Reading Comprehension in Target Language

Many students have difficulties with reading in their native tongue, well just imagine the problems they face when attempting to do this in a foreign language. This week in señora Hitz blog she focuses on the tactics that she uses to see if students understand the text that they read. She mentions that the typical way of doing this in any language is by having the children read the story and then giving them questions to answer. When doing this in a foreign language this approach can be utilized in two different ways; one having students read the story in the target language and respond to the questions in target language, or have the students read the text in the target language and respond in their native language. Giving these variations is important because a student can match the question with a phrase from the text and not necessarily know what the phrase means, therefore, having them write it in their native tongue makes them translate the meaning before they write it down. Also, by having them respond in the foreign language they can practice writing in the language they are learning. Both ways are valid in teaching students another language.