Developing Reading Literacy in Immigrant Pupils With an Easy-to-Read and/or Plain Language Model

Dragica Haramija

Summary:  Upon moving to their destination country, immigrant pupils whose mother tongue is not the local language find themselves at a disadvantage. Successful development of reading literacy affects the understanding of the syllabus content in all subjects at primary school. Literacy is thus not connected only to the subject of (Slovene) language at school, more specifically with the linguistic education from the child’s entry into the education system to their completion of formal education, but is a lifelong activity (and the first of eight key competences for lifelong learning). Previous research has shown that command of language is an important area for the child‘s general integration into their new environment. With the School Curriculums for Teaching Elementary Level Slovene Language (2020) it is possible to use two models with students, these are easy-to-read and plain language. Easy-to-read is a process and method of communication that encourages the development of literacy and the social and psychological integration of the individual with reading and writing difficulties into the environment; with plain language, the writing is clear and concise, the rules for preparing material not as strictly determined, texts generally do not require test readers, something that is essential with easy-to-read texts in order to verify suitability. With both models we need to take into account the child’s chronological age and age-appropriate contents that, due to limited command of the language, needs morphological, lexicological and syntactic adjustments both in literary and informative texts. Selected examples that highlight the basic differences between both models of more accessible material are analysed.