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8 Strategies for Preschool ELLs' Language and Literacy Development

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8 Strategies for Preschool ELLs' Language and Literacy Development

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Early childhood education can play an essential role in preparing young English language learners (ELLs) for later success in school. Children who have an opportunity to develop basic foundational skills in language and literacy in preschool enter kindergarten ready to learn to read and write (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & McLaughlin, 2008).

But how can early childhood educators know if their programs are providing children with the skills they need? This article will describe some of the methods and strategies that research has proven effective in preparing young ELLs for kindergarten.

Language Development for Preschool ELLs

Essential to any preschool program for ELLs is effective instruction in language development. Children need explicit instruction in English vocabulary, as well as opportunities to hear and speak the language throughout the day. Examples of strategies are listed below.

5 Classroom Strategies: Language

Provide explicit, systematic instruction in vocabulary.

Children require multiple exposures to words in order to develop a rich understanding of their meaning and use. Teachers should make a point of introducing interesting new words for children to learn into each classroom activity (Tabors, 2008).

Presenting vocabulary thematically helps children make associations between words and scaffolds students' learning (McGee & Richgels, 2003).

Read-alouds that include explanations of targeted vocabulary can support word learning (Brabham & Lynch-Brown, 2002; Coyne, Simmons, Kame'enui, & Stoolmiller, 2004), as can dramatic play organized around a carefully chosen theme (Barone & Xu, 2008; Tabors, 2008).

Ensure that ELLs have ample opportunities to talk with both adults and peers and provide ongoing feedback and encouragement.

English language learners need lots of opportunities to engage in social interactions with other children, but they also need support from adults as they develop the language skills they need to negotiate those interactions (Ballantyne et al., 2008). You can use the following strategies to foster social interaction:

For group activities, pair English language learners with children who have strong English language skills, and make sure that all the children who speak the same home language (L1) are not grouped together (Barone & Xu, 2008).

Provide opportunities for self-directed activities so that ELLs can choose activities that match both their interests and their language abilities (Bunce & Watkins, 1995).

Encourage child talk by providing prompts when children need help in expressing themselves (e.g., "Tell Bobby, 'May I have the red crayon now?'").

Use open questions, or questions that can have multiple answers, to help ELLs expand their own utterances (e.g., "Why do you like this doll best?" instead of "What is this doll's name?").

Expose ELLs to rich language input.

Exposure to rich language, whether through shared book reading or through teacher talk, has been shown to enhance children's oral language development (Aukrust, 2007; National Early Literacy Panel, 2008). One effective strategy is for the teacher to provide an ongoing commentary on activities that are taking place in the classroom in order to expose children to language associated with the immediate context (Bunce & Watkins, 1995; Tabors, 2008).

Structure the classroom space and routine to provide scaffolding for ELLs' language learning.

Arrange the classroom in a way that supports each type of instructional activity that will take place, and then keep changes to the physical environment to a minimum. Once ELLs learn which activities take place in various parts of the classroom (e.g., centers, circle), the physical environment will cue them as to what they are to do and how they are to behave in that area (Barone & Xu, 2008).

Predictable classroom routines can also provide scaffolding for English language learners by allowing them to anticipate what will happen each day, including the type of language they will need for each activity (Bunce & Watkins, 1995; Tabors, 2008).

Encourage continued L1 language development.

Strong L1 skills support both language and literacy learning in English:

Encourage parents to talk and read to their children in their home language as a way of strengthening children's L1 language skills.

Incorporate children's home language in the classroom when possible. Songs and videos can be used effectively for this purpose if teachers do not speak their students' language (Gillanders, 2007).

Literacy Development for Preschool ELLs

Research has shown that alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and print awareness are early literacy skills that contribute significantly to later reading achievement (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008). English language learners can begin to develop these essential foundational skills in preschool, even before they have developed strong English language skills.

Early Literacy Skills

Alphabet knowledge

Skills appropriate to preschool include recognizing and naming upper and lower case letters and beginning to associate letters with the sounds they make.

Phonological awareness

Phonological awareness refers to the ability to manipulate the sounds that make up language, independent of meaning. In preschool, children benefit from:

learning to recognize rhyming words

listening for syllables within words

learning to recognize beginning sounds in words

matching those sounds to letters

Print awareness

Print awareness is an understanding of the features of books and print. Children should:

be taught to recognize the parts of a book (e.g., front and back covers, top and bottom)

learn that printed letters and words run from left to right and from top to bottom

learn that a book has a title, was written by an author, and has illustrations that were drawn by an illustrator

3 Classroom Strategies: Literacy

Design instruction that focuses on all of the foundational literacy skills.

Activities that promote early literacy skills in preschool include:

interactive storybook reading

"pretend" reading and writing

games and other activities to help children identify the letters of the alphabet

interactive experiences with language and print through poems, nursery rhymes and songs

The emphasis should be on code-based instruction, or instruction that helps children understand the relationship between spoken language and print (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008).

Recognize that many literacy skills can transfer across languages.

A child who has developed early literacy skills in his or her first language will find it easier to develop those same skills in English. Parents who are not proficient in English should be encouraged to help prepare their children for learning to read by using the home language to:

teach rhymes and songs

play word games

share storybooks

Teachers can support parent-child reading by sending home books in the child's home language. This makes L1 text available to parents, and it lets them know that the teacher considers reading to children in the home language to be important.

Accelerate English literacy development by helping ELLs make the connection between what they know in their first language and what they need to know in English.

Similarities between English and the child's home language can be used as a foundation for instruction (Helman, 2004). For example, if L1 has some of the same phonemes as English, start with those phonemes for rhyme or beginning sound activities because those are sounds the child is already familiar with.

