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This website provides a list of bilingual glossaries, which is a super useful tool in the classroom when teaching EBs/ELs.

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These Bilingual Glossaries and Cognates were created for educators, students, parents, and families in supporting instruction for our English language learners.

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The Silent Way - One color represents one sound, and by putting these sounds together, words are formed. This could be very helpful to my future students.

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ITTT International TEFL & TESOL Training

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Theories, Methods & Techniques of Teaching - The Silent Way

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English teaching Method - Suggestopedia - this method provides a comfortable environment for the students. It also is unique and shows that an educator will go at any length to support her students. I want to keep this here to remember it.

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Routine for Math Vocabulary Instruction 

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Routine for Math Vocabulary Instruction 

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This routine is a step by step way to provide students with the vocabulary words, and is a method I would like to use one day.

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I want to use this blog post to help me effectively teach my students math without any confusion. This also provides them with a tool to use as they are learning English and math.

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This is a model that I have previously used and have seen so much growth in the way I provide instruction. I think that this method will help me continue to grow and learn as an educator.

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The main reason that I put this on my tool kit is to stay up to date with what is going on in the world. I want to create an environment that is welcoming and where I am aware of events happening that may effect my students and their families.

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UNICEF's work

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. And we never give up.

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UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents - and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere.

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I took this from the slide show because I think it is important to remember years from now in my classroom. I want to go back to the why of the hard things for my students.

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Having this website in my toolkit is important because having access to accommodations to protect my students is important.

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Accommodation Resources | Texas Education Agency

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I found the research done through this organization to be impacted and insightful, so I wanted to have it here as a place to refer to.

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Research - Center for Applied Linguistics

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Projects Research Services Program Evaluation Services Online Courses Professional Development Research is a critical component of CAL’s mission. CAL conducts large-scale and small-scale research projects on a wide variety of topics related to language teaching and learning, literacy, assessment, and the use of language in society. We collect and analyze data using diverse research designs,

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This website has helpful resources like "parent tip sheets" to help me in the future when talking about gifted children.

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This website is clear on how to identify gifted and talented children.

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A MiddleWeb Blog

Last summer when Tan Huynh and I asked Twitter followers to suggest topics for on our shared MiddleWeb column, several readers (including Emily Golightly, an ESL teacher in North Carolina) voiced interest in reading about under-representation of ELs in gifted programs. I'm so happy you did!

If you're a glass-half-full person like I am, you might consider all of your students as gifts and gifted in some way. I have always taken that approach with my own children and each of my students as well.

All our students come to us with strengths and skills that they are highly capable of applying. And it's also true that some may come with an extra helping.

Many times it's parents that first realize that their child may be "gifted." Think about that for a moment. Imagine a family that notices a child may have unusual gifts. Family members may not speak English well yet. Perhaps they recently arrived.

Maybe in their home country the norm was not to approach the school or teacher about instruction. Or maybe they had their own bad experiences with school. How likely is this family to come to school and let us know that they think their child might qualify for the gifted program?

NPR reports that across the USA only 2% of ELs are in gifted programs, as opposed to 7.3% of non-ELs. The cause of such a gap? While a number of reasons exist for the under-representation of ELs in gifted programs, it has been determined that identification procedures and policies are two of them.

Additionally, a survey by the Education Week Research Center reported that gifted and talented programs are failing to reach many populations, including ELs.
As a whole, we aren't all on the same page when it comes to the term gifted or the criteria and programs. Although there is a federal definition of gifted and talented -
"Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities." [Title IX, Part A, Definition 22. (2002)]
- many states follow their own definition. Furthermore, each state has its own screening criteria and programs for students that qualify. Some states are highly supportive of identifying and serving ELs while others are just not there yet.

I visited a number of other city and state education webpages and found varying levels of support for teachers and families of ELs. NYCDOE nicely placed links to Pre-Registration Checklists in nine different languages on their site for families. Florida Department of Education offers a well detailed, eight-page document that aids teachers in assessing ELs for eligibility for gifted programs.

I encourage you to take a look at what your state has to offer. This link will take you to The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) where you will find a list of all the states and numerous other resources.

In her article on the Seidlitz Education Blog, Macry Voss shares that though it may be difficult to identify ELs as gifted, it's not impossible. She says that as educators we only need to do two things: create conditions and observe! Sounds easy enough. Let's take a closer look.

Creating Conditions

Knowing that students will show their gifts in various ways and that the evidence may not come through in graded classroom work, local or state assessments or other typical means will help with identifying ELs who may qualify for gifted and talented services. If a student is working in isolation, working on watered down curriculum, or working on tasks that require little thought, you are not creating the conditions that will reveal the gifted potential your EL holds.

Here are a few ways teachers can increase engagement and motivation and thereby gain insight into what your EL may be capable of achieving:

▢ Choice in free reading

▢ Choice in writing topics

▢ Product oriented work

▢ Artistic representations

▢ Collaborative learning

▢ Portfolio samples

Observing

Knowing what to look for when trying to determine if an EL may qualify for gifted services is key to possible entry. One of the biggest challenges for educators in this situation is a possible communication barrier. If you are not able to speak the same language as your EL, it can be difficult to know what they are thinking or understanding.

