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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The summer is a wonderful time for children to read what they most enjoy, to learn new things, and to have fun. Colorín Colorado has compiled a list of summer reading tips for parents to get you started!
The Role of Fathers in Their Child's Literacy Development: Pre-K
The Role of Fathers in Their Child's Literacy Development: K-3
Dads — Did you know that reading with your child can lead to better school performance? Studies show that when fathers participate in learning, children receive higher marks, enjoy school more, and are less likely to repeat a grade. Reading time creates a bond between you and your child that will stay with you both forever.
Getting Your Children Excited About the Library
Helping your children to enjoy reading is one of the most important things you can do as a parent and well worth the investment of your time and energy. It's important to remember that you can give your children this kind of experience even if you don't have a lot of books in your home. Your local public library has an abundance of books, plus many other valuable resources. This article offers some ideas for ways to get kids excited about the library.
Library Services for Children with Special Needs
Libraries offer a wide range of services for individuals with special needs. This article details some of the services that may be available for children and adults with learning or intellectual disabilities, who are blind or deaf, and gifted and talented children. If you aren't sure what your library offers, ask the librarian for assistance.
More Than Books at the Library
In addition to a wealth of books, your library most likely will have tapes and CDs of books, musical CDs, movies, computers that you can use, and many more resources. You also might find storytelling programs, books in languages other than English, or programs to help adults learn English or improve their reading.
Library Services For School-Aged Children
Libraries take on another important dimension for children beginning school. There are special programs in areas such as summer readings, author visits, and creative writing. In addition, the library is a place to find information and help with schoolwork. Visit your local public library to see what services and programs are available for your children.
Library Services for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. Without a doubt, reading with children spells success for early literacy. Taking your children to the library often will help them develop an enjoyment and respect of books from an early age. As soon as you can, it is a good idea to include children — even toddlers — in weekly trips to the library. This articles describes some library resources available for young children.
What to Expect When You Visit the Library
Libraries offer books for people of ages, and much, much more — they are places of learning and discovery for everyone. The best way to find out is to visit your community library and see what's available.
Library Services for Teenagers
Many libraries offer services for teenagers, providing information and activities of interest to teens in the community. Just being certain that teenagers know what kinds of programs are available may be the best help you can give — that, along with setting the example of visiting the library and reading yourself.
It's never too early to read to your baby. As soon as your baby is born, he or she starts learning. Just by talking to, playing with, and caring for your baby every day, you help your baby develop language skills necessary to become a reader. By reading with your baby, you foster a love of books and reading right from the start. The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Being a toddler is all about action. Encourage continued language development and interest in books and reading by keeping things lively and engaging. Everyday experiences are full of opportunities to engage in conversation and develop language skills. The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
How to Support Refugee Students in the ELL Classroom
Many ELL teachers may work with refugee students in the classroom, particularly in a region of the country where large refugee communities are settling. This Bright Ideas article explores the unique challenges that both refugee students and their teachers face, as well as a number of suggestions of ways to address those challenges and a list of useful resources.
Anyone at any age can learn a second language after a first language is already established, but it takes a lot of practice. Second language acquisition often happens when a child who speaks a language other than English goes to school for the first time. This American Speech-Language-Hearing Association brief looks at the best way to teach a second language and how speech professionals can help.
Learning to speak two languages is like learning any other skill. To do it well, children need lots of practice, which parents can help provide. This American Speech-Language-Hearing Association brief gives information and tips for parents.
No Child Left Behind: Eight Terms Parents Should Know
This article, adapted from the U.S. Department of Education, defines eight terms central to the No Child Left Behind Act.
No Child Left Behind: Frequently Asked Questions About Reading
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has had a major impact on the American education system since its creation in 2001. This law requires that students are evaluated each year to measure their progress in areas including reading and mathematics. This article discusses the reasons that improved reading achievement plays such an important part in NCLB, and offers an introduction to NCLB's Reading First program.
Is my child ready to enter kindergarten?
In the United States, the expectations of children who enter kindergarten can vary from school to school. There are, however, some general social and educational guidelines about the skills children should develop by the time they start a kindergarten program, which are listed in this article.
Parent Tips: How to Help Your Child Prepare for Standardized Tests
Standardized tests currently play a major role in the United States public schools. Your child may take one or more standardized tests during the school year, and your child's teacher may spend class time on test preparation throughout the year. As a parent, there are a number of ways that you can support your child before and after taking a standardized test, as well as a number of ways you can support your child's learning habits on a daily basis that will help her be more prepared when it's time to be tested.
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.
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.
Twenty Ways You Can Help Your Children Succeed At School
You can make a big difference in helping your child succeed in school. Here are ten things you can do.
As part of assessments and/or high school graduation requirements in many states, students must pass a writing test. For ELL students, the writing test often poses one of the biggest challenges in testing and in meeting graduation requirements. In this month's Bright Ideas article, we offer a strategy for overcoming those obstacles and writing a strong five-paragraph essay. The article outlines the process from start to finish, starting with helping students develop a deeper understanding of writing test requirements to planning, organizing, and editing the essay's final draft.
Teaching Writing to Diverse Student Populations
Writing is a complex operation requiring knowledge of text structure, syntax, vocabulary, and topic, and sensitivity to audience needs; so it is not surprising that many teens find writing challenging. This article identifies the qualities of strong writing instruction, and offers advice to teachers for incorporating writing instruction into their practice, using tools like notebooks and journals, and sharing strategies that reinforce the importance of pre-writing and revision.
