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.
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The number of English language learners (ELLs) in American schools has more than doubled over the past 20 years. The articles in this section will give you lots of useful ideas for creating an environment that is welcoming and supportive for your ELLs and their families, and also encourages and facilitates learning.
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¿Qué son las discapacidades de aprendizaje?
Como padre, puede que está familiarizado con el término "impedimentos del aprendizaje". Aún así, parece que hay demasiados tipos, y cada maestro o profesional que trabaja con usted tiene diferentes términos o maneras de describir a su hijo o hija. La siguiente discusión puede ayudarle a poner estos términos y conceptos en perspectiva.
10 Steps for Parents: If Your Child Has a Learning Disability
If your child has been diagnosed with a learning disability, there are many things you can do to support him. Here are 10 ideas to get you started!
10 Things Mainstream Teachers Can Do Today
These ten simple tips can help make school more welcoming and more successful for the English language learners in your class.
10 Ways to Support ELLs in the School Library
The school library is an important resource for ELL learners. It may be the first place many students and their families get experience using a lending library. What can school librarians can to show ELL learners that libraries are welcoming places of entertainment and enrichment? This article offers some ideas.
21st Century Learners: ELL Students and Technology
As teachers of ELLs, we know that their future success will depend in part on their technological skills and their ability to learn new kinds of technology. But ELL students are often at a disadvantage when it comes to learning technology because they may not have access to the technology at home, they may not understand the English used to provide instruction, and they may need more time to develop their skills. 21st Century Learners: ELL Students and Technology offers some classroom strategies for bridging the digital divide in the ELL classroom, including the instruction of vocabulary related to technology, the use of visual aids and demonstrations, and suggestions about how to teach students to evaluate online sources.
Moony Luna/Luna, Lunita Lunera – Reading Activities
Moony Luna is a bilingual book, set in a bilingual classroom, which makes it the perfect book to use for bilingual classroom activities.
Featherless/Desplumado Cross-Curricular Activities
Activities to use with the book Featherless/Desplumado for Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Art, Math, and Science.
Featherless/Desplumado
Reading Activities
Juguemos con el lenguaje/The Joy of Talking With Young Children
Parents, child-care providers, and teachers can take ideas from this practical guide to language and literacy development for Spanish-speaking children, ages four to eight years old.
My Diary From Here to There/Mi diario de aquí hasta allá Cross-Curriclar Activities
My Diary From Here to There/Mi diario de aquí hasta allá Reading Activities
A Guide to Learning Disabilities for the ESL Classroom Practitioner
It is estimated that in the United States, 15% of the general population has a learning disability. It is possible that many of the ESL students whom we view as poor language learners are struggling because they too have a learning disability.
Creating a library of your child's books is a great way to show her how important reading is. It will also give her a special place to keep her books and will motivate her to keep pulling books from her own library to read. Here are some ideas for getting started!
A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
How many times have you watched your child choose a book and then pore over the illustrations? When you look at a children's book, the illustrations can make the story come alive in magical ways. For some suggestions on how to use picture books to engage your child when reading together, take a look at this article.
A School Year Start Up Checklist
A Unified Model of Language-to-Literacy Intervention Approaches
This model introduces a variety of strategies for teachers and parents that: 1) help to identify the child with language-based emergent literacy problems, and 2) assists in the remediation of those problems.
Academic Language: Everyone's "Second" Language
Being able to speak English fluently does not guarantee that a student will be able to use language effectively in academic settings. Fluency must be combined with higher order thinking skills to create an "academic language," which allows students to effectively present their ideas in a way that others will take seriously. The author, an ELL teacher, describes her use of "protocols" (a cheat sheet of sentence starters) to build students' cognitive academic language proficiency.
Acquiring a Second Language for School
Learning a second language for school is not simply a linguistic challenge; it poses social, cultural, academic, and cognitive challenges as well. This article describes a conceptual model for acquiring a second language for school that reflects all these challenges, and makes recommendations for instruction stemming from this model.
Assess the fluency skills in your ELL students by finding the right reading level, tracking reading rate, and paying attention to expression and comprehension.
It's time to go back to school! Whether you're a novice or an old pro, we have some ideas and resources to get you ready and set for the best school year yet!
This checklist can help to guide parents as they prepare their children for school. It includes milestones for good health, social and emotional preparation, and language and general knowledge.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has upped the ante in determining accountability for school districts across the country. This article reveals ways to move beyond conventional testing methods to provide the best possible learning environment or students.
Language acquisition is an everyday and yet magical feat of childhood. This article addresses the truth - and the myths - around learning two languages in childhood, and sets the record straight!
Bilingual Students With Disabilities Get Special Help
There are many children who are eligible for both special education and English as a Second Language instruction, but few models for how to serve these children well. Learn about a program in Clark County, Nevada in which dually trained teachers provide overlapping instruction to meet both these needs.
Building Strong Parent-Educator Partnerships
In this section we offer numerous resources for educators and parents in order to strengthen the school-home partnership. From back-to-school night to parent-teacher conferences, we've got lots of ideas to get you started!
