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The Home Language: An English Language Learner’s Most Valuable Resource

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In this article written for Colorín Colorado, Dr. Fred Genesee discusses the research supporting the importance of a child’s home language. In addition, Dr. Genesee explores the question of why an approach that is well-supported by research has been largely ignored in the era of “research-based” policy.OverviewWebcast: ELLs and ReadingLearn more about using the home language to support ELLs’ reading instruction in our Teaching ELLs to Read webcast featuring Dr. Genesee!The education of English language learners (ELLs) is one of the most important issues facing U.S. educators. ELLs are a large and growing proportion of the school-age population — according to National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2007, about 10.8 million (or 20%) school-aged children in the U.S. spoke a language other than English at home (Planty, Hussar, Snyder, Kena, Kewal Ramani, Kemp, Bianco, & Dinkes, 2009). This situation is not likely to change because ELLs are currently the fastest growing population in U.S. schools (National Center for Education Statistics, 2004), with the number of ELLs expected to increase another 50% by 2025 (Passel & Cohn, 2008).The importance of the issues goes beyond the sheer number of ELLs, however. It has been shown in numerous national studies and surveys that, on average, ELLs under achieve in comparison to their English-speaking peers in academic domains and that the achievement gap tends to increase the higher the grade level (e.g., Fry, 2007; Rumberger, 2007; McNeil et al., 2008). As we consider ways to help ELLs increase their academic achievement, then, it is clear that educators need all the resources at their disposal to meet these challenges.Policy and Home LanguageUntil recently, significant efforts were made to enhance the educational outcomes of ELLs by offering alternative forms of education that incorporate use of ELLs’ home language (Genesee, 1999, for a review). These programs were justified on the grounds that educating ELLs in English only posed a triple threat to their educational success since it would require that they simultaneously:learn academic English to high levels,master challenging academic skills and content taught through English,adopt new social skills that would permit them to integrate with their English-speaking classmates and teachers.However, in recent years, recent political and legislative initiatives that disfavor bilingual education have made these educational options difficult to access, despite evidence of their success (Goldenberg, 2009). Along with these politically-motivated changes, it would appear that educators and policy-makers no longer recognize the native language skills of ELLs as an important educational resource and, indeed, it would even appear that they discredit it having any role in the education of ELLs.What does the research say?At the same time that the role of the home language is diminishing in public education policy, there have been growing political and legislative expectations that educational policies and classroom practices be backed up by scientific, empirical evidence. With respect to ELLs, there is undeniable and growing evidence that the home language of ELLs is of considerable benefit to their overall academic success. There are multiple sources of such evidence. First, recent meta-analyses have shown that educational programs that systematically incorporate use of ELLs’ home language result in levels of academic success, including achievement in literacy and other academic subjects, that are as high as and often better than that of ELLs in English-only programs (Genesee & Lindholm-Leary, in press). In a review of these meta-analyses, Goldenberg (2008) notes “Readers should understand how unusual it is to have five meta-analyses on the same issue conducted by five independent researchers or groups of researchers with diverse perspectives. The fact that they all reached essentially the same conclusion is worth noting. No other area in educational research with which I am familiar can claim five independent meta-analyses based on experimental studies — much less five that converge on the same basic finding.” (p. 15).Second, in a study of ELLs in two-way immersion programs, Lindholm and Aclan (1991) found a significant positive relationship between individual student’s level of bilingual proficiency and their achievement in math and reading in English. Furthermore, the students who were classified as “high bilinguals” were able to attain grade level results by fourth grade in English reading and by third grade in English math.Third, a growing body of evidence from researchers around the world has shown that bilingual children exhibit significant cognitive advantages in comparison to monolingual children (e.g., Bialystok 2006; Chin & Wigglesworth, 2007; Kovaacs & Mehler, 2009). These advantages have been demonstrated in executive control processes related to selective attention and inhibition and monitoring of attention when, for example, children