ELL News Headlines

One of the scariest things I’ve done was to leave my role as a language specialist and accept a secondary social studies position. It was scary to leave the shelter of the familiar to explore the wilds of the unknown.

A once-in-a-lifetime manuscript. That was Jason Chin’s first thought when he read author Andrea Wang’s Watercress. Chin's work earned the 2022 Caldecott Medal winner for Watercress, which was also named a Newbery Honor title.

Upon hearing that her debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter, won the 2022 Michael L. Printz Award, Angeline Boulley’s thoughts went immediately to other Native and marginalized creators. Through her tears, Boulley told the Printz committee, “I know what this means.”

School Library Journal has compiled their reviews of the books that won Youth Media Awards this year, including winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, American Indian Youth Literature Honors, Pura Belpré Awards, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.

Larry Ferlazzo's new question-of-the-week is: "What are you doing — or trying to do — to sustain your morale and the morale of your students in the face of Omicron? What are you doing—or trying to do—to sustain any kind of learning momentum you had built up before the winter break?" Teachers Bill Ivey, Sarah Cooper, and Amber Chandler share their thoughts during this first week back from winter break.

E.L.L. students are invited to write a 50-word story using our recent vocabulary words. Send us yours by Jan. 31.

Last year was a great year for YA novels with Latinx protagonists, and 2022 promises to continue this positive trend. Here are seven titles to keep an eye out for this year.

The high-rise in the Bronx where 19 people died in a fire on Sunday was home to many African immigrants who chose their apartments for the close-knit community and proximity to local mosques. A significant number of the building’s residents were practicing Muslims and originally from Gambia, Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference on Sunday.

Larry Ferlazzo's question-of-the-week is: "What are you doing — or trying to do — to sustain your morale and the morale of your students in the face of Omicron? What are you doing — or trying to do — to sustain any kind of learning momentum you had built up before the winter break?" Tairen McCollister, M.A., M.Ed., Alice Mercer, and Andrew Simmons contribute their responses.

Keishia Thorpe immigrated to the U.S. as a child, hoping for a better life than the poverty she came from in Jamaica. She's now a teacher in Maryland — and her devotion to preparing young immigrants to succeed just brought her international recognition and $1 million, via the Global Teacher Prize.