Entry #3

     Oral language is an integral part of the reading process.  Reading is how we process written communication, which is produced first by oral communication. The reading process is difficult for students that have limited oral communication skills. I compare this thinking with the experience I had learning Spanish.  Early on in my Spanish classes my teachers would give reading assignments in Spanish.  When my vocabulary and background knowledge of Spanish was in the early stages, reading was extremely difficult.  I would look for words that were similar to English to help me process the assignment.  As my vocabulary developed, reading in Spanish became much easier and I was actually able to become more fluent with my readings. Due to this experience, I have always empathized with our students that come into school with limited or no English at all. 
  In Essential Linguistics, Freeman and Freeman commented on the fact that students may have stronger social language, but when it comes to school language they struggle due to the lack of background knowledge.  This relates to the reading process because reading is a challenge for students when they do not have the language, vocabulary and background knowledge.  As teachers, we can work to build our students language skills, along with vocabulary and background knowledge so that they can be strong readers.