Dear Parents,
As you may know, this term your 5th grade student in the Bilingual Program will be reading The BFG by Roald Dahl. This will not be an adapted or abridged text, but rather the original work of British young adult literature. We’d like to give you some background about the novel, mention the benefits and challenges from the students’ point of view and also make suggestions for how you could help.
Why is it important for my child to read in English?
Reading in any language expands the mind and helps us explore vital topics and real-life situations, all the while allowing students to develop their comprehension skills, critical thinking capabilities and complexity of thought both in general and also in that specific language. Indeed, research indicates that reading skills directly relate to future academic and professional success. It can help students gain a deeper understanding of context and why characters – and people – make the choices they do. Reading also helps build independence and self-confidence and has a positive effect on the development of empathy as well as concentration. Finally, reading is a major resource for using and understanding language – including grammatical structure, lexical knowledge and writing skills. Not only can students pick up new words, but reading them in an authentic context can also help students understand the subtle nuances of the lexis that was chosen by the author. The same is true when we process the plot and character development through the linguistic structures employed by the author – helping students understand a variety of uses “in the linguistic wild”, as it were. All in all, reading in any language develops skills that are essential for each student’s continuing studies and life in general.
Why was this novel chosen?
Roald Dahl has written numerous fantastical stories loved by both old and young. His creative, quirky, and humorous writing has captivated old and young for decades. This novel has received numerous awards, including the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1985, the BILBY award for Read Alone and Read Aloud in 1991, and the Federation of Children’s Book Groups Award in 1982. It was listed by the National Education Association among the top 100 books for children in 2007 and was also ranked the 88th best children’s book of all time by the School Library Journal in 2012.
What are the benefits of this novel?
The BFG is no different from Dahl’s other literary works. It is an odd yet mesmerizing story which explores the relationship between two very unlikely friends: a little girl and a mystical being from another world. Our giant has a bit of trouble with his English skills, which allows our students to use previously learned language to recognize patterns of English more readily. Their confidence with English will grow as they realize that they are able to decipher and understand the meaning of the Big Friendly Giant, even though his language is imperfect. Specifically, students will learn to spot patterns in the language. At the same time, they’ll get help de-coding the jokes and wordplay Dahl often embeds in the giant’s speech, all of which will further refine the students’ reading skills.
What are some of the challenges? / How can I as a parent help?
With our poor giant unable to speak English perfectly, it may be difficult at times for some of our students to grasp how the plot is unfolding. It may be necessary to slow down or re-read sections to better comprehend the nature and emotions that are being felt as our characters develop and their relationships grow. That being said, it is never a bad idea to pause and have your child think about what they are reading. If you choose to read the novel with them or have them read to you, ask them questions about what just happened, why they think it happened, and even make predictions about what they think may happen next. All these things can help get your child more engaged in what they are reading and can help them pause and think about their reading with a more concrete goal in mind. Of course, the assignment accompanying the reading will provide needed guidance, too. Regarding vocabulary, our goal is not to learn the definition of every single new word, but instead to develop the awareness in students that they can use the context of the scene to help them understand the gist of the words, just as we did in this year’s first novel, Charlotte’s Web.
Please let us know if you have further questions. We would like to thank you for your support in helping your child keep up with his or her chapter-by-chapter reading assignments at home. Finally, we hope your son or daughter learns from this novel and, most importantly, enjoys reading it!
Best regards: Anthony Laudadio, Head of Education – Primary & High Schools