It may be a struggle to assess their comprehension. It's hard to tell if an EL is curious, has a keen sense of humor, or has a heightened sense of justice if we aren't able to speak the same language yet. Here are a few indicators to look for as you try to determine if an EL may benefit from being screened for gifted services (including in their current primary language):

▢ Successful academic history in student's primary language

▢ Advanced developmental history according to family interview/screening

▢ Rapidity of learning new language and/or content

▢ Ability to problem solve

▢ Reading above grade level in primary language

▢ High proficiency in mathematics

▢ Interest in honoring his/her culture

▢ Respect for cultural differences

▢ Code switching

▢ Desire to teach classmates words from his/her primary language

According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), "access to assessment and, if needed, G/T services must be made available to all populations of the district." But we have to remember that screening only happens when a teacher or parent notices patterns of exceptional performance in an EL and advocates for the child. This calls for educators to be closely attuned to students' abilities. "Formal channels of communication between gifted/talented and ELL teachers and coordinators are vital to gifted/talented ELL success." ( Belin & Blank, 2008, p. 29)

In addition, TEA says that, "Students must be assessed in languages they understand or with nonverbal assessments." It is common in many states to provide a nonverbal assessment to ELs. However many argue that this type of assessment actually works to limit or exclude ELs who excel in other areas ( Belin & Blank, 2008, p.15).

Keep in Mind
English proficiency is not a prerequisite to giftedness.
A student's ability to express themselves in English should not be a prerequisite for gifted and talented services. Do not wait until your student can communicate in English before you initiate testing. If you suspect a child may qualify, begin your state's or district's referral process for screening.
Looking Back & Moving Forward
It makes me sad to think back on the English learners I taught over the years who may have qualified for gifted and talented services but were not afforded the chance because of my lack of knowledge about identifying their gifts. I'm well aware now that there were a few I let slip by me.

Moving forward we can change the present and future landscape for gifted and talented ELs by helping all stakeholders know how to create conditions that allow ELs to shine and know what characteristics to look for in ELs who may qualify for gifted programs. Spend some time investigating the published work in this arena and start conversations with G&T experts in your district and community!

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Identifying Gifted and Talented English Learners

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A MiddleWeb Blog Last summer when Tan Huynh and I asked Twitter followers to suggest topics for on our shared MiddleWeb column, several readers (including Emily Golightly, an ESL teacher in North Carolina) voiced interest in reading about under-representation of ELs in gifted programs. I'm so happy you did!

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This will help me in the future to select vocab words to teach to my students that are learning English, and will hopefully help me create a habit in choosing words.

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This article offers guidance for selecting vocabulary words when teaching ELLs and explains the difference between Tier 1, 2, and 3 words.

A student's maximum level of reading comprehension is determined by his or her knowledge of words. This word knowledge allows students to comprehend text. As the teacher, you can explicitly teach word meanings to improve comprehension. However, to know a word means knowing it in all of the following dimensions:

The ability to define a word

The ability to recognize when to use that word

Knowledge of its multiple meanings

The ability to decode and spell that word

Therefore, it is vitally important to teach key words that children will need to comprehend texts, learn the content in those texts, and pass tests. Words are taught through direct instruction of word meanings as well as through discussions about words (including prefixes, suffixes, and roots) - all combined with a lot of reading.

For English language learners (ELLs), vocabulary development is especially critical for their ability to read and comprehend texts. The selection of vocabulary words to teach ELLs can be grouped into three tiers.

Tier 1 words

Tier 1 words are words that ELLs typically know the concept of in their primary language, but not the label in English. For example, a Tier 1 word might be butterfly. This is a word that English language learners may not know, but it can be easily taught by pointing to a picture of a butterfly during text discussion.

Another Tier 1 word might be march (move like a soldier). A word like march can be easily instructed during text discussion by marching in place. But because this word has multiple meanings, it also merits further instruction. This can be accomplished through oral language activities that follow the text discussion.

Teaching Tier 1 words

We take it for granted that native English-speakers know most Tier 1 words, but this is not the case for ELLs. Many Tier 1 words may be unknown to ELLs and key to the comprehension of a passage. Different types of Tier 1 words require different teaching strategies:

Some Tier 1 words cannot be demonstrated and do not have multiple meanings, but students will need to know them. An example of this is the word uncle. A simple explanation of the word's meaning during the story reading will suffice. Or, if the teacher and students are bilingual, a quick translation is sufficient.

Idioms and everyday expressions (like "make up your mind," "let's hit the books," and "once upon a time") are also in the Tier 1 category. Teachers will need to explain the meanings of these phrases to students.

Some Tier 1 words are simple cognates (like family/familia or preparation/preparación). The cognates in this category consist of words that are high-frequency words in Spanish and English. They may not require substantial instruction because students may know the word meanings in Spanish. The teacher can merely state the English cognate and have students provide the Spanish cognate. Or, the teacher can provide the English cognate and students can say both the English word and Spanish cognate.

