CHL2601
Assignment 5
Due 10 July 2025
, CHL2601
Assignment 5: Comprehensive Response
Due 10 July 2025
Critical Insights into Multilingual Approaches and Early Writing Development in
Children’s Literature: A Focus on Additive Language Models and Writing Phases
Executive Summary
This response presents a critical analysis of key language and literacy strategies within
the context of children’s literature, with specific attention to multilingual classrooms. The
study explores the additive language approach as a model for fostering bilingualism and
preserving home languages, particularly among young learners engaging with English
texts. It further examines practical applications of this approach through a culturally
responsive activity designed to introduce English phonemes absent in indigenous
languages such as isiZulu and Sesotho. Additionally, the paper investigates the role of
oral storytelling as a classroom strategy for promoting home language development and
social inclusion in linguistically diverse settings.
In its second part, the paper provides an in-depth comparison between the pre-
communicative and phonetic phases of early writing, highlighting the gradual shifts in
learners’ writing behaviours and cognitive skills. A structured table is presented to
illustrate these developmental differences clearly. The analysis also addresses the
challenges posed by using a language of learning and teaching (LoLT) that differs from
a child’s home language, discussing the cognitive, emotional, and phonological impacts
on early writing development. The findings emphasise the need for inclusive educational
practices and flexible language policies that respect linguistic diversity while fostering
literacy development.
Assignment 5
Due 10 July 2025
, CHL2601
Assignment 5: Comprehensive Response
Due 10 July 2025
Critical Insights into Multilingual Approaches and Early Writing Development in
Children’s Literature: A Focus on Additive Language Models and Writing Phases
Executive Summary
This response presents a critical analysis of key language and literacy strategies within
the context of children’s literature, with specific attention to multilingual classrooms. The
study explores the additive language approach as a model for fostering bilingualism and
preserving home languages, particularly among young learners engaging with English
texts. It further examines practical applications of this approach through a culturally
responsive activity designed to introduce English phonemes absent in indigenous
languages such as isiZulu and Sesotho. Additionally, the paper investigates the role of
oral storytelling as a classroom strategy for promoting home language development and
social inclusion in linguistically diverse settings.
In its second part, the paper provides an in-depth comparison between the pre-
communicative and phonetic phases of early writing, highlighting the gradual shifts in
learners’ writing behaviours and cognitive skills. A structured table is presented to
illustrate these developmental differences clearly. The analysis also addresses the
challenges posed by using a language of learning and teaching (LoLT) that differs from
a child’s home language, discussing the cognitive, emotional, and phonological impacts
on early writing development. The findings emphasise the need for inclusive educational
practices and flexible language policies that respect linguistic diversity while fostering
literacy development.