Children usually have the most difficulty when they encounter sounds that are present in English but do not occur in their home language. For this reason, Spanish L1 speakers often have difficulty with the "short" or lax sounds of a, e, i, and u and with the consonants j, r, v, and z (Bear, Templeton, Helman, & Baren, 2003; Helman, 2004).

Preparing for the Future

Much attention has been given to the persistent achievement gap between English language learners and their English-speaking peers. Unfortunately, by the time children arrive in kindergarten, differences in foundational language and literacy skills have often already set the stage for this disparity in achievement (Miller & Garcia, 2008).

The good news, however, is that recent research has shown that high-quality early childhood education programs can have a significant impact on children's later academic achievement (Barnett, 2008). Programs that provide research-based, age-appropriate instruction in early language and literacy skills can ensure that English language learners enter school equipped with the tools they need to be successful learners in kindergarten and beyond (Ballantyne et al., 2008).

Aukrust, V. G. (2007). Young children acquiring second language vocabulary in preschool group time: Does amount, diversity, and discourse complexity of teacher talk matter? Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 22, 17-38.

Ballantyne, K. G., Sanderman, A. R., & McLaughlin, N. (2008). Dual language learners in the early years: Getting ready to succeed in school. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition.

Barnett, W. S. (2008). Preschool education and its lasting effects: Research and policy implications. Retrieved 6/3/2009, from http://nieer.org/resources/research/PreschoolLastingEffects.pdf

Barone, D., & Xu, S. H. (2008). Literacy instruction for English language learners Pre-K-2. New York: The Guilford Press.

Bear, D. R., Templeton, S., Helman, L. A., & Baren, T. (2003). Orthographic development and learning to read in two different languages. In G. G. GarcÃa (Ed.), English learners: Reaching the highest level of English literacy (pp. 71-95). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Brabham, E. G., & Lynch-Brown, C. (2002). Effects of teachers' reading-aloud styles on vocabulary acquisition and comprehension of students in the early elementary grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 465-473.

Bunce, B. H., & Watkins, R. V. (1995). Language intervention in a preschool classroom: Implementing a language-focused curriculum. In M. L. Rice & K. A. Wilcox (Eds.), Building a language-focused curriculum for the preschool classroom: Vol. I. A foundation for lifelong communication (pp. 39-71). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Coyne, M. D., Simmons, D. C., Kame'enui, E. J., & Stoolmiller, M. (2004). Teaching vocabulary during shared storybook readings: An examination of differential effects. Exceptionality, 12(3), 145-162.

Gillanders, C. (2007). An English-speaking prekindergarten teacher for young Latino children: Implications for the teacher-child relationship on second language learning. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35, 47-54.

Helman, L. A. (2004). Building on the sound system of Spanish: Insights from the alphabetic spellings of English-language learners. The Reading Teacher, 57(5), 452-460.

McGee, L. M., & Richgels, D. J. (2003). Designing early literacy programs: Strategies for at-risk preschool and kindergarten children. New York: The Guilford Press.

Miller, L. S., & Garcia, E. E. (2008). A reading-focused early childhood education research and strategy development agenda for African Americans and Hispanics at all social class levels who are English speakers or English language learners. Phoenix: Arizona State University, Office of the Vice President for Education Partnerships.

National Early Literacy Panel. (2008). Developing early literacy: A scientific synthesis of early literacy development and implications for intervention. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.

Tabors, P. O. (2008). One child, two languages: A guide for early childhood educators of children learning English as a second language (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

You are welcome to print copies or republish materials for non-commercial use as long as credit is given to Colorín Colorado and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact [email protected] .

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8 Strategies for Preschool ELLs' Language and Literacy Development

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Early childhood education can play an essential role in preparing young English language learners (ELLs) for later success in school. Children who have an opportunity to develop basic foundational skills in language and literacy in preschool enter kindergarten ready to learn to read and write (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & McLaughlin, 2008).

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Supporting ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom: 12 Strategies for Language Instruction

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Supporting ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom: 12 Strategies for Language Instruction

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If you are a classroom or content-area educator trying to figure out how to teach English language learners (ELLs), you are not alone! You are off to a good start by looking for ways to support your students!

There are many things you can do that will make a big difference to ELLs, and they often prove helpful for other students in the class as well.

Here are some ideas to help you begin. Look for a few ideas you can try and one or two topics where you would like to learn more information.

Note: This article also includes some research-based recommendations offered by Dr. Diane August in her 2018 American Educator article, Educating English Language Learners: A Review of the Latest Research.

Getting Started

1. Get to know your students.

ELLs are a tremendously diverse student group. In order to serve your students effectively, it will be helpful to:

In addition, it's helpful to know more about their home language, literacy skills in that language, prior schooling, and current levels of English proficiency (keeping in mind that students' levels may have changed during the pandemic since the last time they were assessed).

You don't have to do this all at once and it's best not to overwhelm students or families with a lot of questions at the beginning, but taking some small steps early on can make a big difference throughout the year. Learn more from the following:

Videos: Why building relationships with ELLs matters

2. Be mindful of your communication.

In order to communicate effectively with your students:

Speak clearly and naturally, without going too quickly or slowly.

Simplify language without "dumbing it down."

Be mindful of your body language.

Encourage your students through positive body language and expressions, especially when they make mistakes.

Be patient and encourage classmates to do the same if needed.

Encourage students to raise their hand if they don't understand a word.

Avoid slang and idiomatic expressions.

Video: Why positive body language matters when working with ELLs

3. Create a language-rich environment.

ELLs will benefit from increased exposure to print and language. A print-rich environment will include access to books and reference materials, labels (in students' languages and English) and posters, and student work on bulletin boards. Word walls are also a great support for ELLs, and may be organized around a number of concepts, including:

the alphabet and phonetic sounds

new vocabulary words

sight words

grammar rules

conversational phrases

writing structures.