are engaged in problem solving.Fourth, and finally, extensive research, again from around the world, has found that children who are learning to read in a second language are able to transfer many skills and knowledge from their first language to facilitate their acquisition of reading skills in the second language. The best evidence of this comes from studies showing that students with strong reading skills in the home language also have strong reading skills in their second language. Much of this work has been done on ELLs in the U.S. (August & Shanahan, 2006; Riches & Genesee, 2006).What we see in the U.S., then, is a push for research-based policy but the creation of policies that contradict the research. Debate concerning the value of using ELLs’ home language in specially-designed programs, such as two-way immersion, will undoubtedly continue, and so it should since it makes little educational sense to diminish U.S. students’ opportunities to become bilingual in an increasingly globalized community.Back to topHome Language in the ClassroomIn the meantime, teachers and students can’t wait for these policy debates to be settled before deciding how or whether to draw upon ELLs’ home language. The question arises how can schools and teachers, even those who are monolingual, act on evidence that clearly shows the personal, cognitive, linguistic and educational value of using the linguistic resources that ELLs bring to school. There is no simple or single answer to this question, but a number of options are worth exploring that, at the moment, are often overlooked and discounted. Cloud, Genesee, and Hamayan (2009, Chapter 3) offer a number of suggestions:To encourage students to see connections between their languages and, thus, to better understand how languages are structured and organized, talk to ELLs about their home language — ask them:How is the home language the same and how it is different from English?Are there words in the home language that sound the same and mean the same thing in both languages?Are there words in the home language and English that sound the same but mean different things?As part of phonological and metalinguistic awareness exercises to facilitate reading acquisition, ask students:to say words that start with the same sound(s) in English or the L1.how words are changed and formed in the home language — singular and plural forms, present tense and past tense forms of verbs — to enhance their word knowledgewho are new to your class, to read books in their home language to show you what they know about reading.By using the collective skills and knowledge of all students (both ELL and English-L1 students) in the classroom, even a monolingual teacher can tap into these valuable language resources that ELLs have and do so with the confidence that these methods will promote their language development — in English as well as the home language.Back to topEducation for AllA hallmark of public education in the U.S. is respect for and appreciation of the individual skills and backgrounds of students as a foundation for furthering their education. Taking advantage of ELLs’ home language resources is asking no more than the same respect and appreciation for this group of learners. At the same time, parents, teachers, educational leaders in local school districts, and politicians should discuss how best to provide all students in the U.S. with high quality educational programs that promote competence in additional languages. At stake is not only the competitiveness of individual students once they enter the work force but, indeed, the ability of the U.S. itself to compete in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural world.Back to topVideo: Using the Home Language as a ResourceDearborn Public Schools ELD Director Rose Aldubaily discusses the value of using students’ home language as a resource. About the AuthorFred Genesee is Professor in the Psychology Department at McGill University, Montreal. He has conducted extensive research on alternative forms of bilingual and immersion education for language minority and language majority students. His current research interests also include language acquisition in pre-school bilingual children, internationally-adopted children, second language reading acquisition, and the language and academic development of students at-risk in bilingual programs. He is the recipient of the Canadian Psychological Associate Award for Distinguished Contributions to Community or Public Service and the 2-Way CABE Award of Promoting Bilingualism. Publications include:Genesee, F., Paradis, J., & Crago (Eds.) (2010). Dual Language Development and Disorders: A Handbook on Bilingualism and Second Language Learning, 2nd Edition. Baltimore, Maryland: Brookes Publishing.Cloud, N., Genesee, F., and Hamayan, E. (2009). Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners: A Teacher’s Guide to Research-Based Practices. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Back to topAcknowledgementsOur policy section is made possible by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation. The statements and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors.

