this was my stimulus that fueled me with the desire to learn. When it came for the random bedtime story, I fell asleep. Even now when I read, I get bored, and fall
Reading aloud helps a child’s memory, curiosity, and it builds their motivation (“Importance of Reading Aloud”). “Reading aloud introduces the language of books which differs from language heard in daily conversation, on television, and in movies. Book language is more descriptive and uses more formal grammatical structures”. Children learn many things while being read to. The more books that are read to children, the more their vocabulary expands. Reading to children can introduce them to different literature they might not find on their own (Koralek). Another essential skill that children need is the ability to listen, which they learn while being read to (“Importance of Reading Aloud”). Not only does reading give children the ability to listen, it gives them the ability to understand how stories work. “The more a child knows about and experience the joys of reading before kindergarten, the easier it will be to learn to read,” (“Why Reading to Children Is Important”). Reading is fun and the more it is done, the more children will enjoy it