Video: Using sentence frames with ELLs

4. Learn how to plan lessons that incorporate best practices for ELLs.

Take a look at our article on lesson planning for ELLs for ideas on how to:

identify background knowledge needed to understand the lesson

connect content to students' experience

identify content and language objectives

identify key vocabulary and academic language needed for the lesson

scaffold and differentiate instruction

incorporate peer learning into your instruction.

Video: Teaching ELLs the names of all 50 states

Language and Literacy Instruction

5. Learn some basic information about how students acquire a new language.

A good place to start is a basic overview of the process and stages of language acquisition. It's also important to learn about the four key domains, or skill areas, of language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students need instruction and practice all four of these domains.

Drs. Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Dove include "interaction" in that list for the helpful acronym SWIRL:
Image credit: Input and output in language development. WelchEducation.com. Used with permission.
Keep in mind the following:

Students are assessed in the four language domains each year through their English language proficiency (ELP) assessment, although that assessment may have been disrupted or done under difficult circumstances during the pandemic. Your ESL colleagues should have access to that data and you can check your students' proficiency levels across different domains.

Students may be stronger in one domain than another.For example, a student may be more proficient in speaking than writing.

ELLs need explicit language instruction, scaffolding, and modeling in across all four domains.

Related resources

6. Teach academic oral language skills.

Oral language skills are an essential part of a student's language and literacy development. Students will need guided practice and modeling to develop the academic language needed for classroom discussions and presentations. You can see more ideas for how to do so in the resources below:

In order for ELLs to access grade-level content, they may need additional literacy support and instruction. Here are a few initial steps to take; much more information is available in the links below.

Learn more about students' literacy skills in their home language and in English. If students need to develop their foundational skills, work with an ESL teacher and reading specialist together to identify some helpful strategies and resources to use.

Provide students with opportunities to engage more deeply with grade-level text. Some strategies for doing so are available in the resources below, but you may wish to request additional training for staff in this area since it takes some practice.

Give students numerous opportunities to write across content areas and for a variety of audiences. Ideas for scaffolding ELLs' writing follow below.

To see some related strategies in action, take a look at our Classroom Video library. Many of these videos and classroom materials were developed as part of our Common Core and ELLs project developed with Dr. August.

Related resources

8. Try only one new thing at a time.

Teaching multiple new things at the same time often doesn't work! When introducing new material, remember the following:

If you are teaching new language, use old content.

If you are teaching new content, use old language.

Video: Try one new thing at a time

Students' Home Languages as a Resource

9. Draw upon students' home languages as a resource.

Students' home languages are a valuable resource. Even if you don't speak those languages and are not working in a bilingual setting, there are way to tap into them to support instruction.

For example, Dr. August shares a number of research-based strategies that draw upon the home language such as the following:

using bilingual glossaries

providing background information in students' home languages

peer work in students' home languages

explicit instruction in how to use cognates or build on their own skills in their home language.

Related resources

Learn more about what using students' language can look like in this related series from Larry Ferlazzo on Education Week, this resource guide on translanguaging, and these recommendations from Tan Huynh.

Monitoring Student Progress

10. Use informal assessment on a regular basis.

It's important to use informal tools to monitor student progress in addition to more formal measures. That might mean something like quick comprehension checks during a lesson or exit tickets. You may also wish to use tools such as graphic organizers. More ideas are available in the resources below.

Coming up with a correction/feedback policy

While it is difficult to know when to correct students, constructive and effective feedback is essential to student progress. Nevertheless, it is important to balance between encouragement and error correction. One way to do this is to focus on one or two concepts at a time when listening to or reading student work. Let students know what you will be focusing on so that they in turn can focus on those particular concepts in the assignment.

Another strategy is to circle errors in writing assignments, and have students try to figure out what the mistakes were. Most of the time students are able to correct their own writing errors once they focus on the circled area. If they are still stuck, try giving them the answer and asking them to explain why it is correct. If they don't know the answer, ask them to consult with a classmate. If no one else knows the answer, review the structure as a group.

Related resources

Video: Assessment for ELLs

11. If a student is struggling, proceed with care.

If a student is struggling, it's important to proceed carefully and in collaboration with colleagues. Discuss your concerns with an ESL teacher to identify some targeted areas of instruction and ideas for progress monitoring. (Dr. August shares some ideas towards the end of the her research review for this kind of monitoring.) In addition, talk with the student's family to determine whether there is any important information you should know about factors that might impact the student's learning.

Keep in mind the following:

Nationwide, ELLs are both over-identified and under-identified for special education. Over-correction in one direction can lead to misjudgments in the other.

There is no single checklist or factor that can determine when a student needs extra support and what kind of support that might be, which is why it is imperative to work in close collaboration with ESL educators, family members, special educators, and reading/speech specialists if you are reviewing a student's situation.

The types of support that students receive in special education are different than those that students receive in ESL classes. Referral to special education is not a silver bullet where students will "at least get some help." A special education referral is a step that should only be taken after careful progress monitoring and targeted instruction (in the absence of an immediate and obvious need for services) and in consultation with a team that includes ESL educators and the student's family.

Related resources

Video: Having enough data to look at progress over time

Tips for Collaboration

12. Reach out to your ELL colleagues for ideas.

Don't hesitate to reach out to ELL colleagues in your building or district (they may have a wide range of titles). They are experts in supporting ELL instruction. Even if schools have not made formal collaboration time a priority, you can start with small steps. A concrete question or example is often a very good place to start collaboration.

If you find the collaboration helpful, share your successes with colleagues and administrators - you may be able to advocate for more collaboration time in the future! While it may be difficult to find time to meet on a regular basis, increased collaboration among all of the educators working with ELLs will improve their chances for success.

