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.
Traditional Ways of Life
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These books and stories share the traditional ways of life of a variety of American Indian tribes. Many are set in the pre-colonial era, offering a unique glimpse at Native societies, gender roles, and family life.
Birchbark House
Opening in the summer of 1847, this story follows an Ojibwe family through four seasons; it focuses on young Omakayas, who turns "eight winters old" during the course of the novel. In fascinating, nearly step-by-step details, the author describes how they build a summer home out of birchbark, gather with extended family to harvest rice in the autumn, treat an attack of smallpox during the winter and make maple syrup in the spring to stock their own larder and to sell to others. — Publishers Weekly
Children of the Longhouse
In this coming-of-age story, the children of the longhouse are 11-year-old Ohkwa'ri and Itsi:tsia. Twin brother and sister, they live in a Mohawk town in the traditional homelands of what is now eastern New York State in 1491. Reflecting the balance between male and female roles in Iroquois society, the book's chapters alternate between the events and perspectives of Ohkwa'ri and Itsi:tsia, who very definitely see things differently. Bruchac seamlessly incorporates an impressive amount of information about pre-contact Mohawk culture, society, and beliefs, and tells a good story as well. — Oyate
Dog People: Native Dog Stories
In Dog People: Native Dog Stories, the voice of an Abenaki storyteller takes children back 10,000 years to the days when children and dogs had especially close relationships. In these Native American adventure stories, children and dogs together must use their wits to survive the dangers of the natural world. — Midwest Book Review
Itse Selu: Cherokee Harvest Festival
The elements of the long-ago Cherokee harvest festival (Itse Selu) are presented in a fictionalized format as readers follow a young boy's experiences on the last day…Several Cherokee words are introduced, with pronunciations, within the warm, simple story. — School Library Journal
Neekna and Chemai
Neekna and Chemai are two little girls who are best friends and are growing up in the pre-colonial Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Through their mothers and grandmothers, they learn the Okanagan ways of life, stories, and traditions in this book from award-winning Okanagan author Jeannette Armstrong.
Sees Behind Trees
Product Description: No matter how hard he tries, nearsighted Walnut just can't earn his adult name the way other boys do, by hitting a target with a bow and arrow. With his highly developed other senses, however, he shows he can "see what can't be seen" and earns a new name: Sees Behind Trees. But his special skill proves to be more important than he'd ever imagined when he is invited to go on a journey to a mysterious land, a journey filled with unforeseen challenges and dangers.
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I am taking a class on working with English language learners and I found your site. It is such a great resource and contains so many practical ideas and good advice! I am looking forward to using it and passing it along to others. Great job!
~ Lynn Y.