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Author Mitali Perkins chats about her books for young readers, stories “between cultures,” and the writing life.

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What is the best way to set up your classroom, to allow academic conversations between EL students?

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Carpet for read aloud and turn and talk 

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Carpet for read aloud and turn and talk 

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Have your class conduct a research project on the home country of your EL Student.

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Walk around your school and discover if the school is welcoming to EL families.

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Provide a choice of different assessments 

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Provide a choice of different assessments 

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Have a choice of written, oral, visual, or multimedia. Ask what does this student need to access the instruction? How would these ELs need to demonstrate the concept?

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use picture books to make content accessible throughout your classroom. Have a library of picture books that relate to the content being taught.

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Work with students to generate questions to get to know each of their classmates better. Allow the class to brainstorm together. The teacher asks questions implementing academic language such as, "Could you say more?" Students will interview their partners and present their learnings to the class.

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I had a black and white picture of a poor miner's room on the overhead projector. In the picture the walls were covered with cardboard and the room was sparsely furnished. I was doing professional development for teachers and I did not give them any background information about the picture. I asked for some opinions about what they saw, then I asked the teachers, "Do you think a man or a woman lives here?" In unison they responded, "A man!" That was very interesting to me so I asked a follow-up question, "What makes you say that?" Although the response had been unanimous, the reasoning was varied. One teacher said, "You can tell it's a man's room because there aren't any decorations - a woman would put something nice in there even if she were poor." Another teacher said, "That rocking chair doesn't look very feminine." When I asked for more detail she said, "It looks big, and there is no cushion or anything on it." Yet another teacher answered, "I think if it were a woman's room there would be something to remind her of family - either a picture or there would be children's items in the room." The teachers had noticed details that I hadn't and had also drawn on their own beliefs to bring a deeper perspective to the picture.

This is the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method. It is a very simple activity designed to build students' background knowledge and develop thinking skills that use detail to enhance understanding. Many educators have used this method as a precursor to working on a literary passage because the thinking skills used to analyze artwork can be transferred to literature as well. The Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method was created by Abigail Housen, a cognitive psychologist in the Harvard Graduate School of Education. VTS is targeted at developing creativity and thinking skills. It also presents a very effective method for tapping into students' background knowledge.

Method

1. The teacher selects an interesting picture or painting, one that relates to the topic of the story to be read, in this case the picture above.

2. A copy of this picture is placed on the overhead projector. There are many sources of pictures on the Internet, including museum and library websites. (See the Hot Links section).

3. The students are asked, "Please look at the picture silently for a minute and think about what you see. What's going on in the picture?"

4. After a minute the teacher opens up the question to the room, "What do you see in the picture?" The students' responses often start out with the obvious - "There's a man walking a dog and another man riding a bike. The picture looks old. I think it was taken in a city."

5. When a student offers a qualitative statement, the teacher asks for more information. "You said the picture looks old. What makes you say that?"

The students justify their answers by providing evidence from the picture. They may say, "It's in black and white, and the cars in the back all look like they were made a long time ago."

6. Next the teacher asks students to share differing opinions and provide justification. One student may say, "The man on the bike is wearing a suit. I think he is going to work on his bike because he doesn't have a car." The teacher then asks, "Does everyone agree? Is that why this man is riding his bike in a suit?" Another student might say, "I don't think so. I think he just likes riding his bike. Maybe they didn't make clothes for riding a bike then."

7. The discussion goes on until students have shared all they can about the picture.

8. The teacher summarizes what the students said. "So, after looking at this picture we think that, maybe relatives - who lived a long time ago. We can tell this because of what they are wearing and because the picture is black and white."

9. For the next activity, the teacher can either have the students write a few sentences about what they discovered, or read a text related to the picture.

Reading

Let's say students are reading about New York in the 1900s. The teacher points out that the same creativity and way of thinking that the students used to look at the picture will be used to understand the reading.

When students share about their reading, the teacher asks the same kind of VTS questions about the text. "What is happening? How do you know that?" The teacher makes a point of showing the students how sharing their ideas about the story are the same as when they discussed the picture earlier.

Writing

A variation of VTS was offered as a Bright Idea from Gemma De Vita, a teacher from Fulton County Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. In her Picture Description activity, she makes copies of an interesting picture and has the students glue it to a page in their notebook. The students write three to six sentences or questions about the picture and then share them. This allows the students to have a picture book with their own notes to remind them of what they are learning and thinking. Gemma says she likes to use the Picture Description activity in her classroom because, "Once I thought maybe I would try another strategy to introduce a selection, and my students asked where the picture was. They said they love doing Picture Preview and would I please do it more. They said, 'It's fun!' It also helps with all Language Arts domains: Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Reading. Students can also work at their own levels and challenge themselves as they hear higher level questions that they can use as models after their next reading selection. It also helps them compose questions, which they often need practice with."