It is also important to point out false cognates and give the correct translation. Examples of false cognates are: rope/ropa (clothing) and embarrassed/embarazada (pregnant). There are also some false cognates that have multiple meanings in one language, and one or some of those meanings do not coincide with the meaning of the other language.

Here is a list of helpful Spanish-English cognates.

Tier 2 words

Tier 2 words are more complex than Tier 1 words. They may also be more abstract. These include:

1. Words that are important and useful to understanding the text, such as: character, setting, plot, even numbers, and country.

2. Words that have connections to other words and concepts, such as: between, among, by, combine, and estimate.

3. Words for which students understand the general concept, but need greater precision and specificity in describing a concept or a person, such as: sets, tables (for math or science, or for a table of contents), shy, ashamed, and stubborn.

Teaching Tier 2 words

Tier 2 words appear in grade-level texts. They can be worked with in a variety of ways so that ELLs build rich representations of them and connect them to other words and concepts. Different types of Tier 2 words require different teaching strategies:

Some Tier 2 words will not require elaborate discussion, because they can be demonstrated. These include words with multiple meanings, such as trunk, which can be taught by using gestures to show that it is part of an elephant, part of a tree, part of our body, and the back of a car.

In addition, many Tier 2 words are cognates. In this tier, they are high frequency words in Spanish and low frequency words in English. This means that Spanish-speaking ELLs will have a head start with these words (such as coincidence/coincidencia, industrious/industrioso, and fortunate/afortunado) because they will know both the concept and an approximation of the label in English.

The Tier 2 words that should be targeted for pre-teaching include words that cannot be demonstrated and are not cognates.

ELLs should be expected to master Tier 2 words in order to do well on comprehension and on tests.

Tier 3 words

These are low-frequency words that are found mostly in content books in the upper grades. Examples include witticism, isotope, procrastinate, amoeba, or words that are not demonstrable or cognates. These words are rarely encountered in the early grades, but if they do appear, you can translate them or briefly explain them in either English or in the ELLs' first language.

Note: It is advisable at all grade levels to have bilingual dictionaries available in the classroom. If you do not know the translation for a vocabulary word into students' native language, it is an easy reference and clarification tool. Also, when reading texts on their own, students can look up unknown words and ensure their own comprehension.

References

Beck, I., McKeown, M. & Kucan, L (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: The Gilford Press.

Calderón, M., August, D., Durán, D., Madden, N., R. Slavin & M. Gil (2003 and in press). Spanish to English Transitional Reading: Teacher's Manual. Baltimore, MD: The Success for All Foundation.

Calderón, M. & L. Minaya-Rowe (2004). Expediting Comprehension to English Language Learners (ExC-ELL) Teachers Manual. Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education, Johns Hopkins University.

Calderón, M. & L. Minaya-Rowe (in press). Teaching Reading, Oral Language and Content to English Language Learners - How ELLs Keep Pace With Mainstream Students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Reprints

For any reprint requests, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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Selecting Vocabulary Words to Teach English Language Learners

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This article offers guidance for selecting vocabulary words when teaching ELLs and explains the difference between Tier 1, 2, and 3 words. A student's maximum level of reading comprehension is determined by his or her knowledge of words. This word knowledge allows students to comprehend text.

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This website has given me great feedback about students whose profiles are on here and also helps me see more of how to determine where students lie on the scale of English proficiency.

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Purdue ELLLPS - Purdue University College of Education

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Launching the future through the discovery and development of human potential

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I want to remember these 5 steps to advocacy as they are very important.

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This article shows me that I must understand policies to help my children.

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New research indicates that where English-language learners attend school can determine how quickly they are reclassified as English-proficient.

A Michigan State University research team found that schools in Texas-second only to California in total number of K-12 English-learners-vary widely in how they determine if students should be reclassified as English proficient, affecting their chances of success in school and beyond.

Using state data, the researchers estimated reclassification rates for English-learners throughout Texas over seven years. They found that an English-learner in the El Paso metropolitan area, for example is almost twice as likely to be reclassified by the end of 7th grade, compared to a student performing at the same level in the Rio Grande Valley.

"It seems curious to me that we would have students in different parts of the state being reclassified at different rates if they have similar scores on English proficiency and academic achievement assessments," lead researcher Madeline Mavrogordato told Education Week.

Mavrogordato-an assistant professor of K-12 administration at Michigan State-argues that an ELL student's reclassification often determines their educational trajectory. When it occurs too early, English-learners could find themselves struggling without the support services they need. If too late, students may be restricted from taking higher-level courses that would prepare them for college.

The research is timely because the the Every Student Succeeds Act now requires all states to standardize how they identify and reclassify English-learners. That could prove to be a daunting task for many states that don't have the capacity or manpower that Texas does. Even in a place such as Texas, which has had policies in place since the 1990s that seek to standardize ELL reclassification, inconsistencies persist.

As part of their research, Mavrogordato and Rachel White, a doctoral candidate at Michigan State, also observed eight Texas elementary schools while educators conducted annual meetings required to determine the status of English-learners. They observed differences in what happens during the meetings, including how technology, data, and teacher assessments guide decision-making.

