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All parents can be helpful in their children's literacy development, regardless of their language, education, or literacy level. Parents who speak little or no English can contribute to their children's education in valuable ways. English language learners may benefit when they develop solid literacy skills in their first language before learning to read in a second one. Through Spanish, they are developing key language and literacy skills that may enable them to become excellent readers in English.

What are the important differences between the English and Spanish languages?

There are important differences between English and Spanish. Your awareness of these differences will help you to better teach English to your ELLs. For example:

Spanish-speaking ELLs may have difficulty distinguishing one English sound from another when they listen, speak, read, or write – especially the sounds that don't exist in Spanish. They may have trouble learning the 15 English vowel sounds because Spanish only has five. Beginning ELLs may not hear the difference between cat and cut, call and cold, or tin and ten. They need to hear the vowel distinctions from you before they are able to produce them on their own.

Discover more Spanish-English tips to help your ELL make connections between the two languages.

What if my students' parents speak only Spanish and don't know how to read?

Even if your students' parents cannot read, there are many ways they can develop their children's oral language skills and support their literacy efforts. Here are a few ideas:

Storytelling

In Hispanic families, oral storytelling is often more of a natural activity than reading a bedtime story together. By telling stories, parents are developing their children's vocabulary and oral language skills. Parents can also encourage children to add to stories or make up their own.

"Read" wordless picture books

Wordless picture books tell stories through pictures. This can be a fun way for parents and children to sit down together with books and talk about stories. Children can learn how stories progress, make predictions, and develop a love for books.

Say rhymes and sing songs

Rhymes, songs, and chants can develop oral language skills such as intonation and word stress.

Read more ideas on how to make word play fun:

Make frequent trips to the public library

You might be surprised at how many parents of ELLs do not understand that public libraries in the United States are free and for everyone. Try coordinating an informal "field trip" to your closest public library with parents (and possibly children) early in the school year.

Get ideas on introducing parents of ELLs to the public library, and more!

Engage in meaningful conversation

For oral language development, it is important that parents engage their children in meaningful conversation. Whether at the dinner table or at the grocery store, parents can ask children questions that require more than a simple yes or no answer.

Read more on how to engage your child to help develop oral language (also available in Spanish):

Watch educational children's television programs together

There are a number of wonderful children's television programs that promote English language and literacy development. This can be a great way for both parents and children to learn English together.

Learn more ways television can be used as an educational tool.

What if my students' parents read only in Spanish?

If your ELLs' parents are fully literate in Spanish, there are many ways they can help their children learn to read. First of all, they can do everything in the section above. In addition, they can:

Read books in Spanish

Just as English-speaking parents can read books with their children in English, Spanish-speaking parents can read books with their children in Spanish. If some parents are not accustomed to reading with their children, introduce them to children's books and model different ways they can read together. Visit our families section for more specific suggestions. You can print out Spanish versions of each page and hand them directly to parents.

Read bilingual books

Bilingual books are a great way for ELL students and their parents and family to enjoy books together. In addition, they can both improve their reading skills along the way.

Homework help

If parents do not speak English, they may feel powerless when it comes to helping their children with homework. Let parents know that there are a variety of ways they can help:

Direct help

There are probably many ways that parents can offer direct homework help, whether it's teaching numbers and letters, practicing reading, or helping with projects. Keep parents abreast of your classroom activities and homework, and point out specific ways that they can help out from home.

Keep tabs

Parents can keep in touch with teachers to make sure their children are finishing their homework. They can ask their children if they have any homework and make sure they set aside enough time to do it.

Provide good work space

Let parents know how important it is for children to have a clean, quiet work space to read or do their homework. Even if it is a simple table and chair, children will concentrate better with a defined place to study.

Find a tutor

If parents cannot directly help with homework, encourage them to locate a tutor to help their children and answer any questions. Often times there are volunteer tutoring programs at local elementary schools, high schools, libraries, and after-school programs. An aunt, uncle, neighbor, or older sibling might also be able to help.

Starting a home library

Regardless of their language or literacy level, parents can help their children develop a special collection of books at home. Here are some tips for parents:

Pick a special place in the house

Designate an area so that your child knows where to find his or her books. Buy, make, or clear off an area for a simple bookshelf. Even a board or cardboard box will do.

Find quality books

There are a number of ways to build up your home library. An obvious way is to make frequent trips to the public library. You can also buy books from bookstores and school book fairs. You can often find books for little cost at used book stores, thrift stores, and garage sales. Another way to develop a collection is to encourage family members and friends to give books to your children as presents for birthdays and other occasions.

Learn more about starting your own library:

Multicultural books

Watch children's author and literacy advocate, Pat Mora, discuss how her family stories have enabled many Hispanic children to see themselves reflected in books.

This video is also available on YouTube.

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Empowering ELL Parents & Families at Home

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All parents can be helpful in their children's literacy development, regardless of their language, education, or literacy level. Parents who speak little or no English can contribute to their children's education in valuable ways. English language learners may benefit when they develop solid literacy skills in their first language before learning to read in a second one.

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Tips for Parents to Help ELL Children at Home

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Tips for Parents to Help ELL Children at Home

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Year after year, diversity in classrooms continues to grow. In the USA alone, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 4.4 million public school students (a little over 9 percent) were English language learners (ELLs) in the 2011-12 school year. This means that almost 1 in 10 students was learning the English language at the same time he or she was learning the academic subjects. Behind those 4.4 million students, though, are several million parents or caregivers who, along with teachers, want to see their child achieve academically and socially.