Building Trust with Schools and Diverse Families
While increased family involvement is linked to improves student performance, it is not always fully understood and examined within schools. Different types of involvement may include parenting, communicating with schools, volunteering at schools, supporting learning at home, participating in school governance and decision-making, and taking part in school-community collaborations. In order to encourage and foster this comprehensive involvement with all families, school administrators and teachers must develop mutual trust, consider the different cultural attitudes some families may have towards schooling, and be diligent in reaching out.
But What If I Don't Know English?
If your Spanish is a lot better than your English, then speak, read, and sing to your child in Spanish.
Capitalizing on Similarities and Differences between Spanish and English
Fortunately for Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs), there are many similarities between English and Spanish. Here are some of them – as well as ways to address common problems for Spanish speakers learning English.
Checklist for Helping Your Child With Homework
Children pick up languages much more easily than adults. This article answers some common questions about raising bilingual children.
In teaching second language learners how to speak and read English, it is important not to neglect their writing development. Here are some strategies for teaching ESL children to become writers.
The first five years of a child's life are a time of tremendous physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth. The experiences a child has during this time can make an impact on their readiness to learn. Here the Education Department offers some tips to guide parents in choosing childcare.
Closing the Achievement Gap: Focus on Latino Students
This policy brief provides a snapshot of the current demographic and achievement trends of Latinos, some of the specific barriers to closing the achievement gap, and presents a set of recommendations to improve educational opportunities for Latino children.
Common Questions About English Language Learners
Here are some common questions that teachers have about English language learners (ELLs).
Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties. This article provides a list of common signs of dyslexia.
Here are some concrete suggestions for teachers who want to communicate well with all of their students, especially English language learners and students with learning disabilities. Incorporate these suggestions and you will reach many more students.
Context Counts in Second Language Learning
Learning a second language is hard, but it can be made easier when the teacher knows a bit about the similarities between the first and second languages, and can successfully motivate students.
Cooperative Learning Strategies
Cooperative Learning is a great way to engage ELLs in learning both language and content. This article has several ideas for small group activities that build skills and promote teamwork.
Creating a College-Going Culture for English Language Learners
Some English language learners may not know what to expect from the college application process. Others don't start thinking about college until their junior or senior year. One way to ensure that students are prepared to apply for college is to create a college-going culture in your school and across your district.
Creating Culturally Responsive Classroom Environments
When students and teachers come from different cultural backgrounds, it can often lead to misunderstandings about behavior and performance. How can teachers create safe learning environments with a diverse group of students?
During the holiday season, consider adding some new traditions for your family that will make meaningful memories and strengthen foundations for reading and learning success.
Creating Programs for Language Minority Families
Learning English is often the reason that language minority families seek out community programs. This article describes questions to consider when establishing a family literacy program.
Creating Programs for Language Minority Families
For language minority families, learning English is a key component of family literacy programs. This article describes questions to consider when establishing a program for language minority families.
Culturally Responsive Instruction for Holiday and Religious Celebrations
The first step in implementing more culturally responsive instruction is recognizing how our own cultural conditioning is reflected in our teaching. This article shows teachers how to bring rich cultural content into their teaching in a way that expands students' knowledge and interest. The article offers suggestions that teachers can use throughout the school year, as well as when observing cultural and religious holidays and celebrations.
Dads Who Are Making a Difference
In these selections from Dad's Playbook: Coaching Kids to Read, compiled by the National Institute for Literacy, a couple of dads share some of the ways that they are helping their kids become better readers.
Developing Writing and Spelling at Home: K-3
Writing is a terrific way for children to express their thoughts, creativity, and uniqueness. It is also a fundamental way in which children learn to organize ideas. And learning to write well helps children to be better readers.
Developing Writing and Spelling at Home: Pre-K
When engaging in writing, young children often mirror what they see around them; adults and older children writing lists, notes, text messaging. They are observing the way writing is used in our everyday lives. Here are some simple things families can do to support young children's writing.
Do you suspect that your child has a reading difficulty or learning disability?
This article offers suggestions of steps parents can take if they suspect their child has a learning disability, and provides an introduction to the process of conducting an evaluation.
This study follows a group of teachers implementing an early reading intervention program with students at-risk for learning disabilities, most of whom were also English language learners.
Learning to read in a new language involves different skills than learning to speak. Here's how teachers can make sure ELLs are getting solid reading instruction.
Why the name "Colorín Colorado"?
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Colorín Colorado is a free web-based, bilingual service that provides information, activities, and advice for educators and Spanish-speaking families of English language learners (ELLs, also known as students of English as a second language).
Colorín Colorado is produced by Reading Rockets — an educational service of WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in the nation's capital. Original artwork by Caldecott Award-winning illustrator David Diaz is used with permission.
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Colorín Colorado receives major funding from the American Federation of Teachers. Additional funding is provided by the National Institute for Literacy and the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
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