Category Archives: Teacher Resources

classroom, Lesson Plans, Teacher Resources

2 New (Free!) Multicultural Lesson Plans

October 2, 2018 languagelizard Leave a comment

We’ve teamed up with our friends at West Chester University to bring you two new lesson plans that bring multicultural education to your classroom! Download the free lesson plans and adapt them to the unique needs of your classroom. Homeschooling parents, use the activities to build literacy skills and explore new languages and cultures with your kids!

The lesson plans can be aligned with state and Common Core standards in Reading/Language Arts. The bilingual book The Little Red Hen and the Grains of Wheat (available in 38 languages) is recommended for these lessons, or you can substitute another book that suits the skills being practiced. The lessons include examples that use Cantonese and Spanish, but you can adapt the lesson to introduce any language. The PENpal Audio Recorder Pen is recommended as a tool to extend thinking.

Lesson Plan 1: Make Predictions & Practice Reading Comprehension

This lesson will guide your students as they:

Make predictions using information in the book The Little Red Hen and the Grains of Wheat, as well as their own background knowledge.
Complete a graphic organizer reflecting upon their predictions.
Write a response illustrating comprehension of the story.

Lesson Plan 2: Learn & Practice New Words

In this lesson, students will:

Use context to define vocabulary words pertaining to the story The Little Red Hen and the Grains of Wheat.
Match the correct vocabulary word to a visual depiction of that
word.
Sort vocabulary words into categories.

Language Lizard has many free lesson plans available for download! You can find lessons that are specific to certain holidays (Chinese New Year, Diwali, Ramadan, Thanksgiving), lessons that focus on certain countries (India, Korea, Japan, Romania), and lessons that address topics like understanding and appreciating differences, or bullying and problem solving.

classroom, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Schools, Teacher Resources

Parents Night for Bilingual ELL Families

September 15, 2018 languagelizard Leave a comment

colorful stick figure people in a classroom with a chalkboard that says, "Bilingual Parents Night" Have you thought about hosting a Parents Night event just for your bilingual families? It’s a great opportunity to create a personal connection with parents who have a unique set of concerns, as well as a valuable skill set to bring to your classroom.

1. Roll Out the Welcome Mat

Don’t be shy! Use all available forms of communication (emails, letters and even phone calls) to make sure every one of your bilingual families understands how much you want to meet with them. Send multiple reminders in the days leading up to the event.

Try to remove the roadblocks that might prevent parents from attending. Offer childcare and/or dinner. Consider meeting dates/times that better accommodate their work schedules. Possibly use an alternative meeting location that is familiar to the parents, and minimizes their travel distance, like community centers or libraries.

2. Research & Prepare Your Presentation

Do your research beforehand, and look out for potential cultural expectations that parents might have coming into the meeting. In some cultures, teachers are considered the authority figure, which may keep parents from speaking up. Do moms and dads have cultural, differentiated roles in the upbringing of their children? Knowing about cultural differences ahead of time gives you a chance to address them directly, and lay down new expectations with the parents.

Find an interpreter for your Bilingual Parents Night, and meet with them beforehand to go over the main points of your presentation. Leave enough time in your speech for lengthy translations. Plan to speak in shorter bursts, to ease the translator’s burden, and improve the flow of your presentation.

If you haven’t already, proudly display your bilingual and multicultural items in your classroom. Posters, books and decorations create a welcoming and inclusive environment.

3. Celebrate Parent Involvement & Bilingualism

During your Bilingual Parent Night, encourage the use of each family’s home language. Make it clear that you value bilingualism, and see it as an asset. Emphasize the importance of reading with their children every night. Offer translated resources to take home. If you already have a bilingual classroom library, now is a great time to show it off!

Encourage classroom involvement. Bilingual parents have a unique set of skills, knowledge and experiences that can be a great benefit to all of your students. Ask them to introduce their cultural traditions to the classroom. (Traditional foods, holidays, and fables are always a hit!) Ask them to volunteer as classroom and school helpers.