The researchers concluded that the likelihood of reclassification appears to be linked to how well educators understand state policies and what role they play in implementation.

"In schools where the teacher's recommendations trumped all other data, we saw lower rates of reclassification," Mavrogordato said. "The people who are involved in this process ... need to be well-versed in the consequences of these decisions."

Mavrogordato spent time as a bilingual teacher of 3rd- and 4th-graders in the Rio Grande Valley as a Teach For America corps member in the mid-2000s and also taught in northern California, where she worked with ELLs.

With the passage of Proposition 58 in California last fall, public schools across the state now have more running room to operate bilingual and dual-language programs. But during Mavrogordato's time as a teacher there, Proposition 227-a measure that led many districts to drop their bilingual programs entirely -was still on the books.

Her varied experience in California and Texas sparked her research interest.

"One of the things that became really apparent was just how differently English-learners were being served in these two different contexts," Mavrogordato said. "That just started making me ask a lot of different questions about the policies and the way that we serve these kids."

Here's a link to the study: //journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/yIBQ3w8efPhNwg8EPy7e/full

The final, definitive version is available through the Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis at //eepa.aera.net
For Further Reading Photo Credit: Andrew Echeverria, left, gets help from Joel Miller, a veteran educator who teaches a course for long-term English-learners at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. The course was created to help students who have struggled to become proficient in English. --Emile Wamsteker for Education Week

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English-Language Learners: How Schools Can Drive or Derail Their Success

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Recent changes in federal law require all states to standardize how they identify and reclassify ELLs; a researcher says it may prove difficult.

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This toolkit will help me to aid families in understanding and encouraging the growth of their child in the classroom.

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ADVOCACY TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Working with the families of multilingual learners of English and building strong communities is one of the biggest challenges that many English language professionals face.

Access a resource for English language professionals to use at all levels to create a connection with families and build strong communities.

Download the Toolkit

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Community and Family Toolkit | TESOL | International Association

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ADVOCACY TOOLS AND RESOURCES Working with the families of multilingual learners of English and building strong communities is one of the biggest challenges that many English language professionals face. Access a resource for English language professionals to use at all levels to create a connection with families and build strong communities.

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I took this from the presentation as it is my job to remember these things when teaching an conversing with parents of EBs/ELs.

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This notes page goes over many of the policies that I will need to refer back to, so I have included it here.

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This case is something I want to teach my children about, so that they can learn about a part of history not typically taught, but just as important.

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Until the late 1940s the public education system in Texas for Mexican Americans offered segregated campuses with often minimal facilities and a curriculum frequently limited to vocational training. The 1950 United States census showed that the median educational attainment for persons over twenty-five was 3.5 years for those with Spanish surnames and, by comparison, 10.3 years for other white Americans; about 27 percent of persons over twenty-five with Spanish surnames had received no schooling at all. No substantive legal suit had been initiated since Del Rio ISD vs. Salvatierra (1930), in which Mexican Americans claimed they had been denied use of facilities used by "other white races" in the same school. In 1948 the League of United Latin American Citizens, joined by the American G.I. Forum of Texas, successfully challenged these inequities of the Texas public school system in Delgado vs. Bastrop ISD.

In 1947 the Ninth Circuit Court in California found that separation "within one of the great races" without a specific state law requiring the separation was not permitted; therefore, segregation of Mexican-American children, who were considered Caucasian, was illegal. In Texas, following this ruling, the attorney general, in response to an inquiry by Gustavo C. (Gus) Garcia, a Mexican-American attorney, agreed that segregation of Mexican-American children in the public school system by national origin was unlawful and pedagogically justified only by scientific language tests applied to all students. On June 15, 1948, LULAC (with Garcia as attorney) filed suit against the Bastrop Independent School District and three other districts. Representing Minerva Delgado and twenty other Mexican-American parents, the suit charged segregation of Mexican children from other white races without specific state law and in violation of the attorney general's opinion. In addition the suit accused these districts of depriving such children of equal facilities, services, and education instruction. Judge Ben H. Rice of the United States District Court, Western District of Texas, agreed and ordered the cessation of this separation by September 1949. However, the court did allow separate classes on the same campus, in the first grade only, for language-deficient or non-English-speaking students as identified by scientific and standardized tests applied to all.

The Delgado decision undermined the rigid segregation of Mexican Americans and began a ten-year struggle led by the American G.I. Forum and LULAC, which culminated in 1957 with the decision in Herminca Hernandez et al. v. Driscoll Consolidated ISD, which ended pedagogical and de jure segregation in the Texas public school system.

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Until the late 1940s the public education system in Texas for Mexican Americans offered segregated campuses with often minimal facilities and a curriculum frequently limited to vocational training.

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This notes page will be important for me to refer back to as it has 3 main points I learned from this section and has a list of acronyms needed.

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INST 362 Note-taking Guide_Language Education Programs (1)

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This is an example of a home language survey that will be useful when I need to also do this for my students.