The Visual Thinking Strategies method offers an easy, interactive and non-threatening way to get students thinking. There are no right or wrong answers, and anything that students believe can be justified by details in the picture. This opens up students' minds to the fact that, even in reading, people come away with different impressions and thoughts. These should be shared and discussed to further develop understanding for everyone. To me - this is the richest lesson of all!
Picture Description
Here you can find a short picture description lesson that highlights relevant grammar structures and provides lists of words that are useful for talking and writing about pictures.
National Geographic Photography
This site offers many intriguing photos, including a photo of the day, news photos, photo gallery, and short video clips. These can be useful for supporting content instruction, fostering dialogue with emerging English speakers, and creating writing prompts.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Art Adventures
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts' Art Adventure program is an example of a collaborative effort between the museum and the public schools. The program's volunteers visit classrooms with art posters related to a specific theme, such as animals or celebrations. The site offers samples of some of the posters used.

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Visual Thinking Strategies for Improved Comprehension

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I had a black and white picture of a poor miner's room on the overhead projector. In the picture the walls were covered with cardboard and the room was sparsely furnished. I was doing professional development for teachers and I did not give them any background information about the picture.

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Teachers launch a unit with an image and students share what they see or notice in the image. Then they make inferences by stating what they think about the items in the image. Finally, they ask questions about the image.

This routine scaffolds learning by asking students to first carefully notice details in an image. When teachers label these words and phrases on the image, they are building content vocabulary for all students. As students begin stating what they think about the image, they are building background knowledge and developing critical thinking skills. Finally, asking questions about the image stimulates curiosity at the beginning of a unit and teaches students to ask their own questions.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Project a detailed image that captures the essential concepts for a new unit of study.

2. Ask students to carefully observe the photo and notice as many details as they can.

3. Have students share their observations with a partner, taking turns saying what they see or notice.

4. Randomly call on students to share their observations and chart these on the projected photo on the white board or chart paper.

5. Next, ask students what they think might be going on in the picture or what they think about their observations.

6. Again, have them share their thinking with a partner, taking turns stating what they think or what they infer about the picture.

7. Randomly call on students to share their thinking and chart their inferences.

8. Finally, ask students what they wonder about the picture. Again, chart their questions to refer to during the unit.

Lessons Learned

Selecting an engaging, detailed image is essential.

Give students a copy of the projected image so they can label their own copy as you label the projected image.

When first using this routine, chunk the instructions so that students first only focus on what they can observe in the picture. If they jump to making inferences, ask what they noticed in the image that led to that inference.

Encourage students to first share what they See, Think, and Wonder with a partner before randomly calling on a few students each time. This lowers the affective filter and encourages more participation.

Chart students' thinking on the projected image or chart paper. This chart is one way students begin to build vocabulary and background for the unit.

Once students have learned the routine, they may be able to do the entire process of See-Think-Wonder with their partner without stopping at each stage.

Student interaction for each phase of the routine is important for multilingual learners.

Differentiation

Entering/Emerging

Provide students with sentence frames for expressing what they think or infer and question starters for generating questions.

Encourage students to say whatever words they know in the picture including colors, numbers, food items, etc.

Partner students with a student who speaks the same heritage language and whose English proficiency is more advanced.

Developing

Partner students with peers who speak the same heritage language and at different levels of English proficiency.

Provide sentence frames for explaining their thinking and question frames for asking deeper level questions.

Expanding:

Ask students to make inferences based directly on what they see in the picture and their own background knowledge.

Ask students to explain their thinking and inferences.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Choose the detailed image to launch the unit.

2. Determine key vocabulary and concepts students should notice and infer from the visual. Share with the ELD teacher.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Purposefully partner students for the activity.

