Another reason to improve your English: your kids

One of my favorite students wants to read bed-time stories to his two young daughters. Though he has lived in the U.S. for a long time, he wants to improve his fluency so that his girls can have a good role model. So, he selected a series of books for young children to study and improve his pronunciation. His strategy was completely new to me, and has proven very effective.

First, since the books are for young children, the words and ideas are simple and always have lots of pictures. Because the vocabulary is basic, students can focus on shaping the correct sounds with their voices and mouths. Wikipedia says, "The Magic School Bus is a series of children's books about science written by author Joanna Cole. They feature the antics of Ms. Valerie Frizzle, an elementary school teacher, and her class, who board a magical school bus which takes them on field trips to impossible locations such as the solar system, clouds, the past, and the human body. The books are written in the first person from the point of view of an unnamed student in "the Friz's" class. The class pet, Liz, a lizard, accompanied the class on their field trips." 

This series is surprisingly informative and subtly humorous. Though all the words and jokes are familiar to U.S. kids, their foreign born parents have trouble understanding everything. Before we work on pronunciation and reading out loud, we review all the text and discuss the cultural references Americans learn as kids but are not taught in schools. Children learn a lot of these sayings and expressions before they enter school. This knowledge is not normally included in academic study of English.

The book series we are using also includes numerous, puns-- word play-- intended for young children but completely wasted on their parents. My student's strategy includes analyzing the text details, as well as improving pronunciation. After learning to pronounce each word accurately, he can now connect the words in phrases, incorporate pauses for punctuation, and produce a pleasing, clear voice. 

Each meeting, he uses his phone to record me reading the book. Then he listens and practices while driving to work and around town. Even his co-workers have noticed his improvement and confidence. I think his skill will continue to grow.