English Language Learners / Dual Language Learners / Multicultural Education Support – Language Lizard Blog

LANGUAGE & LITERACY BLOG

Community Support, Grants and Funding,

HEAD START FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

In our Funding & Grants series of articles, we provide information for educators looking for special funding to help them purchase multilingual resources to support language learners. In a previous post, we focused on Title III grants. Here, we take a look at Head Start funding. Head Start Program – Background Info The Office of Head Start (OHS) is an organization within the US Department of Health and Human Services. It’s government-run, and has............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families,

BILINGUAL BABY BOOKS – 5 TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED

There are so many reasons to read to your baby, especially when you’re raising a bilingual child. Not only is reading a great way to bond, it’s a chance to link spoken words with visual images on the page. And don’t forget to get older siblings involved in the bilingual reading fun! Here are 5 tips to getting your bilingual baby book collection started. Choosing the Right Bilingual Baby Books Your first bilingual............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Community Support, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Language Spotlight, Libraries, Schools,

NEPALI LANGUAGE & NEPALI BOOKS: FACTS, FIGURES AND RESOURCES

Today’s spotlight language is Nepali. Below, we offer background and interesting facts about the language, as well as information to help you find Nepali books. Where is it spoken? Nepali is the official language of Nepal, a country in South Asia. It is also spoken in Bhutan, Burma (Republic of the Union of Myanmar), and India. There are about 17 million Nepali speakers around the world. How Many People Speak Nepali in the US? There are relatively large Nepalese communities in New York,............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Libraries, Schools,

PROMOTING DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION & INCLUSIVENESS USING INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND BILINGUAL AUDIO BOOKS

If a classroom were a puzzle, the students in it would be its pieces. Each piece would have its own shape, or learning style; its own size, or level of readiness. Teachers are trying to reach every student in an effective way with a finite amount of resources. More educators are looking to differentiated instruction and inclusiveness to help them achieve these goals. New technology, like the PENpal Audio Recorder Pen, along with interactive bilingual literacy sets, are helping teachers customize............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, Community Support, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Libraries, Schools, Teacher Resources,

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENT IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES

The number of immigrant and refugee children has increased over the past decade, and is now the fastest-growing segment in the US youth population. These students face many challenges when adapting to a new life in the US: culture shock, making friends, and learning a new language, just to name a few.  All too often, schools lack the resources to research the best ways to help these students, and miss out on methods developed by other districts............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Libraries, Schools, Teacher Resources,

PENPAL AUDIO RECORDER PEN: TAP & LISTEN TO BILINGUAL BOOKS & RECORDABLE LABELS

Language Lizard is proud to announce the PENpal Audio Recorder Pen… The pen that’s bringing sound to paper! What is PENpal? An award-winning digital audio “pen” that promotes reading, speaking and listening for a diverse student population.  PENpal supports dIfferentiated instruction and inclusiveness. Listen to content in many languages by simply touching the pen to interactive books, charts, labels and other learning resources.   Record your own narrative, music or sound effects with Recordable Labels. What can you do with PENpal and Recordable Labels? Download hundreds............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Schools, Teacher Resources,

10 WAYS MAINSTREAM TEACHERS CAN ACCOMMODATE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELLS) IN THE CLASSROOM

Teachers and parents of bilingual children face many challenges. Whether it’s creating a sense of community in a diverse classroom, or finding creative ways to use multicultural resources, helping a student learn a new language requires a multi-faceted approach. Because of a nationwide shortage of bilingual teachers, many ELL students are placed in mainstream classrooms with limited bilingual assistance. Those students can be successful when given the necessary support. The 10 tips and strategies below can help mainstream............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families,

15+ GAMES TO ENGAGE KIDS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

This article by Breeana D. from takelessons.com is full of fun games that will get kids excited about learning a new language. Although it focuses on Spanish, these ideas can easily be adapted to any language! Learning Spanish can be difficult, especially for kids. From complex grammar rules to difficult vocabulary words, there are a lot of tough concepts kids must learn. While difficult, learning Spanish is well worth the time and effort. After all, learning a second language greatly increases a child’s cognitive abilities, improves his or............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Families, Holidays,

HOLIDAYS & FOOD: CELEBRATE WITH A DISCOUNT ON BILINGUAL CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Think of any holiday celebrated in any part of the world, and there is sure to be at least one traditional dish associated with it. Thanksgiving turkey, curry on Boxing Day, or rice cakes for Chinese New Year… Food is the cornerstone of any celebration. In an article that explores the relationship between food and culture, writer Amy S. Choi says, “Food feeds the soul. To the extent that we all eat............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Holidays, Schools,

5 WAYS TO A BILINGUAL/ MULTICULTURAL HOLIDAY SEASON

If you feel like the school year is speeding by, you’re right: the holiday season is already upon us. There’s still plenty of time to work on that Christmas list. You may already be planning your big meal for Thanksgiving Day. Or, you may find yourself wondering how to get through another stressful holiday season with your sanity intact. If you find this year’s holiday spirit is more ho-hum than ho-ho-ho, try adding a multicultural and bilingual twist to your classroom............. CONTINUE READING
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