Leave plenty of time for questions and discussion. You might be surprised by the specific concerns they have, so be ready to write them down for future follow up.

Give parents the opportunity to mix and mingle. If they have a chance to meet, network and develop a sense of community, it can lead to a myriad of benefits for their children and the school as a whole.

4. Follow Up and Be Consistent

You put a lot of care and effort into planning your Bilingual Parents Night, so make sure you maintain the valuable connections you have established throughout the year.

Reach out to the parents frequently via translated emails, letters or phone calls. Offer additional bilingual resources when you find them, and be sure to follow up on the concerns they addressed.

The extra effort you put into hosting a Parents Night especially for your bilingual families can “translate” into lifelong benefits – not just for their children, but for all of the students in the class.

classroom, Schools, Teacher Resources

Preparing Your Classroom for Bilingual Students

August 6, 2018 languagelizard 1 Comment

It may be hard to believe, but summer is coming to an end. Beach days and family barbecues will soon be behind us. You find your mind is full of lesson plans and an incoming class of new faces. As you’re organizing shelves and deciding on the optimal classroom layout, remember to consider the needs of your bilingual students. Now is the perfect time to create a welcoming classroom that reflects acceptance and diversity right from the start.

Create an Inclusive Classroom

You want all of your students to feel like the classroom is their own by decorating it with images that represent and support diversity. If possible, find out the cultures that will be represented in your class roster before school begins.

Bilingual students are proud to see their home languages reflected in dual language books and multicultural posters. Create a bilingual listening and reading center, where students can read in comfort. Introduce the class to interesting and exciting aspects of different languages, cultures and countries. Traditional foods, stories, holidays and history are just a few subjects that are sure to be a hit.

Be Supportive, Yet Sensitive

Teachers often walk a fine line between giving bilingual students extra care and attention, without making them feel singled out as being different. When you discuss other languages and cultures in your class, do so generically, so that any one student doesn’t feel singled out. Your sensitivity to their needs will ensure any class discussions increase your bilingual students’ confidence.

Some students like to talk about where they, or their parents, are from. They want to answer their classmates’ questions. However, not all bilingual children feel they are different from their peers. Let each student decide what makes him/her unique and special. For those who have negative feelings associated with having a different home language, try and determine what will help them feel more accepted and appreciated in the classroom.

Find Bilingual Resources

Gather bilingual books and other learning materials in your students’ home languages. Not only will it help students feel more welcome, it will also improve their literacy skills. Check out our post Bilingual Children: Benefits of Learning to Read in the Home Language for more information and tips.

You can also adapt your lesson plans to reflect the unique make-up of your students’ cultural backgrounds. Our free lesson plan “Understanding and Appreciating Cultural Differences” includes a fun “I am Unique” Scavenger Hunt.

Prepare Information for Bilingual Parents

It’s important to engage the parents of your bilingual students. Help them understand the vital role they play in developing the language and literacy skills of their children. Provide them with materials in their home language. Allow students to borrow bilingual books, and encourage parents to read them at home together.

Find Your Support Network

Where can you find support during the school year? Familiarize yourself with ways your school district can support you. Are there financial resources you can utilize, or administrators who can assist teachers of bilingual students? Look into joining the local chapter of your state’s bilingual educators association.

A supportive and understanding teacher can make all the difference in the life of a bilingual child. The entire class also benefits from learning about other cultures through the eyes of their fellow classmates. Helping bilingual children blossom and shine in the classroom is truly a rewarding endeavor.

At Home, classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Teacher Resources

Using Cognates to Support Second Language and Literacy Learning

April 11, 2017 languagelizard Leave a comment

using cognates to support language learning and literacy by guest blogger Karen Nemeth EdM

Cognates are pairs of words that sound alike and have the same meaning in two different languages. They are useful first steps in learning a new language.

How Do Cognates Work?