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This video shows how human languages all have something in common and that there is a universal grammar.

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This is a good guide that I could provide my students parents if they need it, and it can also give me insight into how to teach bilingual children.

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How do you do it?
One Person, One Language: each parent or caregiver consistently speaks only one language to the child. For example, mother speaks only Mandarin to the child, father speaks only English. Or Grandma speaks only Russian while other family members use English with the child.

Family Language at Home (also called minority language at home): family members all speak their family language. The child will learn the community language later, as she goes out into the community, attending preschool, kindergarten and onward.

Foreign Language Child-Care: some families hire an au pair or nanny who speaks a different language from the family, others place the child in a child care setting where another language is spoken.

Exposure to Other Languages: some families dabble in languages, perhaps teaching the child how to count or name animals in another language. They may read books, watch videos, or sing songs in the other language, or use it in occasional conversation. They may seek out language based playgroups.
Does it work?
The key components that affect whether a child learns a language are exposure and need. Are they exposed to the language in multiple ways by multiple speakers? The greater the exposure to a language, the greater their chance of learning it. Do they need to use the language to interact with people they care about and to get what they want? This will increase the chance they will learn it

So, if you're just offering occasional exposure to other languages, where they don't need to use the language in return (for example, reading books or watching videos) they will likely have only a basic familiarity with the sounds of the language and the ability to say a few words.

If a child is exposed to several hours of engaged interaction each week, where they are motivated to communicate with the speaker, like at child care or via one-on-one care by a nanny or an extended family member, they may learn to carry on basic conversations.

If a child is immersed in a language for more than 30% of his waking hours, he is likely to become completely fluent in that language. Interacting with more than one person in that language will build his skills, so many parents seek out language-based playgroups, story times, and other activities so the child can interact with other adults and with other children in that language.

Some children observe closely to figure out what's the "important language" and focus on that. For example, if they notice that Grandma speaks Spanish to them most of the time, but speaks to other people in English, they realize they can speak English with her and get the interaction they want, so there's not a lot of need for them to learn to speak Spanish (though they may understand it well.)
Is it a good idea to start a second language early, or is it better to delay?
Parents worry that learning two languages at once (simultaneous bilingualism) will be confusing. They wonder if it's better to wait till a child knows one language well before starting the next (sequential). Most experts say it's fine to start from birth - it is as if the child has two "native languages."

Babies are born with billions of neurons (brain cells). They spend the first few years of life building trillions of synapses (connections) between those cells. For language especially, these first few years are the most "sensitive period" in their lives when they are primed to learn language. At 6 months, human babies are able to differentiate between any sounds that human beings make.

But as children age, they begin to "prune" some of the synapses they've built. Connections that are important get reinforced, but things which they aren't using in everyday life may get cut. So, by 11 months, a mono-lingual baby no longer hears differences that aren't important in his family's language. For example, a Japanese child can no longer hear the difference between ra and la, because it's irrelevant in the Japanese language.

If a child is raised bilingual, it extends the learning and pruning period: at 11 months they can still distinguish between all sounds. By 14 months, they recognize all the sounds that are important to both their languages, but don't distinguish other sounds.
Are there disadvantages to learning two languages early on?
If only the family language is spoken at home, and the child has minimal exposure to the community language before starting preschool or school, it's not unusual for her to struggle a little in the first few months of school, but usually within 6 - 9 months or so, she catches up to the native speakers.

If the family speaks multiple languages, the child will of course sometimes make mistakes, like asking "Where you are?" instead of "where are you?" or calling something by the wrong name. This is not much different than the mistakes a mono-lingual child makes, like calling a cow a sheep, or saying "I have one books." Children outgrow this. Bilingual children may also mix multiple languages into one sentence, especially when they know that the person they're speaking to knows both languages. When they're speaking to a mono-lingual person, they're more likely to stay in one language.

Bilingual children may seem to know fewer words, and be slower in language development (perhaps 3 - 6 months behind peers in either language). However, if you add together the words they know in both languages, the total is almost always higher than it is for those who speak one language.

If you're worried, here are a few red flags to watch out for: less than one new word per week (in either language) for 9 - 15 month old children; less than 20 words (in two languages combined) by 20 months; no word combinations (like 'red ball' or 'give cookie' or 'see doggie') by age 2 - 3 years.
Are there benefits to learning two languages early on?
Early childhood is the easiest time to learn multiple languages. Speaking the language of his heritage can help connect him to that history, and to his extended family. Knowing multiple languages can help your child in school and in her future career in our increasingly global society.

Multilingual children have been shown to be better at problem-solving - they are more flexible thinkers. They are also better at filtering out distractions and concentrating on the task at hand. Knowing multiple languages may help them feel at ease in different environments. Being aware of the need to adjust their language depending on whom they're speaking to may increase empathy overall.

Want to learn more about language development and how to encourage it? Look here.

