Using Wordless Picture Books to Support Biliteracy Development

This is a case study of a six-year-old ESL Korean boy and his mother’s experience using wordless picture books to support his English speaking, reading and writing abilities while maintaining and further developing his Korean language and literacy. For sixteen weeks they followed a three day a week process that involved making up stories and transcribing for reading and writing practice. Also, a variety of assessment tasks taken from Marie Clay’s observation survey book (2005) were used to examine literacy development. Analysis of videos and mother’s reflective journals led to identifying strategies the boy used in elaborating his stories and making reading practice more fun. The major findings of the study were his oral language development, inventing storytelling strategies (listing words and multiple sentences, using dialogue, monitoring story sense, and incorporating personal experiences), the positive role of copying in his storytelling, and his word reading and writing improvement in English and Korean.