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Classroom, Libraries, Schools, Teacher 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, Community Support, Libraries, Schools,

CELEBRATE DIVERSITY! #CELEBRATEDIVERSITY

After this divisive and polarizing election season, one thing is clear: Now more than ever, we need to celebrate the diversity in our nation and our communities. “I can imagine nothing more terrifying than an Eternity filled with men who were all the same. The only thing which has made life bearable…has been the diversity of creatures on the surface of the globe.”  – T.H. White It is clear that some of the rhetoric during this campaign encouraged an ignorance about various ethnic groups............. 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, Teacher 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............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Community Support, Families, Libraries, Schools,

TEACHING TOLERANCE IN TURBULENT TIMES

It may feel like every time you turn on the TV or check your Facebook or Twitter feed, you are inundated with news of yet another violent tragedy in some part of the world. Terrorist attacks and political upheaval seem to be the norm now, not the exception. We are all asking ourselves what can be done to stop the endless stream of violence. A crucial step is one that is closest to us: one of the most important, immediate ways to create a............. 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
At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Libraries, Schools, Teacher Resources,

SUPPORTING ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CLASSROOM & AT HOME

The process of language development in children is an amazing one, and full of so much complexity. Here, we offer 5 fun activity ideas that can help the oral language development of the kids in your home or classroom. Oral Language and Literacy So much of language is learned in the early years of life, simply by listening to and interacting with those around us. As time goes by, our oral language skills improve through practice and formal instruction. Oral language is............. 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
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