2. Provide sentence frames for inferring and question supports for wondering.

3. Work with a small group, if necessary.

Examples

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentTeachers launch a unit with an image and students share what they see or notice in the image. Then they make inferences by stating what they think about the items in the image. Finally, they ask questions about the image.This routine scaffolds learning by asking students to first carefully notice details in an image.

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1. Choose a photo

2. prepare who, what, when, and where questions to engage rich descriptions

3. have the class read a text about the picture

4. use a chart paper to discuss their findings after they read the text

5. text can be used to teach phonics and grammar

https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/visual-thinking-strategies-improved-comprehension

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I had a black and white picture of a poor miner's room on the overhead projector. In the picture the walls were covered with cardboard and the room was sparsely furnished. I was doing professional development for teachers and I did not give them any background information about the picture. I asked for some opinions about what they saw, then I asked the teachers, "Do you think a man or a woman lives here?" In unison they responded, "A man!" That was very interesting to me so I asked a follow-up question, "What makes you say that?" Although the response had been unanimous, the reasoning was varied. One teacher said, "You can tell it's a man's room because there aren't any decorations - a woman would put something nice in there even if she were poor." Another teacher said, "That rocking chair doesn't look very feminine." When I asked for more detail she said, "It looks big, and there is no cushion or anything on it." Yet another teacher answered, "I think if it were a woman's room there would be something to remind her of family - either a picture or there would be children's items in the room." The teachers had noticed details that I hadn't and had also drawn on their own beliefs to bring a deeper perspective to the picture.

This is the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method. It is a very simple activity designed to build students' background knowledge and develop thinking skills that use detail to enhance understanding. Many educators have used this method as a precursor to working on a literary passage because the thinking skills used to analyze artwork can be transferred to literature as well. The Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method was created by Abigail Housen, a cognitive psychologist in the Harvard Graduate School of Education. VTS is targeted at developing creativity and thinking skills. It also presents a very effective method for tapping into students' background knowledge.

Method

1. The teacher selects an interesting picture or painting, one that relates to the topic of the story to be read, in this case the picture above.

2. A copy of this picture is placed on the overhead projector. There are many sources of pictures on the Internet, including museum and library websites. (See the Hot Links section).

3. The students are asked, "Please look at the picture silently for a minute and think about what you see. What's going on in the picture?"

4. After a minute the teacher opens up the question to the room, "What do you see in the picture?" The students' responses often start out with the obvious - "There's a man walking a dog and another man riding a bike. The picture looks old. I think it was taken in a city."

5. When a student offers a qualitative statement, the teacher asks for more information. "You said the picture looks old. What makes you say that?"

The students justify their answers by providing evidence from the picture. They may say, "It's in black and white, and the cars in the back all look like they were made a long time ago."

6. Next the teacher asks students to share differing opinions and provide justification. One student may say, "The man on the bike is wearing a suit. I think he is going to work on his bike because he doesn't have a car." The teacher then asks, "Does everyone agree? Is that why this man is riding his bike in a suit?" Another student might say, "I don't think so. I think he just likes riding his bike. Maybe they didn't make clothes for riding a bike then."

7. The discussion goes on until students have shared all they can about the picture.

8. The teacher summarizes what the students said. "So, after looking at this picture we think that, maybe relatives - who lived a long time ago. We can tell this because of what they are wearing and because the picture is black and white."

9. For the next activity, the teacher can either have the students write a few sentences about what they discovered, or read a text related to the picture.

Reading

Let's say students are reading about New York in the 1900s. The teacher points out that the same creativity and way of thinking that the students used to look at the picture will be used to understand the reading.

When students share about their reading, the teacher asks the same kind of VTS questions about the text. "What is happening? How do you know that?" The teacher makes a point of showing the students how sharing their ideas about the story are the same as when they discussed the picture earlier.

