The spotlight is on Amharic today! We’ve gathered some background information and interesting facts about the language. We also share our newest children’s books available in Amharic. Continue reading Amharic Language: Interesting Facts & Resources
On Friday, January 29th, Language Lizard celebrated Multicultural Children’s Book Day as a Platinum Sponsor. The day was busy with a twitter party, book giveaways, and lots of reviews of multicultural books.
Continue reading Multicultural Children’s Book Day Wrap-Up + Idiom Book Reviews
Guest post by Veerle Ponnet
Understanding the neuroscience and psychology of the learner is vital to successful learning and teaching. And Shhhhhh! here’s a secret… It’s not what we teach, but what YOU LEARN that counts…
The brain is the most complex part of our human body and even though it is the most important organ in our body, we don’t usually know very much about it. Understanding some of the changes that occur in our brains as we learn, will help us to teach and learn more effectively.
Continue reading Neuroeducation: Mind, Brain, and Language Learning
Our new Spanish learning set is a fun and interactive way to keep kids learning during the summer months. Kids will enjoy building their language skills with these interactive sets… independently, with an adult, or with their whole class! Language Lizard also offers an interactive English early learning literacy pack, and an English phonics set.
Continue reading SPANISH for KIDS! Interactive Set makes learning fun!
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.
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.
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.
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!
The key to learning a new language is not giving up. But what happens when you become bored or frustrated? The answer: try out a new, fun way of learning. Below are some ideas on how you can learn a new language more effectively, and have fun doing it.
When you study in the same location, day after day, it can get boring rather quickly. Instead of doing all your language studying in your home or college dorm, why not go to the coffee shop or library? Changing up the scenery will help boost your enthusiasm towards learning the language, and may even improve the way you retain it. There is a link in how your brain memorizes what you learn based on where you are. By switching up your location, you are actually forcing your brain to make different connections with what you are learning, and this will help you remember what you are learning.
Do a search online to find language learning friends to practice having conversations with. Even if you can’t find someone near you, you can still exchange emails, talk over Skype or even through instant messages. A great free website for connecting with other language exchange friends is Conversation Exchange. This site enables you to have real conversations with foreign language speakers who also want to learn your native language. It’s a win-win for both of you.
You can find foreign language podcasts in a multitude of topics, including politics, entertainment, news and more. You can search for a podcast through Apple iTunes or Google Play. Find what interests you, and listen wherever you are.
Whether you are inexperienced in the language or just timid about practicing, get out there and practice using the language as much as possible. If you’re taking a class, discuss with your teacher ways that you can practice your language skills. While you are traveling, stop someone and ask them for directions in the new language. Pick up the phone and order something, or call a foreign language customer support line.
When you are watching a TV program, turn the closed captioning on. This allows you to see the people speaking, hear the words and see the texts all at the same time.
The guest author, Vineet Maheshwari, is from AdvancedWriters.com, an English paper writing service.
There are so many reasons to read to your baby, especially when you’re raising a bilingual child. Not only is reading a great way to bond, it’s a chance to link spoken words with visual images on the page. And don’t forget to get older siblings involved in the bilingual reading fun! Here are 5 tips to getting your bilingual baby book collection started.
Your first bilingual books for your baby should be made of sturdy material that can withstand strong baby hands and teeth. Board books with thick pages are a great choice, as are cloth and vinyl books that can be washed off.
For babies newborn to 6 months, choose books with large pictures in bright colors. Older babies love books with images of their favorite things, like balls, bottles and other babies.
Life with a baby means getting a million things done each day (and night). Feeding, changing, nap time… repeat. Find a special reading time that works best for your family: maybe at snack time, after a bath or at bedtime. Soon, reading time will be one of the best parts of your daily routine.
Whether it’s animals noises, singing or character voices, your baby (and you) will have more fun when story time is full of excitement, emotion and enthusiasm. But remember to keep your expression pleasant, so baby doesn’t get frightened if there are scary parts.
Don’t limit yourself to the text on the page. Feel free to point to pictures and objects and name them all in both languages!