Resources:

A Guide to Raising Bilingual Children. www.cnn.com/2012/11/28/living/parenting-bilingual-children/index.html

Raising Bilingual Children. www.linguisticsociety.org/files/Bilingual_Child.pdf

Multi-Lingual Children's Association, a comprehensive site with lots of resources: www.multilingualchildren.org/index.html

Video: interview about raising bilingual children:

photo credit: woodleywonderworks via photopin cc

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How do you do it? One Person, One Language: each parent or caregiver consistently speaks only one language to the child. For example, mother speaks only Mandarin to the child, father speaks only English. Or Grandma speaks only Russian while other family members use English with the child.

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This will help me and my students to understand the phonological differences and similarities between Spanish and English.

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Fortunately for Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs), there are many similarities between English and Spanish.

First of all, both languages use the Roman alphabet. That knowledge helps build a phonemic and phonological foundation.

Secondly, 30% to 40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish. With similar sound, appearance, and meaning, these cognates help students transfer that word knowledge into their second language.

Thirdly, except for a couple of word order exceptions (adjective before noun in English and noun before adjective in Spanish), sentences in both languages have the same basic structures (as compared to English and Chinese or other non-Latin derived languages).

And fourth, learning to read and write uses the same basic processes (phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension, writing mechanics).

When teachers and students know these basic similarities between the two languages, it saves time and guess work as students transfer their knowledge of Spanish literacy into English literacy.

Phonemic and phonological differences between Spanish and English

There are also some differences between the two languages that may interfere with English pronunciation (phonemic differences) and with decoding or spelling (phonological differences).

Perhaps the greatest difference between English and Spanish is that Spanish has only five vowel sounds while English has more than 14, depending on regional dialects. This is the reason Spanish speakers have difficulty differentiating between vowel phonemes in words like seat and sit. Both phonemes are pronounced differently from the Spanish sí ( yes), which is pronounced somewhere between those two English phonemes. These differences also affect students' spelling. Here are some other examples of possible interference from Spanish:

Here are a few differences between Spanish and English:

Combinations in Spanish that are pronounced differently: que, qui, güe, güi. For example: the u is not pronounced unless it is written as ü; therefore, students may not be sure how to pronounce words like queen, quiet, or quick

Quotation marks vs. dashes: "Come here," he said. -Ven aquí-le dijo.

Spanish does not have the following sounds (listed by category):

Strategies for Spanish-speaking ELLs

Point out differences when you introduce phonemic awareness activities (distinguishing sounds) by showing students how to make those sounds.

Say to students, for example:

To make the sound for /sh/ in ship, pronounce it like the Spanish /sh/ by letting air out between your teeth. Notice how you can stretch the /sh/ sound until you run out of air. But, to make the sound /ch/ in chip, you touch the top of your mouth with your tongue and let the air out with a little explosion. Notice how you cannot stretch that sound.

Spanish speakers have difficulty distinguishing the ways to pronounce the final -s in plurals and third person.

Give students examples for each as follows:

Spanish speakers have difficulty distinguishing the ways to pronounce the -ed in past-tense verbs.

Give students examples for each as follows:

"We pronounce it /d/ when the word ends with..."

"We pronounce it /t/ when the word ends with..."

"When the word ends with t, it sounds like /tid/ as in patted."

"When the word ends with d, it sounds like /did/ as in added."

Spanish speakers may leave out word endings when saying or spelling a word.

For example: restauran instead of restaurant; end instead of ended. They may also have problems spelling words that contain the consonant blends, initial sounds, and final sounds listed in the box above.

Additionally, students might substitute:

ll for y (because ll is the nearest sound in Spanish. For example: llelow instead of yellow.)

j for h (because h is silent in Spanish, they might use j. For example: jope instead of hope.)

There are also some differences in question and sentence structures between both languages.

Question markers

Do you want to go to the movies tonight?
¿Quieres ir al cine esta noche?
(Spanish speakers will likely leave out do)

Adjective-Nouns

white horse
caballo blanco (horse white)
(Spanish speakers will often use the adjective after the noun)

With these similarities and differences in mind, pay close attention to your Spanish-speaking ELLs' written and spoken "errors." When you recognize a student saying horse white, for example, point out that in English the noun and adjective are reversed: white horse, brown cow, etc. Once ELLs understand these patterns, they will begin to apply them on their own to new situations.

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Capitalizing on Similarities and Differences between Spanish and English

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Fortunately for Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs), there are many similarities between English and Spanish. First of all, both languages use the Roman alphabet. That knowledge helps build a phonemic and phonological foundation. Secondly, 30% to 40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish.

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This will help me to understand the major differences between Chinese and English.

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There are some basic major differences between English and Chinese. It is important to be aware of the major differences between the two languages in order to reduce your mistakes in Chinese and also to make your expression in Chinese much better and fluent. This article discusses 6 of the major differences between English and Chinese.

1. English emphasizes the structure, while Chinese focuses on the meaning.

In English, it is very common to see one long sentence with long modifier, and use of pronouns like "we", "she", "they" in addition to "that" and "which", to avoid recurrences. The sentence may be long and complicated, but it is still clear enough to understand. In Chinese, the situation is very different where a long sentence in Chinese would be very complicated and cannot be understood properly. Therefore, in Chinese we can only find short sentences or long sentences divided to short phrases separated by comma.