Writing

A variation of VTS was offered as a Bright Idea from Gemma De Vita, a teacher from Fulton County Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. In her Picture Description activity, she makes copies of an interesting picture and has the students glue it to a page in their notebook. The students write three to six sentences or questions about the picture and then share them. This allows the students to have a picture book with their own notes to remind them of what they are learning and thinking. Gemma says she likes to use the Picture Description activity in her classroom because, "Once I thought maybe I would try another strategy to introduce a selection, and my students asked where the picture was. They said they love doing Picture Preview and would I please do it more. They said, 'It's fun!' It also helps with all Language Arts domains: Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Reading. Students can also work at their own levels and challenge themselves as they hear higher level questions that they can use as models after their next reading selection. It also helps them compose questions, which they often need practice with."

The Visual Thinking Strategies method offers an easy, interactive and non-threatening way to get students thinking. There are no right or wrong answers, and anything that students believe can be justified by details in the picture. This opens up students' minds to the fact that, even in reading, people come away with different impressions and thoughts. These should be shared and discussed to further develop understanding for everyone. To me - this is the richest lesson of all!
Picture Description
Here you can find a short picture description lesson that highlights relevant grammar structures and provides lists of words that are useful for talking and writing about pictures.
National Geographic Photography
This site offers many intriguing photos, including a photo of the day, news photos, photo gallery, and short video clips. These can be useful for supporting content instruction, fostering dialogue with emerging English speakers, and creating writing prompts.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Art Adventures
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts' Art Adventure program is an example of a collaborative effort between the museum and the public schools. The program's volunteers visit classrooms with art posters related to a specific theme, such as animals or celebrations. The site offers samples of some of the posters used.

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Visual Thinking Strategies for Improved Comprehension

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I had a black and white picture of a poor miner's room on the overhead projector. In the picture the walls were covered with cardboard and the room was sparsely furnished. I was doing professional development for teachers and I did not give them any background information about the picture.

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Ana, who joined our class at Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences in Northern Virginia last fall, was excited to share her parent interview with her classmates, and we were impressed with her willingness to share. Our instructional focus was teaching how to gain information by interviewing others. The desired outcome was to ensure a culturally responsive classroom that would create a safe place for students to share their thoughts. Ana, a student from Honduras, represents one of the many newcomer students enrolled at our school. Our families come from many countries and bring experiences that enrich and enliven our discussions and our learning. We know when students connect with their parents this bond strengthens their knowledge and creates a climate of mutual understanding and cooperative learning. We realize that our students and their parents have a wealth of knowledge to share. As Ana's mom said, "Having a conversation with my daughter about my life and my experiences is valuable because it helps me to learn more about what she is learning in school, and it makes me feel like what I say is important."

As educators we need to create opportunities for our students to get information through various avenues. The folklorist's techniques of interviewing and listening closely provide purposeful, authentic conversations that allow students to develop further insight and a deeper understanding of their world. One way to build these conversations is to teach students how to research and interview community members, experts in various fields, and even their own family members effectively. This process of collecting information enables students to learn more about a topic of interest while promoting oral language, reading, writing, and listening skills. By building these academic skill sets we create a transference of knowledge that supports academic learning. Once students become more proficient in asking and answering questions, they realize the importance of creating a two-way dialogue that allows them to become more aware of themselves and their family histories as well as of themselves as collaborative, global citizens.

In addition, we want students to recognize and appreciate the cultural values their families embrace and be given a chance to share what they have learned with their classmates. In a recent cultural proficiency staff survey, many teachers at our school said they want more opportunities to relate to our families and understand their cultures better. As one teacher said, "I hope to build strong relationships with families and get to know them on a deeper level." One way to learn from our families is to bring their voices, stories, and knowledge into the classroom through children sharing information gained from their interviews. We use interviewing skills to integrate content, however, our intent is that students will also begin a journey of self-discovery with their family members. This process will lead to inquiry that eventually will help them recognize the inherent cultural component this type of learning inspires. Creating, strengthening, and valuing the community/home/school connection fosters stronger relationships while developing appreciation, building background knowledge, and empowering families. Interviewing brings family stories and traditions to life and helps to break down and refine cultural barriers inside the classroom walls.