In English we say “elephant” and in Spanish we say “elefante.” English and Spanish speakers can easily make the connection between these cognates to learn and remember the animal’s name. In English, we say “frog” but in Spanish we say “rana.” Frog and rana are not cognates, and the lack of connection means learners will find those words harder to use and remember. We know that people need to use their new language to really learn it. Cognates make it possible for language learners at any age to use their new words right away. By starting with the cognate words, a learner can build their vocabulary and gain the confidence to add more words in their new language.

Find Cognates in Your Target Language

Spanish and English share hundreds of cognates and have borrowed from each other for centuries. There are also many cognates that connect German to English, such as “mouse” and “maus”. Other languages, like Chinese and Arabic, have fewer cognates with English words. Lists of cognate words in different languages can be found online. I created a resource for Spanish-English cognates in preschool and kindergarten called Language Castle Cognate Guide. It has user-friendly lists of simple cognates in the different educational domains to support early learning. Other cognate resources can be found at colorincolorado.org. Bilingual children’s books, or matching books in two or more languages, can also be great resources to find vocabulary connections.

Learning Activities Using Cognates

Research shows that teachers and families can help children learn a new language successfully when they use cognates to explain the meanings of words in conversations and stories. Look for examples of cognates to support the language learners you work with. Use the pairs of words to help children understand the characters, stories and facts in books. Plan activities around the cognates you have found. Add cognates to familiar songs. Use cognates in puppet shows or pretend play to give children more opportunities to practice and use the words. Highlight cognates on word walls or classroom dictionaries. Plan science and math lessons that use cognates to strengthen children’s comprehension. Building connections through cognates is a sure path to success.

Read more about what experts are saying about the importance of using cognates to build second language learning:

August, D., Carlo, M., Dressler, C. and Snow, C. (2005) The Critical Role of Vocabulary Development for English Language Learners. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 20: 50–57

Collins, M.F. (2010) ELL preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition from storybook reading, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25(1), 84-97

Gillanders, C. & Castro, D.C. (2011) Storybook reading for young dual language learners, Young Children, January 2011, 91-95

Lugo-Neris, M.J., Jackson, C.W., Goldstein, H (2008) Facilitating Vocabulary Acquisition of Young English Language Learners, Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 41, 314-327

Pérez, A.M., Peña, E.D., & Bedore, L.M. (2010) Cognates facilitate young Spanish-English bilinguals’ test performance, Early Childhood Services, 4(1), 55-67

Wallace, Christopher, (2007) Vocabulary: The Key to Teaching English Language Learners to Read, Reading Improvement, 44.4 , 189-193

Be sure to check out languagecastle.com, Karen Nemeth’s website that offers a wealth of resources for anyone who teaches young children who speak different languages.

This blog post is linked with the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop. Be sure to check out other bloggers’ tips, teaching strategies, and resources!

classroom, Holidays, Lesson Plans, Schools, Teacher Resources

Holi Festival + World Folktales & Fables Week: New Lesson Plans & Discount

March 10, 2017 languagelizard Leave a comment

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)

women preparing for holi celebration

Holi [pronounced houli], 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 your friends and your family, and have a whole lot of fun.

The Holi Festival lasts two days. The first night, there’s a big bonfire that everyone gathers around. The next day is when all the fun begins! Ranwali Holi—as day 2 is called—is the day of colors. People, old and young, friends and strangers, carry spritzers and balloons filled with colored water, and they spray each other until everyone is multi‐colored and beautiful.

World Folktales and Fables Week (March 19-25, 2017)

World Folktales and Fables Week is dedicated to encouraging children and adults to explore the lessons and cultural background of folktales, fables, myths and legends from around the world.

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. Be sure to enjoy a good folktale in your classroom or home!

Celebrate with Free Lesson Plans & Discount

It’s easy to download these lessons, along with other multicultural lesson plans that you can use throughout the year!

As a special bonus for World Folktales & Fables Week 2017, Language Lizard is offering a 10% discount on the following bilingual folktales and fables available in English with multiple other languages: Buri and the Marrow, The Crow King, The Dragon’s Tears, Goose Fables, Lion Fables and Yeh Hsien: A Chinese Cinderella.