As your baby grows, don’t forget to add more challenging stories to your collection. These will have longer sentences, with more complex vocabulary. But it’s ok to keep the old favorites in the rotation! Find multicultural children books that are culturally appropriate. International holidays and common experiences, like making friends or trying new foods, are great topics that your little one will enjoy.
What is your family’s favorite story to read? Comment below and let us know!
photo credit: KOMUnews @flickr.com
“[Here] is what reading is all about: yes, it will make kids smarter and give them a better start in life than non-readers, but for me that’s not the point. The point is that reading is fun…”
This is a quote from a recent article in British newspaper The Guardian by Charlie Higson, author of a variety of YA fiction including the Young James Bond series. Sure, as a writer he might have a vested interest in promoting reading, but there is no denying the inherent truth of what he is saying. To get kids to read, and keep reading, particularly over the long summer months, it must be a pleasurable experience. This is definitely the point that we need to get across to children now that the sound of the school bell has faded and it seems like forever before the leaves start to turn and they’re back at their desks. Summer is for having fun, and that includes reading!
Many families, teachers, and librarians worry about the summer learning slide, and with good reason. A study done by Reading Rockets found that for “116 first, second, and third graders in a school in a middle class neighborhood …the decoding skills of nearly 45% of the participants and the fluency skills of 25% declined between May and September.” Attention clearly needs to paid to reading over summer vacation if we are to combat this trend.
For families who want to renew their children’s enthusiasm for reading, bilingual books can add a new dimension. For families who speak a language other than English at home, bilingual books can be a comforting way to read in their home language while simultaneously building their English skills over the summer.
Here are some tips to help your children and students use bilingual books for having fun and improving their reading skills before September:
There are also a variety of folktales and stories from around the world available in bilingual editions (English and another language text on the same page), so children who speak a different home language can also find stories that are familiar to them. A group of parents who want to encourage their children to become bilingual readers could find a set of books to swap throughout the summer, so no-one gets bored!
At school, children are used to discussing books. The question-and-answer structure will be familiar to them and therefore allow them to feel more comfortable and take more risks speaking their new language. Simple discussions about feelings and plot are great tools to help embed new vocabulary: “How does the explorer feel about the animals at the end of the book? What has changed?” “What were your favorite plants that you saw in the drawings?” See if you can get your children to answer in both languages. They’ll feel more involved in what they’ve read and excited to continue their literary journey!
Are you a librarian? For you, summer is a great time to reach out to the community and welcome ELLs into your stacks. As Robertson writes, many families are unaware of the great summer reading programs and bilingual resources you offer – so get some flyers translated and start sticking them up around town!
…And here’s a list of other great ways librarians are improving literacy for ELLs all over the country: http://www.languagelizard.com/newsarticle8.htm
Summer is such a perfect opportunity to show kids how much fun bilingual reading can be. How are you planning to use bilingual books to prepare your kids for the exciting year ahead at school?
For more ideas about summer literacy, check out the following Language Lizard blogs:
AND
Bilingual Books for Summertime Reading
Do you have trouble keeping your children reading over the Summer? With all of the fun things to do for the little ones, sometimes we forget to keep them reading during the summer break to ease their transition back into school during the fall.
Luckily, we have a solution for you that might help…
How about some NEW books?
We’ve teamed up with Erin Howard – Mom Blogger and Editor at OnceAMomAlwaysAMom.com to get the word out to other moms and parents alike about our Free $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway to be used at LanguageLizard.com!
At Language Lizard we are providing award-winning books and resources for children in 40+ different languages. Teachers, schools, moms, dads & grandparents are encouraged to enter this Free Giveaway. This Giveaway is open to USA & Canada residents, and it will run until July 3, 2013 so enter below today.
It’s free to enter and oh so easy! GOOD LUCK!
photo credit: Morgan @ flickr. com
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 tea and cake.
