Term
Fall 2018
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAESL
Facilitator(s)
Maggie Struck and Patty Born Selly
Content Expert
Asha Osman, Dae Selcer, Khadra Baree, Mariam Adam
Abstract
In this project, I examine common linguistic differences between Somali and English in an effort to answer my research question “How can I create a curriculum that explicitly addresses potential linguistic misconceptions of K-2 Somali learners of English?” This project consists of a document entitled “Somali/English Comparative Tool for ELD Teachers,” that points out common linguistic differences between Somali and English, and a corresponding curriculum that is created to be responsive to areas where students could potentially have challenges acquiring the grammatical form in English. Aspects of the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories of comparative and error analysis are used to examine linguistic differences between Somali and English, as well as help frame this project. This is done in an effort to improve a language teacher’s ability to analyze grammatical aspects of English and Somali, in conjunction with student language errors that could be arising out of interference between a learner’s L1 knowledge of Somali and L2 acquisition of English, also known as first language (L1) transfer. However, this by itself is insufficient. Once teachers are aware of the ways in which foundational L1 knowledge is impacting acquisition of the target language (TL), then shifts should be made to instruction in order to better address the linguistic needs of learners. Through this new knowledge of the ways Somali and English compare, the hope is that educators will able to provide more strategic input and intentional non-examples to address misconceptions that could occur as a result of L1 transfer.
Project Type
Curriculum
Keywords
Curriculum, ESL/ ELLs, Teachers/ Teaching
Recommended Citation
Durkee, Rachel, "Curriculum For Addressing Potential Linguistic Misconceptions Of Early Elementary Somali- Speaking Learners Of English" (2018). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 233.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/233
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects