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“HELLO” & “WELCOME” IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES: MULTICULTURAL POSTERS CELEBRATE CULTURAL DIVERSITY & WELCOME NEWCOMERS

Teachers want to make children feel valued and comfortable from the day they arrive at school.  One of the first things a child or caregiver will notice when they enter a new classroom is the way it looks. Imagine if one of the first things a child sees is a poster that says “Welcome” in different languages, including their own! Or if they are greeted with “Hello” in different languages! Newcomers who do not speak English well, and............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Community Support, Families, Giveaways, Holidays, Libraries, Schools,

MULTICULTURAL BOOKS FOR NATIONAL READING MONTH & GIVEAWAY!

National Reading Month is a great time to try out a new multicultural book with your little ones! Celebrate with fun, diverse children’s books that introduce them to different cultures. And don’t miss out on the Multicultural Stories Giveaway we are co-sponsoring with our friends at I Teach K-2! What is National Reading Month? Every March, National Reading Month kicks off with NEA’s Read Across America, which celebrates the birthday of the beloved Dr. Seuss. All month long, organizations across............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, Holidays, Lesson Plans, Schools, Teaching Resources,

HOLI FESTIVAL + WORLD FOLKTALES & FABLES WEEK: NEW LESSON PLANS & DISCOUNT

We’re excited to share new, free multicultural lesson plans you can use to celebrate two fun upcoming holidays: Holi “Festival of Colors” (March 13, 2017) Holi , also known as the Festival of Colors,  is a popular springtime festival celebrated in many parts of South Asia and around the world.  This festival celebrates the coming of spring and the end of winter. It is also a day to give thanks for a good harvest. It’s a time to forgive and forget, be with............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Community Support, Families, Schools,

CELEBRATE DIVERSITY AND EASE ANXIETY: SUGGESTIONS FOR KIDS & ADULTS

Right now, our lives are permeated with emotionally charged discourse about political and social upheaval. When you think about how much news media, social media and personal conversations we’re exposed to, it’s very likely our kids and students are aware and possibly experiencing anxiety about what they hear and see going on in the world around them. We all may feel disheartened with the current events that are dividing us as people, and as a nation. If you’re worried that the children in............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, Libraries, Schools, Teaching Resources,

HOW TO CREATE A CLASSROOM LISTENING CENTER

If your classroom or library makes use of learning centers, you may be thinking about setting one up as a listening center. Students of all ages and levels, especially English language learners, benefit from this type of interactive, multi-sensory learning. Below, we offer some tips to help get your listening center up and running. Make a Listening Center Plan What type of Listening Center best suits your classroom? Would you like your students to focus on literacy gains and improve comprehension and vocabulary? Or do............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Libraries, Schools,

BRANCHING OUT: IDIOMS & LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Learning a new language is hard work – definitely no walk in the park! As a teacher, parent or student, you may find yourself so busy with the basics of vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar that you’re hesitant to add any more work. But idioms – sayings with a shared meaning in a community, which aren’t decipherable from their words alone – are an important part of language learning, too. Read on for some helpful tips to “pave the way” to learning idioms in a............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Holidays, Libraries, Schools,

5 FUN & EASY WAYS TO CELEBRATE DIVERSITY

It’s always a great time to celebrate diversity in your classroom and home, but October is special because it’s also Celebrating the Bilingual Child Month! Language Lizard will soon announce a huge giveaway in honor of the occasion… In the meantime, we offer 5 fun and easy ways to celebrate diversity today! Foods from Around the World Trying out a new dish from a different part of the world is delicious, fun and educational – a sure win! You might love trying a bit............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, Dual Language, Libraries, Schools,

3 STEPS TO BUILD A LENDING LIBRARY IN YOUR CLASSROOM

Have you ever considered creating a lending library in your classroom? They can be an especially great resource for bilingual students and their families. When students see books in their home languages, it can be comforting and a source of pride, and can encourage acceptance of diversity in all of your students. A classroom lending library can inspire a love of reading in students, and increase parental involvement. In the past, we’ve written posts about the increasing need for multicultural............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Schools, Teaching Resources,

NEWCOMER TOOLKIT: SUPPORTING NEW IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

In the past, we’ve written about online resources that can help educators trying to accommodate an increasingly diverse student population, as well as tips to make the critical first days of school go more smoothly for bilingual students in your classroom. Today, we take a look at the US Department of Education’s recently updated, detailed Newcomer Toolkit, designed to help educators (teachers, principals and school staff) working with foreign-born students who have recently arrived in the US. In addition to............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Schools,

WHY YOUR CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN A LESS COMMONLY TAUGHT LANGUAGE

by guest blogger Susan Cazenavette Herrick Siu More than 300 distinct languages other than English are now spoken in the United States. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, those with the most native speakers in this country are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, French, Vietnamese, German, and Korean (all with numbers of speakers in the millions), followed by Russian, Arabic, and Italian. Other languages with large numbers of speakers (in no particular order) include Portuguese, French Creole, Yiddish, Greek, Polish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Navajo,............. CONTINUE READING
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