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.
Topics from A to Z
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.
You can browse our articles by date or title, or organized by topic.
Go to page: |< < 1 2 3 4 5 > >|
Sort by: | Fecha | Titulo |
Display: | Summaries | Titles only |
Summer Reading: English Language Learners at the Library
Libraries today have changed in a number of ways to meet the demands of our modern society, but their underlying purpose for children is still to help them discover the joy of reading. As summer peaks, many local libraries advertise special summer reading programs and activities to keep children enthusiastic about reading.
Helping Your Child Succeed: Helpful PreK-12 Tips
Some of the main academic subjects include reading, math, social studies, and science. Whether your child is struggling in a certain area, or you just want to help them get ahead, this article contains tips you can use to help them succeed in every subject, from preschool through high school. There are also suggestions for how to make sure your children are developing socially and staying healthy.
School Issues and Program Information
All schools are held to certain standards based on federal and state laws. This article discusses some of obligations stated in The No Child Left Behind Act, which includes mandatory testing. It also describes the different programs available to English Language Learners and students with disabilities, as well as vocational and college preparatory programs.
Besides your child's teacher, many other people are involved in your child's education, The more you know about what they do, the more you can help your child.
Pathways to Success:
An AFT Guide for Parents
As a parent, you want the best for your kids. The American Federation of Teachers shares your expectations and knows you can make a big difference in your child's education.
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
Featherless/Desplumado
Reading Activities
Featherless/Desplumado Cross-Curricular Activities
Activities to use with the book Featherless/Desplumado for Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Art, Math, and Science.
How To Know When Your Child Needs Extra Help
Children learn differently and at different rates. Some kids need extra time, especially if they're also learning a second language.
What should you do if you think your child is having a reading problem?
Learning to read is a challenge for many kids, but most can become good readers if they get the right help. Parents have an important job in recognizing when a child is struggling and knowing how to find help.
Improving Writing Skills: ELLs and the Joy of Writing
There is a very important correlation between writing and language development. Find out how you can help your ELLs improve their writing skills. Find ideas on differentiating writing activities, and other ways to help ELLs discover the joy of writing.
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!
Selecting Vocabulary Words to Teach English Language Learners
Which words should you teach first? Use this guide to Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 words to effectively build your students' vocabularies.
Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners
Explicit teaching of reading comprehension skills will help students apply these strategies to all subject matter.
How to Develop a Lesson Plan that Includes ELLs
This roadmap can help you teach content knowledge to ELLs through comprehensive lessons that develop background knowledge and build academic skills.
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.
Introducing a Text Before Reading
Teachers can help motivate students to learn by activating prior knowledge and pre-teaching difficult concepts and vocabulary before starting a new unit.
Oral Language Development for Beginners
Teach vocabulary and communication skills by having students act out simple activities. This strategy, called Total Physical Response, helps students in the early stages of language development.
English language learners have to learn content with their native English-speaking peers, but they have the added challenge of learning English at the same time. Here are some ways to support ELLs in learning academic content.
Using Children's Television to Learn Literacy and Language
Television can be another good way for English language learners to learn new words and improve their overall English skills.
Regardless of what reading program or strategies you use in your classroom, reading needs to be fun! There are many ways that you can help promote the joy of reading.
Standards-Based Writing for ELLs
Writing is a social process, and each culture has its own conventions about sharing narratives. Help ELLs become successful writers by fostering self-expression and explicitly teaching English writing conventions.
Knowing vocabulary words is key to reading comprehension. The more words a child knows, the better he or she will understand the text. Using a variety of effective teaching methods will increase the student's ability to learn new words.
Reading In Middle and High School
English language learners (ELLs) enter U.S. schools in all grade levels, and with a wide range of backgrounds, reading skills, English language proficiency, and content knowledge. These resources address some of the unique challenges of working with older ELLs.
Reading in Second and Third Grades
Reading is a process of getting meaning from print. Children must have basic knowledge about sound-symbol relationships, vocabulary, and reading prosody. These form the basis for decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension that students will need to learn content in the upper grades.
