Colorin Colorado: Helping children read... and succeed!
  • weta logo

Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.

A bilingual site for families and educators of English language learners
Teacher's Aides and ELLs

Teacher's Aides and ELLs

Take a look at these tips for working together on behalf of your ELLs! See tips >>
Reading in the New Year

Reading in the New Year

Make a resolution to read more in the New Year! See ideas >>
Technology and ELLs

Technology and ELLs

Take a look at these great ideas for using technology in the ELL classroom! Learn more >
Supporting Refugee Students

Supporting Refugee Students

Learn more about ways you can help meet refugees' needs in the classroom. See tips >>
  • Teacher's Aides and ELLs
  • Reading in the New Year
  • Technology and ELLs
  • Supporting Refugee Students
Play / Pause Toggle Button for Features

Books and Authors

Featured Booklist: Stories for the Chinese New Year!

Bringing in the New Year

Many people around the world celebrate the Chinese New Year (sometimes referred to as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival). This year it starts in January 23rd, and it's the Year of the Dragon! We've compiled a list of colorful children's books to accompany the festivities and help you welcome the New Year.

Featured Booklist: Refugees Around the World

Brothers in Hope

While the books in this list convey the hardships that refugees face, they also capture triumphs, glimmers of hope, and the resilience of children. Stories are included about children from Cambodia, Somali, Sudan, Korea, and Afghanistan.

Featured book: Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out and Back Again

Shortly before the fall of Saigon in 1975, Hà's family flees war-torn Vietnam. When they arrive in Alabama more than 3 months later as refugees, they struggle to adapt to a new life. Yet slowly Hà and her family begin to find their way, making friends in unexpected places and helping each other survive. Based on the childhood experiences of the author, this compelling novel won the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

New on Colorín Colorado!

Words Their Way with English Learners: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling (2nd Ed.)

Words Their Way with English Learners: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling (2nd Ed.)

This guide gives teachers the resources they need to design research-based, developmentally appropriate word study lessons for ELLs. This teacher-friendly resource is now out in a second edition that includes an extensive media component featuring multiple video demonstrations, as well as numerous tools for teaching.

This Month's Highlights

Culturally Responsive Instruction for Holiday and Religious Celebrations

This article written for Colorín Colorado by Cynthia Lundgren and Giselle Lundy-Ponce offers some great ideas for bringing cultural content into the classroom in a way that increases all students' knowledge and interest while at the same time being respectful of the culture being featured.

Recommended Resources

Education Week Spotlight: ELLs in the Classroom

English Language Learners in the Classroom

Education Week has released a new resource publication on English Language Learners in the Classroom. The Spotlight is a collection of articles selected by Education Week editors and contains articles and commentaries on oral-language skills; long-term ELLs; differentiated instruction; and data-driven instruction. The collection is free to Education Week subscribers and available to non-subscribers for a small fee.