Andrea and Xaxa met on Cape Verde, an island country off the west coast of Africa. They now live with their eight-month-old baby, Bruno in London. London is a city in which there are plenty of services and community groups for more commonly found home languages, like Bulgarian and Punjabi, but little availability of these amenities in less-common heritage languages like the ones Bruno will grow up speaking. Andrea says she wants Bruno to have “the ability to converse with his family both in Germany and Cape Verde when visiting…and to pick up further languages more easily at school”, so she is determined that he will be able to use all three of his languages even though he won’t hear them spoken by his friends and the people he meets in London. “I speak German to him when alone with him, singing German nursery rhymes and reading German books. Xaxa speaks Crioulo to him and sings in Crioulo.”
Valentina, who emigrated from Italy, reads to her son Isaac every day in her native language, Italian, hoping that he will grow up to feel “natural and comfortable” with his two tongues. She’s gone out of her way to to stock up on Italian books and tries to speak to him only in Italian, even when spending time with her English-speaking friends and their children. It worries her a little that he will miss out on the subtleties of Italian and that “we could be missing a whole level of communication between us” but overall she feels that “the positives of raising a bilingual child outweigh the challenges.” She’s excited for Isaac to communicate with his Italian family, have the opportunity to travel meaningfully around Italy, and to have the deeper “understanding of his own heritage” that only speaking the language can really bring.
These kinds of experiences happen in many different countries, including the U.S., and in small towns as well as in cities. Irene lives in Norwich, a smaller, much less ethnically diverse city two hours’ drive northeast of London. Her son Matthias is growing up bilingual. “I want him to love both his languages equally. But I think it is probably unrealistic because he will probably be exposed to it so little and need it so little.” She says that though she tries “to speak to him in Danish as much as possible”, she regrets that she’s “not always good at being consistent.” Her husband Roger is English, so she feels, “I always forget and automatically switch to English. I know this is not good, but it simply happens.” Like Andrea and Xaxa, Irene sings and reads to Matthias in Danish, including alternating the language of his bedtime story every night. But she admits that it’s a “major challenge” not being part of a language community: “I do hope I can find some other Danish speakers at some point – kids he can play with.”
“Research says that growing up with more than one language is like exercise for the brain,” reports national early childhood expert Karen Nemeth of www.languagecastle.com. “It builds thinking skills in school-age children and keeps the brain agile in late adulthood, but meeting the challenge of maintaining home languages is just as important for strengthening the family bond and honouring the family culture. It really is worth the extra effort,”
This article from the New York Times describes research about the benefits of being bilingual that also supports the efforts that Valentina, Andrea and Irene are making to keep their home language growing with their babies:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?_r=0
So what can Andrea, Valentina and Irene do to ensure their boys feel proud of and confident when speaking their heritage languages? Nemeth says that these moms and their partners are already doing the right thing by singing and reading to their children in their heritage languages. This is especially important for Xaxa, whose mother tongue is not Cape Verde’s official language and is only spoken rather than written. For Matthias, Isaac and other children with one English speaking parent, bilingual books can be a great way to share the same story in two languages with their two parents (or a parent and a teacher)
Bruno, Isaac and Matthias are also benefiting when their parents have conversations with them that are 100% in one language; it’s much less useful to simply identify objects for the child in one language, then another.
To add an extra boost of German, Italian, Dutch or Crioulo conversation power for their children, these parents can also search online for local groups who meet up for chats in their heritage languages. Valentina’s already looking for playgroups in her area: “having friends who speak Italian too will be invaluable!” And if they can’t find any ready-made groups, website www.meetup.com allows them to create their own local group and advertise it to others in the community. They could stop into their local library to ask about family activities in different languages too – they may even be able to work with the library to start their own.
As the children get older, their local schools can be a great connection as well. Parents like Andrea, Valentina and Irene may meet other families who speak their language at the school gates. They can also use their experiences and the books, stories and songs they’ve collected to bring their culture and language to the school as a valuable resource for all of the children.
The cultural and linguistic make-up of diverse cities like London is constantly changing — and maybe one day you’ll be able to hear Dutch on the street corners and Italian in the cafes. But until then, kids like Bruno, Isaac and Matthias will continue to be special and unique, and lucky to be growing up with parents who are so invested in ensuring they grow up multilingual.