To conclude, we can say: English sentences are usually long and Chinese sentences are usually short. One should "Get the meaning, forget the words" in Chinese learning. Let's look at some examples here:

A. The sights of Beijing are so numerous that one can spend several weeks here and leave without having seen all of the important ones.

北京的名胜很多，一个人就是在这儿呆上几个星期，离开时也没能把主要的景点看完。

（běi jīng de míng shèng hěn duō ，yī gè rén jiù shì zài zhè ér dāi shàng jǐ gè xīng qī ，lí kāi shí yě méi néng bǎ zhǔ yào de jǐng diǎn kàn wán。）

B. The Great Wall traverses plains and mountains being at some points 1,300 meters above sea level. The wall averaged 7.8 meters in height and 5.8 meters in width at the top.

长城跨越平原高山，在某些地方海拔1,300米，平均高7.8米，顶宽5.8米

（cháng chéng kuà yuè píng yuán gāo shān ，zài mǒu xiē dì fāng hǎi bá 1,300mǐ ，píng jūn gāo 7.8mǐ ，dǐng kuān 5.8mǐ。）

C. The computer program is completely in the computing mode and will only do computing tasks.

现在，程序的显示区完全处于这种工具的模态中

（xiàn zài ，chéng xù de xiǎn shì qū wán quán chù yú zhè zhǒng gōng jù de mó tài zhōng。）

2. In English the passive voice is very commonly used. Unlike English, Chinese usually uses the active voice.

There are ways to show the passive tense in Chinese, there are more specific words you would use to show that. So let's take a look at some examples of the Chinese active voice to translate English passive voice:

A. Tea is drunk widely all over the world.

世界各地人们都喝茶

（shì jiè gè dì rén men dōu hē chá）

B. But sometimes the tables were laid outside in the gardens of stately homes.

但有时也把餐桌摆到豪门大宅的花园里

（dàn yǒu shí yě bǎ cān zhuō bǎi dào háo mén dà zhái de huā yuán lǐ）

C. Parties are held when the weather is nice.

天公作美时可以看到寻常百姓家的野餐

（tiān gōng zuó měi shí kě yǐ kàn dào xún cháng bǎi xìng jiā de yě cān）

D. Bananas are widely believed to grow on trees.

普遍认为香蕉是结在树上的果实

（pǔ biàn rèn wéi xiāng jiāo shì jié zài shù shàng de guǒ shí）

It must be pointed out that... 必须指出.... （bì xū zhǐ chū）

It must be admitted that... 必须承认.... （bì xū chéng rèn）

It is imagined that... 人们认为.... （rén men rèn wéi）

It can not be denied that... 不可否认....... （bú kě fǒu rèn）

3. In Chinese, idioms and short four characters expressions are very widely used to make the expression more vivid, live and compact.

English is not so rich in this kind or short idioms and expressions. In English, idioms are used scarcely because it tends be more specific and direct. Here are some to read and compare:

A. Sincere Buddhists take vows of celibacy and abstinence from meat and wine, wearing no fur or woolen garments and shave their heads.

虔诚的僧人立誓禁欲，不沾酒肉，不着皮毛，削发修行

（qián chéng de sēng rén lì shì jìn yù ，bú zhān jiǔ ròu ，bú zhuó pí máo ，xuē fà xiū xíng。）

B. China is a vast country.

中国地域辽阔。

(zhōng guó dì yù liáo kuò。)

C. He always looks very funny.

他的样子总是滑稽可笑。

（tā de yàng zi zǒng shì huá jī kě xiào。）

D. In retrospect, the past 100 years of human existence have been extremely fantastic, and extremely frightening as well.

回首过去一百年,人类世界可说 精彩绝伦,但也 惊心动魄。

（huí shǒu guò qù yī bǎi nián ,rén lèi shì jiè kě shuō jīng cǎi jué lún ,dàn yě jīng xīn dòng pò。）

4. English widely uses abstract nouns while Chinese usually uses concrete nouns.

This comes from the Chinese philosophy which interprets the human being and his life as a microcosm within the natural macrocosm. Therefore many abstract terms are express in Chinese by concrete object from the natural world. Here are numerous examples of how this looks and what Chinese literally means in English:

Disintegration 土崩瓦解 （tǔ bēng wǎ jiě）

Lit. Land slides and tiles disintegrate

Total exhaustion 筋疲力尽 （jīn pí lì jìn）

Lit. The muscles are weary and the strength has been used up

Careful consideration 深思熟虑（shēn sī shú lǜ）

Lit. Deep thinking and careful thought

Perfect harmony 水乳交融（shuǐ rǔ jiāo róng）

Lit. Mix well like milk and water

Feed on fancies 画饼充饥（huà bǐng chōng jī）

Lit. To allay one's hunger using a picture of a cake

With great eagerness 如饥似渴（rú jī sì kě）

Lit. Like hunger as thirst

Lack of perseverance 三天打鱼，两天晒网（sān tiān dǎ yú ，liǎng tiān shài wǎng）

Lit. Spent three days fishing and two days drying nets

Make a little contribution 添砖加瓦（tiān zhuān jiā wǎ）

Lit. Contribute bricks and tiles for a building

On the verge of destruction 危在旦夕（wēi zài dàn xī）

Lit. The crisis is in the coming daybreak or in the coming dusk.

