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Reading, Writing and Comprehension resources 

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Reading, Writing and Comprehension resources 

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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Comprehension-Passages-Questions-Worksheets-Summer-School-ESL-Homework-7871416

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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/50-OFF-1000-Beginner-Vocabulary-Flashcards-30-Topics-ELL-ESL-A0-A1-for-Kids-4673263

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https://phebeviolette.pages.dev/lbnupdb-best-books-2024-for-kids-images-jrscpgk/

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https://www.pragmaticmom.com/2013/04/poetry-books-for-kids-to-read/

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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Themed-Graphic-Organizers-Literacy-Center-Recording-Sheets-3959108

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Text based content to enhance reading comprehension

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Text based content to enhance reading comprehension

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https://www.readworks.org/

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https://www.getepic.com/educators

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https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/lichen.html

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https://wida.wisc.edu/

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In this edition of Conversations with Tim, Tim speaks with Rosalie Lincoln and Cathy Moses about their work in the Lower Kuskokwim School District in Alaska to preserve and revitalize the Yugtun language.

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WIDA develops and provides proven tools and support to help multilingual learners, and their educators, succeed.

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https://storybird.com/

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Storybird - Read, write, discover, and share the books you'll always remember.

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Become a better writer with Storybird's creativity tools. Online courses, challenges, and reader feedback will help you improve your writing.

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https://kahoot.com/schools/

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BBC Learning English - BBC Learning English - Homepage

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Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

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Whiteboard.chat - Interactive Online Whiteboard for Teachers and Students

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Whiteboard.chat is a free interactive internet tool that helps you to communicate with your students. Visit our website for a Free interactive online whiteboard.

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A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners

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Library News and Notes

June 2, 2021

Dear Readers,

Great news! I was able to rebuild a simple version of the in-browser book reader which has enabled me to add back all of the ICDL books. The interface is not what it used to be, and we no longer have translations of books (only the original language the book was published in) - but we have all ~4,000 books back. The site is fast and reliable and should be able to stay around for some time to come. Happy reading!

May 5, 2021

Dear Readers,

Good news! Thanks to the UMD Computer Science Department, which has agreed to host a static version of ICDL, we have been able to resuscitate the library a bit, and have brought back 1/4 of the books in PDF form (that we have "download" rights for). We had to create a vastly simpler site without many, many of the features - no search, no translations, etc. But about 1,000 of the books are back, and we will work on bringing back more books and at least some aspects of the original site. Please note that we do not have the right to allow you to redistribute these books further, and they are provided to you only for personal use.

Thank you for so many of your heart-warming and gracious emails which encouraged us to find a way to keep the ICDL alive.

April 19, 2021

Dear Readers,

It has been over 20 years since we launched the International Children's Digital Library. In that time, we have served about 15 million people reading over 1,000,000 hours of children's books. We launched at a time when the concept of reading books online was a bit odd, and almost unheard of for children's books. After all these years, as far we know, we are still the largest collection of freely available complete children's books from around the world. And we did that without ever exposing children to commercial activities or risking their privacy.

But for many years, we have served this mission without any funds. And now all of the founders have moved on to other things in their lives. The servers are very old and dusty and there is no one to maintain them. Our licenses for the books are for use only by the ICDL so while we have considered a number of alternatives, none of them really made sense.

And so now it is time to say goodbye and read with the innumerable other resources in the world. The ICDL has been our labor of love, and we will always remember these books, the volunteers, libraries, publishers, and readers around the world with great fondness.

Keep reading!

- Founders Ben Bederson, Allison Druin, Ann Weeks, Anne Rose and Tim Browne (in memoriam)
Email directors

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ICDL - International Children's Digital Library

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Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. It's 100% free, fun and science-based. Practice online on duolingo.com or on the apps!

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Multilingual Classroom Labels & Posters by Morganized Studio | TPT

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This page failed to load. Our development team has been informed of the issue.

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Build wonderful classroom communities with parents and students

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PBS LearningMedia | Teaching Resources For Students And Teachers

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Inspire your students with thousands of free teaching resources including videos, lesson plans, and games aligned to state and national standards.

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Teaching for Change and Rethinking Schools collaborate to bring people's history to the classroom.

A dedicated website to encourage and support teaching about Central American history.

The best selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, YA, and educators.

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Building social justice starting in the classroom.

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https://www.amazon.com/Angelou-Creativity-Picture-Paintings-Decoration/dp/B0B49TG8RK

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Maya Angelou Quote You Can’t Use Up Creativity Poster Canvas Poster Wall Art Decor Print Picture Paintings for Living Room Bedroom Decoration Poster Unframe:16x24inch(40x60cm)

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Amazon.com: Maya Angelou Quote You Can’t Use Up Creativity Poster Canvas Poster Wall Art Decor Print Picture Paintings for Living Room Bedroom Decoration Poster Unframe:16x24inch(40x60cm): Posters & Prints

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Inspired by the book " The Crayon Box That Talked " this lesson will show children that when we all work together, the results are much more interesting and colorful.

Students can create a day of the dead skull mask using paint, glue, glitter, puffy paint and more!

Ages: 11-14 yrs

Kids can learn how to make a kinara craft using paper, to celebrate Kwanzaa.

Grades: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8

Students can make a poncho out of a paper bag or piece of fabric.

Levels: Junior, Middle School

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Multicultural Art and Craft Lessons for Kids K-12: Crafts from Around the World: KinderArt

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Inspired by the book " The Crayon Box That Talked " this lesson will show children that when we all work together, the results are much more interesting and colorful. Students can create a day of the dead skull mask using paint, glue, glitter, puffy paint and more!

