2) Social-emotional health and development
How do I foster the social-emotional health and development of Multilingual Learners?
Website: Information for Families on Children’s Early Development in Multiple Languages
This website offers family-friendly resources about child development in 8 different languages. Resources are separated by age group (from birth to 5 years) and include videos and tips for families on how to support young children's development (including language, social-emotional development, math, physical development, and approaches to learning).Read More
Strategy Overview: Math Activities/Actividades for Teachers
This website offers twelve instructional activities for small group work or centers, across multiple domains of math. For example, opportunities for engagement with pattern-making, analyzing data, and creating and sorting with manipulatives. An English/Español tab at the top of the page provides access to all content in both languages.Read More
Toolkit: Funds of Knowledge
This toolkit helps teachers adapt an asset-based lens and identify the knowledge that students and families bring into a school community, and how to leverage that knowledge for learning.Read More
Toolkit: Welcoming and Affirming Community
This link connects teachers to multiple resource toolkits across multiple grade bands. Topics include Social Emotional Learning, Family Partnerships, and Caring Communities.Read More
Video: Supportive Emotional Climate for Relationships
This video highlights the importance of language to make Multilingual Learners feel comfortable; if they hear their home language spoken and see their culture represented in the classroom, it will create a more warm and inviting environment for them. Another key item to foster a supportive emotional climate are positive interactions between the educator and the child.Read More
Video: Being Responsive to Home Language and Culture
This video focuses on the importance for educators to remain flexible and responsive in order to support Multilingual Learners. Educators can create meaningful relationships with children and their families by getting to know them and respecting their preferences and practices (asking them about specific food needs as an example).Read More
Video: Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Communication
This video reinforces an asset-based approach towards supporting Multilingual Learners. It highlights the importance of family engagement and social-emotional development strategies to help create a warm and inviting environment for ML children.Read More
Video: T-Graph for Collaborative Conversations—Kindergarten
This video shows Kindergarten students engaged in creating a T-graph for social skills, a strategy designed to teach the skills of meaningful collaboration.Read More
Strategy Overview: Exploring Names
This strategy engages children in learning about and writing about their name(s), in reading literature in which a change in a child's name reflects the dynamics of immigration, and presents an opportunity for opinion writing on the issue of name changes. A list of books with themes about names is also included.Read More
Strategy Overview: The Classroom Audit
A classroom audit involves a non-judgmental reading of the messages conveyed by the materials and arrangement of the classroom as well as interactions through the lens of equity and diversity.Read More
Strategy Overview: I am Poems
The portrait, persona, or “I am” poem is an autobiographical and descriptive personal statement. The poems are self-expressive vehicles for students to introduce themselves to others and describe themselves.Read More
Strategy Overview: Name Acrostics
This strategy engages students in writing free verse acrostic poems about themselves using the letters of their names to begin each line. The use of children’s names can bring personal meaning to writing; and valuing children’s names is a part of a strong, respectful classroom community.Read More
Strategy Overview: Self Portraits
This activity provides an opportunity for students to do their own exploration, reflection, and expression about themselves through a facilitated process of looking at themselves in a mirror, talking about what they see, and drawing a self-portrait. Young children are developing an awareness of who they are and what they look like and increasing awareness of human diversity.Read More
Strategy Overview: Family Empathy Interviews
A template designed to support conversation uncovering each family's "funds of knowledge" so teachers can design a culturally responsive and sustaining approach to instruction.Read More
Webinar: Family School Partnership—PreK
In this webinar video, building strong family partnerships is explained as well as providing some tangible strategies for early learning educators.Read More
Strategy Overview: Promoting a Sense of Identity
This strategy outlines ways teachers can work with families to promote children's sense of identity, connection to home language and culture, plus respect for diversity.Read More
Strategy Overview: Conducting a Family Oral History—K-3rd
Everyone has stories that are worth sharing! This strategy deepens a child's knowledge about their heritage, makes use of their home language, and opens opportunities to share their stories with their peers.Read More
Video: A Felt Board Story
This video clip shows two Multilingual Learners practicing content vocabulary in both Spanish and English as they reenact a chant they have learned in class. The peer interaction provides an authentic space for them to support one another with language development in a fun, meaningful hands-on activity.Read More
Video: Soyul & Teacher Yvette—Sandcastles
This video is an excerpt of the intentional work Teacher Yvette makes to help Soyul, a Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner, ask a friend to build a sandcastle. It is an example of providing support to help build peer interactions so children can practice language in an authentic context.Read More
