Abstract
Educators often do not recognize biliteracy and bidialectalism in African American Language (AAL) speakers. Chronicling the experiences of twin four/five-year old AAL and emergent Standard English speakers, we discuss the importance of recognizing and building on the routines and identities of African American children and families. We present three strategies for supporting the learning of African American children who are biliterate and bidialectal. Using the academic literature which illustrates African American children’s communicative virtuosity as a backdrop, we use language samples from twin AAL-speakers to illustrate key points. Emphasis is placed on the importance of building on African American children’s communication styles in classrooms and helping them to negotiate and move between two different discourse communities for both oral and written language.
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Notes
Jaliyah and Janiyah are the authors’ grandchildren. Their mother granted permission to write about them. We are intrigued by their preference for African American Language (AAL) even though Standard English (SE) is also spoken in their home and by most family members. While it is interesting to explore why they find AAL more compelling than SE, the purpose of this article is to think about ways teachers can support their emergent biliteracy and bidialectalism.
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Boutte, G.S., Johnson, G.L. Do Educators See and Honor Biliteracy and Bidialectalism in African American Language Speakers? Apprehensions and Reflections of Two Grandparents/Professional Educators. Early Childhood Educ J 41, 133–141 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0538-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0538-5