Video: Collaborating to support an ELL with special needs

Closing Thoughts

There is a lot of information here, but remember that it's ok to start with small steps. And when something doesn't work, don't hesitate to go back to the drawing board! Make some adjustments and try again, and if it still doesn't work, move on to a new strategy. You will soon find what works for your students and will come to appreciate the privilege to be a part of their journey.

Video: When new strategies don't work

Discussion Questions

What are some strategies that you can try here on your own?

What are some topics you would like to learn more about in professional development?

What is an example of a lesson you might teach differently in the future?

What are some ways you can try collaborating with your other ESOL or bilingual colleagues?

Recommended Resources

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Supporting ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom: 12 Strategies for Language Instruction

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If you are a classroom or content-area educator trying to figure out how to teach English language learners (ELLs), you are not alone! You are off to a good start by looking for ways to support your students!

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Share 8 Great Reading Tips with Families (in 16 languages)

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Share 8 Great Reading Tips with Families (in 16 languages)

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There are many ways that families of English language learners (ELLs) can support language and literacy at home! Colorín Colorado's new series of 8 tips for families is available in 16 languages. Share these tips with your families in two ways:

1) A tip sheet: One single page with all 8 tips
2) One tip at a time
If you see any issues with translations, please email us at: [email protected] Artwork by award-winning illustrator Rafael López is used with permission.

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Share 8 Great Reading Tips with Families (in 16 languages)

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There are many ways that families of English language learners (ELLs) can support language and literacy at home! Colorín Colorado's new series of 8 tips for families is available in 16 languages.

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What is Culturally Responsive Teaching In Early Childhood Education?

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What is Culturally Responsive Teaching In Early Childhood Education?

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In a world where early childhood education classrooms are increasingly becoming more multicultural, culturally responsive teaching is necessary for educators to help children connect with the content. In addition, educators need to learn teaching strategies that match how children understand and interact with the world.

Culturally responsive teaching gives children access to a welcoming and engaging learning environment, making them feel safe, seen, and understood. Children also perform better academically, leading to more successful learning outcomes.

Read on to discover what culturally responsive teaching is, why it's important, and how to become a culturally responsive educator.

What is culturally responsive teaching?

Culturally responsive teaching is an education approach that connects children's cultures, experiences, and languages to what they learn in the classroom to improve educational outcomes. Culturally responsive teaching encourages children to use familiar ways of thinking, speaking, and analyzing to learn new ideas. In the mid-1990s, educational theorist Gloria Ladson-Billings introduced this education approach. Other education scholars, like Geneva Gay, have since done more research on the subject. Gay defines culturally responsive teaching as "using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them."

There are several fundamental principles for culturally responsive teaching, which include:

Having high expectations for all children

Engaging children's knowledge, practices, experiences, and perspectives

Building a bridge between home and school practices

Identifying and leveraging children's strengths

Critically questioning traditional education practices, content, and assessments

Preschool is typically where children have their first education experiences outside the home, so it's essential that the instruction be flexible, include their cultures, and uphold their identities.

Educators shouldn't take it for granted that children have experience with particular communication strategies or equipment, like toys. For example, children may be dual language learners or have limited access to toys and manipulatives. In addition, the cultural difference between home and preschool practices may affect children's learning and make them anxious and unhappy. Culturally responsive teaching will create an inclusive environment that will make children feel safe and learn better.

Why is culturally responsive teaching important?

Traditional education isn't realistic for children in diverse classrooms and communities. Here's why integrating culturally responsive teaching in the classroom is essential.

It strengthens children's identity

Culturally responsive teaching strengthens children's sense of identity and belonging. It helps them feel empowered and valued and builds trust that enhances their relationship with the teacher.

It raises expectations for all children

When teachers focus on children's strengths rather than their weaknesses, it helps them create child-centered instruction. This is especially beneficial for children from underrepresented groups whose strengths are typically underestimated.

It helps teachers meet children's needs

Because of unconscious bias from some teachers, some children's needs may go undetected, or the teachers might mislabel certain children. Focusing on children's assets helps teachers attend to each child's specific needs.

It builds cultural awareness and critical thinking

Culturally responsive teaching helps teachers and children understand and appreciate different perspectives and build empathy for others. Encouraging children to ask questions about other cultures and behaviors develops critical thinking skills.

How to be a culturally responsive teacher

Culturally responsive teaching isn't just about recognizing children's cultures; it's about building a bridge between their experiences and the educational content. Let's discuss some ideas on how to be a culturally responsive teacher.

Self-reflection and assessment

Are you aware of your unconscious or implicit biases? Over the years, your culture and experiences have affected how you think, behave, and act. It's essential to recognize how your culture has influenced your attitudes and how that may affect children's learning. For example, you might believe that quiet or introverted children don't understand the lesson because their participation is limited. Or, if you grew up in a two-parent home, your ideas of family will leave some children out. This could cause children from broken homes or single-parent families to feel like they don't belong or there's something wrong with their family. Recognizing your biases will help you make more informed decisions when teaching children.

Get to know the children

Beyond the children's personalities, find out more about the children. Get to know where they come from and where they currently live, and find out how they usually do certain things. The best way to do this is by being in a one-on-one setting with each child, as some children might be shy at first about speaking up in the classroom. Casually ask them about their likes, dislikes, and activities they do at home. If a new child has recently immigrated from another country, ask them questions like, "What games did you play at school?" If they can, let them teach you and the class. If they can't articulate their experiences or culture, research online and have conversations with them based on what you discover. Also, show genuine interest in their understanding of the educational content to put them at ease.

Adapt the learning to fit children's cultures

Children engage more and learn more effectively when the content is within the context of their experiences. For example, what kind of illustrations are you giving the children in the lessons? Do they represent different cultures? What activities get all the children excited? Are there activities that don't benefit all children? Recognize how your content may be biased. Assess your current lesson plans and modify the instruction, considering the children's backgrounds and readiness levels. Invite the children to speak to the class about their experiences. Make the learning interactive and include educational games, storytelling, visuals, and songs.