Once the process of interviewing has been established, we can begin to incorporate academic standards. Content areas such as social studies, science, and literacy provide a relevant forum for students to share knowledge gained in a meaningful context. For instance, when learning new science curriculum such as plants, habitats, or weather patterns, students can interview family members and ask questions that will connect to personal experiences about these topics. This in turn leads to authentic conversations, giving students the chance to develop higher level thinking skills such as compare and contrast, synthesis, and evaluation. This experience also leads to richer conversations at home, providing mutual understanding and helping families relate to one another more meaningfully.
Conducting Content-Related Interviews
Our first step in teaching the art of the interview is to choose a subject area that students will be learning. We intentionally integrate interviewing skills within the science curriculum, because science is relatable, concrete, and provides hands-on learning for students of any age. We begin by reviewing the overarching concepts and state standards of learning to guide decisions on what to teach and to develop pre- and post-assessments. We introduce interviewing by modeling with a non-content related subject related to family folklore such as food or games. We select these familiar topics because children identify with and connect to them in a meaningful context. Next we model the process by having one teacher pose as the interviewer and the other as the interviewee. Then we state the expectations and discuss the definition of the term interview. At this point the students are ready to conduct an interview. Students need to understand that the interviewer's role is to ask questions and use graphic organizers to record information with words and/or sketches. The role of the interviewee is to answer the questions and describe their experiences. We teach students to use question starters such as who, what, where, when, why, and how to create questions to help them gather information.

We ask students to practice by interviewing each other first. We assign two partners or a small group to work together. The time allotted for this activity depends on variables such as students' age and stamina levels. We gather students in a circle and ask them to share their interviews. We use guiding questions to aid students in summarizing their experiences such as:

What is something that surprised you? What is something you know now that you didn't know before? How is the game you play similar to or different from the game your friend plays?

Now that students are familiar with the interview process, they are ready to interview a family member. We always start the interview with a topic sentence, for example, "Tell me about a game you played when you were in 2 nd grade." Follow-up questions such as, "Who did you play with? Where did you play? How did you play," need to be asked to elicit further conversations, which will help students more clearly visualize and understand the topic. During the conversation, the interviewer writes keywords and creates quick sketches. Once the interview is complete, students close by thanking the interviewee for their time. The interviewer brings the completed interview to class and is prepared to share what he or she has learned with their classmates. We give students sentence frames to show their understanding and summarize their findings, for instance: One thing I learned about __________ is__________.

Links to Graphic Organizers:
Interviews about Games (Spanish and English versions) Interviews about Food (English version)
Students are more adept at preparing for and conducting content-related interviews because they have experience brainstorming and formulating questions, developing graphic organizers, and sharing their knowledge. These strategies allow them to interview their parents or experts in various fields of study. This type of thinking and sharing of information also helps to deepen comprehension and show their learning. We design and use pre-, ongoing, and post-assessments to inform our instruction and assess student learning. Figure 3 is a completed weather interview Ana conducted with her mother, while a post-assessment we used for our science unit can be found in the Classroom Connections appendix to this article.

Our students are now able to formulate their own questions on any topic to get more information and develop their research skills further. They are motivated to listen and share because they can connect the information being presented to their lives. We see this process as a cross-curricular methodology. It can be used across content areas and grade levels and sets the foundation for inquiry-based learning. The active engagement of interviewing and sharing also creates cooperative learning structures, creating the potential for students to be passionate, lifelong learners.

Real-World Applications
The assimilation of knowledge gained from students' interviews can be showcased in many ways. Our final outcome is to create an opportunity for students to display their work through a culminating, lasting artistic expression to be shared and celebrated. We have found that by providing a platform for our students to engage with their families, they create a product that reflects a meaningful and personal viewpoint. This helps to deepen their comprehension of the subject area being studied. Interviews give students and their families a way to share and express what is important to them. Interviewing becomes a creative expression and allows parents to be partners in the educational system. The artfulness of the interview comes through modeling, practice, deep listening, and re-presentation, a process that promotes the need to connect with, understand, learn, and relate to one another.