Being a parent/caregiver of an ELL student can be challenging, especially when one is trying to learn a new language and understand new cultural situations along with one's child. In my last blog post, I provided several tips for teachers to help their multilingual or ELL students achieve academically, but this time around the tips are for the parents/caregivers. These tips are reflected in our latest book, Multilingual learners and Academic Literacies: Sociocultural contexts of Literacy Development in Adolescents.

In this book, my colleagues and I move beyond a focus on the linguistic features of academic language as the benchmark of language learning to one on academic literacies and implications of the emphasis on academic literacy practices for classroom instruction, research, and policy. The notion of academic literacies presented in our book is intended to apply in particular to multilingual adolescents. Academic literacies involves making meaning from interactions and engagement a given situation. These knowledge, skills, competencies, and understandings are the ones we want to work on developing, rather than simply focusing on discrete features of language and addressing language in a distinct or disjointed manner from academic content.

Multilingual learners are learning the language of instruction at the same time they are learning rigorous academic content, all while trying to remain balanced between their primary culture and the new one that they are now learning in. Parents/caregivers can help their students make the transition into an English speaking school environment by helping students develop English and academic literacy at home. Try using the strategies below to help your ELL child become academically successful in not one language, but multiple.

Don't be afraid to use your native tongue. This tip may be the most important since it is the bridge between your child's learning situations - that is, the connection between his or her primary language and culture and new language and culture. You can explain unfamiliar words and concepts in the language familiar to your child and continue to build his or her literacy skills in the primary language, while practicing and developing English and academic literacies. Consistent opportunities for practice and meaningful practice and reinforcement of learning the new language and understanding the new culture are important.

When it comes to homework, have a routine. Establishing a good study routine at home can make a significant difference in your child's learning. Provide a quiet environment by removing or minimizing any potential distractions and make sure that your child has all the supplies he or she needs including pencils, books, paper, etc. Take the time to answer any questions your child may have. If you don't know the answers, you can help your child find resources to help answer the questions he or she has, or you can help your child write down the question to ask his or her teacher. Even if you cannot yet speak English yourself, you can still check on your child to see if homework assignments are finished.

Study the same thing in new ways. Try picking a folktale or children's story with which both you and your child are familiar. Although your child may not understand all of the words at first, your child should generally be able to follow the plot of the story and will pick up new vocabulary and grammar along the way. Asking questions about the story's plot, characters, etc. can help with your child's understanding. You can also try watching movies in the new language or even play games that involve language, such as Scrabble, to practice and learn language at home.

Use creative outlets to practice and learn language. A fun way to practice and learn language is to engage in creative activities. For example, make a scrapbook together featuring things that have taken place in your new home, city, and/or country and write all the captions and titles in your new language. Does your child like to paint or write? Have them draw a picture and write or tell a story about it. The possibilities are as limitless as your child's creativity.

Encourage involvement in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities such as being a member of the school's newspaper or yearbook committees provides additional meaningful opportunities to develop language and literacies. Such activities can help students link the perspectives, strategies, roles and responsibilities they experience in the classroom with those outside of the classroom. Understanding and using language and literacies skills across settings is important in learning and achievement.

Stay connected and collaborate with teachers. By staying informed, you can keep up to date on your child's linguistic, academic, and social progress in school. Understanding what is going on in school will give you a better idea of how you can support your child at home. Coordination and partnership between the school and home helps children thrive and succeed in their new learning environments

About the Author

Edynn Sato, Ph.D., principal research scientist, works across pan-Pearson, focusing her research and innovation efforts on addressing issues affecting the learning and achievement of English language learners and students with disabilities in our U.S. schools as well as internationally. Her expertise and experience includes providing research-supported technical assistance to educators in areas related to the implementation of standards and assessment, as well as accountability and systems of support for diverse learners.

Prior to joining Pearson, Dr. Sato worked in various academic, nonprofit, small for-profit, Fortune 500, and Internet-based organizations. Her previous roles include Associate Director of the Assessment and Standards Development program at WestEd, where she contributed to general leadership of the program and oversaw its research agenda; Director of Special Populations for the Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center and Co-Director of Special Populations for the Standards and Assessment Implementation Comprehensive Center, national federally-designated centers charged with providing technical assistance to states; and a researcher at UCLA's Center for the Study of Evaluation/CRESST, involved in various evaluation projects and in the research and development of performance-based assessments, as well as assessments related to language development. Dr. Sato received her Masters's degree and Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles.

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Edynn Sato, Ph.D., Principal Research Scientist, Pearson

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Six Tips for Parents/Caregivers with English Language Learners | Pearson Blog

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Year after year, diversity in classrooms continues to grow. In the USA alone, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 4.4 million public school students (a little over 9 percent) were English language learners (ELLs) in the 2011-12 school year.

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How can parents be included in their child’s ELL progress throughout the school year, while being an ELL themselves?

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BridgeUniverse - TEFL Blog, News, Tips & Resources

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ESL Games and Activities for Kids & Teens

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Incorporating ESL games into your lesson plans when teaching English to kids and teens is a great way to help young students review their knowledge in an interactive, fun, and memorable way.

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In what ways can I provide a safe, inclusive learning environment that makes the ELL students comfortable in sharing their cultures and experiences?

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Reading Comprehension Books (for different levels/grades)

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Reading Comprehension Books (for different levels/grades)