Create a judgment-free environment

Encourage the children to value each other's experiences and differences. If a child has questions about another's behavior, encourage them to ask questions. Guide the conversation toward learning and not criticizing to help them understand the world around them. This will help your children to feel more comfortable sharing their experiences in class. And it will help them become critical thinkers and look at situations with an unbiased opinion.

Culturally responsive teaching strategies

Let's discuss a few culturally responsive strategies you can employ in the classroom:

Consider your classroom setup

What books are in your classroom library? Do they represent different families? Do they include diverse races? Do the posters on your classroom walls depict various cultures? Small changes can create an inclusive classroom environment for all children.

Call on each child individually

Some children might be shy or uncomfortable speaking up in the classroom voluntarily. Calling on children who don't raise their hands familiarizes them with speaking in front of others. Encourage them to share their personal views when a subject requires it. This practice keeps them engaged and builds their confidence.

Share content in various ways

Offering various means of representation is a universal design for learning (UDL) principle. Children respond differently to different types of content due to learning needs, preferences, or culture. Set up various learning stations, each with a unique teaching method. While teaching a specific concept, have the children rotate between listening to you teach, playing a game, or creating artwork.

Use stories

Stories deepen children's learning and help them understand the world better. In every culture, stories play a role in teaching values, manners, and self-regulation skills. Additionally, children remember content better when they can process a coherent narrative.

Build relationships with children and their families

Parents and families play a crucial role in children's learning; involving them is a core part of culturally responsive teaching, which promotes inclusive learning. Communicate with children's families when starting a new lesson series, so families can offer support at home and build on what their children are learning during the day. For new children, ask the families questions about their traditions, what language they use at home, and how they prefer to communicate. Learn the basics of their languages and invite them to participate in school activities.

Examples of culturally responsive teaching

Culturally responsive teaching promotes values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and prevents children from developing biases. The following are a few examples you can start using if you haven't done so already.

Reading books that contain images of diverse types of families, including single-parent families, two-parent families, guardians, and families of different races

Greeting each child as they come into class in the way they are most comfortable with, for example, a high-five, a handshake, a hug, a wave, or a fist pump

Playing and dancing to songs in different languages

Saying "good morning" to the children in various languages represented in the classroom

Teaching the children how to say "hello" and "goodbye" in another language

Facilitating a "show and tell" where children stand in front of the class and speak about activities they enjoy or food they love to eat

Making a photo collage corner of the children and their respective families

Hosting an event where each child comes with a favorite or traditional dish they'd like to share with the class

Celebrating different traditions and holidays from around the world

Putting up a world map to learn about other countries

This isn't a complete list, and remember your application of these strategies will depend on the different cultures and experiences of the children in your classroom.

Connecting culture to content

Culturally responsive teaching draws from children's individual cultures and experiences and integrates them into classroom learning. Understanding the unique backgrounds of your children and their families will help you create a positive learning environment where children can make connections between their lives and the educational content they receive.

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What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching in Early Childhood Education?

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Learn what culturally responsive teaching is, why it's important, and what strategies and examples you can use in an early childhood education classroom.

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Diverse Children, Uniform Standards_ Using Early Learning and Development Standards in Multicultural Classrooms _ NAEYC

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Supporting the school readiness and success of young African American boys

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Supporting the school readiness and success of young African American boys

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Black Boys Matter: Strategies for a Culturally Responsive Classroom

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Black Boys Matter: Strategies for a Culturally Responsive Classroom

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Black Boys Matter_ Strategies for a Culturally Responsive Classroom _ NAEYC

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SELECTING AND USING CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE CHILDREN’S BOOKS IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH

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SELECTING AND USING CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE CHILDREN’S BOOKS IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH

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Promoting Language Learning Through Dual Language and Non-English Books

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Promoting Language Learning Through Dual Language and Non-English Books

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Promoting Language Learning Through Dual Language and Non-English Books _ NAEYC

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What Parents Have to Teach Us About Their Dual Language Children

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What Parents Have to Teach Us About Their Dual Language Children

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What Parents Have to Teach Us About Their Dual Language Children _ NAEYC

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Transnational Lives of Asian Immigrant Children in Multicultural Picture Books

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Transnational Lives of Asian Immigrant Children in Multicultural Picture Books

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Transnational Lives of Asian Immigrant Children in Multicultural Picture Books _ NAEYC

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Supporting Language: Culturally Rich Dramatic Play

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Supporting Language: Culturally Rich Dramatic Play

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Supporting Language_ Culturally Rich Dramatic Play _ NAEYC

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Five Tips for Engaging Multilingual Children in Conversation

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Five Tips for Engaging Multilingual Children in Conversation

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Five Tips for Engaging Multilingual Children in Conversation _ NAEYC

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Explore this brief to learn ways home visitors can create responsive learning environments to support children's development. Find the most up-to-date information to answer three prompts: "What does research say?"; "What does it look like?"; and "Try this!" There's also an accompanying resource, Connecting at Home, which includes easy-to-try tips to help families create responsive learning environments at home.

Download the PDF

Research Notes

Learning environments are the nurturing spaces that support children's development. This includes childcare centers, the home, outdoor spaces, classrooms, and other areas a child visits each day. This also includes schedules and materials in these spaces. Responsive environments are tailored to meet each child's developmental levels, needs, cultures, and interests. Responsive adults like teachers and parents are always the most important part of any learning environment. You can use the environment as a tool to support school readiness for all children.

The Take Home

1. Responsive learning environments are welcoming and engaging. They are tailored to the individual needs and interests of all children.