Find Classroom worksheets and Graphic organizers here:

Classroom Connection: Quick Reference Guide on how to include the Art of the Interview in your classroom.
Classroom Connection: Weather Science Unit Examples and Worksheets
Classroom Connection: Graphic Organizer for Interviews on Play (English Version)
Classroom Connection: Graphic Organizer for Interviews on Play (Spanish Version)
Classroom Connection: Graphic Organizer for Interviews on Food
( Download Connections PDF)
Allyn Kurin Gina Elliott Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences Recommended Texts is a magnet school in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. It is one of the most culturally diverse schools in the region with over 700 students in grades K-2. Our students represent over 20 countries of origin and speak more than 30 different languages and dialects. has served as the Lead ESOL teacher at Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences for the past 11 years and conducts parent workshops for the school community. Together they have presented numerous programs that strengthen family engagement with a focus on developing home/school partnerships. is a nationally board certified ESOL teacher with over 20 years of experience.
Bowman, Paddy B. 2004. "Oh, that's just folklore": Valuing the Ordinary as an Extraordinary Teaching. Language Arts. 81.5: 385-95.

Diaz, Junot. 2018. Islandborn. New York: Penguin.

Elliott, Gina, Allyn Kurin, and Carmela Ormando. n.d. Cloth Stories Lesson Plan: Stories of Perseverance. Art and Remembrance, https://artandremembrance.org.

Fairfax County Public Schools. 2019. Elementary Curriculum Framework: Pacing and Sequencing of Content, https://www.fcps.edu/academicselementary-school-academics-k-6/second-grade

Henderson, Anne T., Karen L Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson, and Don Davies. 2007. Connecting Families' Cultures to What Students Are Learning. Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships. New York: The New Press, 120.

Johnson Martinez, Moly. 2009. Los Hilos de la Vida, Threads of Life: A Collection of Quilts and Stories by Anderson Valley Artists. Boonville, CA: Hilosquilts.

Koetsch, Peg. 1994. Student Curators: Becoming Lifelong Learners. Educational Leadership. 51.5: 54-7.

Locker, Thomas. 1995. Sky Tree. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

--. 1997. Water Dance. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Moll, Luis C., Cathy Armanti, Deborah Neff, and Norma Gonzalez. 1992. Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms. Theory into Practice. 31.2: 132-44.

Pryor, Anne and Nancy B. Blake. 2007. Quilting Circles-Learning Communities: Arts, Community and Curriculum Guide Grades K-12. Madison: University of Wisconsin.

Teaching Tolerance. 1991-2019. Window or Mirror, https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/teaching-strategies/close-and-critical-reading/window-or-mirror.

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Teaching Young Students to Interview - Journal of Folklore and Education

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Elementary school educators fully engaged in teaching interviewing provide model projects, curricular connections, and worksheets to inspire and support other educators.

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Picture Books Matter: Strategies for Using Picture Books at Every Age Part 2 of 2 | Institute for Educational Initiatives

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Whether you are a parent reading at home with your young child or a teacher trying to engage a 12th-grade class, picture books matter. Picture books’ tactlessness, their glossy covers, and bright pictures beg to be opened, to be read, but also to be experienced. Years after my father read to me before bed (see Part 1 of the blog), I am more clearly able to see that my dad, through picture books, was sharing with me the gift of time, attention, and story. Embedded in these gifts, though, was also a lesson about the act of reading itself. The ways by which picture books invite and support reader engagement speak to the dynamism and complexity of reading while simultaneously distilling for parents, teachers, and students the structures, dispositions, skills, and literary elements that converge in that magical moment of cracking open a book.

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https://www.continentalpress.com/blog/classroom-management-ells/?srsltid=AfmBOoqfu3ANYWTVN6Kv5IY5zvIhr74MoXMs8CstX7j4DXCUGpu7JZSa

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https://www.readingrockets.org/helping-all-readers/english-language-learners/creating-welcoming-classroom-environment-ells

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Great for Tier 1 words (too to, their, there, then, than, hear, here). Also, great for Tier 2 words (distribute, estimate, factor, identify) . Can be used for root words, word parts, and affixes. A one-word wall can be used to mark misused or misspelled words. One wall might contain words for rich instruction. Have students select a color cardstock with images or drawings to help them learn the word and put it on the wall.

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources.

Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources. Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.