Video: Dr. Linda Espinosa—A Commentary on Brand New Words
In this video, Dr. Linda Espinosa reminds teachers that when Multilingual Learners are acquiring new languages, they also must learn how to make new sounds. Video clips show a bilingual teacher working on this phonological awareness with children, and allowing them to share the expertise of their home language.Read More
Video & Video Guide: Adventures in Preschool Second Language Acquisition
This video showcases the relationship between one teacher and one Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner and her family. The video includes vignettes of teaching, interviews with the teacher, the family, and administrators, and many rich examples of English development teaching strategies. The accompanying guide suggests moments in the video to pause to notice teachers’ practice, along with prompts for reflection and discussion.Read More
Website Article: Multicultural Books for Beginning Readers
This article tackles a problem found in many early elementary classrooms: the need for books for beginning readers that depict multicultural and diverse characters. A list of recommended books is included.Read More
Website Article: Books That Mirror The Children in Our Classrooms
This article contains a link to a relevant TEDx Talk, along with diverse book titles that will help teachers match the books in the classroom to the identities of their students.Read More
Website Article: The Right to Be Seen
In this article, an English Language Development teacher shares a vignette about a recent newcomer joining her school community. The author reminds educators of the asset-based lens that helps support newly arrived Multilingual Learners and their families.Read More
Tip Sheet: How to Support Your Child’s Social-Emotional Health – 8 Tips (in 16 languages)
This tip sheet helps parents, providers, and teachers communicate with children about their feelings in both home and school environments.Read More
Video: A Study of the Play of Dual Language Learners in an English-Speaking Classroom
This video considers the teacher-assisted supports and interactions that Multilingual Learners often need to develop social and emotional skills in English-dominant preschools.Read More
Blog: Equity Measures in Dual Language Education – Separation of Language
This blog makes the research-based case that language separation is a "non-negotiable" in a dual language program. Giving students access to content in their native language is a key component of accelerating achievement for Multilingual Learners.Read More
Video: Morning Meeting – A Daily Strategy for Teaching Social and Emotional Learning to 1st Grade Students
Morning meetings are a routine that can support the socio-emotional health and development of Multilingual Learners, provide space for social interactions, and help build relationships across a class community. This first-grade teacher describes her practice with facilitating these meetings in a first-grade classroom.Read More
Video & Video Guide: Using Reciprocal Teaching to Engage 3rd-Grade Readers
This video shows Multilingual Learners in a 3rd-grade classroom engaged in reciprocal teaching. This small group interaction helps structure student-led discussions about a text and bolster reading comprehension. The accompanying guide suggests moments in the video to pause to notice teachers’ practice, along with prompts for reflection and discussion.Read More
Blog: Lowering the Affective Filter for English Language Learners Facilitates Successful Language Acquisition
This blog introduces the concept of affective filter and lists ways that teachers can establish a classroom environment to minimize stress and support the risk-taking associated with learning a new language at school.Read More
Blog: 5 Steps for Ensuring That Your Dual Language Program Is Still A Strong, Equity-Based Dual Language Program
This blog post introduces guiding principles for a successful dual immersion program. The author argues that successful programs are grounded in equity-based decisions, such as providing Multilingual Learners access to content learning in their native language.Read More
Strategy Overview: Translanguaging
This resource offers guidelines on the various ways teachers can implement translanguaging in the classroom.Read More
Newcomer Toolkit: Social-Emotional Needs
This is one chapter from the U.S. Department of Education Newcomer Toolkit. This chapter focuses on meeting the social-emotional needs of newcomer Multilingual Learners.Read More
Video: A Study of DLLs’ Play in an English-Speaking Classroom
In this video, presenters emphasize how important it is for teachers to support Multilingual Learners in interacting meaningfully with their peers. When teachers serve as interpreters, provide words for children, and strategically pair them together, they will have more successful peer interactions and relationships.Read More
Website Article: Promote Peer Support and Interaction
This website article describes how teachers can intentionally structure social opportunities for Multilingual Learners (MLs) and explicitly teach children communication strategies. This article is one part of a multi-page resource about supporting MLs and ML children with disabilities.Read More
Website Article: Adapting Morning Meeting Greeting for English Learners
Morning meetings are a common part of the instructional day. This article offers strategies on how to make Multilingual Learners feel welcome and included, along with activity ideas that draw on students' linguistic diversity.Read More
Website Article: The Home Language-An English Language Learner’s Most Valuable Resource
This article offers a review of research and policy that supports home language development, and covers numerous strategies that teachers can use to support home language use in the classroom.Read More
Video: Tips for Teaching Newcomers
