One of the best ways to find reading materials that are relevant
to your learner's life is to have her dictate stories to
you. This is known as the language experience approach. The
story can be factual or fiction. It can be one line or pages
long. What is important is that the person recording the
story writes exactly what is said. By writing what is said,
the student can see and hear the words. This sight/sound
relationship is basic to effective reading. After the dictation,
the story can be read and re-read by both the learner and
the tutor. Words and sentences can be extracted for more
concentrated practice. These stories can be collected in
a portfolio and/or as part of a book.
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