2. Learning environments include classrooms, play spaces, homes, and outdoor areas. They also include other areas visited by a child during their daily life.

3. Responsive adults are the most important part of any learning environment. This includes teachers, home visitors, families, and caregivers.

What Does the Research Say?

Responsive adults are the most important part of any learning environment. This include parents, caregivers, teachers, home visitors, and other education staff. Responsive adults are nurturing and sensitive to each child's temperament and needs.

Learning environments can influence relationships and support positive behavior. For example, if a child can see many things that they are not allowed to play with, you might find yourself saying "don't touch that" repeatedly. When children feel supported and engaged in an "environment of yes," they are less likely to exhibit behaviors that are challenging to adults.

Environments engage children when they include a variety of culturally relevant materials. Children learn best when materials are open-ended, with no "wrong" way to use them. Follow children's lead: they will show you what they are interested in!

Engaging learning environments provide extra support for children learning more than one language. Children can use the environment as a way to communicate with you. They might not know the word for "elephant" but can reach for a toy elephant to show you what they know!

‚Home language is a key component of children's identity formation. This is essential for school readiness and life success. Responsive learning environments integrate the home language(s) and culture(s) of the children and families in your program.

Environments that support high quality inclusion provide supports throughout the daily routine. Planned adaptations and modifications make things go more smoothly for staff, family members, and for the children. This also helps increase children's engagement and learning. For example, a bowl that is stabilized with a suction cup can help a child learning to scoop with a spoon eat independently.

What Does It Look Like?

Learning spaces are safe, welcoming, and comfortable for all. Everyone can take part in activities. This includes children with identified disabilities or suspected delays. Environmental supports can help. These are small changes to ongoing activities or materials that can increase children's participation. For example, non-toxic rubber may be added to the handle of a rattle so it's easier to grasp and shake.

Children can access materials easily. There are many engaging materials to choose from. But children are not overwhelmed by the number of available options. There are calm spaces that children can seek out as needed.

The learning environment includes appropriate physical challenges. This supports children's physical and perceptual development. For example, there are padded areas where infants can crawl or roll. There is plenty of space for older children to run around without bumping into each other or furniture.

The learning environment is diverse like the children and families. At children's eye level, you can see photos, books, toys, and dolls that are reflective of the children in your care. People from your community are represented, including people of varying ages and abilities.

Try This!

Ask families how to make your learning spaces feel welcoming, calm, and soothing to their child. What do their children need to feel engaged and ready to learn?

Respect and incorporate families' cultures into the systems and services provided. Learning from families is a great place to start! One way to learn about a family's culture and values is to focus on their caregiving routines such as mealtimes and sleep.

Cruise around at the eye level of the children you work with. Take stock of what they see: are there any adjustments you'd like to make?

Create an "environment of yes" where everything children can access is safe and acceptable for them to explore. Work with families to do the same.

Arrange the environment to reach a balance of engaging (but not overwhelming) spaces. Are there bins or baskets that can corral toys? Are there cozy spaces for quiet time? Home visitors can help families think about this in the home environment.

Encourage physical movement throughout the day. Put out foam blocks and pillows: children can try jumping safely from these materials. Cut out paper circles and tape them to the floor: children can sit or stand in place and move to music! Home visitors can help families create safe physical challenges in their home.

‚Think like a scientist! Continue to observe children in your learning spaces. Make adjustments as children grow and change over time.

Learn More

Early Essentials Webisode 7: Environments
Learn ways to create welcoming learning spaces that support infants, toddlers, and their families

Creating Environments That Include Children's Home Languages and Cultures
Discover ways to create environments that include children's home languages and cultures.

Environments That Support High Quality Inclusion
Find information on universal design principles.

Learning Environments
Explore resources about creating learning environments that are responsive to the needs of young children and their families.

Connecting at Home

Learning environments are the nurturing spaces that support children's development. This includes your home, outdoor spaces, and other areas your child visits each day. Responsive environments are tailored to meet each child's developmental levels, needs, and interests. Here are some tips you can try.
Get creative
Provide a variety of materials for your child to choose to play with. You don't need to buy fancy or expensive toys. How can you play with common household items, like cooking pots and empty boxes? Can you make different sounds with items around the house?
Build a cozy space
Try not to have too many things out at once. Sometimes children can get overwhelmed. Look for cues that your child needs some quiet time. Are they seeming shy? Or fussing or pulling at their clothing? Try cozying up together and reading a book with some comfy pillows.
Add safe challenges
Children need opportunities to work on their motor skills throughout the day. This means activities like crawling, walking, or jumping. Add in fun and safe physical challenges to your home. Crawl through a tunnel of chairs! Dance to some music!
Let them show you what they can do
Find ways for children to do things on their own. Can they reach the sink to wash their hands? Can they access their favorite books or toys? Do they have eating utensils that they can hold comfortably in their hand? This builds their physical, motor, and perceptual skills!

" Go to Connecting Research to Practice

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Responsive Learning Environments | ECLKC

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Explore this brief to learn ways home visitors can create responsive learning environments to support children's development. Find the most up-to-date information to answer three prompts: "What does research say?"; "What does it look like?"; and "Try this!" There's also an accompanying resource, Connecting at Home, which includes easy-to-try tips to help families create responsive learning environments at home.

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Tip Sheet: Creating Environments That Include Children’s Home Languages and Cultures

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Tip Sheet: Creating Environments That Include Children’s Home Languages and Cultures

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Individualizing Instruction for Children with Disabilities Who Are Also Dual Language Learners This is a webinar

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Individualizing Instruction for Children with Disabilities Who Are Also Dual Language Learners This is a webinar

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Individualizing Instruction for Children with Disabilities Who Are Also Dual Language Learners | ECLKC

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Jennifer Fung: Hi, everybody, good afternoon. Thank you to everybody for joining us for our February Inclusion Series webinar. Today, we are going to be talking about strategies to individualize instruction for children with disabilities who are also dual language learners.

