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.
Parents
Reading at Home with Your Child
Delta Publishing sells videos, DVDs, and handouts available in English and Spanish for educators to teach parents how to read with their children.
About.com: Make at Home Math Games
Links to many math games that use common items such as dice and playing cards. Game boards can be printed too.
About.com: Print and Learn Activities
Links to many printable activities and worksheets. Topics include coloring books, paper dolls, math and reading activities and games.
ALSC: Exceptional Websites for Children
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, announces which sites that the Great Web Sites for Kids (GWS) committee added to its list in fall 2008.
American Federation of Teachers: Parent Resources
The AFT offers many useful resources for educators to use with parents to help them navigate today’s hot-button educational issues, as well as how to help them become better consumers of public education and advocates for their children.
Author Website: Jacqueline Jules
Jacqueline Jules, a children's author and school librarian, highlights her stories on her Web site with the help of book trailers, teacher guides, videos, and some interactive games.
Between the Lions is an award-winning PBS children's series designed to help young children learn to read. The Web site includes games and materials from the show, including a literacy curriculum aimed at children ages 4-7.
Bringing up Baby Bilingual Blog
Website with many links to research, articles and useful links to support bilingual language development.
Campaña Quetzal is a coalition of parent, youth, individuals, educators, and organizations committed to unleashing the academic and personal potential of each Latino student and eliminating the academic achievement gap.
Children Now: Education Resources
Offers information, research, and policy recommendations for policy-makers, educators, and parents working on behalf of children.
Cody's Cuentos produces free podcasts of classic fairytales translated into Spanish and read by a professional storyteller. The site mascot is a friendly cartoon dog named Cody. Users have the option of subscribing to receive new podcasts when they are available.
Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center (CPIRC)
The Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center (CPIRC) at Clayton Early Learning provides information about the No Child Left Behind Law and support for school and family partnerships in Colorado that lead to increased student achievement. CPIRC also offers trainings for schools, parents, and districts, and some of these training resources such as PowerPoint presentations are available for free online.
Celebrate the joy of reading with Cuentos y Más, a dynamic show offered by the Arlington Public Library in Arlington, VA and winner of the Outstanding Children's Program award by the Virginia Public Library Directors Association. The program features the talented and engaging bilingual storyteller Mariela Aguilar, who tells stories in English and Spanish and then visits places in the community such as the library. Produced for television, the program is now available as an online video for free viewing.
Cultivating Readers: A Magazine for Parents
The National Center for Family Literacy puts the family at the forefront of educational reform in the area of national literacy. They have produced a free downloadable bilingual magazine in English and Spanish for parents called "Cultivating Readers," which gives tips on promoting reading to children from birth until age 8.
Scholastic BookFlix is an online resource available at no cost through the District of Columbia Public Library Web site for DC library card holders, and for purchase through Scholastic.com. BookFlix offers high-quality Flash video picture books to link fact and fiction and to promote early reading skills. Some materials are available in Spanish.
Ed.gov: Education Resources for Spanish Speakers
This site, sponsored by the Department of Education, provides links for Spanish speaking parents of school-age children. It also includes answers to frequently asked questions, a resource center with publications and materials, a general information center, and assistance for parents in need of financial support to aid their child's education.
This section of the Learning Network is designed to help parents stay connected to their children's learning. Find homework help, creative activities, printables, games, and ideas from other parents and experts.
Family Education: Printables Center
Valuable printables resource center with thousands of printable activities. Database can be searched by grade level and topic.
Great Schools: Back-to-School Night
This article discusses some ideas for parents so that they can make the most of back-to-school night at their child's school, as well as information that they should take with them from the event about their child's school, classroom, and teacher (such as important contact information). This article is available in English and Spanish.
Helping Your Child Write an Essay: Organizing and Brainstorming
A basic introduction to organizing and writing an essay. Straightforward and clear language is used in the examples of the thesis statement and supporting details.
