2D) Peer support in home language
Provide opportunities for ML children who speak the same language to serve as peer support for each other.
Strategy Overview: I am Poems
The portrait, persona, or “I am” poem is an autobiographical and descriptive personal statement. The poems are self-expressive vehicles for students to introduce themselves to others and describe themselves.Read More
Strategy Overview: Name Acrostics
This strategy engages students in writing free verse acrostic poems about themselves using the letters of their names to begin each line. The use of children’s names can bring personal meaning to writing; and valuing children’s names is a part of a strong, respectful classroom community.Read More
Video: A Felt Board Story
This video clip shows two Multilingual Learners practicing content vocabulary in both Spanish and English as they reenact a chant they have learned in class. The peer interaction provides an authentic space for them to support one another with language development in a fun, meaningful hands-on activity.Read More
Blog: Equity Measures in Dual Language Education – Separation of Language
This blog makes the research-based case that language separation is a "non-negotiable" in a dual language program. Giving students access to content in their native language is a key component of accelerating achievement for Multilingual Learners.Read More
Blog: 5 Steps for Ensuring That Your Dual Language Program Is Still A Strong, Equity-Based Dual Language Program
This blog post introduces guiding principles for a successful dual immersion program. The author argues that successful programs are grounded in equity-based decisions, such as providing Multilingual Learners access to content learning in their native language.Read More
Strategy Overview: Translanguaging
This resource offers guidelines on the various ways teachers can implement translanguaging in the classroom.Read More
Website Article: Promote Peer Support and Interaction
This website article describes how teachers can intentionally structure social opportunities for Multilingual Learners (MLs) and explicitly teach children communication strategies. This article is one part of a multi-page resource about supporting MLs and ML children with disabilities.Read More
Website Article: The Home Language-An English Language Learner’s Most Valuable Resource
This article offers a review of research and policy that supports home language development, and covers numerous strategies that teachers can use to support home language use in the classroom.Read More
Blog: ELL Students’ Home Language is an Asset, Not a “Barrier”
In this blog, numerous teachers share their thinking on why home languages are an asset to acknowledge and celebrate in the classroom. Additional links and resources are available to help teachers know how to draw on students' knowledge in their home languages, and structure activities that support Multilingual Learners' language development.Read More
Website Article: Six Strategies to Help ELLs Succeed in Peer Learning and Collaboration
This article offers numerous strategies and additional resources to help teachers integrate group learning in the classroom. Intentional grouping builds in peer support for Multilingual Learners who speak the same language, offers authentic purposes for oral language practice, and helps build relationships in the classroom.Read More
Strategy Overview: Testimonios
Testimonio, a Spanish term for "witness account," is a storytelling pedagogy that emerged from Latin American culture and narrative research methodology. Used in the classroom, testimonios can be written, oral, and/or visual representations of Multilingual Learners' experiences that support home language development and engage families in children's learning.Read More
