Sample Multilingual Activity Type One

 Reading and Reporting

Learners read a story in their mother tongue and present a report to class in English.
 
Reading skill can probably be transferred from one language to another more easily than any other skill. Teachers generally complain that learners read very little outside the examination requirements.  In many parts of India, learning of the mother tongue is also limited to reading lessons included in the prescribed textbooks and answering questions based on them. Right from the first year of language learning mechanical copying activity and memorised reproduction is encouraged, evaluated and valued in terms of higher scores in examinations. Learners who do not develop the reading habit in their own mother tongue cannot be expected to develop the habit in a new language.
 
Hence this activity requires the learners to read a story in their mother tongue and present a report in English. This makes th em read in their mother tongue (which involves minimum effort) and then prepare a report for class presentation in English. This may help them in a number of ways. They would be able to pick up a book at their level of competence and according to their interest and read comfortably without the tension of decoding the meaning of words, idiomatic expressions and complex constructions in a new language. There is more likelihood of their developing an interest in reading for pleasure in a language that reflects their culture and one which they have used extensively. They could plan a presentation in English which might be as simple as a summary of the story in a few sentences and what they liked in it or found unacceptable to them.
 
For advanced learners this could be developed into challenging activities of detailed analysis of the plot and characters, comparison with parallel stories in English, translation into English, rewriting with modifications according to English culture, etc. The main emphasis should be the use of both languages for developing reading, writing and oral skills involving genuine interaction between the two languages and the learners. Learners read a story in English and present a report in their mother tongue. Learners might find simple books (including children's literature) to read and then present reports of various types in their mother tongue. They may narrate the stories, analyse the various aspects in detail, identify differences in the culture expressed in the story and their own culture, retell the story with appropriate modifications suitable to readers of their background, etc. Here the presentations can be at a higher level than the level of books selected for reading.