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The Head Start Center for Inclusion offers a library of visual supports for teachers to use with children in the classroom. Look for illustrations of toys, art materials, daily schedule pictures, problem solving cue cards, and classroom certificates, to name just a few. Each one can be downloaded and printed out for immediate use.

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CLASS Improves Outcomes in Language & Literacy

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CLASS Improves Outcomes in Language & Literacy

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10 Tips for Teaching Young Dual Language Learners Effectively

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10 Tips for Teaching Young Dual Language Learners Effectively

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As schools and programs begin to return after the summer break, how can early educators make sure they're creating a space that welcomes and supports the learning and development of young dual language learners (DLLs)? In this month's article, you'll get 10 tips on how you can prepare your classroom and curriculum to support young DLLs and help them succeed.

Early childhood learning environments are where young children begin to develop foundational school readiness skills-including language, early literacy, mathematics, executive functioning, and social-emotional skills-that will be essential for academic and social success in the elementary grades and beyond. The following strategies, excerpted and adapted from Teaching Dual Language Learners by Lisa López, Ph.D. & Mariela Páez, Ed.D., will help you teach these critical skills to all kids in a culturally and linguistically diverse classroom.

Matching DLLs with a teacher of the same ethnicity and/or cultural background is the easiest way to introduce skills in their home language, but the reality of today's increasingly diverse classrooms means it's often not possible to have a teacher who speaks the same home language as all of their dual language learners. The good news is that monolingual teachers can still promote language development in their linguistically diverse students by learning key words in the child's home language and making an effort to educate themselves on the child's language and culture.

Design play-based projects that focus on language interactions.
Play-based activities-especially in the context of themed projects built around children's interests-are an ideal way to engage DLL children and help them reach developmental and early academic goals. Here's an example inspired by a recent study: develop a play-based unit on superheroes in your diverse classroom, and make it an opportunity to learn about language and social-emotional skills, too. Start by reading a poem and a book about superpowers, with the goal of introducing the concepts of pretend abilities (superpowers) and real-life abilities. Extend the definition of "superpowers" to include real-life prosocial actions, such as helping others, showing kindness, using your words, and sharing. Then plan superhero-themed activities involving small-group interactions (a storyboard with action heroes), one-on-one projects (individual portraits of children's superpowers and qualities), and sociodramatic play (setting up an area with costumes).

During a themed unit like this one, use the following strategies to meet the needs of dual language learners:

Use explicit vocabulary instruction to help DLL children learn new words

Support children's language learning by using repetition and modeling of new words

Supplement spoken words with gestures, visual aids, and props

Interact with children in a purposeful, consistent, and firm way to support children's positive behaviors

During choice time and sociodramatic play, encourage the kind of sustained back-and-forth conversations that build language skills

Pair DLL children with peers who speak English as a first language to reinforce development of skills in English during activities

Limit the amount of time spent in whole group. In a study of preschool classrooms serving DLLs, López and colleagues (2017) found that the children were spending about one third of their morning in whole-group time. Try to reduce the time you spend as a large group, and think about which activities can be reimagined, shortened, or done in smaller groups instead.

Pair DLL children with a buddy and do "turn and talk" activities. Have children share with a buddy instead of the entire group, pairing DLL students with another child who speaks their home language whenever possible. Letting DLLs participate by using the language they're most comfortable speaking (regardless of activity) will increase their self-confidence and help lay the groundwork for successful language acquisition.

Encourage prereading of books. Prereading books with a DLL child in their home language makes it easier for them to follow along with the story and learn new vocabulary words.

Make the most of small-group and one-to-one activities.
Both small-group time and one-to-one activities make it easier to address the specific needs of individual DLL children. If one of the teachers speaks the home language of the children, small-group activities provide a good opportunity to preread a book in the home language, preteach thematic content before it's introduced to the whole class, and focus on building literacy skills in the home language that children will be able to transfer once they have sufficient vocabulary in English.

For DLL learners who may need extra help, one-to-one activities are also valuable and can be used to scaffold language during play, teach math skills, or boost language skills using developmentally appropriate technology tools in the child's home language. Teachers are strongly encouraged to learn some key words in a DLL child's home language, but technology tools can be a great way for DLLs to continue expanding their first language skills when their teacher does not speak their home language.

To support metalinguistic skills, talk about the similarities and differences between languages spoken in your classroom. Try the following strategies:

Read books in different languages and highlight the unique features of each language

Sing songs and read poems that expose children to the sounds of multiple languages

Introduce vocabulary words in multiple languages, especially words that children know from their home languages

Listen to children and adults narrating stories that show aspects of different cultures

Build background knowledge.
One of the key elements in reading comprehension is background knowledge, an understanding of basic concepts that can also be culturally specific. You can help broaden the background knowledge of DLLs-and all young children-by introducing them to different cultural traditions. Build background knowledge into your early childhood learning environment by going on both virtual and real field trips, taking nature walks, inviting classroom guests to do show-and-tell presentations, and transforming classroom centers based on whatever subject you're currently covering (e.g., pet store, pet groomers, pet obedience school, pet day care, veterinarian). These experiences will help invest DLL children with the contextual knowledge to comprehend English narratives presented orally and in print.

Keep in mind that DLLs need to be presented with new vocabulary words in context and provided with ongoing opportunities to practice these new words. Try introducing new vocabulary words in small groups with accompanying pictures or concrete examples, giving DLL children a chance to think about words in their home language and make connections between what they know and the new information being presented. Once new words have been introduced, read books that include the words during small or whole group time, and create opportunities for DLLs to practice the words during center time.