Motivating ELL Student Readers
ELL teachers are in a unique position to instill a love of reading in their students. Since many ELL students are struggling readers, however, it can be difficult to motivate them to read. In this month's Bright Ideas feature, we offer a number of suggestions for motivating ELL readers, from finding readable materials to introducing students to a "culture of reading." We also provide a number of hotlinks to websites about high-low reading materials, and articles about teaching ELLs to read.
Making Reading Relevant: Read, Learn, and Do! (K-3)
Making Reading Relevant: Read, Learn, and Do! (Pre-K)
The Writing Road: Reinvigorate Your Students' Enthusiasm for Writing
Teach your students to avoid the avoidance of writing. Learn how to lead them down the path of enthusiasm and self-confidence about writing through research-proven strategies.
Helping Young Children Develop Strong Writing Skills
Writing is an important part of our daily lives, but it is a difficult skill to learn and master. By getting a head start with some simple activities, though, you can help your child begin to develop her writing skills at an early age. By doing so you will be contributing to her future success as a student and as an adult while teaching her how to express herself. In this article, we provide some of the reasons that writing is so important in our lives, as well as a list of suggestions that will help your child become a stronger writer.
Tips for Parents of Struggling Adolescent Writers
This article discusses some of the reasons that older students may want to avoid writing, as well as some ways that parents can help their teens become better writers.
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.
New Year's Resolution: Help Your Kids Do Well in School This Year
It is a new year according to the calendar, but in most schools, we've just reached the half-way point. Resolve to be involved in your children's education in new ways this year.
Start the New Year Off Right: Resolve to Raise a Reader!
Many New Year's resolutions focus on developing healthy habits. Here's one that is important to make and keep: provide a regular diet of books and reading for your preschooler.Many New Year's resolutions focus on developing healthy habits. Here's one that is important to make and keep: provide a regular diet of books and reading for your preschooler.
Technology that encourages interactive learning can be an effective tool for teaching English language learners, even if the technology is not specifically designed particularly for ELLs.
One of the most important gifts you can give to your child is the gift of reading — whether it’s giving him/her books and reading games during the holiday season or sitting down and reading together each night before bedtime. This article features ideas about how to give the gift of reading to both younger and older children this holiday season and all year round.
Why Reading to Your Kids in Spanish Will Help Them Become Better Readers
Many parents are hesitant to read to their children in Spanish because they are afraid that it will confuse their children as they try to learn English. In fact, research shows that the opposite is true — reading to a child in his first language will make it easier for him to learn to read in his second language, and the benefits are even greater if a child learns to read in his first language. Read more about these benefits, as well as suggestions for ways to encourage your child’s Spanish-language literacy skills in at home!
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.
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.
Learning That's Hands-On Holiday Fun (Pre-K)
How to Address Special Education Needs in the ELL Classroom
When an ELL student is struggling with language difficulties, it is often difficult to know if the problem is due to a delay in language acquisition, to a learning disability, to other kinds of special education needs, or a combination of these factors. This month's article presents an overview of practical guidelines on the steps to follow when considering if a student has special education needs, including academic interventions, factors affecting referral for assessment, and a number of related resources.
The Parent-Teacher Conference (Pre-K)
Some preschools schedule meetings during the year to talk about your child's progress. Here are some tips to make the most of those meetings.
What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners?
In this article, a seasoned ELL teacher synthesizes her own classroom experience and the findings of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth to make recommendations for effective literacy instruction of ELL students.
Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences at Your Child's School
As a parent, you may be about to attend your first parent-teacher conference and are wondering what to expect. Or you may have attended a number of conferences previously, but want a quick refresher on ways to prepare for an upcoming conference. Colorín Colorado has compiled a number of suggestions to help you with your preparation, including tips about what to expect from the conference and a list of suggested questions to ask your child's teacher.
Tips for Developing Good Reading Habits at Home
Good reading habits start at home! These simple steps that you can take will help your child become a stronger reader and student.
Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences with Bilingual Families
As the time for parent-teacher conferences approaches, you may be wondering how to hold an effective conference with the parents of your English language learners if they can't communicate comfortably in English. In this month's Bright Ideas, we provide a number of tips that will help you bridge that language gap, take cultural expectations about education into account and provide your students' parents with the information they need about their children's progress in school.
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.
How to Get Parents Involved: Bilingual Family Night
Establishing a strong partnership between parents and schools early in the school year is crucial to a student's success throughout the year. However, this may prove to be a challenge when working with English Language Learners (ELLs) if their parents do not speak English. One way to connect with parents of ELLs is to host a bilingual family night at the beginning of the school year. Here are some suggestions for planning a bilingual family event, as well as creative ways to bridge the language gap and a list of links to useful websites.
A School Year Start Up Checklist
Gear Up for a New School Year!
Starting a new school year positively is very important. It is likely that most teachers will have newly enrolled students in their classrooms, as well as students who do not speak English as their first language. For this reason, there is a lot for teachers to think about as they start the new school year.
Thank you for everything. I'm working in Santurce, Vizcaya and you help me a lot! Thank you again!
~ Liliana R.
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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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