On 3rd June 2023, Our Bilingual Futures II took place at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (Novena campus). Organized by the Brain, Language and Intersensory Perception (BLIP), Clinical Brain Lab (CBL) and Learning Brain Lab (LBL), the event was catered for parents who are interested to learn how to raise bilingual children, and for educators who are curious to find out about how best to teach languages to children. The format of the event was similar to…
What are graphic novels? Graphic novels are picture books that are drawn in a similar way to comic books. Storylines of graphic novels are told in a series of panels with narratives, dialogues, and exclamations. (Scholastic, 2015) In this month’s book recommendations, we suggest some graphic novels in English and Chinese that provide rich visuals to motivate children to read. We have also included some picture books below for the younger ones! English Graphic Novels 1. These novels are…
What comes to mind when we think of a library? A building or room filled with shelves of books? A place where people go to when they want to read? Over the years, new libraries have been built across Singapore, alongside others that were revamped to provide better quality books and environments for library users (Ho, 2020). Libraries in Singapore house more than just reading materials and are now places that draw the community together. We recommend the following three…
Fig 1. Strategies for Interactive Reading Children enjoy spending time with their parents while actively listening to their parents reading storybooks or telling interesting stories to them. Is there more to interactive reading between parents and children than just enjoyment? In this post, we will discuss the importance of interactive reading! Interactive reading is a form of positive experience that can enhance children’s language learning and reading abilities. During interactive reading, both readers (e.g., the parent and the child) are…
On 18 March 2023, the Science of Reading (SOR) blog team was part of an outreach event at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine campus in Novena (11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232). The event titled ‘Our Bilingual Futures: The science of raising bilingual children’ aimed to increase public awareness about research on raising bilingual children and also covered how research findings can be translated to everyday tips for language learning! This event, organized by the Brain, Language and Intersensory…
Part of our pursuit in understanding reading development lies in identifying the neural brain networks used during reading activities. To do so, some of our projects make use of a brain imaging technique called Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). MRI is preferred in research as it is non-invasive and is able to create highly detailed images of the brain in real-time (Hoyos et al., 2019). Unlike X-rays, MRI does not use radiation and no long-term harmful effects are implicated in MRI…
Children read or “decode” English words in ways that are distinct from those used to break down Chinese characters. Although some children might be able to decode either English or Chinese words, such skills do not carry over to the other language. Instead, different decoding strategies have to be learned and retained in order to gain understanding in that particular language. Hence, it is common for children to be better in one language compared to another. Figure 1. Example…
1. Dance and Sing-a-long Click here for the full song! Click here to enjoy the full playlist! Bonus: Frosty the Snowman 2. Take a magical book ride Visit Singapore’s National Library Board website to find the book at your nearest library or online! Visit Singapore’s National Library Board website to find the book at your nearest library or online! 3. Arts & Crafts View this link for some crafty ideas! Bonus for the little ones: visit this site for Christmas-themed…
Book Recommendations for 30 November 2022 Content by: Keval Edited & Illustrated by: Michelle & Phoebe Reviewed by: Annabel, Joyce & Marilyn References: Bread and jam for Frances / by Russell Hoban; pictures by Lillian Hoban. (2022). In National Library Board. https://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/WPAC/BIBENQ/400527856/4072920,1 Katz, A. (2021). Trouble in Toyland: Elf Academy Series, Book 1 / alan katz. National Library Board. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/WPAC/BIBENQ/401444926/367819857,1https://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/WPAC/BIBENQ/401444926/367819857,1 Schulze, B. (2020, August 4). The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | Book Review. The…
Beyond book-reading, what are some other ways that children can learn to master languages? Read on for some recommendations – backed by research related to the science of reading! 1) Drama-based activities Drama involves rich stories, interactions, and imagination. These components make drama an engaging and effective method in helping children develop language skills. Conversational ability is one direct impact of drama-based activities on language skills. Research suggests that collaborating in drama-based activities helps to promote self-initiated discussion among peers…