5. In English words often being omitted to avoid recurrences and to make the sentence shorter and simpler. In Chinese, in contrast, words are generally not being omitted and instead may be repeated.

It is repeated in order to give the listener or reader clarity of what is being stated. Chinese has a lot of the similar sounding words and therefore need to distinguish the words by repeating the words in a specific sentence frame. Let's look at some examples:

1. Ambition is the mother of destruction as well as of evil.

野心不仅是罪恶的根源，同时也是毁灭的根源

(yě xīn bù jǐn shì zuì è de gēn yuán ，tóng shí yě shì huǐ miè de gēn yuán)

2. Reading exercises one"s eyes; Speaking, one"s tongue; while writing, one's mind

阅读训练人的眼睛，说话训练人的口齿，写作训练人的思维

(yuè dú xùn liàn rén de yǎn jīng ，shuō huà xùn liàn rén de kǒu chǐ ，xiě zuò xùn liàn rén de sī wéi)

3. One boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no boy

一个和尚挑水喝，两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝

(yī gè hé shàng tiāo shuǐ hē ，liǎng gè hé shàng tái shuǐ hē ，sān gè hé shàng méi shuǐ hē)

6. English puts more emphasis on the first part of the sentence while Chinese put the emphasis on the last part of the sentence.

This characteristic is especially apparent in sentences, which include logic with drawing conclusions or expression of results. In English, the conclusion is described first and the facts are described at the end of the sentence. In Chinese it is the opposite. First, the facts will be described then the results, conclusions, and etc. For example:

A. I was all the most delighted when it proved possible to reinstate the visit so quickly as a result of the initiative of your Government.

由于贵国政府的提议，才得以这样快地重新实现访问。这使我感到特别高兴

（yóu yú guì guó zhèng fǔ de tí yì ，cái dé yǐ zhè yàng kuài de chóng xīn shí xiàn fǎng wèn 。zhè shǐ wǒ gǎn dào tè bié gāo xìng。）

B. His assertion that "it was difficult, if not impossible, for a people to enjoy its basic rights unless it was able to determine freely its political status and to ensure freely its economic, social and cultural development" was now scarcely contested.

如果一个民族不能自由地决定其政治地位，不能自由地保证其经济、社会和文化的发展，要享受其基本权利，即使不是不可能，也是不容易的。这一论断几乎是无可置辩的了

（rú guǒ yī gè mín zú bù néng zì yóu de jué dìng qí zhèng zhì dì wèi ，bù néng zì yóu de bǎo zhèng qí jīng jì 、shè huì hé wén huà de fā zhǎn ，yào xiǎng shòu qí jī běn quán lì ，jí shǐ bú shì bù kě néng ，yě shì bù róng yì de 。zhè yī lùn duàn jī hū shì wú kě zhì biàn de le。）

Conclusion

From the above six points we can clearly see an interesting point that Chinese emphasizes short and clear expressions so that the listener (or reader) will easily get the accurate meaning of the idea expressed. For this aim, Chinese "gives up" long and complicated sentences which are based on language grammar, and prefer to use simple and short sentences. English sentences tend to be longer because since it needs to be specific. In addition, the Chinese also doesn't omit repeated words in order to make sure that the listener (reader) will not misunderstand the meaning of the sentence.

In my eyes, this is an example of how the culture and philosophy may influence the language, since the Chinese philosophy and thinking is very pragmatic. English on the other hand, has a variety of cultures and philosophies where it has a need to be elongated in way things are express. The other method the Chinese language uses to make the expressions the most accurate is using idioms. The idioms are an integral part of the Chinese culture and wisdom since almost each of them is a conclusion of a traditional Chinese legend and expresses a sort of an insight. I hope you learned a lot about the differences between the two languages, and understand how to start comprehending the Chinese language.

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6 Major Differences between English and Chinese

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There are some basic major differences between English and Chinese. It is important to be aware of the major differences between the two languages in order to reduce your mistakes in Chinese and also to make your expression in Chinese much better and fluent. This article discusses 6 of the major differences between English and Chinese.

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This will help me see the different varieties of English in my classroom and outside of my classroom.

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Do You Speak American . Sea to Shining Sea . Standard American
| PBS

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Ask a group of experts to define
Standard American
English,
and you’ll find, paradoxically, there’s no standard answer. Even the
editors of The American Heritage Dictionary are careful to
qualify their definition. They note:

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Kachru's circles have helped me to understand the ways that English is viewed in the world and the way different varieties effect language.

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This levels of culture tree really helped me to understand the depth of culture and how meaningful it is to understand the deep parts of my student culture.

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This video shows me how to make social connections while talking about academics with my students.

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Bridging Social Conversations into Academic Discourse with English Language Learners