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Showing students real objects (realia) in their natural contexts can be a vivid and engaging way to teach vocabulary and build comprehension and background knowledge. For example, a lesson about pollinators might include realia such as a beekeeper suit, like the one pictured above. These items can be brought into the classroom, discovered during actual or virtual museum visits and field trips, or found in the community.

Using realia can also involve all the senses and make concepts more concrete and memorable. For example, seeing a carburetor in an internal combustion engine, comparing different kinds of moss, or holding a replica of an ancient atlatl (spear thrower) cultivates curiosity and establishes comprehensible input.

In addition, manipulating objects like blocks, chips, or cards creates a hands-on path for understanding math, science, language arts, or other content concepts. Manipulating selected objects can make complex concepts more concrete, which is one effective way to scaffold comprehension of grade-level concepts.

Finally, it's important to remember that students can engage with all kinds of hands-on learning activities while developing new language skills. Hands-on activities can be a low-risk, high-reward way for students to show what they know, demonstrate their skills, and feel successful.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Review the unit or text for key concepts and new vocabulary.

2. Determine the realia (real items) or manipulatives that would best support students' comprehension of the key concepts of the unit.

3. Locate the realia or create the manipulatives needed for the unit and bring the objects to class.

4. Show the objects to the class during the lesson. Label them with vocabulary cards and refer to them throughout the class.

5. Choose a routine for students to view the realia or interact with the manipulatives. (See-Think-Wonder and Parts-Purposes-Complexities are two visible thinking routines from Harvard Project Zero that work well with realia.)

6. Look for opportunities to use peer learning. For example, partnerships working with manipulatives are effective in building comprehension. Students could take turns explaining why they are interacting with the manipulative (categorizing, sequencing, etc.) in a certain way.

7. Ask students to talk about and write about the realia as it applies to the unit or lesson.

8. After the experience with the realia or manipulatives, bring the whole group together to review the learning outcomes, check on comprehension, and answer questions that came up during the experience.

Lessons Learned

Whenever possible, make sure all students (or at the minimum, pairs of students) have a set of manipulatives. As many students as possible should have the opportunity to work with the objects.

Develop clear, consistent expectations for how students should interact with the realia or manipulatives.

Give students time to examine and touch the realia, whenever possible.

If the object is small and inexpensive, give every student one to hold, manipulate, and examine.

If the realia is fragile (bird's nest, artifact, etc.), show the real object and provide guidance on how to examine it.

If students do not respect the objects, put them away and try again at another time.

Invite parents, instructional coaches, administrators, or other adults into the room when introducing realia or using manipulatives. The extra adults in the room can support content and language development, as well as appropriate use of the materials.

In order for students to closely view different kinds of realia, consider creating small group stations on the day you introduce the realia. This way, students can get closer to or even touch (if appropriate) the objects.

Take a picture of the real object for reference after the object is no longer available in the classroom.

Once students have seen the real object, provide replicas or labeled pictures for them to manipulate and work with throughout the unit.

Digital realia (videos, pictures, artifacts) work, too, but the videos or pictures should show the actual size and color of the object, so students gain comprehension of the concept or key vocabulary.

Differentiation

Create small, purposeful groups for rotation stations to view realia or manipulate objects. Guide each group through the observation routine or interaction with the manipulatives so that they develop both language and concepts while at the station.

Label the parts of the realia or manipulatives in English and students' heritage languages whenever possible. If students are discovering the parts (during the Parts, Purposes, Complexities routine for example), label the parts after the exploratory phase.

Connect the realia and manipulatives to items from the students' background. Ask students to bring in something from their cultural background that represents the concept, if appropriate.

When students are working with manipulatives, provide clear written instructions with visual icons for steps they should follow. Include sentence frames and a word bank for them to use while interacting with the manipulatives.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Determine the key concepts students need to know for the unit.

2. Determine the language expectations for the lesson/unit. Which words will students need to use to show mastery of the content?

3. Collaborate with the ELD teacher to locate realia or make manipulatives for the unit.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Suggest realia or manipulatives that could support students in grasping that concept. Bring in some of these items.

2. Develop activities for students as they interact with the realia or manipulatives. (See-Think-Wonder and Parts, Purposes, and Complexities are two thinking routines that work well with realia.)

3. Show the realia or work with the manipulatives with a small group of entering/emerging level students. Provide heritage language labels and support as necessary.

4. Create sentence frames and visual word banks for partnerships as they interact with manipulatives.

Examples

Realia

Technology from previous eras: typewriter, old fashioned telephone, cassette tape

Items from nature: abandoned paper wasp nest, animal bones, snake skins, plants, flowers

Food: root vegetables, exotic fruit, whole spices and herbs

Clothing that people wear on their jobs: scrubs, firefighter uniform, construction helmet, postal worker uniform

Household items: spatula, whisk, egg beater

Connecting realia to content

Plants in a terrarium could support a science lesson on photosynthesis.

Typewriters and telephones with cords could introduce a unit on technological advancements.

Pieces of different rock types (igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary) could help students understand the rock cycle.

Herbs and spices could make a description of food in a novel come to life.

A circuit board could help explian concepts of electricity.

Manipulatives:

chips

beads

blocks

flashcards

sticky notes

fraction tiles

plastic figures (like teddy bear counters)

pictures from a text

puzzle pieces of a map or other document

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentShowing students real objects (realia) in their natural contexts can be a vivid and engaging way to teach vocabulary and build comprehension and background knowledge. For example, a lesson about pollinators might include realia such as a beekeeper suit, like the one pictured above.