Use scaffolds during book reading.
All young children benefit from scaffolds during book reading, but DLL children are especially well-served when teachers point with a finger to certain words, ask questions, and run a finger along the text. For example, if you were doing a read-aloud of the book The Dot (Reynolds, 2003), you could begin by showing the children the cover of the book and ask them the following questions: Who is the author of the book? Is there an illustrator for the book? What is the title of the book? Where should we start reading? After talking about some of the children's ideas, start reading the book and draw connections between the content of the book and your previous discussion. Afterwards, meet with DLLs for further discussion and a dot-drawing activity. Let your DLL students hold the book and point to different sections as they engage in the activity. This sort of small-group interaction gives teachers the opportunity to assess DLL children's understanding of the book and provide scaffolds accordingly.

Using home languages in whole-group conversations to make DLL children feel comfortable and competent

Enriching whole-group experiences by using the home language and asking students to share in their home language

Switching from one language to the other (if you know the child's home language) as a scaffolding strategy when working one-to-one or in small groups

Designing specific activities that include teaching in the home language

Incorporating songs and rhymes in the children's home languages (families or caregivers can serve as great resources for providing examples of songs that promote sound and rhyme awareness)

Because there are more linguistically diverse learners than ever before in early childhood settings, educators need to prioritize the teaching and engagement of children whose home language differs from that of the rest of the class. Use the practical strategies in this article to boost language and other key skills for DLL children and help pave the way toward a successful future.

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10 Tips for Teaching Young Dual Language Learners Effectively | Brookes Publishing Co.

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As schools and programs begin to return after the summer break, how can early educators make sure they're creating a space that welcomes and supports the learning and development of young dual language learners (DLLs)? In this month's article, you'll get 10 tips on how you can prepare your classroom and curriculum to support young DLLs and help them succeed.

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Selecting & Using Culturally Responsive Children's Books

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Selecting & Using Culturally Responsive Children's Books

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Simon Birmingham recently announced the government will invest an additional A$11.8 million in a successful preschool language learning program.

Some 300 languages are spoken in Australia. In the Greater Sydney area alone, nearly 40% of households speak a language other than English and many children of these households attend weekend community language learning.

But, in New South Wales for example, less than 10% of secondary students make it through to a final end of secondary school examination (Higher School Certificate) in an additional language. A report of Chinese learning shows of all the learners who start Chinese study 96% have dropped out by senior secondary level.

The additional funding for pre-secondary school language education is a step in the right direction to making Australia a more bilingual country. Starting early is the key to making sure students continue with their language education.

Early Learning Languages Australia

Appetite for learning a language must be created by starting early, through generating curiosity and fun in playing with language. Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) does this.

Introduced in 2017, ELLA has created a play-based interactive language learning program for tablet devices. This makes language learning visual and engaging for preschool children.

Read more: Play-based learning can set your child up for success at school and beyond

The program uses characters, game activities and songs to teach simple language. Apart from a few prompts in English, it immerses the child in understanding and using the target language. The program is based on decades of international studies of early immersion language learning which have consistently shown the cognitive, neural, visual-spatial, conceptual, social and personal benefits of early language learning.

Children's use of language in songs and games resembles the natural way people learn their native language. In early years, children have the ability to accurately produce all sounds of all languages, to mimic a near-perfect accent, and they will speak and sing without the inhibitions of adolescence.

The research evaluation of the program has been sound, using cognitive, behavioural and qualitative measures.

Read more: Why it's hard for adults to learn a second language

Increasing early language learning

The increased funding to Early Learning Languages Australia will expand the program to a total 5,000 preschools nationally, including long daycare centres with preschool programs. This represents a significant impact to the sector.

Languages currently available include Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Modern Greek and Hindi. The additional funding will add Korean, Vietnamese, Turkish and German to the program. All of these languages are included in the Australian Curriculum for schools.

The program will also be trialled in 300 schools, in Foundation (kindergarten) to year two, in 2019-2020. This may help lay the groundwork for future sustained interest.

Tired arguments are holding us back

Research has shown the efforts of some of the most talented teachers running rich, motivating programs are currently undermined by discouragement from school leadership and parents.

There are two tired arguments about early language learning in public schools which stifle the progress of school language learning. The first is the lack of qualified teachers - the solution is to train more! The training of specialist primary school language teachers has begun, but needs more investment.

The second argument is contested space in the "crowded curriculum". Putting the value judgement aside, there is already one solution in place.

In a small but growing number of schools, primary language teachers are successfully collaborating with regular classroom teachers to teach selected units from, for example, geography or science, in a language other than English. This achieves two learning objectives at once.

Read more: What languages should children be learning to get ahead?

Investment in early learning, through preschool and primary years is the key to unseating these arguments, and achieving sustained language achievement. Victoria has led the way in attaching value to language study, making learning a language compulsory in primary years.

Many independent schools have conducted highly successful continuous preschool, primary and secondary school language programs for many years.

The longer term objectives of early language learning are to provide intellectual stimulation, intercultural curiosity and for children to see linguistic diversity as an every day affair in classrooms and playgrounds.

The Australian curriculum is built on seven general capabilities, one of which is intercultural understanding. The most powerful vehicle for this is through language learning. If we start early, this is where children learn to value both their own cultures, languages and beliefs, and those of others.
This article has been updated since publication to correct an error in referring to ELLA as Early Language Learning Australia, when the correct title is Early Learning Languages Australia.

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Learning languages early is key to making Australia more multilingual

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Learning languages early makes multilingualism "normal" in classrooms and playgrounds, and builds curiosity and even modest mastery.

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Making Connections: Using the VA ELDS & WIDA Early Years Resources to Plan Instruction for Young Multilingual Children

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Making Connections: Using the VA ELDS & WIDA Early Years Resources to Plan Instruction for Young Multilingual Children