Supporting Multilingual Learners
As we get ready for a new school year, I’d like to shine a light on 5 things our MLs need from us this fall.
I gave a staff presentation this week and would like to share some of highlights, along with the handout, with you here.
This list was created with the whole school staff in mind: ESOL teachers, classroom teachers, specials teachers, resource teachers, counselors, support staff, etc. Setting our multilingual learners up for year long success is a collective effort from all.
1 – Celebrate Cultural Diversity
The shining star of the presentation was this topic, Celebrating Cultural Diversity, especially pronouncing names correctly. I shared a Ted Talk video by Gerardo Ochoa on YouTube (we watched the first 7 minutes). If you get the chance to watch it, I highly recommend it. Here’s the link.
I also shared this slide. Teach Us Your Name is a picture book by Huda Essa. It shares the personal experience of a young girl who didn’t like her name because others couldn’t pronounce it correctly.
Then, I shared a read aloud called Teach Us Your Name, by Huda Essa, along with a printable activity for teachers to use in their classrooms the first week of school where students can share what they know and like about their names. You can download a free copy here. Page 1 is for primary grades and page 2 is for upper elementary grades.
2 – Build Vocabulary
Our students need us to be mindful and focused on building and reinforcing vocabulary each and every day. The first slide shares examples of types of vocabulary (synonyms/antonyms chart is from Crafting Connections), and the second slide shows a powerful clip from a film called Immersion. The film demonstrates the challenges beginning English learners have in the classroom. Here’s the clip.
The remainder of the presentation shared information on…
3 – Language Supports, aka scaffolds
4 – Comprehensible Input
5 – “Low Stress” Output
These are 5 things our ELs need from us to be successful this fall, and beyond. If you’d like a copy of the handout to share with your school staff, you can grab it right here.
Have a wonderful back to school season!
