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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

Success for English Language Learners in the New Year

Girl studying

Welcome to Colorín Colorado: the leading website for teachers
and parents of English Language Learners! Here you'll find lots
of articles, resources, and ideas to support ELLs at school and
at home.

New! Getting ELLs on the Path to College

For English language learners, the challenges of going to and applying to college can be overwhelming. ELL teachers can play
an important role, however, by helping students prepare for and navigate the application process. This new section features a number of articles with great ideas for ways that ELL educators can support their students as they consider their future plans.

Parent Tips: Making the Most of the New Year

For some great ideas on helping your child get off to a good start in the New Year, take a look at these articles from Colorín Colorado:

Highlights

Book of the Month The Storyteller's Candle/La velita de los cuentos
By Lucía González
Illustrated by Lulu Delacre

The Storyteller's Candle / La velita de los cuentos

Many years ago, a wonderful thing happened in New York City — a librarian named Pura Belpré welcomed her fellow Puerto Ricans to the public library for the first time. This is her story, told through the eyes of two young children who are introduced to the library and its treasures by Pura just before Christmas. Bilingual Spanish-English text.

Bilingual Holiday Booklist

N is for Navidad

Colorín Colorado presents recommendations for some holiday books to share with your family. Recommended books include classic children's stories and depictions of Hispanic families celebrating Christmas and Las Posadas, as well as stories of celebrations and traditions in other cultures. The list is available in English and Spanish.

Reading Rockets: Books for the Holidays

The Tomten

Reading Rockets also lists some wonderful holiday selections in its Ten Books for the Holiday Season booklist, as well as suggestions of books that will make great gifts for kids in the Books as Gifts 2008 booklist.

Resources from Our Learning Store

Vocabulary Improvement Program for English Language Learners

LearningStore is a service shared by Colorín Colorado and our sister sites (Reading Rockets, LD OnLine, and AdLit.org) to provide you the best educational materials, vetted by experts.  ELL resources include books, software, interactive learning tools, and DVDs.  Take a look and see what you think!

This month's features

Culturally Responsive Instruction

ELL classrooms are filled with diversity and rich cultural traditions! Culturally Responsive Instruction for Holidays and Religious Celebrations shows teachers how to bring rich
cultural content into their teaching in a way that expands students' knowledge, interest, and respect for other cultural traditions.
The article offers suggestions that can be used throughout the year, as well as when celebrating cultural and religious holidays.

How to Help Your Child Have a Happy Holiday Season

For the parents of children with special needs, take a look at this article from our sister site, LD OnLine, about helping children with social and behavioral problems have a happy holiday season.

New! Meet the Experts Podcasts

Meet the Experts Podcasts

Colorín Colorado and the American Federation of Teachers present a new series of podcasts, featuring interviews with leaders in the English language learner (ELL) education field from across the country. Topics covered range from ELLs in preschool to improving ELLs' graduation rates, as well as multicultural children's literature and professional development ideas for teachers.

Don't miss

Sesame Street: Bilingual Resources for Military Families

Sesame St logo

In recognition of the contributions made by the United States Armed Forces, Sesame Workshop presents this bilingual educational outreach designed for military families and their young children to share. Resources include, videos, parent information, and a facilitator guide — all available in
English and Spanish.

Social Networking with Colorín Colorado

Colorin Colorado on Facebook

Colorín Colorado now has a fan page on Facebook. Check us out and become a fan today!

We are also on Twitter, so sign up to follow our twitters and be the first to now what's new and exciting on Colorín Colorado.

Reading Rockets' Newest Show: Toddling Toward Reading

Reba McEntire

Hosted by Reba McEntire, Toddling Toward Reading looks at what it takes to give our preschoolers the early literacy skills they need to become successful readers. This is the 10th episode in the Reading Rockets' "Launching Young Readers" series and is now airing on PBS, so check your local listings!