Classroom, Schools, Teaching Resources,

PREPARING YOUR CLASSROOM FOR BILINGUAL STUDENTS

August 6, 2018

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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............. CONTINUE READING

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At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Teaching Resources,

USING COGNATES TO SUPPORT SECOND LANGUAGE AND LITERACY LEARNING

April 11, 2017

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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,............. CONTINUE READING

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Classroom, Holidays, Lesson Plans, Schools, Teaching Resources,

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

March 10, 2017

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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

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Classroom, Libraries, Schools, Teaching Resources,

HOW TO CREATE A CLASSROOM LISTENING CENTER

January 3, 2017

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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

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

NEWCOMER TOOLKIT: SUPPORTING NEW IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

July 20, 2016

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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

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At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Libraries, Schools, Teaching Resources,

SUPPORTING ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CLASSROOM & AT HOME

May 11, 2016

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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

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Classroom, Community Support, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Libraries, Schools, Teaching Resources,

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENT IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES

February 1, 2016

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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, Teaching Resources,

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

January 20, 2016

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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

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

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

December 23, 2015

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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

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Grants and Funding, Schools, Teaching Resources,

TITLE III GRANTS: FUNDING FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS / LEP STUDENTS

October 13, 2015

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In a previous blog post, we provided a thorough guide to many different types of grants and funding for bilingual classrooms. In this post, we’ll take a look at one type of grant in particular: Title III. What is Title III Funding? Title III is a two-part, $700 million federal program with a goal of improving education. Part A is dedicated to students who are immigrants or Limited English Proficient (LEP). Its primary purpose is to make sure these students become proficient............. CONTINUE READING

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