Simply enter coupon code FABLES2017 to receive the discount (valid through March 31, 2017).

More Resources

To celebrate World Folktales and Fables Week, check out these blog posts for great ideas you can use in the classroom and at home:

World Folktales and Fables: Effective Teaching Tools to Educate and Entertain Children

Celebrate World Folktales and Fables Week in the Classroom and at Home

“Holi Celebrations” by wonker via Flickr is licensed under CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/4CL6qE

classroom, Libraries, Schools, Teacher Resources

How to Create a Classroom Listening Center

January 3, 2017 languagelizard Leave a comment

Headphones and book 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 you want to focus on increasing their motivation to read, and improving their self-esteem and interpersonal skills? What are their reading levels? Do you want to rotate themes throughout the year to supplement your lesson plans?

What kind of seating will you have? A large rug, bean bags and chairs are good options. How much space do you have available, and how many students will fit? Having a separate set of learning materials for each student is ideal; but if they must share, you generally want to limit groups to no more than 3.

What listening technology will you use? You can opt for books on CD, MP3 players, ipods, or an interactive audio learning set.

How will you keep items organized? It’s best to clearly label books, buttons and learning materials. An interactive learning product like the PENpal Audio Recorder Pen allows teachers and students to record messages onto stickers with recordable labels, so your listening center can be fully customized.

Gather Your Listening Center Supplies

Now that you have a materials list for your center, it’s time to gather the supplies! Let parents know about your plan, and ask them to donate cash or supplies. Families may have unused MP3 players or ipods at home, as well as rugs, bean bag chairs and storage bins. You may want to implement a BYOHP (Bring Your Own Head Phones) policy for your students.

Check if any materials can be borrowed from your school and local libraries, or create a classroom project donation request on donorschoose.org and ask parents to promote it on social media.

It may be a good idea to team up with other teachers of the same grade level, to create a shared listening center. While this cooperative method comes with additional scheduling and maintenance concerns, it eases the initial burden of fundraising for any one classroom. And remember, it’s ok to start your Listening Center small, and build over time!

Do you have an outstanding Listening Center at your school? Comment below and share what makes it so great!

“Audio Book” by Jeff Golden via Flickr is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/88og6h

Language Lizard is co-sponsoring a Listening Center giveaway… Enter below by January 14, 2017 for a chance to win!

classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Schools, Teacher Resources

Newcomer Toolkit: Supporting New Immigrant Students

July 20, 2016 languagelizard Leave a comment

newcomer toolkit

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 providing general background information like correct terminology, census data and the many contributions of immigrants to our society, the toolkit offers a wealth of additional resources and extensive chapters on a wide array of topics.

Welcoming Newcomers

We know it’s crucial to create a safe and inclusive environment for new immigrant students arriving at your school. The Toolkit’s second chapter provides guidance on the most effective ways to communicate with parents of newcomers, so they understand their children’s rights, as well as the way your school operates. There is a close look at developing a safe and supportive framework at your school that includes engagement through strong relationships, safety from bullying and other dangers, and creating an environment with appropriate facilities and disciplinary policies.

Provide High Quality Instruction

This chapter in the Toolkit is focused on ways to identify and build on a student’s strengths, and how to help each student reach his/her full potential. Some highlights are addressing common misconceptions about newcomers, and helping the entire school community appreciate the unique global view that newcomers can contribute.

Social Emotional Needs

In the fourth chapter, the importance of addressing a newcomer’s social and emotional needs is examined. Strategies that are specific to teachers, other students, an entire classroom, and the whole school are discussed. There is also a look at the most common social emotional stressors newcomers face.

Partnering with Families

The final chapter of the Toolkit looks at the importance of collaborating with the families of newcomers. You can learn about the 4 stages of parent involvement (survivor, learner, connector and leader), and how each type requires a different approach.

Another section is dedicated to the role of the Parent Center, where families can connect with each other, and parents can feel safe seeking answers from a volunteer or staff member.