Reading is a process of getting meaning from print. Children must be able to distinguish between different sounds and have basic knowledge about the written alphabet, sound-symbol relationships, and concepts of print. These form the basis for decoding and reading comprehension.
Reading is a process of getting meaning from print. Children must be able to distinguish between different sounds and have basic knowledge about the written alphabet, sound-symbol relationships, and concepts of print. These form the basis for decoding and reading comprehension.
Assess the fluency skills in your ELL students by finding the right reading level, tracking reading rate, and paying attention to expression and comprehension.
Using Informal Assessments for English Language Learners
Informal assessments provide continual snapshots of student progress throughout the school year. By using informal assessments, teachers can target students' specific problem areas, adapt instruction, and intervene earlier rather than later.
Placing English Language Learners in a Program of Instruction
After gathering information on a student's level of English proficiency, educational background, and academic content knowledge, your next step is to come up with a plan for placing the student in an instructional program that meets his or her language and academic needs.
Identifying Language Proficiency for Program Placement
The purpose of assessment for program placement is to identify those English language learners (ELLs) who need special instructional services such as sheltered English, ESL, or bilingual education.
How to Reach Out to Parents of ELLs
English language learners (ELLs) benefit just as much from their parents' involvement in their education as other students.
Empowering Hispanic Parents & Families at Home
All parents can help their children learn to read, regardless of their language, education, or literacy level. Through Spanish, kids can develop key language and literacy skills that will help them to become excellent readers in English.
How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment
Learning about Your Students' Backgrounds
English language learners represent a vastly diverse group. Learning more about the language, culture, values, family, and home environment of your ELL students will help you to better support your students in the classroom and receive more support from home.
The Diversity of English Language Learners
The schooling experience of ELLs is impacted by many factors such as time in school, quality of instruction, transiency, home environment, and past emotional experiences in school. The following vignettes illustrate some of these differences.
Reaching Out to Hispanic Students and Families
In this section, you'll find ways to effectively reach out to English language learners (ELLs) and their families.
Reading Rockets has produced a number of videos about English language learners and reading in general that you may find helpful.
Using Cognates to Develop Comprehension in English
Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. For Spanish-speaking ELLs, cognates are an obvious bridge to the English language.
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.
Instructional Programs for English Language Learners
One of the major decisions in the field of teaching English language learners (ELLs) is which program of instruction to use. These programs range from bilingual education to English-only immersion.
No Child Left Behind and English Language Learners
Title III of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires that all English language learners (ELLs) receive quality instruction for learning both English and grade-level academic content.
What Is the Difference Between Social and Academic English?
Social English, or the language of conversation, may develop very quickly, but mastering academic English, the language of school, can take years. Use these tips to lead students toward full language proficiency.
Common Questions About English Language Learners
Here are some common questions that teachers have about English language learners (ELLs).
A child's success as a reader begins much earlier than the first day of school. Reading, and a love for reading, begins at home.
Help Your Child Understand What He or She Reads
When children get to fourth grade, they no longer spend time in class learning how to read. Instead, they learn about science, social studies, and many other subjects. They read in order to understand.
Writing is a great way for your child to become a better reader. Here are some fun ways to get your child writing at home. Even very young children can write stories!
A big step in learning how to read is being able to figure out new words. This is hard work. Kids need a lot of practice. They also need a lot of encouragement from you!
I just want to thank you for providing such a comprehensive source of information for educators and parents of English language learners through your website and products. As a teacher educator, I have found Colorín Colorado to be particularly helpful when teaching bilingual methods and assessment courses. Thank you for your commitment to the education of English language learners.
~ Pauline C.
Why the name "Colorín Colorado"?
Home |
Site Map |
Glossary |
About Colorín Colorado
Contact Us |
Link to Colorín Colorado |
Privacy Policy |
Terms & Conditions
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.
Visit WETA's educational websites:
© Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
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.
¡Colorín Colorado! ® is a registered trademark of WETA.
Stay informed! Subscribe to our e-mail newsletters.