8A) Visual cues
Use visual cues, gestures, and signals to accompany speech.
Video: Spacial Relations
This link includes a series of videos and activities designed to notice and discuss how one teacher introduces key concepts for students to engage with mathematical thinking around spacial relations in a read aloud. Key strategies for Multilingual learners are seen in the video, including the Describe, Draw, Describe strategy, gestures, inventional prompting, turn and talk and drawing to represent thinking.Read More
Article: Caught in the Crosshairs: Emerging Bilinguals and the Reading Wars
This article raises questions about how to meet the needs of Multilingual Learners during reading instruction. For example how to ensure that phonics instruction focuses on word meaning as well as decoding.Read More
Video: Soyul & Teacher Yvette—Beginning a New Language
This video is a series of excerpts from the first months of preschool for Soyul, a Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner. The video showcases instructional moves that the teacher, Yvette, makes to teach English language development during Soyul's initial silent period.Read More
Video: Relationships, Strategies & Culture
The focus of this video is to exemplify how purposeful oral language interactions contribute to a positive relationship with both children and families in early education. The teacher in this video "reaches across the language divide" to ensure both the child and parents know that the home language is respected and valued.Read More
Video: The Stages of Preschool Second Language Acquisition
In this video, the term the four stages of second language development for early education are described and then exemplified through teaching vignettes between one teacher and one Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner.Read More
Video & Video Guide: Adventures in Preschool Second Language Acquisition
This video showcases the relationship between one teacher and one Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner and her family. The video includes vignettes of teaching, interviews with the teacher, the family, and administrators, and many rich examples of English development teaching strategies. The accompanying guide suggests moments in the video to pause to notice teachers’ practice, along with prompts for reflection and discussion.Read More
Video: Model Curriculum for English Learners – Weathering and Erosion (3rd grade)
A multilingual teacher uses numerous supports in English, Spanish, and Portuguese to develop the content understandings of beginner Multilingual Learners.Read More
Blog: Adjusting Our Talk with ELLs
This blog post offers specific instructional moves the teacher can make to ensure that Multilingual Learners understand spoken language in the classroom.Read More
Strategy Overview: Narrative Input
After a shared reading of a text, students retell, act out, and/or capture key vocabulary and content information with a variety of experiences. This multi-day strategy builds on student's storytelling and oral language skills.Read More
Tip Sheet: Supporting DLLs with Classroom Schedules and Transitions
This resource includes tips for teachers to provide Multilingual Learners (MLs) with ways of understanding and participating in classroom transitions. Strategies include providing consistent and predictable schedules, using gestures and visual cues, and using MLs' home languages to explain schedules.Read More
Website Article: 5 Meaningful Ways to Support DLLs at Storytime
This resource explains how to adjust storytime experiences to ensure that Multilingual Learners (MLs) can fully benefit from these experiences. Intentional storytime experiences that incorporate children's home languages, visuals, props, and culturally relevant materials promote MLs' comprehension, vocabulary, and early literacy skills.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
Website: Teacher Interactions and Strategies to Support Listening for Dual Language Learners
This resource provides a list of strategies teachers can use to support Multilingual Learners’ listening skills, such as using visual cues and gestures to accompany speech. Teachers can integrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking in both languages. Teachers can also introduce key vocabulary in the home language prior to teaching in English.Read More
Video: Draw & Label Strategy- 3rd grade
In this demonstration of the "Draw & Label" strategy, the teacher teaches academic and content vocabulary while drawing and creating a language resource for the Multilingual Learners in the class. This resource helps them engage with and practice content area vocabulary and concepts in multiple modalities.Read More
Video: Draw & Label Strategy- Kindergarten
In this demonstration of the "Draw & Label" strategy, the teacher teaches academic and content vocabulary while drawing and creating a language resource for the Multilingual Learners in the class. This resource helps them engage with and practice content area vocabulary and concepts in multiple modalities.Read More
Video: Integrated & Designated ELD- 2nd grade
In this integrated ELD video, the teacher uses numerous structured supports, visual cues, and small grouping strategies throughout the lesson. Multilingual Learners have multiple opportunities to practice hearing, reading, speaking, and writing academic English language.Read More
Strategy Overview: Draw and Label
The teacher talks about a content concept while drawing and labeling an image with academic vocabulary. Through this strategy, the teacher uses oral and visual cues to help students develop and practice the language in context and learn key content.Read More
