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
LANGUAGE & LITERACY BLOG
January 29, 2013
As we mentioned in our previous post, Bilingual Students: Using Holiday Celebrations to Promote Language Development in Multicultural Classrooms, bilingual students often have a lot to say right after they return from their winter holidays. They are eager to share activities that they engaged in with family and friends and to talk about the gifts that they may have received. However, once the excitement of returning back to school has worn off, it can be more challenging to............. CONTINUE READING
January 10, 2013
Now that the New Year has arrived and school is back in full swing, students are sure to be filled brimming with enthusiastic stories of what they did during their winter holiday. Ice skating in the park, opening gifts at the fireplace, lighting candles in beautifully wrought candelabras are just a few activities that children might share with an overjoyed twinkle in their eye. How could they not?!
As we all know first-hand, getting students to engage in conversations works best when............. CONTINUE READING
The holidays are right around the corner. For many of us, the most difficult part of this busy time of year is figuring out the perfect gift for friends and loved ones. For those of you looking for bilingual and multicultural products, we have put together a list of some customer favorites that make perfect holiday gifts for young language learners, multicultural children, or a special teacher.
Board Books
These heavy-duty bilingual books are perfect for babies and toddlers, giving parents the chance............. CONTINUE READING
What a perfect time of year to focus on gratitude, appreciation and thankfulness! Having family and friends to share our lives with, food on the table, clean water to drink and a roof over our heads is something that adults and children alike can take time to reflect on during this holiday season.
In bilingual classrooms, the topic of thankfulness can involve language learning as well as cultural sharing. Not only do we say “thank you” with different words, the way we............. CONTINUE READING
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
This book comprises two fables: Aesop’s The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg, and the Buddhist tale The Tortoise and the Geese.
In The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg, a foolish hunter captures a goose. When the creature lays a curious-looking egg, he doesn’t know what to do! He brings the egg to a friend in town who recognizes that it is, in fact, a golden egg. The hunter is able to sell the eggs, and begins to lead a life............. CONTINUE READING
September 18, 2012
As we all know, many teachers have a hard time finding funding for all the books, materials and resources they need for their classrooms. For teachers of English Language Learner (ELL) students, access to quality resources, materials, and training is especially important, as ELL students need bilingual books and materials to improve their literacy and language skills. Yet obtaining these resources can be a difficult task for teachers and schools when local funding is not available.
As reported in .......... CONTINUE READING
September 8, 2012
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
August 22, 2012
Starting school for the first time can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking experience for a young bilingual child. Aside from possible language barriers, cultural differences may often play a role. Things that are done in the classroom often do not match what a child is used to at home and this can make a bilingual child feel especially uncomfortable and insecure.
It is important to give bilingual children a lot of time to get used to the classroom setting. Although this............. CONTINUE READING