This video introduces instructional tips that elementary teachers can use to support instruction for newcomer Multilingual Learners, including visuals, gradual release, shared writing, and recognizing what students are bringing to their learning.Read More
Educator Toolkit: My Name, My Identity- Creating an Inclusive and Respectful School Community
This digital book supports the socio-emotional learning of students by introducing example lesson plans that center on Multilingual Learners' identity. The resource includes videos, book lists, lesson plans, and many extension activities and further resources to help teachers build a healthy, asset-based community in the classroom.Read More
Video: Model Curriculum for English Learners- How Do I Feel? (Kindergarten)
In this video, a designated teacher for Multilingual Learners talks through her objectives for a read-aloud lesson. She builds in practice opportunities for the students to use the language of feelings, the language of sequence, and specific use of pronouns. She also uses instructional tools like graphic organizers and an end-of-unit rubric to support student experiences in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in English. A link to the whole unit plan is available on the video's YouTube page.Read More
Blog: ELL Students’ Home Language is an Asset, Not a “Barrier”
In this blog, numerous teachers share their thinking on why home languages are an asset to acknowledge and celebrate in the classroom. Additional links and resources are available to help teachers know how to draw on students' knowledge in their home languages, and structure activities that support Multilingual Learners' language development.Read More
Website Article: Six Strategies to Help ELLs Succeed in Peer Learning and Collaboration
This article offers numerous strategies and additional resources to help teachers integrate group learning in the classroom. Intentional grouping builds in peer support for Multilingual Learners who speak the same language, offers authentic purposes for oral language practice, and helps build relationships in the classroom.Read More
Website Article: Cooperative Learning Strategies
This article introduces many different ideas and structures to help a teacher define group learning roles. This provides Multilingual Learners with opportunities to work with peers and build both content and social language skills.Read More
Newcomer Toolkit: Social Emotional Needs
This is one chapter from the U.S. Department of Education Newcomer Toolkit. This chapter focuses on meeting the socio-emotional needs of newcomer Multilingual Learners.Read More
Website Article: Developing Empathy to Build Warm, Inclusive Classrooms
This resource provides a list of eight strategies to engage with Multilingual Learners in a warm and inclusive way. This resource also provides a link to a more comprehensive article, “Culturally Responsive Strategies to Support Young Children with Challenging Behavior."Read More
Newcomer Toolkit: Welcoming Newcomers
This is one chapter from the U.S. Department of Education Newcomer Toolkit. This chapter focuses on how teachers can welcome both newcomer Multilingual Learners and their families into a school community.Read More
Checklist: Diversity of Experiences
This simple checklist helps teachers identify the diversity across a classroom of learners. Reflecting and gathering information about family and student backgrounds helps build relationships and trust.Read More
Video: Integrated & Designated ELD- Kindergarten
In this integrated ELD video, the teacher focuses on developing the academic English language that Multilingual Learners need to access content instruction. She uses chants, repetition, small group instruction, and numerous other supports.Read More
Strategy Overview: Collaborative Practice
This set of resources guides teachers in developing the structures and supports that learners need to engage in effective group work. This thoughtful setup can enable Multilingual Learners to engage in positive social and academic interactions with peers.Read More
Strategy Overview: Testimonios
Testimonio, a Spanish term for "witness account," is a storytelling pedagogy that emerged from Latin American culture and narrative research methodology. Used in the classroom, testimonios can be written, oral, and/or visual representations of Multilingual Learners' experiences that support home language development and engage families in children's learning.Read More
Strategy Overview: My Name
Nothing is closer to a Multilingual Learner's identity than their name. This resource offers culturally relevant examples of how to engage in meaningful activities with children about their names.Read More
Strategy Overview: Persona Dolls
This resource describes the purpose of and process for using persona dolls. The resource also includes a planning template and letters that teachers send to children’s families describing persona dolls in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.Read More
Video: Persona Dolls
In this video, educators discuss how they use persona dolls in classrooms with Multilingual Learners. Persona dolls provide children with the opportunity to build their relationship skills and participate meaningfully in social interactions.Read More
Video: Home-School Connection and Projects
Opportunities for curriculum-based learning at home help build relationships with families and support language development for Multilingual Learners. This video showcases an example of a home-school project presentation in a preschool classroom where educators provide high-quality extended talk in multiple languages and provide hands-on, inquiry-based experiences.Read More
Video: Affirming Language, Culture & Identity
This video shares asset-based strategies for teachers to engage with families, develop the socio-emotional health of children, and set up a classroom environment to support Multilingual Learners. This resource focuses on preschool but the content applies to all grade bands. Examples come from dual language classrooms.Read More
