Question:
I am seeking literacy material in Vietnamese. I am an English teacher in a fam ily literacy program called Even Start, located in the Bancroft Elementary Scho ol, in Washington, DC.
In the Even Start program we have many participating families who are Vietnames e refugees.
The materials I am seeking are basic reading and writing primers in Vietnamese, such as those which might have been used in a literacy campaign or other adult education program in Vietnam.
While the main objective of our program is to improve reading, writing and read ing skills in English, we also seek to preserve and strenghten the native cultu re of our member families. In addition, the better a student's literacy in his or her native language, the easier it is for them to make progress in reading and writing English. While some of our students have excellent literacy skills in their native languages, others have extremely low literacy skills.
Can anyone help me???
Answer:
1) At one time the CENTER FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS, located in northwest DC, had a number of materials of this sort that were put together under US Federal funding and were available for a nominal cost. I'd suggest you call them and ask about what they might have.
2) The Vietnamese Youth Education Association in the Northern Virginia area sponsors classes in the Vietnamese language (including literacy work) for Vietnamese children. They have some very good textbooks that were locally developed (though I don't know if the VNYEA sponsored their development or some other person/group did that). I'm not entirely sure what the official address of the VNYEA is, but I know that at least one other reader in the DC area does know that and hopefully he'll post something.
3) There are several Vietnamese bookstores in the Eden Shopping Center in Falls Church, VA (in a heavily Vietnamese part of town). They have children's books and some other materials. You might have someone who can already read Vietnamese go by there and see if there is anything much that is useful for your work.
4) There are programs sponsored by various groups in the Vietnamese community to teach Vietnamese to ethnic Vietnamese kids in Arlington County, in Montgomery County, and also see item (2) above.