The Toolkit is not only a detailed guide for educators working with newcomers and their families, it also offers a wealth of further online resources within, and at the end of, each chapter. We strongly recommend this Toolkit as an important resource for all educators working with newcomers.

What outstanding resources does your school offer families that have newly arrived in the US? Share them below!

“Classroom” by Allison Meier via Flickr is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/5KRnrx

We’re linking up with other educational bloggers to bring you fun ideas and a great giveaway too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

At Home, classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Libraries, Schools, Teacher Resources

Supporting Oral Language Development in the Classroom & At Home

May 11, 2016 languagelizard 1 Comment

supporting oral language development

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 made up of three parts: phonological (how sounds are combined), semantic (the smallest components of words), and syntactic (how sentences are put together).

Literacy begins with good oral language skills. In a classroom setting, it may feel counter-intuitive for a teacher to allow students more time to talk in groups, but there are a number of advantages to doing so. They gain valuable practice with new vocabulary, enhance conversational proficiency, and improve their ability to express their ideas. Also, kids often feel more relaxed when speaking to their peers because they aren’t so worried about giving the “wrong” answer. As such, they are more open to absorbing and learning from what’s being discussed, in turn improving their overall language skills.

Activities for Oral Language Development

No matter the type of activity, keep these guidelines in mind when planning:

Keep the activity free from anxiety by creating a positive environment to limit the fear of embarrassment.
Provide clear instructions, possibly in different formats, so that all learning types can understand what’s expected.
Keep activities engaging by introducing fun or dramatic elements.
Lastly, remember that kids will need lots of repetition to practice their oral language skills.

Here are 5 activity ideas, from our post about language development in the classroom:

Mini Circle Chats: Have your students sit in circles of 4 or 5. Give them a list of fun questions that encourage more than single-word answers. Let students know that they can engage in discussions together so they can talk about similarities and differences. If you have a very diverse classroom, ensure that each circle includes a mix of cultures.

Word Play: Ask students to write 5-10 words (in any language). Have each student share one of their words with the class, and ask the student to explain why he or she chose to write down that word. Does it represent a feeling or an event that took place?

Memory Drawings: Have students draw their favorite memories, then share with the rest of the class, explaining the different elements of their picture. Or, spread out a long piece of paper and have students draw their memories at the same time on a wall mural. When the time is up, hang the mural up on the wall and let everyone spend a good amount of time looking at it up close and talking about it. Eventually you can have the students sit down on the floor in front of the mural and talk as a group about what they see and what thoughts come to their minds.

Multicultural Traditions: Have students sit together in a circle to share one of their cultural or family traditions. Then ask others in the circle if they also participate in the tradition with their family and if so, whether or not they celebrate it in the same way. Help students notice that not everyone has the same traditions, and that even the same traditions can be celebrated in different ways.

Differentiated Instruction

For those times when group or peer interaction isn’t realistic, an individualized learning tool like the PENpal Audio Recorder Pen can be invaluable in providing the differentiated instruction needed to help teachers reach every student, of all skill levels, in an effective way. Free video and print resources on the Language Lizard website help educators and parents use the Talking Pen to effectively develop and assess oral language skills, as well as build fluency and improve phonemic awareness with their students.

“Girl Talk” by Dean Wissing via Flickr is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/6r3SmY

We’re linking up with other bloggers to bring you fun ideas and a giveaway!

Enter here for a chance to win a gift card in our Rafflecopter giveaway!

An InLinkz Link-up

classroom, community support, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Libraries, Schools, Teacher Resources

Educational Resources for Student Immigrants, Refugees

February 1, 2016 languagelizard 1 Comment

bilingual 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 that have faced similar issues. Below are some online resources that can help educators trying to accommodate an increasingly diverse student population.

Refugee or Immigrant?

An immigrant is “someone who chooses to resettle to another country.” For example, a foreign national who is issued a visa to live and work permanently in the US via a legal process to attain citizenship.

A refugee is “someone who has been forced to flee his or her home country.” Refugees apply for asylum in the US, and must prove that they will be injured if they return to their home country due to their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.

