7A) Key words and phrases in home language
Learn key words and phrases in the home language of children. Ask parents or community volunteers for help.
Video: Family Partnerships to Support Children’s Bilingual Development
This video shares the importance of engaging with families to support children's bilingual development. Provide families with tools and resources that help promote their home language with Multilingual Learners (as an example, provide books that celebrate the child's culture and also help develop a foundation for reading).Read More
Strategy Overview: Fostering Multilingual Pride
This strategy outlines ways teachers can foster multilingual pride with students.Read More
Video: Home Language
This video showcases different vignettes of families who have made an intentional decision to raise their children with with a home language different than English.Read More
Strategy Overview: 6 Ways Educators Can Overcome Language Barriers with Parents
This overview includes numerous ideas for educators who have difficulty communicating with parents of children who speak languages other than English. Resources are shared about how teachers and parents can connect, specific strategies are named, and data graphics share information about the types of activities in which parents are most likely to participate.Read More
Blog Series: Teaching For Biliteracy as a Monolingual English Speaker
This series includes 25 blog posts that speak to what the monolingual teacher can do to support biliteracy in the classroom. Topics covered include specific strategies, advocacy, collaboration, and intentionally bridging languages to support the language and content transfer of Multilingual Learners.Read More
Article: Tips for Communicating with Non-English-Speaking Parents
Teachers who only speak English may have a difficult time communicating with non-English-speaking parents. This article offers six simple tips to help connect with parents of all students, regardless of the language they speak.Read More
Strategy Overview: Ensuring the Presence of Each Child’s Language
This resource provides a comprehensive list and explanation of the actions teachers can take to acknowledge, affirm, and support multiple languages in the classroom. Included are tips for engaging with families as "language experts" and capturing their linguistic knowledge on a planning template, and phrase cards with basic greetings in 10 common home languages.Read More
Website Article: The Right to Be Seen
In this article, an English Language Development teacher shares a vignette about a recent newcomer joining her school community. The author reminds educators of the asset-based lens that helps support newly arrived Multilingual Learners and their families.Read More
Website: Teacher Interactions and Strategies to Support Speaking for Dual Language Learners
This resource provides a list of strategies that teachers can use to support Multilingual Learners’ speaking skills. For example: Repeating and elaborating on children’s talk, reinforcing words from the unit of study, using visual cues and gestures, and providing MLs with more time to process speech.Read More
Blog: How Can Cognates ‘Beneficiar’ English Language Learners?
This blog discusses how teachers can intentionally use cognates to build comprehension for Multilingual Learners. This practice helps emphasize connections between Spanish and English.Read More
App: Ready DLL
This mobile app is a comprehensive resource that teachers can use to support Multilingual Learners. It includes specific guidance on including labels and other functional print in both languages, engaging in interactive reading, and integrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking in multiple languages. The app also helps teachers learn key words and phrases in children’s home languages (Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, and Haitian Creole), and provides links to articles, tip sheets, videos, and webinars.Read More
Strategy Overview: Supporting Bilingualism
Research has proven that the strongest foundation for academic success and high levels of literacy for Multilingual Learners is the development of both their home language and English. This overview describes strategies that schools, teachers, and families can use to support multilingualism.Read More
Video: Personalizing Instruction through Environmental Supports
This resource explains several ways that teachers can provide high-quality language support materials. For example, teachers can display culturally relevant materials and labels in each language. Teachers can also learn key words and phrases in children’s home languages, including cognates, to emphasize the connection between English and the home language.Read More
