T.ELL.E-gram

This month's highlights

Colorín Colorado Features

Looking for that perfect "beach book" for your upcoming summer vacation? Why not skip the latest bestseller in favor of one of the great choices from Colorín Colorado's Books for Adults section? You'll find everything from resources for the classroom to guides for improving your Spanish skills!

Also, explore our Meet the Author podcasts for free, downloadable interviews with some of your favorite Hispanic children's authors, including Pat Mora and Alma Flor Ada. Find out what inspires them to write, and listen as they talk about how their Latino heritage has influenced their art.

What are you reading?

In July, Colorín Colorado plans to offer summer reading ideas for educators — from professional development to best practices to fun and/or inspirational reading!

Have you read a book that really informed your classroom practice, motivated you, or helped you work more effectively with colleagues or parents? If so, we want to hear about it!

Please email us your book recommendation(s) and include the following information for each:

1. Title
2. Author
3. Who should read this book (i.e., elementary school teachers, high school librarians)
4. Please include 2 or 3 sentences explaining why you recommended this book.

Check back with Colorín Colorado in July to see our booklists and other information.

Summer Reading Resources

Colorín Colorado is pleased to present its new summer reading resources page for parents, including summer reading tips and information about visiting the library.

This page is available in English and Spanish.

Congratulations to our writing contest winners!

• Ms. Susan Aktary, North Carolina
• Ms. Cynthia Armstrong, Colorado
• Ms. Heather Cowley, Florida
• Ms. Tammy Jones, West Virginia
• Ms. Jeanne Piro, New York
• Ms. Shira Reiss, Colorado
• Ms. Anita Scussel, Illinois
• Ms. Sonia Solomon, North Carolina
• Ms. Theresa Straub, Illinois
• Ms. Clair Wolters, Minnesota

Take a look at their suggestions for teaching writing to ELLs!

We also would like to congratulate our From the Heart interviewee,
Felix Herrera, for his selection as Northern Virginia's Teacher of the Year!

Research and Reports

English language learners face unique challenges in the classroom, but research has identified programs and techniques that support their academic learning and help them achieve success in the classroom. See Colorín Colorado's Research & Reports section for the latest reports and research-based recommendations on reaching, teaching, and assessing ELLs.

Professional Development Resources for Summer

The summer is a great time to take a look at some of the resources that are easy to miss during the busy school year! For more information on research-based best practice, check out the following excellent resources:

• Best Evidence Encyclopedia

  This review summarizes evidence on achievement effects of reading programs for English language learners and other language minority students in the elementary grades.

• Center for Applied Linguistics

  CAL's ELL research-based resources include publications, guides, and program-based tools for educators.

• Crosscultural Developmental Education Services

  CCDES offers numerous professional development, training, and support resources on its website, including activities, articles, handouts, recommended websites, and information for parents. The director and founder of CCDES, Dr. Catherine Collier, is this month's From the Heart Interviewee.

• Doing What Works

  Doing What Works is a website dedicated to assisting teachers in the implementation of effective educational practices, and includes online resources, interviews, slide shows showing best practices, and much more.

• National Council of Teachers of English

  NCTE offers collections of educator resources, teaching strategies, and professional readings on current "hot topics" in English language arts. Pulled from Council books, journals, web resources and more, these collections are designed to help you address specific challenges in your classroom.

• Elementary ELL Collection
• Secondary ELL Collection
• NCELA

  The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs (NCELA) collects, analyzes, synthesizes and disseminates information about language instruction educational programs for English language learners and related programs. NCELA is funded by the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA) of the U.S. Department of Education.

• TESOL Tapestry

  This website presents the research on second-language literacy acquisition and on instructional methods effective with language minority students.

• What Works Clearinghouse

  The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews for English Language Learners focus on interventions for students in grades K-6 that are intended to increase skills in reading achievement, mathematics achievement, or English language development.

In the Classroom

A Year in the Lives of New Immigrants:
Video and Articles

The Dallas Morning News

During the past school year, The Dallas Morning News followed about 60 new immigrants and their teachers, and met with many families, to learn about their challenges at school and home. The newspaper's website features articles, editorials, and video clips of these students and their teachers.

Bright Ideas that Work

Putting Together a 'Welcome Kit' for New ELLs

It is important for school administrators and staff to spend some time thinking of ways to help new ELL students make a smooth transition into school and ease their anxiety. Since ELL students may enroll throughout the school year, many do not have the benefit of the welcome speeches and activities at the beginning of the year. One way to help these students feel welcome and get them prepared for success in school is to present them with a "Welcome Kit." This month's Bright Ideas article offers ideas for what kinds of materials and supplies to include in an ELL Welcome Kit, from bussing information to rulers and backpacks.

Frequently Asked Questions

For teachers, summer isn't just a time for rest and relaxation; it's also an opportunity to review the past year and begin planning for a successful year ahead. As you start thinking about the coming school year, you may want to explore the answers to these questions:

• Where can I find teaching methodologies for ESL?
• What are some things I can do to make the new ELLs in my class feel comfortable?

Find the answers to these and many other Frequently Asked Questions about teaching ELLs on Colorín Colorado.

From the Heart

Dr. Catherine Collier is a leader in the fields of cross-cultural, bilingual, and special education, with more than 30 years of experience as a classroom and resource room teacher, diagnostician, researcher, and the director of a teacher-training program specializing in certification of bilingual paraprofessionals at all teaching levels.

Dr. Collier currently is the director of CrossCultural Developmental Education Services (CCDES) in Ferndale, Washington, a company offering support and professional development opportunities to community organizations, departments of education, school districts, teachers, and parents. In this exclusive interview with Colorín Colorado, Dr. Collier discusses her background in ELL, bilingual, and special education, as well as some of the ways these fields have changed during her career.

Book of the Month

From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems/Del ombligo de la luna y otros poemas de verano
By Francisco X. Alarcón

The poet remembers summers growing up in Mexico in poems presented in both English and Spanish. Readers meet his family and join them in the everyday joys of the sunny season. Illustrations are as colorful and evocative as the words.

Learn more about Franciso Alarcón from Colorín Colorado's Meet the Author interview with him!

In a Word: Indirect Vocabulary Learning

This month's glossary term term refers to vocabulary learning that occurs when students hear or see words used in many different contexts - for example, through conversations with adults, being read to, and reading extensively on their own.

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