How to Prepare Your Classroom

New York’s Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance offers a straightforward guide with tips to prepare your classroom for new immigrant and refugee students. The tips include discussing the advantages of having students from around the world in the classroom, showing on a map where the students are from, and how far they have traveled, and the importance of watching out for signals that newcomers are being bullied, since many refugee students won’t voluntary speak up about these issues.

The US Department of Education has a website dedicated to “Educational Resources for Immigrants, Refugees, Asylees and other New Americans.” There, you can find the latest news and guides that focus on the importance of integrating newcomers into the classroom community. You can also find resources like a toolkit for school districts serving English language learners, and services for unaccompanied children.

Welcome & Orient Newcomers

To help smooth the transition for newcomers arriving at a new school, create a welcome process for teachers, administrators and students. Include a school ambassador program, where newcomers are paired with a “buddy” who is a trained peer, and try to integrate information about the new student’s culture and country into your classroom routines. Or, find appropriate activities to keep the new student engaged in learning while their English skills are still developing.

Reach out to Parents

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools offers a detailed guide that focuses on the importance of successfully engaging the parents of immigrant and refugee students. It gives many ways to partner with those families, and reminds us that “refugee parents resettled here for their children. They are fully invested in their children’s future.” Some tips include having regular meetings with families that include bilingual support, food and childcare.

All children go through a transition period when first entering school. Immigrant and refugee children, in particular, need clear and dedicated support from their schools. By doing this right from the beginning, the year is sure to progress more smoothly and comfortably for everyone in the classroom.

“I <3 2 read” by Kate Ter Haar via Flickr licensed under CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/dRpekF

This blog post is linked with the monthly iTeachBilinguals linkup. Be sure to check out other bloggers’ tips, teaching strategies, and resources!

At Home, classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Libraries, Schools, Teacher Resources

PENpal Audio Recorder Pen: Tap & Listen to Bilingual Books & Recordable Labels

January 20, 2016 languagelizard Leave a comment

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 of pre-recorded sound files (for free) to turn many of our bilingual picture books into “talking books.”
Animate any object with sound.
Allow students to record, save, and playback their own recordings.
Customize resources for children with special needs.
Record instructions for students, role play, story tell.
Send home with parents to support home literacy partnerships.
The possibilities are endless!

Who is it for?

The PENpal Audio Recorder Pen, along with our multilingual resources, supports reading, writing, speaking and listening for:

English Language Learners
New arrivals from foreign countries
Foreign language learners
Learners with special needs
Any student in need of an inclusive resource that develops literacy skills

PENpal is interactive, enjoyable and effective!

Record your own voice with Recordable Labels

Animate any object with sound
Record language, music, messages or sound effects
Change recordings any time
Record instructions for students, role play, story tell
Allow students to record, save, and playback their own recordings

PENpal Interactive Literacy Sets

Exclusive PENpal Interactive Literacy Sets in many languages are an amazing way to support Dual Language Learners! Language Lizard offers an extensive selection of literacy sets that include the PENpal Audio Recorder Pen along with our award-winning bilingual “talking books”.

PENpal Interactive Literacy Sets are available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian-Creole, Hindi, Lithuanian, Panjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese and more! Books with sound files are available in about 40 languages.

STARTER SETS in your choice of language

PENpal Audio Recorder Pen
4 bilingual books in your choice of language
A sample set of Recordable Stickers
A beautifully illustrated picture dictionary (optional)
USB charger, 4GB SD card and rechargeable batteries

ENHANCED SETS with 10 bilingual books and everything included in the starter sets!

SUPER SETS with 20 bilingual books! (available in limited languages)

Other Great PENpal Products

Special Literacy & Phonics Sets
Dictionary & PENpal Sets
Multilingual Key Phrases Chart
Various Charts & Posters to Support Language Acquisition
Phonetic Magnets
Student & Teacher Recordable Labels
Oral Progress Reading Charts for Student Assessment

See our full range of PENpal products and exclusive sets

Get comprehensive PENpal FAQs, videos and support