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Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Schools, Teaching Resources,

BILINGUAL BOOKS OPEN UP A WORLD OF COMMUNICATION AND CONFIDENCE

Our last blog posting focused on how teachers can use bilingual books to create preschool links to the K-12 Common Core Standards, specifically in listening and reading (click on the link if you missed this piece). In this article, we will focus on another key area in which bilingual books can help in the preschool to kindergarten transition: interpersonal skills. Reading seems like such a solitary activity;............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Schools,

NO KIDDING! BILINGUAL BOOKS HELP PREPARE DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS FOR KINDERGARTEN, SAYS NEW CECER-DLL REPORT

    photo credit: woodleywonderworks @ flickr.com A scary new building.  Big kid chairs.  A terrifying new teacher whose smile may or may not be genuine.  Swarms of giant children rampaging around an unfamiliar playground.  And my daddy’s just gone off and left me… The first day of kindergarten is tough! …Now imagine how much tougher it is for dual language learners (DLLs), lost in an aural fog of language they don’t understand.  Not to mention that they will now be expected to meet a whole............. CONTINUE READING
Community Support, Dual Language, Families,

BRINGING UP MULTILINGUAL CHILDREN WITH LESS COMMON HOME LANGUAGES

On a sunny day in London, when the streets are crowded with people enjoying the rare warmth, you can hear an abundance of different languages from the majority migrant groups in the city: families discussing the school day in Somali; teenagers gossiping in Turkish; imams greeting each other in Urdu.   But passing by the shop fronts boasting posters in languages from Polish and Bengali, you won’t hear German or Cape Verdean creole – not unless you go to Andrea and Xaxa’s for............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Families,

WORLD FOLKTALES AND FABLES: EFFECTIVE TEACHING TOOLS EDUCATE & ENTERTAIN CHILDREN

Reading world folktales and fables is not only a wonderful way to entertain and bond with children, it is also an effective way to educate them. The stories in classic folklore offer both social lessons as well as an opportunity to teach about cultures and languages. World Folktales and Fables week is celebrated the third week of each March, so be sure to enjoy a good folktale in your classroom or home! Children love folktales and fables. With their simple characters and............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, ELLs / DLLs, Families,

BUILDING BABY BRAINS WITH TWO LANGUAGES

By Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. Photo credit: christine (cbszeto) Learning to talk is one of the biggest jobs a baby has to do – so wouldn’t learning two languages be confusing? The answer is: No! According to the latest research, babies’ brains are so well prepared to analyze, absorb, and make sense of language, that learning in two languages simply comes naturally. Through their research, Dr. Patricia Kuhl of Washington University and her colleagues have found that infants who grow up bilingual maintain............. CONTINUE READING
Families, Schools,

THE BILINGUAL CHILD MONTH IS HERE AGAIN!

It is that time of year to celebrate: The bilingual child month is here! We are delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate this wonderful month with you! Being bilingual is fun and fabulous – what a perfect reason to celebrate it! The best part of this celebration is that it doesn’t take much effort to focus on bilingualism: share a bilingual book with your students, visit an international district in a nearby city, or hang out together talking about the different............. CONTINUE READING
Families, Libraries, Schools,

BILINGUAL BOOK PROMOTION LAUNCHED ON INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY!

To celebrate International Literacy Day, Language Lizard is launching its Bilingual Book Promotion which will last until the end of October.  Visit the Language Lizard website to learn more about this promotion and how you can receive free bilingual books! The theme for the 2012 International Literacy Day is literacy and peace. As the UNESCO website states: “Literacy contributes to peace as it brings people closer to attaining individual freedoms and better understanding the world, as well as preventing or resolving............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Families,

TOP BILINGUAL BOOKS FOR SUMMERTIME READING

When it comes to choosing bilingual books to share with our little ones during the summer, the choices seem endless. Who can decide on just a few when there are so many to choose from? To help you pick the right bilingual books for your family this summer, we have put together the following lists based on some popular topics. We hope you will find just the right books to make your summertime as enjoyable (and bilingual) as possible. Feel free to head............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Dual Language, Families,

BILINGUAL CHILDREN: SUMMER TRAVEL ACTIVITIES

Summer is a wonderful time of year to travel: Children are out of school and the warm days beacon for lazy hours at the beach or walks through cool forests. Whether we are traveling by land, air or sea, we can make bilingualism part of every bilingual child’s summertime adventures. Both parents and teachers can engage bilingual children in fun travel activities, whether it is during a bus ride with a summer class or as a family on the way to visit............. CONTINUE READING
Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families,

BILINGUAL CHILDREN: BENEFITS OF LEARNING TO READ IN THE HOME LANGUAGE

We only learn how to read once. This is true for all of us: monolingual, bilingual or multilingual. Once we figure out how literacy works, it is with us forever. The best part about bilingual children learning to read is that once they figure it out in one language, they can transfer their literacy to their other language(s)! It is a feat that can be mastered in leaps and bounds in any of a number of languages once the process is underway. As............. CONTINUE READING
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